Onassis, Aristotle, 209
O’Neill, Robert, 190
One Life to Live (TV), 157
One More Time (TV), 134
Osmond Brothers, 12
Oswald, Lee Harvey, 135
Paige, Janis, 37
Palance, Jack, 107
Pal Joey (film), 38
Palladium Theatre, London, 120–21
Paramount Pictures, 162
Parker, Charlie, 83
Peck, Gregory, 196
People for the American Way, 20, 162–63
Spirit Award dinner, 114–15
People Magazine, 72
Perrine, Valerie, 203
Peterson, Eddie, 58
Photo by Sammy Davis Jr. (Boyar), 250–51, 252–53
Piaget, Yves, 97, 105–6, 107, 113, 127, 134, 159, 163
Pickett, Wilson, 83
Pickford, Mary, 49
Pierce, Scott, 100–101
Pileggi, Nicholas, 184
Planet of the Apes (film), 62
Playboy Club, 121
Pleshette, Suzanne, 122, 149
Plunkett, Jim, 91
Pocono Mountains, 11–12, 68, 103, 191
Pocono Raceway, 12
Pocono Sweater Mills, 112, 115
Poitier, Sidney, 45, 121, 163
Polygram Records, 190, 236
Porgy and Bess (film), 38, 45, 198
Portrait of Sammy Davis Jr. (album), 190
Premier Artists Services, 156
President’s Commission on Organized Crime, 224–25
Presley, Elvis, 62, 83, 193, 215
Presley, Priscilla, 232
Presser, Bill, 221
Presser, Jackie, 94, 221, 222, 223, 224–25
Prowse, Juliet, 227
Raft, George, 244
Rainier, Prince of Morocco, 97–98
Rat Pack, 38, 44, 187–88, 198
and movies, 45, 157, 160, 176, 183–84, 204
and posthumous deals, 160, 175, 177, 182–85, 193, 202, 203–4
Together Again, 59, 179, 202, 211–13
The Ultimate Event, 213
videos of, 182–83, 201
Reagan, Nancy, 244
Reagan, Ronald, 224, 243
Red Hot Chili Peppers, 246
Rendell, Edward, 4
Reprise Records, 38, 187, 189, 194, 216
Resnikoff, Bruce, 189
Reynolds, Burt, 149
Rhino Records, 163–64, 188–90, 200, 201, 232, 233
Rhodes, George, 83, 97
death of, 27, 60
as Sammy’s conductor, 58, 71, 228, 229
and Sammy’s estate, 28, 63
Rhodes, Shirley, 206–7
and Altovise, 124, 125–26
declining to cooperate, 30, 47, 54
and Dellow, 78, 82–83
fees paid to, 64, 66
love interest of, 66
and Rat Pack, 211
and Sammy’s estate, 27, 28, 56, 57, 59, 66, 85, 87–89, 94, 145, 161, 168, 186, 217, 255
and Sammy’s final illness and death, 125–26
and Sammy’s possessions, 83, 93, 95, 126
as Sammy’s road manager, 58, 83, 97
and Transamerican, 58, 87–88, 90, 93, 167, 197
Rhue, Madlyn, 149
Ricard, Fortunatas “Fip,” 58, 254
Rickles, Don, 196, 255
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, 227
Ringquist, Lennart, 253
Ripley’s Believe It or Not (TV), 107
Rizzo, Jilly, 12, 181–82
Robinson, Edward G., 36
Robinson, Sugar Ray, 63, 64
Roesler, Mark, 156
Rolling Stones, 83, 227
Rooney, Mickey, 63
Rosenberg, Liz, 174
Ross, Diana, 179, 228
Royal Marsden Cancer Appeal, 72
Rubin, Jerry, 135
Ruby, Jack, 135, 254
Rudin, Mickey, 180–81
Rumsfeld, Donald, 29, 82, 119, 211, 254
Salem Coal Corporation, 55
Sammy & Company (TV), 216
Sammy Davis Jr. Enterprises, 250, 251
Sammy Davis Jr. Foundation, 72, 160, 202, 220, 249
Sammy Davis Jr. Now (album), 190
