第 1 章
From Harlem to Hollywood: The Extraordinary Journey of Sammy Davis Jr.
When a young Sammy Davis Jr. stepped onto the stage of the New Frontier in Las Vegas in November 1954, he could feel the audience leaning in, catching his every move. After 26 years of performing, the Will Mastin Trio was finally breaking through, with audiences buzzing about "the kid in the middle." Walking through the casino afterward, Sammy savored his newfound freedom-being greeted with "Hi'ya, Sam" in establishments that once told him "Sorry, but you're not allowed in the casino." This triumphant moment represented a hard-won victory against America's racial barriers. Yet just as success seemed secured, fate intervened. Driving to record his first movie soundtrack in his new Cadillac, Sammy crashed into a roadblock, his eye hanging by a string. In that moment of despair, he wondered: "Twenty-six years of working, and taking it, and reaching-was all that for nothing?" This question would define his remarkable journey from child performer to international superstar, civil rights pioneer, and entertainment legend whose autobiography "Yes I Can" became a defining chronicle of 20th-century American entertainment and race relations.
第 2 章
A Child Born into Show Business
Sammy Davis Jr. was born in Harlem on December 8, 1925, to a dancer father and chorus girl mother. His early childhood was marked by neglect until his grandmother, Rosa B. Davis, rescued him and became the stabilizing force he called "Mama." By age two, Sammy's parents had separated, and his father took him on the road with the prophetic words: "We're goin' into show business, son."
By four, Sammy had traveled through ten states and performed in over fifty cities. His natural talent emerged when he spontaneously performed the entire troupe's hour-and-twenty-minute show-everyone's dances, songs, and jokes-for an astonished Will Mastin and his father. Will immediately declared, "From now on you're going to dance and sing in the act." Traditional education took a backseat to performance as Sammy's grandmother helped him "Fool the School" while Will and his father found people to teach him reading and writing between shows.
Sammy's childhood was unconventional but rich in purpose. Their suitcases, makeup boxes, and clothes on pipe racks gave them roots wherever they went. Unlike most children who played with toys, young Sammy was consumed by performing. When his mother briefly reentered his life and bought him a ball, he showed no interest, eager only to return to the theater. His early years were defined by constant travel, performance, and the mentorship of his father and Will Mastin, who became his surrogate family and professional guides.
This unusual upbringing shaped Sammy's identity entirely around performance. While other children developed through play and school, Sammy's education came through vaudeville theaters, backstage conversations, and nightly performances. His childhood was sacrificed to develop the extraordinary talent that would eventually make him one of entertainment's most versatile performers.
第 3 章
Confronting America's Racial Divide
At a restaurant in Joplin, Missouri, eight-year-old Sammy encountered segregation for the first time when a counterman told them "niggers" had to sit on the brown side of the counter. Confused, he asked Will what the word meant. Will explained it was a nasty term some white people used about colored people, though "show people" were different-they only cared about performance quality. His father tried dismissing it: "That man was just jealous 'cause we're in show business." Young Sammy couldn't comprehend how he was different from others in a way that was considered bad.
This incident marked Sammy's first conscious encounter with America's racial hierarchy, but his father and Will had been shielding him from racism's full impact. They created a protective bubble around him, emphasizing talent and performance as the great equalizers while minimizing the harsh realities of segregation. This strategy allowed Sammy to develop confidence and skill without being crushed by racial prejudice during his formative years.
As vaudeville declined in the 1930s, the trio struggled financially. After five months without bookings, they hit rock bottom-Sammy's father pawned all his clothes, leaving only ticket stubs hanging in the closet. They survived on relief, eating neckbones and greens night after night. Nathan Crawford, Sammy's father's childhood friend, became their main support, turning over half his thirty-five-dollar weekly salary to help them survive.
Despite these hardships, Sammy remained determined. Standing outside the Copacabana watching the beautiful people, he would vow: "Someday I'll play that place. I'm gonna be a star." Then all the way home, he'd wonder-will that day ever come? This tension between aspiration and the limitations imposed by racism would define much of his early career, creating a determination to succeed against all odds.
第 4 章
War and Awakening
When Pearl Harbor was bombed during Sammy's sixteenth birthday celebration, his peaceful world shattered. Filled with patriotism, he and his father rushed to enlist. When Sammy's draft notice finally arrived in Reno, it meant breaking up their act after sixteen years together. His father's parting words-"You're goin' in a boy but you'll come out a man"-would prove prophetic in unexpected ways.
