Action News is a local television newscast format in the United States. It was conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at WFIL-TV (now WPVI-TV) by then-news director Mel Kampmann in 1970 as a response to the "Eyewitness News" format used on rival station KYW-TV. At this time, WFIL-TV was said to be "#4 in a three-station market."

The main difference between Action News and Eyewitness News was that the former was far more tightly formatted. Time limits were set on packages—for instance, a reporter package could be no longer than 90 seconds. This difference enabled the station to cover more stories than its competitors. Another key difference was the focus on the surrounding Philadelphia suburban areas -— a response to the movement of residents from the city to the suburbs. Finally, WPVI placed more emphasis on young talent—while WCAU-TV and KYW-TV used older, respected news anchors such as Vince Leonard, Tom Snyder, and John Facenda, WPVI used a young Larry Kane as their top anchor. Later, the station would add the very popular Jim O'Brien as its main weathercaster.

The format quickly took off, and after going back and forth with KYW for first place, WPVI took the lead in 1977 and has held it ever since. Capital Cities Communications, WPVI's owner at the time, took the format to most of its other stations.

One of the major development stations for WPVI's ''Action News'' was its Capital Cities sister station, WKBW-TV in Buffalo, New York. Under the leadership of news director Irv Weinstein, who had developed his own similar format under the name ''Eyewitness News'' (and before that, ''Pulse Beat News'' and ''Rock and Roll Radio News''), WKBW developed much of the talent that WPVI would later hire to boost them to #1 in the market; anchor Jim Gardner (replacing Larry Kane when he moved to WABC in New York), weatherman Dave Roberts, and iconic voice-over artist Jeff Kaye are the three highest-profile WPVI personalities to have come from WKBW.

WPIX in New York City, an independent station at the time, picked up the Action News concept (and music) successfully for its 10 p.m. newscast. The newscast won numerous awards, but the station never approached the ratings of longtime leader WNEW-TV (now WNYW).

Sister stations WFTS-TV and KSHB-TV are the first in the country to identify themselves with the Action News branding all day with no station number.

Today, Action News is usually nothing more than a name, since its innovations have been incorporated into newscasts across the country. The name is found on fewer stations than Eyewitness News. Even WPVI, which continues to use the name ''Action News'', has modified its news presentation to one more closely resembling ''Eyewitness News'' on KYW-TV.

Outside the United States, the Action News title was used by the following television stations:

Germany's RTL II (then known as RTL2) in the 1990s

CKCO-TV in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, in the 1980s and 1990s

NWS-9 in Adelaide, Australia, in the 1980s

Netherlands' SBS 6 since its inception in 1995 until 2006

Colombia's Caracol TV (then as a production company for Inravisión) as ''Noticias de Acción'' in the 1980s

Japan's TV Asahi

Theme

WFIL adopted the Action News format in 1970, along with a brass band theme written by a student at Temple University. The [entire] theme was offered through the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper, as a single sided 45 RPM record for about $.25. Two years later, the station (under its new call sign WPVI) replaced the "Action News Theme" with Al Ham's well-known "Move Closer to Your World".

Unlike most stations, WPVI still uses this theme after four decades, and the theme has arguably become as much a part of the Philadelphia consciousness as the ''Rocky'' theme. This was proven in 1996 when the station replaced it with a fuller, orchestral rendition of the same theme performed by the London Philharmonic. Viewer outcry was so great that the station dropped the more thunderous and authoritative version within five days. WPVI has made numerous remasters of the theme to keep the sound fresh and to make it sound less dated. The theme has the unique distinction of being probably the only news theme to be offered as a ringtone, which WPVI offers at no charge, and is linked here and below.

Action News was innovative in many ways, including the first 6 & 11 newscast anchored solely by a woman (Diana Robinson and then Jacqui Mullen). Diana Robinson was the first African-American female news anchor in American television. WPVI opens its broadcasts with a rapid montage featuring scenes of Philadelphia-area activities, reinforcing the "Action" brand. The scenes are rotated at the official start of every season to reflect the current season; for example, Phillies, NASCAR, CART AND DIRT and other spring footage starts showing on the open on March 21, and Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Flyers, and 76ers autumn footage starts on September 23, while the Mummers parade and other winter footage is shown from December 21 to March 21.

Although "Move Closer to Your World" is strongly associated with the Action News format by Philadelphians and many others, many stations that have used the "Action News" name actually chose to use other pieces of music for their newscasts. Conversely, stations that use "Move Closer to Your World" do not necessarily use the "Action News" name or format either. WNEP-TV in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania used the original version for many years before switching to a modern variation which only partially resembles the original.