Sammy Davis Jr. Show, The (TV), 227–31
Sammy’s Best, 225–26
Samuels, Marvin, 47–48, 54
Sanchez, Elvera, 32, 66
Sands casino, Las Vegas, 44, 45, 46, 47, 72, 92, 204, 233
Sassoon, Vidal, 71, 149
Savage, Elizabeth, 69
Scorsese, Martin, 184
Screen Actors Guild, 28, 69, 116, 186
Scrub Island, 191
SDJ Food Corporation, 226
Seinfeld, Jerry, 12
Selleck, Tom, 196
Sergeants 3 (film), 38
Shapiro, Jay, 117–18, 146–47, 186–88
SHARE girls, 42, 49, 86, 123, 170
Sharpton, Al, 238
Shatner, William, 203
Shirelles, 83
Silver Gate (yacht), 97
Simon, Paul, 239
Simpson, O. J., 143, 156
Sinatra, Barbara, 50, 125, 184
Sinatra, Frank:
and Altovise, 23, 42, 96, 194
awards and honors to, 194
business acumen of, 184, 194
career of, 193–94
and Dean, 177–78, 194, 211–13
death of, 193, 194, 196
employees of, 27, 49, 179, 182
fame of, 35–36, 219
and future deals, 175, 184–85
and Jilly, 12, 181, 182
and organized crime, 178, 180–81, 182, 196, 204, 209, 219, 221–22
ownership of his work, 185, 188, 189
and posthumous deals, 177, 202, 203–4
power of, 36
and Rat Pack, 38, 44, 46, 59, 157, 175, 176–79, 182–85, 193, 202, 203–4, 211–13
and Reprise, 38, 194, 216
Sammy’s connection with, 35–36, 37, 41–42, 57, 59, 72, 97, 178–79, 194, 211–12, 225
and Sammy’s final illness, 125
Sammy’s impersonations of, 36
at Vegas, 44, 45
and Westchester Theater, 179, 180–81, 223
Sinatra, Frank Jr., 184, 196
Sinatra, Nancy, 50, 122, 149, 184
Sinatra, Tina, 160–61, 179, 183, 184
Sloan-Kettering Memorial Cancer Hospital, 72, 73
“Smile, Darn Ya, Smile,” 201, 233
Smith, Gary, 145, 205, 227–31, 232, 236
Smith, Maxine, 231
Smith, William French, 18
Spears, Britney, 174, 239
Sporting Club, Monte Carlo, 97–99
Springsteen, Bruce, 188
Starner, Shelby, 162–63, 174–75, 191, 246
Steinberg, David, 66, 76–77, 97–99, 169, 251
Stevens, Morty, 201
Stewart, James, 244
Sting, 239
Stodden, Ann E., 64–66
Storyline Entertainment, 251
Sturman, Herb:
and Altovise, 94
declining to cooperate, 30, 47, 57
fees paid to, 64–65
and Sammy’s estate, 28, 30, 56–57, 59–62, 66, 84, 93, 145, 161, 164, 166, 168, 194
Supremes, The, 227
Sy and I (SYNI), 87, 166, 195, 196, 216, 220–23
Taccetta, Martin, 211
Talk It Out Line, 69
Tamiment Resort, Poconos, 11–12
Taylor, Elizabeth, 228, 229
Teamsters union, 94, 149, 221, 222, 224, 225
“That Old Black Magic,” 187, 201
Thomas, Danny, 125
Thomas, Marlo, 118, 119, 134
Thurmond, Strom, 19
Today Show (TV), 225
Together Again tour, 59, 179, 202, 211–13
Tormé, Mel, 36, 230
Transamerican Entertainm
ent:
corporate minutes of, 166–68
formation of, 87–88
and items in storage, 196–97
liquidation of assets, 167–68
monies funneled to, 31, 74–75, 90, 93, 156
officers of, 58, 87–88, 166–67
and posthumous deals, 93, 156
and Sammy’s estate, 31, 74–75, 84, 161, 208, 255
Transamerican Video (TAV), 219
Travolta, John, 184
Traynor, Chuck, 79–80
Tri-Star Television, 156
