Sammy was one of the most talented human beings ever; Singer, dancer, dramatic actor, comedic actor, musician, incredible impersonations, all superbly done, there was nothing he couldn't do. He accomplished all of this in spite of the huge racial hurdles he had to overcome. Truly a Superstar.
To add to that he could do gun and rope tricks plus he was an amazing photographer. Here is a lovely shot he did of Marilyn Monroe. www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiExPaK5J3mAhXDMd8KHWy0AvIQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.co.uk%2Fpin%2F201254677071462743%2F&psig=AOvVaw21maiOULyruoMQHlyTObzb&ust=1575610338667599
@dannydoc 1969 I agree with you inspite of the hatred directed mostly at Black people in America. Mr. Davis, succeeded inspite of the country in which he was born placing all types of laws created intended to make Black people failures. In the so called land of the free and the brave. Rip Mr. Davis.
@@lisablack124 SDJ was beloved in america by the overwhelming majority of white americans. Only the racist democrats opposed civil rights. Spew your hatred elsewhere.
I was lucky enough to meet Sammy in the late 70s; he was appearing on a show I worked on and invited me to a party he was throwing. Both he and his wife Altovese were beyond gracious; I remember that night as one of the most wonderful nights of my life.
Sammy going on TV fresh after the accident that cost him his eye was incredibly brave. He does some great voices here that I recognized. The Louis Prima one was spot-on!
I saw him on an interview just in the 1970's saying that it took him YEARS to be able to reach out and pick up a glass right in front of him without knocking it over. We take for granted the necessity of having two eyes for assessing distances between objects.
"Can you do practically anything?"... No greater respect can be shown than that given by fellow peers to those most deserving of such accolades. Respect to a great man.
Sammy was so young. He actually did alot of dancing at that time, thats probably why he said he didnt sing that much. I remember hearing that several years later he was told not to dance as much , because he might have had a slight problem with his heart. Maybe it was just a rumour. But he started to do alot of singing in his shows after the 1950s.
This is quite charming. Sammy Davis Jr. is rather quickly found out precisely because there were (and are) so few performers who could match his blazing, baffling versatility--including of course the endless ability to disguise his own voice. He was in a category of one. Kilgallen zeroed right in: "Can you do practically anything?" Who else could it be but--Sammy Davis Jr.!
@@timetobecreative7343 . On RU-vid there is an excellent all star tribute to Sammy near the end of his life, look at the way he can STILL perform and tell us if you still think someone would like him only because of the color of his skin.
I’ve been binge watching and I have to say I’ve fallen for Dorothy. Her intelligence , charm, and adorable reactions to her thoughts before sometimes not asking what she’s thinking is just priceless. Just lovely in every way
Sad the federal government killed her. She's an american hero who deserves to be history books. She knew the threat to her life was real, but she still boldly challenged the feds. Kudos to her. We need more like her today.
@@unclebounce1495 the Mark Shaw interview here on YT was an opener for me. Body discovered at 9, and the cops didn't show up until 3 in the morning. WTF!
@@m.e.d.7997 Yes. And Mark Shaw explains that it was the Brooklyn PD, who "found" the body at 3 am. And Shaw explains that the most corrupt, mafia controlled precint in NYC back then, was the Brooklyn PD.
Wow! there has never been and there never will be such a talent. Thank you Sammy since seeing you Live in London in the early 60’s it’s been a privilege to see and hear you time and again. To paraphrase in Life one can never get tired of Sammy.
WML is like a warm hug from an old friend. I have memories of staying up late on Sunday evenings as a child of about six or seven years old and loving every minute. I loved the introductions, seeing the womens'dresses/gowns and the MG and up to the goodnights. I watch the episodes over and over. Has anyone else noticed the laugh of a man in the audience in many of the shows? They must have had regular attendees.
The fat joke might have been funny and acceptable 65 years ago but it sure jarred me today. It's good to see in at least one small way we've made progress.
More than one. He suggests the psychiatrist may be her "straight man", implying she dances for laughs. Maybe that was OK in 1955-DK seems to chuckle-but I hope I would have found it gross.
If an overweight person appeared on this show, you better believe that at some point, there was going to be an insult . How horrifying for this woman. She was expected to sit there & laugh with the rest of the room at herself.
I concur with dannydoc about Sammy Davis, Jr. Mr. Davis was a true showbiz icon, and his recordings of songs like "I've Gotta Be Me" and "What Kind Of Fool Am I?" are classics.
My introduction to Sammy davis, jr. was his autobiography "yes, I can" that I did a book report on in eighth grade. He endured so much prejudice/racism.
