Sammy Davis Jr. by Phillipe Halsman
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
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, timeline.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