Tropicana Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, 78, 222, 224
Turner, Sue, 81–82, 124, 211
Twentieth-Century Fox, 190
Two Friends (Broadway), 156
U2, 239
Uggams, Leslie, 149
Uguccioni, Robert, 103
United Penn Bank, 16
Universal Music Group, 189, 236
Van Meter, William, 31, 52
Vann, Patricia, 99, 140, 236–37, 240
Variety, 37, 158, 232
Vereen, Ben, 255
Verve Records, 236
Vican, Ronald, 174
Vidal, Louis Jr., 136
Viner, Mort, 216, 254
and Dean’s estate, 160–61, 176–78
and Rat Pack, 177, 183–85, 203–4, 211
and Sinatra, 182, 193, 212
Virtual Celebrity, 157
Wagner, Robert, 6
Wallace, George, 151, 153
Warhol, Andy, “Campbell’s Tomato Soup,” 60, 95
Warner Bros. Records, 163, 171, 174, 233
Warner Communications, 180
Warwick, Dionne, 11, 68, 71, 105, 122, 149, 163, 227
Washington, Denzel, 111
Wayman, Richard, 218–23, 224
Wayne, John, 111
Weisman, Eliot, 177, 179–81, 182–85, 196, 201, 211, 213, 255
Weisner, Ron, 156, 173–74, 188–90, 195, 201, 233–34, 238–40
Weseloh & Company, 30, 77
Westchester Premier Theater, New York, 179–81, 223
White, Loray, 38
Whitman, Slim, 83
Who, The, 239
Why Me? (Davis), 29, 40, 42, 70, 73, 80, 170, 172, 205
Wilde, Oscar, The Picture of Dorian Gray, 34
William Morris Agency, 37, 152, 215, 227–28, 229
Williams, Hank, 83
Williams, Robin, 169
Williams, Roy, 224
Williams, Sergeant, 34
Will Mastin Trio, 35, 36–37, 38, 46, 161
Wilson, Bernard, 58, 126
Wilson, Mary, 228
Wilson, Molly, 183
Wilson, Treva, 58, 66
Winchell, Walter, 38
Winfrey, Oprah, 156
Wolper, David, 205, 232
Wonder, Stevie, 83, 241
World War II, 39
World Wide Ventures, 182
World Wrestling Foundation, 141, 162
Wunder, Ralph, 243, 244
Yes I Can (Davis), 25, 29, 39, 107, 170, 171, 173, 251, 252, 253
Yes I Can!: The Sammy Davis Jr. Story (CD boxed set), 233–34
Young, Andrew, 121–22, 231
Young, Loretta, 122
Young, Neil, 83
Zadan, Craig, 251
Zappa, Frank, 83
Zeile, Todd, 164
About the Author
MATT BIRKBECK is an author and award-winning investigative journalist. A reporter for the Morning Call, he is a former correspondent for People magazine and has written for the New York Times, Reader’s Digest, Boston Magazine, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is the author of both A Beautiful Child and A Deadly Secret, which was the subject of an MSNBC documentary, and coauthored Till Death Do Us Part. The recipient of an Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) award in 2002, he lives in Pennsylvania.
www.mattbirkbeck.com
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Credits
Jacket design by Mary Schuck
Jacket photograph © by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Copyright
DECONSTRUCTING SAMMY
. Copyright © 2008 by Matt Birkbeck.
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2008 ISBN 978-0-06-170020-0
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