In this video seen herewith….impersonator / impressionist extraordinaire Bob Anderson does Sammy Davis Jr. singing ‘Why Can’t I Fall In Love” on Rich Little’s HBO television special in 1979….for without a doubt….Anderson is probably one of the very best musical impersonators / impressionists of all time….as this video provides evidence to that fact….cuz he nails Sammy Davis jr…..even his facial expressions and his eyes….while being blind in one.
Sammy Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, musician, dancer, actor, vaudevillian, comedian and activist known for his impressions of actors, musicians and other celebrities. At age three, Davis Jr. began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which toured nationally. After military service, Davis Jr. returned to the trio and became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro’s in West Hollywood after the 1951 Academy Awards.
With the trio, he became a recording artist….when in 1954, at the age of 29, he lost his left eye in a car accident….and several years thereafter, he converted to Judaism….while finding commonalities between the oppression experienced by African-American and Jewish communities….as Davis had a complex relationship with the black community….and drew criticism after publicly supporting President Richard Nixon in 1972….whereas, one day on a golf course with Jack Benny, he was asked what his handicap….to which he replied….”Handicap?….talk about handicap. I’m a one-eyed Negro who’s Jewish.”…..for this was to become a signature comment, recounted in his autobiography and in many articles.
