Sammy Davis Jr. by Phillipe Halsman
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
This episode was originally released on December 14, 2021. Listen to help prep for the next episode of our new season, The Old Man is Still Alive.
In the mid-1960s, 47 year-old Dean Martin proves he's still got it by knocking the Beatles off the top of the pop charts, and by launching his long-running TV show, which brought a version of his nightclub act into America’s living rooms every week. But his middle-aged drunk schtick sours as the decade of hippies and Vietnam wears on. Sammy Davis Jr has his own challenges, living up to the expectations of a new generation of activists--and he only makes matters worse by embracing Richard Nixon. After disastrously dabbling with Motown, Sammy records “The Candy Man” -- a silly novelty single that he hated, but which ended up saving his career.
Dean Martin and the Golddiggers on the Dean Martin Show, c. 1972
SHOW NOTES:
Sources for the entire season:
Dino by Nick Tosches
Jerry Lewis In Person by Jerry Lewis and Herb Gluck
In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr. by Will Haygood
Yes I Can: The Autobiography of Sammy Davis Jr. by Sammy Davis Jr., Burt Boyar and Jane Boyar
Sammy: An Autobiography by Sammy Davis Jr. and Jane and Burt Boyar
Rat Pack Confidential by Shawn Levy
His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra by Kitty Kelley
Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob by Matt Birkbeck
Sinatra: The Voice by James Kaplan
Sinatra: The Chairman by James Kaplan
Memories are Made of This by Deana Martin
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years by David Talbot
Making Movies Black by Thomas Cripps
Mafia Spies: The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro by Thomas Maier
My Lucky Stars by Shirley Maclaine
Sources specific to this episode:
“Before Trump and West, There Was Nixon and Davis” by Bené Viera, medium.com, April 30, 2018
Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases made when you click the clinks above. #ad
Music:
The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.
Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:
Calgary Sweeps - Vermouth
Chai Belltini - Vermouth
Gin Boheme - Vermouth
Gagool - Kevin MacLeod
Two Dollar Token - Warmbody
Glass Stopper - Vermouth
Thumbscrew - Sketchbook 2
Gaddy - Little Rock
Easy Listening in Jazz - Musique Libre de Droit Club
Lovers Hollow - Bitters
Chicken Steak - Truck Stop
Entrance Shaft 11 - The Depot
Latecomer (Bass Face) - Cafe Nostro
Credits:
This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.
Our editor this season is Evan Viola.
Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.
Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.
Logo design: Teddy Blanks.
Sammy Davis Jr. and Richard Nixon, 1972