During the "Rat Pack" era, they were going to stay at a Hotel. Sammy Davis Jr, was walking in the other direction. Frank Sinatra asked him" Where are you going ?" Sammy said " I can't stay in there , I'm not allowed , going to sleep in my car " Frank was furious and convinced him to follow them inside the Hotel. He asked the desk clerk for some rooms. The Clerk and the Manager told Frank " Sorry, we don't allow Negros in here". Sinatra screamed and said " If you don't allow Sammy in here, we will tell everyone in this city what your doing and have this place shut down, now let him in ! ". The Manager had no choice and Sammy stayed. I'm sure this was not the first time this happened . To me, Mr. Davis was one of the greatest performers GOD ever created--He did it all. GOD bless Sammy Davis Jr and grant Him all the blessings of Heaven. He paid his dues--and then some.
SInatra had his flaws but his record on civil rights was impeccable. More than once he refused to stay in Vegas hotels that did not allow his black entourage to be guests. After awhile, they all were forced to change their policies.
I was lucky enough to meet Sammy in the late 70s; he was appearing on a show I worked on and invited me to a party he was throwing. Both he and his wife Altovese were beyond gracious; I remember that night as one of the most wonderful nights of my life.
Sinatra loved Sammy like a kid brother. When Sammy passed on, Sinatra had the stuffing knocked out of him and went into a deep depression until his own death.
I was a fat child in the 50's. People told me that all the time. It was acceptable because people were mostly much slimmer then than they are now & it was seen as a character flaw, I think. It still hurt.
I was born in 1952 and was often the target of "fat shaming" or simply rude and inconsiderate people who thought it was their job and their privilege to point out what was obvious to me. "My God, you've put on weight," I remember hearing from one of my uncles when I walked through the door at my grandmother's house for a family fathering when I was 11 or so. If i hadn't been a child, knowing what I know now, I'd have responded, "Yet you're still missing the middle digit of your I.Q. and you're still rude and inconsiderate. I may be fat, but I don't go around insulting people unless I'm provoked as I am now." It still happens to fat people and, I note, it even happens to people who are noticeably underweight, and "skinny" people can be as hurt by having their slenderness pointed out as fat people are by having their rotundity pointed out. Nowadays, then that happens, I take a cue from Rosie O'Donnell and say, "You know, human beings come in all shapes and sizes. So get over yourself and adjust to that fact."
+David Evans Regarding the eye patch worn by Sammy Davis, Jr., to take your explanation one step further, the accident not only had a physical impact on him. Over time, it had a spiritual impact on him as well. Eddie Cantor began to tell him about similarities in the history of Jews and of Blacks. That led to Sammy reading up on Judaism and eventually converting in 1961.
Sammy Davis Jr was once the Man of the Hour on the Dean Martin Roasts. At the end of all the jokes, quips and zingers, it was now Sammy's turn to get a few jokes in. But all he said was: "One of the great joys of being 45 years in this business, is to have people that love you, make fun of you. Because the day they don't make fun of you, that means they don't give a damn about you." God broke the mold with him.
it was a well known fact ,that MR Davis was the fastest draw in Hollywood . this was during the heyday of the western .. a well rounded fantastic entertainer !
LOVE SAMMY. He was a good man through and through as well as being an incredible performer. Also love the love and respect that he and Sinatra clearly had for each other. Great story.
I read all the comments below and I must say I too was shocked and embarrassed for them regarding all the insulting comments to and about the two guests. Just terrible.
One of the cultural differences in 1955 compared to nowadays is that it was generally acceptable to make jokes about fat people right in front of them. It's a practice that still happens, though not as much as 60 years ago. I've worked for employers who have policies against making negative comments or telling jokes about co-workers' bodies -- as in being thin or being overweight. Even so, I think Fred Allen was out of line in his "fat jokes" during questioning of the first contestant.
ToddSF 94109 I must (even to go so far as replying to an old post) disagree. It was NEVER acceptable to make cruel jokes about fat people ... at least, not to the fat people. It may have been acceptable among the average and the slender to slur fat people, but NEVER was it acceptable to the fat people!
Yes,I agree,Mr.Allen,had no room to talk regarding how one's appearance is.Usually,people who make crude,sarcastic comments,are people who,themselves,are insecure,defensive towards others.It is sad,that people take the offensive and attack before just allowing themselves " to jell"and go with the flow in their interactions with other people!