Military service exposed Sammy to unfiltered racism that his father and Will had previously shielded him from. At Fort Warren, he and another Black soldier were made to wait outside while white recruits were assigned bunks. Through the screen door, he overheard the corporal and soldiers complaining about having to bunk with "niggers." This was just the beginning of a brutal awakening.
When a soldier named Jennings crushed Sammy's precious gold chronograph watch-a parting gift from his father and Will-under his boot, Sammy realized how sheltered he'd been. Later, Jennings and his followers attempted to humiliate Sammy by tricking him into drinking urine, then poured it on him when he refused. Sammy snapped and attacked Jennings despite his much larger size. Though beaten unconscious, he'd won a moral victory by fighting back.
The military experience transformed Sammy from a sheltered performer to a man acutely aware of America's racial dynamics. He continued fighting almost every two days, his nose repeatedly broken, his knuckles constantly scabbed. The satisfaction diminished with each confrontation, leaving him wondering why he constantly had to prove what no white man did.
A turning point came when Sergeant Williams counseled him: "You can't beat people into liking you... You've got to fight with your brain, Sammy, not your fists." This advice would shape Sammy's later approach to combating prejudice through talent rather than confrontation.
The most traumatic incident occurred when seven men ambushed Sammy in a latrine, painting "I'm a nigger!" on his chest and "Coon" on his forehead. They painted his arms white, then used turpentine to remove a spot, saying, "See? Just as black 'n ugly as ever!" They forced him to dance until he could barely stand. After they left, Sammy stared at himself in the mirror, devastated, wondering how skin color could matter so much.
This experience catalyzed a profound realization: his talent was his weapon, his power to fight prejudice. For eight months in Special Services, he performed across military camps, searching every audience for haters and giving extra energy to win them over. He developed his skills obsessively, living for those moments when he could break down barriers through performance.
第 5 章
Finding Power Through Performance
After his military discharge, Sammy rejoined his father and Will with a new determination: "We're going to make it this time. Big. We're going all the way." The trio resumed performing, but Sammy carried the invisible scars of his military experience, hiding his destroyed gold watch and the trauma behind it.
A pivotal moment came when Frank Sinatra recognized Sammy from their Detroit show five years earlier. Sinatra insisted on calling him "Sam" instead of "Sammy," left him a ticket for the next week's show, and invited him backstage. This brief connection with stardom made the contrast with Sammy's own career even more painful, but it planted the seeds for a friendship that would profoundly shape his future.
In Spokane, the trio faced the familiar challenge of finding accommodations as the few "colored" rooming houses were full. Frustrated by constant racial segregation, Sammy defiantly attempted to book rooms at a white hotel, only to be politely refused with transparent excuses. When a bellboy called him a "nervy nigger," he lunged at him but ended up on the ground with a broken nose. They slept on the dressing room floor that night, his anger turning to determination to channel his energy more productively into his performances.
This determination led Sammy to propose adding impressions of white celebrities like Jimmy Cagney and Edward G. Robinson to their act. Will warned that no colored performer had ever impersonated white people for white audiences, but Sammy insisted it was worth trying. At El Rancho Vegas, he did his Cagney impression and after a moment of silence, the audience roared with approval. This breakthrough represented more than just an innovative performance technique-it was Sammy's first major victory in challenging racial boundaries through his art.
Despite success on stage, racism persisted off-stage. They couldn't stay at the El Rancho Vegas and were forced to rent overpriced rooms in the segregated "Westside." Sammy was barred from entering the casino despite performing there. He channeled this frustration into his performances while refusing to accept the limitations placed on him.
第 6 章
The Breakthrough and the Accident
The trio's big break finally came with an opening spot at Ciro's, Hollywood's premier nightclub. Despite being relegated to an attic "dressing room" and limited to two bows by contract, they were thrilled to be performing at such a prestigious venue. On opening night-Academy Awards night-the club was packed with Hollywood's biggest stars.
Their performance was electrifying. Sammy felt the magical moment when the audience shifted from mere amusement to genuine connection-they were leaning in, catching every nuance. He was finally touching them, experiencing the most glorious moment of his career. They took eight bows despite their contract limiting them to two, and the next performer couldn't even get the audience's attention after their performance.
The reviews were ecstatic, and their name was elevated to the same size letters as the headliner. Fame transformed how people treated Sammy overnight. The hotel manager who'd been avoiding him about overdue rent now acted embarrassed he'd even mentioned it. Women who'd previously ignored him suddenly pursued him. Ciro's extended their two-week engagement for six more weeks as headliners, and William Morris Agency signed them, booking them for six months of prestigious gigs at higher fees.