Stations that use or have used the Action News format or name

Action News in popular culture

In an early episode of ''The Simpsons'', a local station is shown using the Action News branding plus a similar intro—but portrays the show as having more action and explosions instead of being faster paced.

In Ray Stevens' 1974 hit "The Streak", he plays an "''Action News'' reporter" on the scene of three different streaking events, every time interviewing the same person (also played by Stevens) who keeps warning his wife, "Ethel", not to look—"but it's too late." At the end of the piece, the streaker is joined by "Ethel", much to the husband's horror.

In the ''South Park'' episode "Quest for Ratings", the kids change the name of their school news program from "Super School News" to "Sexy Action School News" and add other outrageous elements in an attempt to get higher ratings from their rival program.

The 2004 comedy film ''Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'' parodies 1970s culture, particularly Action News.

The comic strip ''This Modern World'', by "Tom Tomorrow," regularly depicts reporters from "Action McNews."

See also

NewsCenter

NewsWatch

References

External links

TV newscast titles

Category:Local news programming in the United States Category:American news television series Category:Franchised television formats

nl:Action News

name	Gary Papa
birth date	September 02, 1954
birth place	Buffalo, New York, U.S.
death date	June 19, 2009
death place	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
education	University at Buffalo Law SchoolCornell University
occupation	Sportscaster
title	Action News Sports Director
spouse	Kathleen
children	2
years active	1981–2009
url	}}

Gary Papa (September 2, 1954 – June 19, 2009) was a sportscaster with WPVI-TV in Philadelphia from April 1981 to June 2009 and was the 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11:00 p.m. sportcaster. He joined the station as a weekend sportscaster and was promoted to the 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. newscasts in 1991, and was named sports director one year prior. In June 2005, he added the 5:30 p.m. newscast to his duties on an interim basis.

Prior to working at WPVI, Papa worked at WGR-TV in his hometown of Buffalo, New York.

Papa co-hosted the Saturday evening public affairs show ''Primetime Weekend'' with Cecily Tynan. He had hosted the program since December 3, 1983, when he took over after the death of Jim O'Brien.

On April 20, 2004, he revealed to viewers that he had been receiving treatment for prostate cancer and lost his hair as a result. He continued to work while receiving chemotherapy. Three years later in July 2007, during the 6:00PM ''Action News'' broadcast, Papa along with Jim Gardner announced that he once again was going through chemotherapy.

Papa died on June 19, 2009 at 2:57 p.m. at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, at the age of 54. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen, and his two sons, Nathaniel and Tucker.

References

Category:1954 births Category:2009 deaths Category:Cornell University alumni Category:Deaths from prostate cancer Category:Cancer deaths in Pennsylvania Category:American television journalists Category:American television personalities Category:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania television anchors Category:Philadelphia television reporters Category:People from Buffalo, New York

name	Jim Henson
birth name	James Maury Henson
birth date	September 24, 1936
birth place	Greenville, Mississippi, U.S.
death date	May 16, 1990
death place	New York City, New York, U.S.
death cause	Organ failure
nationality	American
education	Northwestern High School
alma mater	University of Maryland, College Park
home town	Leland, Mississippi
boards	Jim Henson FoundationThe Jim Henson CompanyJim Henson's Creature Shop
known for	Creator of The Muppets
occupation	PuppeteerFilm directorTelevision producer
years active	1954–90
spouse	Jane Nebel(1959–86; separated)
children	Lisa HensonCheryl HensonBrian HensonJohn HensonHeather Henson
parents	Paul Ransom HensonBetty Marcella (née Brown)
awards	Courage Conscience AwardDisney Legend AwardEmmy Award
signature	}}

James Maury "Jim" Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as ''Sesame Street'' and ''The Muppet Show'', films such as ''The Muppet Movie'' and ''The Great Muppet Caper'', and created advanced puppets for projects like ''Fraggle Rock'', ''The Dark Crystal'', and ''Labyrinth''. He was also an Oscar-nominated film director, Emmy Award-winning television producer, and the founder of The Jim Henson Company, the Jim Henson Foundation, and Jim Henson's Creature Shop. He died on May 16, 1990 of organ failure resulting from a Group A streptococcal infection caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes''.