@@sweiland75 right, that was the era of everything being socially/politically incorrect. Where it was fine to be racist, sexist, homophobic,etc. Yes, those were such great times. All idiot rightwingers whine like snowflakes about PC'ers being offended by everything, but never mention that we had 90yrs of christian right conservative censorship. Ten times more was censored according to conservative ethos
With their opening guest Miss Murphy, they truly sounded like bullies and insulting, just because someone may be robust doesn't mean they have the right to belittle them ... I grew up with this show but never really noticed it until i watched these videos ...
I was surprised that Allen talked that way to that lady. She had class and just smiled. I was thinking she had a pretty face and was younger looking than I originally thought. Allen usually ok but this was a BIG MISS-STEP. I hope later he regretted it ?
but, that cuts both ways... it can be seen as a compliment, and/or an insult. btw- being fat, was not seen as such a horrible thing at the time. people, were often, seen as healthy, if hefty. we have to understand the context of the time, before freaking out.
I don't think Arlene would ever have intentionally insulted someone. I think she was trying too hard to compliment her, to counteract Fred Allen's rudeness.
I'm binging on these old episodes, forwarding to the mystery guests. It's so interesting to see the good manners and beautiful behavior of all the panelists.
That beautiful behavior was not directed towards the heavier guests and frankly I was disappointed in them. And I felt embarrassed for the guests, especially that remark by Arlene when she said "and I'm sure you're light on your feet".
There used to be an elegant restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale called Patricia Murphy's. It was decorated in pink and white and served the most delicious pop-overs you've ever had. Sadly it's no longer there.🎵🎵
Unsurprisingly, I can't find a thing on Miss Murphy (aside from some Billboard stuff in the 40s and 50s), though there's a Patricia Murphy School of Irish Dance in Brick, NJ. Different Murphy, though. Davis is 30 here, and is going to be in Mr. Wonderful in '56, and wow is he good.
I found The Murphy Sisters, a singing group from the 1940's. Their names were Dottie, Muriel, and Margie. So this can't be the Murphy Sisters that Patricia mentioned who were toe dancers. Terri Johnson
The only thing that interested me about the first challenger was an explanation for what a toe dancer does. And after watching and looking it up, I still am not clear on when is a toe dancer not a ballet dancer, and what is done differently between the two types of dance.
i believe, a ballet dancer will toe dance as part of the whole dance and a toe dancer only toe dances. a toe dancer stays on her toes for the whole dance, a ballet dancer is on her toes for most of the dance, but not all of it. i am guessing toe dancing was a short lived fad, probably because of the damage it did to the feet.
Arby Fatbuckle He truly was an entertainer who could do anything. I have seen him demonstrate quick draws and twirling of colt hand guns cowboy style while doing a dance. Remarkable. a sad loss
Wow. I just got done telling everyone how classy these television shows were and how polite everyone was back "in the day". Then I see this episode where they were so mean and insensitive using jokes at the expense of that poor dancer. Ridiculed on live television.
I did not know that fireworks had any animal ingredients but I Googled it and apparently they contain stearic acid (a fatty acid) in case anybody was wondering.
Saw a bumper sticker once that read, "I may be fat. But you're ugly. I can diet." Due to medical conditions, I took several medications. Every single one of them caused weight gain. Didn't matter what I did to lose weight, it wouldn't come off. Since I'm now working a job that doesn't have health insurance and I can not afford the meds, I've lost almost all those pounds I'd gained.
That bumper sticker might have been inspired by the legendary story of Winston Churchill and Lady Astor, who couldn't stand each other, at a dinner party. Lady Astor said, "Sir, you are drunk", and Churchill reportedly replied, "Yes, madam. And you are ugly, but I shall be sober in the morning."
Thank you for uploading all these videos, it must have been hard to find some of these gems. I know of wml for 3 years or so but I began now to watch in order of year, I'm starting to be afraid of reaching the end knowing there aren't any more to watch.
I cringe at the remarks these people make regarding the guests on their show. I can’t believe how insulting and insensitive they are. Are they so perfect. No. Most definitely they are not.
It’s easy to find fault with chinless Dorothy, slight speech impediment Bennett, dorky Fred, but Arlene might actually be perfect. None of this excuses their rudeness towards guests. And none of this is intended to imply I do not have as more faults than the panelists.
I like to watch this series because it is set in the '50d and '60s, which in my opinion was a time when the country was greatly more American thsn it is today.
