Apparently he did a wine commercial for Manischewitz wine as well
Monday, February 11, 2019
Sammy Davis, Jr: I’ve Gotta Be Me Preview | American Masters | PBS
I had the privilege of watching a screening of this documentary at the JCC Manhattan last week, The producer Sam Pollard there for q &a at the end.
I remember being fascinated by Sammy Davis Jr. as a kid. He was the first black Jew that I had ever heard of. I knew that he converted to Judaism as a result of a horrible accident and he was a funny performer on tv. I also remember fondly the mogen david wine commercial that he was in .
That's about it. When I got older I learned that he was part of the rat pact mostly because of the newly dubbed brat pack that was part of the 80's movies .
I watched this documentary to learn more about this cultural icon. I learned that he grew up poor and was a performer since he was 3 years old. He was a great mimic and he was one of the first modern black performers. I also found out why he wanted to be Jewish.
I think that one of the most profound parts of the movie is how he felt he was post - racial and though he had a lot of tough times he persisted with the help of good friends. He was very close with Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin and Joey Bishop who were all there for him in good times and in bad.
Once Davis was asked to perform on Yom Kippur by a Jewish director to which Davis refused stating it was Yom Kippur and he could not perform then. This of course shook up the Jewish producer. Often those who adopt a religion uphold it more steadfastly than those who were born in to it. I know that his conversion was probably not orthodox, but the lesson is just as strong.
This documentary will be on American Masters on February 19 on PBS. It is uplifting and informative. Definitely two thumbs up.
I remember being fascinated by Sammy Davis Jr. as a kid. He was the first black Jew that I had ever heard of. I knew that he converted to Judaism as a result of a horrible accident and he was a funny performer on tv. I also remember fondly the mogen david wine commercial that he was in .
That's about it. When I got older I learned that he was part of the rat pact mostly because of the newly dubbed brat pack that was part of the 80's movies .
I watched this documentary to learn more about this cultural icon. I learned that he grew up poor and was a performer since he was 3 years old. He was a great mimic and he was one of the first modern black performers. I also found out why he wanted to be Jewish.
I think that one of the most profound parts of the movie is how he felt he was post - racial and though he had a lot of tough times he persisted with the help of good friends. He was very close with Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin and Joey Bishop who were all there for him in good times and in bad.
Once Davis was asked to perform on Yom Kippur by a Jewish director to which Davis refused stating it was Yom Kippur and he could not perform then. This of course shook up the Jewish producer. Often those who adopt a religion uphold it more steadfastly than those who were born in to it. I know that his conversion was probably not orthodox, but the lesson is just as strong.
This documentary will be on American Masters on February 19 on PBS. It is uplifting and informative. Definitely two thumbs up.
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