Henson, who was born in Greenville, Mississippi and educated at University of Maryland, College Park, is one of the most widely known puppeteers ever. He created ''Sam and Friends'' as a freshman in College Park. After suffering struggles with programs that he created, he eventually was selected to participate in ''Sesame Street''. During this time, he also contributed to ''Saturday Night Live''. The success of ''Sesame Street'' spawned ''The Muppet Show'', which featured Muppets created by Henson. He also co-created with Michael Jacobs the television show ''Dinosaurs'' during his final years. On June 16, 2011, he posthumously received the Disney Legends Award.

Early life

Jim Henson was born in Greenville, Mississippi, the younger of two boys. His parents were Betty Marcella (née Brown) and Paul Ransom Henson, an agronomist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was raised as a Christian Scientist and spent his early childhood in Leland, Mississippi, moving with his family to Hyattsville, Maryland, near Washington, DC, in the late 1940s. He later remembered the arrival of the family's first television as "the biggest event of his adolescence," having been heavily influenced by radio ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and the early television puppets of Burr Tillstrom (on ''Kukla, Fran, and Ollie'') and Bil and Cora Baird.

In 1954 while attending Northwestern High School, he began working for WTOP-TV, creating puppets for a Saturday morning children's show called ''The Junior Morning Show''. After graduating from high school, Henson enrolled at the University of Maryland, College Park, as a studio arts major, thinking he might become a commercial artist. A puppetry class offered in the applied arts department introduced him to the craft and textiles courses in the College of Home Economics, and he graduated in 1960 with a B.S. in home economics. As a freshman, he had been asked to create ''Sam and Friends'', a five-minute puppet show for WRC-TV. The characters on ''Sam and Friends'' were forerunners of Muppets, and the show included a prototype of Henson's most famous character: Kermit the Frog.Henson would remain at WRC for seven years from 1954 – 1961. "Among the first of his assignments at WRC was Afternoon, a magazine show aimed at housewives. This marked his first collaboration with Jane Nebel – the woman who later became his wife"

In the show he began experimenting with techniques that would change the way puppetry had been used on television, including using the frame defined by the camera shot to allow the puppeteer to work from off-camera. Believing that television puppets needed to have "life and sensitivity," Henson began making characters from flexible, fabric-covered foam rubber, allowing them to express a wider array of emotions at a time when many puppets were made of carved wood. A marionette's arms are manipulated by strings, but Henson used rods to move his Muppets' arms, allowing greater control of expression. Additionally, Henson wanted the Muppet characters to "speak" more creatively than was possible for previous puppets – which had seemed to have random mouth movements – so he used precise mouth movements to match the dialogue.

When Henson began work on ''Sam and Friends'', he asked fellow University of Maryland freshman Jane Nebel to assist him. The show was a financial success, but after graduating from college, Jim began to have doubts about going into a career as a puppeteer. He wandered off to Europe for several months, where he was inspired by European puppeteers who look on their work as an art form. Upon Henson's return to the United States, he and Jane began dating. They were married in 1959 and had five children, Lisa (b. 1960), Cheryl (b. 1961), Brian (b. 1962), John (b. 1965), and Heather (b. 1970).

Projects in the 1960s

Despite the success of ''Sam and Friends'', which ran for six years, Henson spent much of the next two decades working in commercials, talk shows, and children's projects before being able to realize his dream of the Muppets as "entertainment for everybody". The popularity of his work on ''Sam and Friends'' in the late fifties led to a series of guest appearances on network talk and variety shows. Henson himself appeared as a guest on many shows, including ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. This greatly increased exposure led to hundreds of commercial appearances by Henson characters throughout the sixties.

Among the most popular of Henson's commercials was a series for the local Wilkins Coffee company in Washington, D.C., in which his Muppets were able to get away with a greater level of slapstick violence than might have been acceptable with human actors and would later find its way into many acts on ''The Muppet Show''. In the first Wilkins ad, a Muppet named Wilkins is poised behind a cannon seen in profile. Another Muppet named Wontkins (with Rowlf's voice) is in front of its barrel. Wilkins asks, "What do you think of Wilkins Coffee?" and Wontkins responds gruffly, "Never tasted it!" Wilkins fires the cannon and blows Wontkins away, then turns the cannon directly toward the viewer and ends the ad with, "Now, what do ''you'' think of Wilkins?" Henson later explained, "Till then, [advertising] agencies believed that the hard sell was the only way to get their message over on television. We took a very different approach. We tried to sell things by making people laugh." The first seven-second commercial for Wilkins was an immediate hit and was syndicated and re-shot by Henson for local coffee companies across the United States; he ultimately produced more than 300 coffee ads. The same setup was used to pitch Kraml Milk in the Chicago, Il., area and Red Diamond coffee.