In November 1954, Sammy was driving his first Cadillac to record his first movie soundtrack when a car created a roadblock. Despite jamming the brakes, he crashed. When he checked on his friend in the backseat, he reached up and felt his eye hanging by a string. This devastating accident threatened to derail everything he'd worked for.
In the hospital, Dr. Hull delivered the news with shocking casualness: "You're not blind. You're going to see. You'll be able to dance and sing and do everything you ever did. But I removed your left eye." The doctor explained that his eye had struck the pointed cone in the center of his steering wheel, and though they might have saved it with only 10% vision, it would have eventually caused blindness in his good eye.
As Sammy processed this devastating news, he received hundreds of flowers and telegrams from fans and celebrities. The accident had made front-page headlines across the country. Even more surprising, the Sands Hotel offered the trio $25,000 per week-an unprecedented sum that reflected Sammy's newfound fame, albeit partly due to the publicity surrounding his accident.
Struggling with balance and depth perception, Sammy questioned whether his career was over. But with characteristic determination, he told his father and Will: "I'm going to sing and I'm going to do impressions and I'm going to dance. And I'll do them all better than I ever did."
第 7 章
Rising to Stardom and Fighting Prejudice
Sammy made a triumphant return to performing at Ciro's, despite his anxiety about the eye patch. The audience gave him a standing ovation before he even performed, with Hollywood's biggest stars showing their support. When he accidentally hit his head on the microphone due to his blind side, he recovered with humor: "Sorry, Frank. Didn't see you come in, baby."
His comeback was complete, but fame brought new challenges. Tabloids published false rumors linking him romantically with white actresses. His father splurged on multiple Cadillacs while Will struggled to accept that Sammy had become the act's true star. Frank Sinatra advised Sammy to develop his own singing style rather than copying others-guidance that would help shape his distinctive artistic identity.
As Sammy's fame grew, he faced the constant challenge of racial discrimination. At the Copacabana, his dream venue, he finally performed as a headliner, earning $5,000 a week. Walking onstage with dignity rather than the frantic energy of his earlier years, he received a standing ovation that seemed to last forever. Afterward, he was treated like royalty-captains clearing paths for him, cigarette girls rushing to serve him, and fans lining up for autographs.
Yet when he tried to rent a house in Hollywood, the real estate broker drove him straight to the colored section of Los Angeles. Despite his success, he wasn't "big enough" to rent in the Hollywood hills. "If you were buying it would be a lot simpler... but renting presents certain additional problems," the broker explained.
Sammy refused to accept these limitations. He dated freely-not "white girls" or "colored girls" but simply women he was attracted to. He confronted club owners who tried to change the billing from "Will Mastin Trio featuring Sammy Davis, Jr." to just his name. During a radio interview with Jack Eigen, he challenged the host's framing of questions around race: "I'm a Negro and I'm a performer, but I don't think of myself as a 'Negro performer' any more than you think of yourself as a 'white disc jockey.'"
This determination to be seen as a complete human being rather than a racial category became Sammy's mission: "I've got to get so big, so powerful, so famous, that the day will come when they'll look at me and see a man-and then somewhere along the way they'll notice he's a Negro."
第 8 章
Personal Struggles and Identity
Despite his professional success, Sammy struggled with personal demons. He began drinking heavily, using Jack Daniels to forget his inability to connect with audiences. His physical abilities were declining-he needed rest during performances and nearly fell during moves he'd always executed effortlessly.
When tabloids published stories about a rumored relationship between Sammy and actress Kim Novak, studio executives panicked about the potential scandal. Sammy found himself hiding on the floor of cars to avoid photographers, which led to a moment of clarity. He realized he wasn't making his own rules but sneaking around theirs, confirming their belief he wasn't "good enough to be seen with a white woman."
In a desperate moment, Sammy impulsively married Loray White, a former girlfriend, to deflect attention from the Kim Novak rumors. The wedding was a sham from the beginning, with Sammy explaining to Loray that they would "get married, make it look good for a while, and then get divorced." The wedding night was a nightmare-Sammy drank heavily and became violent in the car. Arthur had to carry him into the hotel while he ranted incoherently, tears streaming down everyone's faces.
This period marked Sammy's lowest point. He started drinking as soon as he woke up, maintaining a glow until after the last show, then drinking hard until passing out. Despite breaking the color barrier at Miami Beach's Eden Roc hotel-$30,000 for ten days with open doors to everybody-even this victory felt hollow.
One night, Sammy drove toward a cliff off Rising Glen, determined to end it all while people still thought he was on top. Racing at seventy miles per hour, he braced himself and turned the wheel sharply toward the drop. Miraculously, the transmission snapped in half, jamming into the ground like an anchor. He knew God had intervened-nothing else could have saved him.