At the end of the 1954 season, a rookie pitcher by the name of Karl Spooner was called up to the major leagues for the first time by the Brooklyn Dodgers. In his first major league game, he pitched a three hit shutout and struck out 15 Giants, the team that would go on to win the World Series not long after that game. On the last day of the season, Spooner shut out the Pirates on four hits and struck out 12 to win, 1-0. All winter, Dodger fans dreamed of him pitching a full season and winning 20 games or more. And Dodger teammates knew that this kid's stuff was for real. A few days before this WML episode on March 9, Spooner pitched in his first spring training game of the season against the White Sox. Rushed into the game an inning earlier than expected, he hurried his warmups. Striking out Jim Rivera with a curve ball, he felt something pull in his shoulder. After he finished his appearance on the mound, the shoulder started to hurt really bad. At first it was considered just a kink in his shoulder: a minor injury. He pitched the entire 1955 season for the Dodgers, but he wasn't the same pitcher that dominated at the end of the previous season, compiling a record of 8-6 with a 3.65 ERA. He started the 6th game of the World Series but got knocked out in the first inning, forcing a seventh game. The pitcher who won that game and the World Series for the Dodgers was Johnny Podres, the same pitcher whose early exit on March 9 caused Spooner to come into the game earlier than expected. By the start of 1956 season, Spooner's arm was dead and it never recovered. An operation didn't help. The Cardinals acquired him from the Dodgers and it made no difference. For the last five days of the 1954 regular season, he was on top of the heap and Dodger fans were already polishing his Hall of Fame plaque. But by the end of the 1958 season, King Karl Spooner knew for sure that his throne was gone forever. He never pitched in another major league game after that last appearance in the 1955 World Series. His name was added to the list of Brooklyn Dodger might-have-beens: Pete Reiser, Jack Banta and Rex Barney. Healthy, he might have been the best of all of them.
Lois Simmons If he was rushed into a game without adequate warmup time he should have just declined to pitch until he had warmed up. This is an age old story. The worst the team could do is trade him or send him down, both unlikely scenarios with his records. One has to advocate for oneself in this life, 60 years ago or today.
I read his biography many years ago in the 1970's. I didn't know that his mother was Cuban American. Elvera Sanchez was her name. She was a tap dancer.
Yup. They thought nothing of poking fun at a person's appearance just to get laughs. Fat people were, in those days, expected to grin and bear it when someone did that. Even worse, "Are you now or have you ever been a relative of Miss Murphy's?" John Daly asked the final contestant, Norman Allen, since he and the first contestant Patricia Murphy were both fat. Just rude. I note that some people in the studio audience started laughing when Norman Allen walked in and was signing his name on the chalkboard -- and I think they were reacting to his being fat.
To commenter JOSH:yes there was a little bit of LOUIE PRIMA from SAMMY DAVIS which is why MR.CERF asked if the mystery guest (sammy) sang a song THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC (song by LOUIE PRIMA and KEELY SMITH!) SAMMY DAVIS/BOBBY DARIN are almost one and the same with thier impersonations and dance moves and even some songs they recorded: WHAT KIND OF FOOL AM I by SAMMY and YOU,RE THE REASON I,M LIVING by BOBBY have the both of them giving that heart felt emotion in the lyrics!!!!!!
Mr. Cerf: “You wouldn’t happen to be a fella who sings 'That Old Black Magic' by any chance?" Sammy: “No, but that sounds like a great idea! I think I’ll record it!”
One persistent flaw with the show was that so few of the guests got a chance to show of the products they dealt in or the talents they had, even when it would have been easy to do so. (E.g., Miss Murphy wasn't allowed to bring her shoes and show off her dancing.) These would have been quite entertaining, and if they took up so much time that the last contestant was eliminated, so what?
Absolutely! I do wish there had been more "ordinary contestants" and fewer "celebrities." If you want to find out about somebody in showbiz or politics, you can look them up on Wikipedia, etc. But most of these "non-celebritities" have disappeared in the mists of time--and I would have liked to know a little bit more about them.
It just occurred to me that they incorporated people demonstrating things or doing the thing which the panel guessed whether they ran out of questions or not in the 70's version of What's My Line because in this version of the show she would ask the person whether famous or not to sing or say whatever ❤ Today in no one cares: Sammy and I share a birthday. He died when I was a little girl
Yes I agree the jokes levelled at the large constants were unnecessary and a little cruel --But remember this show is 60 years old and attitudes back then were a lot different today Well before the obesity epidemic got rolling as the present time when 60% of Americans are grossly overweight.
Michael Naisbitt Yet, the female stars like Marilyn Monroe, and Jane Russel, and Martha Rae and Lucy Ball, *all* had weight on them back then, and it seemed normal.?? Seemed a fickle era.
I love this show (and this issue is about this time period in america, not about What's my Line specifically), but its honestly wild how mean everyone is to any slightly heavy woman on sight.
I'm a skinny and older black lady and I agree with you about the meanness. But do you see how SCARCE heavy people were in that era? (Especially my race).