In 1963 Henson and his wife moved to New York City, where the newly formed Muppets, Inc., would reside for some time. Jane quit muppeteering to raise their children. Henson hired writer Jerry Juhl in 1961 and puppeteer Frank Oz in 1963 to replace her. Henson later credited both writers with developing much of the humor and character of his Muppets. Henson and Oz developed a close friendship and a performing partnership that lasted 27 years; their teamwork is particularly evident in their portrayals of the characters of Bert and Ernie and Kermit and Fozzie Bear.

Henson's sixties' talk show appearances culminated when he devised Rowlf, a piano-playing anthropomorphic dog. Rowlf became the first Muppet to make regular appearances on a network show, ''The Jimmy Dean Show''. Henson was so grateful for this break that he offered Jimmy Dean a 40% interest in his production company, but Dean declined stating that Henson deserved all the rewards for his own work, a decision of conscience Dean never regretted. From 1963 to 1966, Henson began exploring film-making and produced a series of experimental films. His nine-minute ''Time Piece'' was nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for an Oscar for Short Film in 1966. The year 1969 saw the production of the NBC-TV movie ''The Cube'' – another Henson-produced experimental film.

Also around this time, the first drafts of a live-action experimental film script were written with Jerry Juhl, which would eventually become Henson's last unproduced full-length screenplay, ''Tale of Sand''. The script remained in the Henson Company archives until the screenplay was adapted in the 2012 graphic novel, Jim Henson's Tale of Sand.

''Sesame Street''

In 1969, Joan Ganz Cooney and the team at the Children's Television Workshop asked Henson to work on ''Sesame Street'', a visionary children's program for public television. Part of the show was set aside for a series of funny, colorful puppet characters living on the titular street. These included Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster and Big Bird. Henson performed the characters of Ernie, game-show host Guy Smiley, and Kermit, who appeared as a roving television news reporter. It was around this time that a frill was added around Kermit's neck to make him more frog-like. The collar was functional as well: it covered the joint where the Muppet's neck and body met.

At first Henson's Muppets appeared separately from the realistic segments on the Street, but after a poor test-screening in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the show was revamped to integrate the two, placing much greater emphasis on Henson's work. Though Henson would often downplay his role in ''Sesame Street'''s success, Cooney frequently praised Jim's work and, in 1990, the Public Broadcasting Service called him "the spark that ignited our fledgling broadcast service." The success of ''Sesame Street'' also allowed Henson to stop producing commercials. He later remembered that "it was a pleasure to get out of that world".

In addition to creating and performing Muppet characters, Henson was involved in producing various film and animation insets during the first two seasons. During the first, Henson produced a series of counting films for the numbers 1 through 10, which always ended with a baker (voiced by Henson) falling down the stairs while carrying the featured number of desserts. For seasons two to seven, Henson worked on a variety of inserts for the numbers 2 through 12, in a number of different styles – including film ("Dollhouse", "Number Three Ball Film"), stop-motion ("King of Eight", "Queen of Six"), cut-out animation ("Eleven Cheer"), and computer animation ("Nobody Counts To 10").

Concurrently with the first years of ''Sesame Street'', Henson directed ''Tales From Muppetland'', a short series of TV movie specials – in the form of comedic tellings of classic fairy tales – aimed at a young audience and hosted by Kermit the Frog. The series included ''Hey, Cinderella!'', ''The Frog Prince'', and ''The Muppet Musicians of Bremen''.

Expansion of audience

Concerned that the company was becoming typecast as a purveyor of solely children's entertainment, Henson, Frank Oz, and his team targeted an adult audience with a series of sketches on the first season of the groundbreaking comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Eleven "Dregs and Vestiges" sketches, set mostly in the Land of Gorch, aired between October 1975 and January 1976, with four additional appearances in March, April, May, and September. Henson recalled that "I saw what [creator Lorne Michaels] was going for and I really liked it and wanted to be a part of it, but somehow what we were trying to do and what his writers could write for it never gelled." The ''SNL'' writers never got comfortable writing for the characters, and frequently disparaged Henson's creations; one, Michael O'Donoghue, memorably quipped, "I won't write for felt."

