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Sammy and Dino Episode 7: Yes I Can

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Sammy Davis Jr. by Phillipe Halsman

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Released in 1965, Sammy Davis Jr.'s autobiography became an instant classic, one of the most dynamic celebrity memoirs ever published and a testament to Davis’s barrier-breaking success as a black man in America. But the story behind the book, which was conceived and developed by two white ghostwriters -- and the racial and sexual dynamics of Davis's life during the years leading up to its release, which included two marriages and one relationship with a white movie star which almost got him killed -- are even more fascinating.

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Sammy Davis, Jr. and Loray White at their wedding, 1958 | Photo UNLV University Libraries

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

My Song by Harry Belafonte

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:

Yes I Can: The Autobiography of Sammy Davis Jr. by Sammy Davis Jr., Burt Boyar and Jane Boyar

Kim Novak: Reluctant Goddess by Peter Harry Brown

Hollywood is a Four Letter Town by James Bacon

The Egotists by Oriana Fallaci

“Hollywood Loved Sammy Davis Jr. Until He Dated a White Movie Star” by Joy Lanzendorfer, August 9, 2017, Smithsonian Magazine

“Ike Jones dies at 84; pioneering African American film producer”, October 11, 2014, LA Times

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases made when you click the clinks above. #ad

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Harry Belafonte, Martin Luther King Jr. and Sammy Davis Jr. at the Broadway Answers Selma Benefit, 1965

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: 

Chai Belltini - Vermouth

Alum Drum Solo - Azalai

Lowball - Vermouth

Guild Rat- El Baul

Cran Ras - Vermouth

Spot Peter - The Sweet Hots

Lowball - Vermouth

Entrance Shaft 11 - The Depot

Single Still - Vermouth

Chaunce Libertine - Vermouth

Our Only Lark - Bitters

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Sammy Davis Jr. with his wife May Britt and their children, 1964 | Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

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.

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