Rerun

We got a comment on our post about Sammy Davis Jr. that I thought deserved a separate post in reponse.  The comment is from Denver Guy:

What did the book say about Sammy's cameos on TV sit-coms. The "All in the Family" appearance is of course an iconic moment in American TV. But I remember him showing up on "I Dream of Jeanie" too. And I think he was a semi-regular on Laugh-in.

The TV appearances are really the only way I know Sammy Davis, Jr.

Sammy did many TV guest shots--comedies, dramas, even soap operas. Most are not memorable, or at least wouldn't be except that it's Sammy.

The appearance on All In The Family is famous, of course. The kissing gag got one of the longest laughs on any sitcom ever, and is a legendary TV moment. The book spends some time on it, but by then Sammy was a legend himself and it's just another moment, if one seen by millions, in a well-established career.

All In The Family was not the sort of show to have celebrity appearances, and Sammy, playing himself, was able to create something special which Norman Lear was smart enough to never repeat. (On other shows, it seems odd how often everyday people run into celebrities.)

Actually, I'm reminded of one of the most startling things I've ever seen on TV. It's an episode of What's Happening, where the kids are putting on a benefit. One of the characters promises he can get Sammy Davis Jr. We've all seen this before. A character makes a promise he can't back up, is about the face humiliation, then at the last second the celebrity shows up anyway because he cares so much. Well, in this episode, they keep talking about Sammy, Sammy's people explain he can't make it as much as he loves doing benefits, they put on a show, and then, at the last second...Sammy doesn't show up! I believe this is unprecedented. We even get a speech from one of the characters to the benefit audience that they've just seen a good show, it's for a good cause, so stop whining that Sammy didn't show up. I can only assume behind the scenes that What's Happening tried to get Sammy, maybe even thought they were gonna get him, but then it fell through, but they did the episode anyway.