Around the time of Henson's characters' final appearances on ''SNL'', he began developing two projects featuring the Muppets: a Broadway show and a weekly television series. In 1976 the series was initially rejected by the American networks who believed that Muppets would appeal to only a child audience. Henson was finally able to convince British impresario Lew Grade to finance the show, which would be shot in the United Kingdom and syndicated worldwide. That same year, he abandoned work on his Broadway show and moved his creative team to England, where ''The Muppet Show'' began filming. ''The Muppet Show'' featured Kermit as host, and a variety of other memorable characters, notably Miss Piggy, Gonzo the Great, and Fozzie Bear. Kermit's role on ''The Muppet Show'' was often compared by his co-workers to Henson's role in Muppet Productions: a shy, gentle boss with "a whim of steel" who "[ran] things as firmly as it is possible to run an explosion in a mattress factory." Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, remembered that Henson "would never say he didn't like something. He would just go 'Hmm.' That was famous. And if he liked it, he would say, 'Lovely!' "Henson himself recognized Kermit as an alter-ego, though he thought that Kermit was bolder than his creator; he once said of Kermit, "He can say things I hold back."

Jim Henson was the performer for several well known characters, including Kermit the Frog, Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, the Swedish Chef, Waldorf, Link Hogthrob, and the Muppet Newsman.

Transition to the big screen

Three years after the start of ''The Muppet Show'', the Muppets appeared in their first theatrical feature film, 1979's ''The Muppet Movie''. The film was both a critical and financial success; it made US$65.2 million domestically and (at the time) was the 61st highest-grossing film ever made.

A song from the film, "The Rainbow Connection", sung by Henson as Kermit, hit No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1981, a Henson-directed sequel, ''The Great Muppet Caper'', followed, and Henson decided to end the still-popular ''Muppet Show'' to concentrate on making films. From time to time, the Muppet characters continued to appear in made-for-TV-movies and television specials.

In addition to his own puppetry projects, Henson also aided others in their work. In 1979, he was asked by the producers of the ''Star Wars'' sequel ''The Empire Strikes Back'' to aid make-up artist Stuart Freeborn in the creation and articulation of enigmatic Jedi Master Yoda. Henson suggested to ''Star Wars'' creator George Lucas that he use Frank Oz as the puppeteer and voice of Yoda. Oz voiced Yoda in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and each of the four subsequent ''Star Wars'' films, and the naturalistic, lifelike Yoda became one of the most popular characters of the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Lucas even lobbied unsuccessfully to have Oz nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award.

In 1982, Henson founded the Jim Henson Foundation to promote and develop the art of puppetry in the United States. Around that time, he also began creating darker and more realistic fantasy films that did not feature the Muppets and displayed "a growing, brooding interest in mortality." With 1982's ''The Dark Crystal'', which he co-directed with Frank Oz and also co-wrote, Henson said he was "trying to go toward a sense of realism—toward a reality of creatures that are actually alive [where] it's not so much a symbol of the thing, but you're trying to [present] the thing itself." To provide a visual style distinct from the Muppets, the puppets in ''The Dark Crystal'' were based on conceptual artwork by Brian Froud.

''The Dark Crystal'' was a financial and critical success, and, a year later, the Muppet-starring ''The Muppets Take Manhattan'' (directed by Frank Oz) did fair box-office business, grossing $25.5 million domestically and ranking as one of the top 40 films of 1984. However, 1986's ''Labyrinth'', a ''Crystal''-like fantasy that Henson directed by himself, was considered (in part due to its cost) a commercial disappointment. Despite some positive reviews (''The New York Times'' called it "a fabulous film"), the commercial failure of ''Labyrinth'' demoralized Henson to the point that son Brian Henson remembered the time of its release as being "the closest I've seen him to turning in on himself and getting quite depressed." The film later became a cult classic. Henson and his wife also separated the same year, although they remained close for the rest of his life. Jane later said that Jim was so involved with his work that he had very little time to spend with her or their children. All five of his children began working with Muppets at an early age, partly because, as Cheryl Henson remembered, "one of the best ways of being around him was to work with him".

Later career

Though he was still engaged in creating children's television, such as the successful eighties shows ''Fraggle Rock'' and the animated ''Muppet Babies'', Henson continued to explore darker, mature themes with the folk tale and mythology-oriented show ''The Storyteller'' (1988). ''The Storyteller'' won an Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program. The next year, Henson returned to television with ''The Jim Henson Hour'', which mixed lighthearted Muppet fare with riskier material. The show was critically well-received and won Henson another Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Variety or Music Program, but was canceled after 13 episodes due to low ratings. Henson blamed its failure on NBC's constant rescheduling.

