NYT: When Sammy Davis Jr. Knocked Out Broadway

[MezzA101]

Posted: 12/30/25 at 9:20am

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/30/theater/sammy-davis-jr-golden-boy-musical.html?unlocked_article_code=1.AlA.-ZRL._SLgjW-22GiM&smid=nytcore-android-share

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 12/30/25 at 9:54am

I heard about Golden Boy on the Dean Martin/Sammy Davis, Jr season of You Must Remember This. After listening to the cast album, I thought about how much of a shame it was that the show wasn't filmed in some mainstream capacity, as it seems no other work perfectly suited Davis's talents and persona.

I suppose being so closely related to an icon like Sammy Davis, Jr. is also a reason why the show is so rarely produced/revived.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 12/30/25 at 10:10am

I always liked "Summer Song" and especially Nina Simone's cover of it. 

 

Some interesting stuff about this in Chita's memoir. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 12/30/25 at 11:07am

 

[Ke3]

Posted: 12/30/25 at 11:15am

Scarywarhol said: "I always liked "Summer Song" and especially Nina Simone's cover of it.



Some interesting stuff about this in Chita's memoir."

The glimpses of pre-rock and roll professional entertainment were by far the best parts of her memoir!! 

To read that there was a feeling a nightclub entertainer like Sammy was unsuited to the stage until they actually saw him do it. 

Diahann Carroll’s memoir had a similar story about turning up her nose when she learned new age “pop” singer Diana Ross was moving into her neighborhood.

[BJR]

Posted: 12/30/25 at 11:21am

Also, if you read it now, it hasn't aged well.

Namely, how the piece talks about his community in Harlem. The language was appropriate for the time, progressive even, but isn't now. Think Mame. 

On a side note, and very generally speaking, I've unfortunately concluded that progressive art ages worse than conservative art. While conservative art is often blithely ignorant to injustice or suffering, generally, progressive art that seeks to acknowledge injustice therefor included language, views and solutions that are inspirational for the moment, but date quickly.

[TheOtherOne2]

Posted: 1/2/26 at 7:36am

BJR said: "Also, ifyou read it now, it hasn't aged well.

Namely, how the piece talks about his community in Harlem. The language was appropriate for the time, progressive even, but isn't now. Think Mame.

On a side note, and very generally speaking, I've unfortunately concluded that progressive art ages worsethan conservative art. While conservative art is often blithely ignorant to injustice or suffering, generally, progressive art that seeks to acknowledge injustice therefor included language, views andsolutions that are inspirational for the moment, but date quickly."

...it's no longer woke?