This near-death experience led Sammy to seek spiritual guidance. He became increasingly drawn to Judaism, finding parallels between Jewish and Black experiences of persecution. Rabbi Nussbaum counseled him not to dwell on mistakes but to correct them, reminding him that Lincoln said it's difficult to make a man miserable while he feels worthy of himself.
第 9 章
Finding Love and Purpose
In the Fox commissary, Sammy spotted May Britt, a beautiful blonde Swedish actress. Despite warnings that she was unapproachable-"she doesn't do anything but work, she goes nowhere with nobody!"-Sammy was determined to meet her. When they finally connected, their relationship quickly deepened despite the obvious social barriers.
Their romance faced immediate scrutiny. When Sammy announced their engagement to the press in London, an American reporter asked hostile questions about mixed marriages and their future children. Sammy responded with dignity: "All we care about is that if God graces us with a child it will grow up to be healthy and love us as much as we'll love it from the moment its life begins." He promised their children would have "enough love to lean on to support the weight of every bigot in the world."
The couple faced intense pressure from all sides. Nazi storm troopers picketed outside Sammy's performances with vicious signs. Hate mail poured in, and Sammy's relationship with Frank Sinatra was weaponized against Kennedy's presidential campaign. Recognizing the potential political damage, Sammy made the painful decision to postpone their wedding until after the election.
Despite these challenges, May remained steadfast. She converted to Judaism independently, explaining she'd done it for their future children's "emotional security." When they finally married on November 13, Rabbi Kramer acknowledged the social significance of their union: "Your marriage is something more than just the marriage of two people in love... You represent the value of the society that many of us dream about but hesitate to enter."
Frank Sinatra served as best man-a powerful public statement of support that risked his own career and popularity. The ceremony was deeply meaningful, though May, ill with flu, couldn't attend their reception. When Sammy returned home, she watched news reports of their wedding on television.
Their marriage faced constant threats and security concerns. In Miami, Ray Wilson insisted on tight security, with locked car doors and no autographs. Sammy finally explained to May about Florida's miscegenation laws that could land them in jail for a year just for being together in public. To compensate for their inability to enjoy normal activities, Sammy became the "Mad Social Director," spending thousands on entertaining May while avoiding the painful reality that they couldn't walk down the street together.
The birth of their daughter Tracey brought new perspective. When Sammy saw her for the first time, he was overwhelmed with emotion and visions of her future. He prayed that by the time she grew up, the world would be different-that people wouldn't notice or care about skin color. Looking at his sleeping wife afterward, he made a silent promise to build something good, strong and wonderful for their family.
第 10 章
Legacy of Breaking Barriers
Sammy Davis Jr.'s journey from child performer to international superstar represents one of the most remarkable stories in American entertainment history. Through sheer talent and determination, he overcame racial barriers that seemed insurmountable, opening doors for generations of performers who followed.
His versatility was legendary-he could sing, dance, act, play multiple instruments, and perform spot-on impressions of celebrities regardless of race. More importantly, he refused to accept the limitations society placed on him. When told colored performers couldn't impersonate white celebrities, he proved them wrong. When told he couldn't headline at prestigious venues, he became their biggest draw. When told he couldn't marry the woman he loved, he did so despite the consequences.
Sammy's relationship with Judaism reflected his lifelong search for identity and belonging. He found parallels between Jewish resilience through centuries of persecution and the African American experience. His conversion wasn't a publicity stunt but a genuine spiritual connection that provided framework and meaning to his life.
His friendship with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack represented a public integration that was revolutionary for its time. Though sometimes criticized for playing to white audiences, Sammy used his platform to challenge prejudice through humor and talent rather than confrontation. His strategy was subtle but effective-making audiences equate "colored people" with him, an individual they understood and appreciated, rather than a formless mass they feared.
By the time his daughter Tracey was born, Sammy had achieved what once seemed impossible. From sleeping on dressing room floors because hotels wouldn't accommodate him, he had become one of the highest-paid entertainers in the world. From being forced to enter venues through the kitchen, he had performed for the Queen of England. From being called "boy" and worse, he had earned the respect of the entertainment industry's most powerful figures.
Sammy Davis Jr.'s autobiography "Yes I Can" captures not just his personal journey but America's evolving relationship with race during a pivotal period of social change. His story reminds us that talent alone isn't enough-it takes courage, resilience, and an unwavering belief in one's worth to truly transform society. As he told audiences in Miami Beach: "Hatred won't die of old age. But it can't stand light, it has to breed in secret." Through his remarkable life and career, Sammy Davis Jr. brought that light, illuminating paths for others to follow.