In late 1989, Henson entered into negotiations to sell his company to The Walt Disney Company for almost $150 million, hoping that, with Disney handling business matters, he would "be able to spend a lot more of my time on the creative side of things." By 1990, he had completed production on a television special, ''The Muppets at Walt Disney World'', and a Disney World (Later Disney California Adventure Park as well) attraction, ''Jim Henson's Muppet*Vision 3D'', and was developing film ideas and a television series titled ''Muppet High''.

''Natural History Project'' and ''Dinosaurs''

In the late 1980s, Henson worked with illustrator/designer William Stout on a feature film starring animatronic dinosaurs with the working title of ''The Natural History Project''. In 1991, news stories written around the premiere of The Jim Henson Company-produced ''Dinosaurs'' sitcom highlighted the show's connection to Henson. "Jim Henson dreamed up the show's basic concept about three years ago," said a ''New York Times'' article in April 1991. "'He wanted it to be a sitcom with a pretty standard structure, with the biggest differences being that it's a family of dinosaurs and their society has this strange toxic life style,' said [his son] Brian Henson. But until ''The Simpsons'' took off, said Alex Rockwell, a vice president of the Henson organization, 'people thought it was a crazy idea.'" A ''New Yorker'' article said that Henson continued to work on a dinosaur project (presumably the ''Dinosaurs'' concept) until the "last months of his life."

Illness and death

During production of his later projects, Henson began to experience flu-like symptoms. On May 4, 1990, Henson made an appearance on ''The Arsenio Hall Show'', one of his last television appearances. At the time, he mentioned to his publicist that he was tired and had a sore throat, but felt that it would go away.

On May 12, 1990, Henson traveled to Ahoskie, North Carolina, with his daughter Cheryl to visit his father and stepmother. The next day, feeling tired and ill, he consulted a physician in North Carolina, who could find no evidence of pneumonia by physical examination and prescribed no treatment except aspirin. Henson returned to New York on an earlier flight and cancelled a Muppet recording session scheduled for May 14.

Henson's wife Jane, from whom he was separated, came to visit and sat with him talking throughout the evening. At 2 am on May 15, Henson was having trouble breathing and began coughing up blood. He suggested to his wife that he might be dying, but did not want to bother going to the hospital which would have gone against his religion. She later told ''People Magazine'' that it was likely due to his desire not to be a bother to people.

Two hours later, Henson finally agreed to go to New York Hospital. By the time he was admitted at 4:58 am, he could no longer breathe on his own and had abscesses in his lungs. He was placed on a mechanical ventilator to help him breathe, but his condition deteriorated rapidly into septic shock, despite aggressive treatment with multiple antibiotics. After two cardiac arrests over 20 hours after he was admitted, Jim Henson died on the morning of May 16, 1990, at the age of 53.

The official cause of death was first reported as ''Streptococcus pneumoniae'', a bacterial infection. Bacterial pneumonia is usually caused by ''Streptococcus pneumoniae'', an alpha-hemolytic species of ''Streptococcus''. Henson's cause of death, however, was organ failure resulting from ''Streptococcus pyogenes'', a severe Group A streptococcal infection. ''S. pyogenes'' is the bacterial species that causes strep throat, scarlet fever, and rheumatic fever. It can also cause other infections.

On May 21, a public memorial service was held in New York City at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Another one was held on July 2 at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. As per Henson's wishes, no one in attendance wore black, and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band finished the service by performing "When the Saints Go Marching In". Harry Belafonte sang "Turn the World Around," a song he had debuted on ''The Muppet Show'', as each member of the congregation waved, with a puppeteer's rod, an individual, brightly-colored foam butterfly. Later, Big Bird (performed by Caroll Spinney) walked out onto the stage and sang Kermit the Frog's signature song, "Bein' Green". Henson was cremated at Ferncliff Cemetery. His ashes were scattered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at his ranch.

In the final minutes of the two-and-a-half hour service, six of the core Muppet performers sang, in their characters' voices, a medley of Jim Henson's favorite songs, culminating in a performance of "Just One Person" that began with Richard Hunt singing alone, as Scooter. "As each verse progressed," Henson employee Chris Barry recalled, "each Muppeteer joined in with their own Muppets until the stage was filled with all the Muppet performers and their beloved characters." The funeral was later described by LIFE as "an epic and almost unbearably moving event." The image of a growing number of performers singing "Just One Person" was recreated for the 1990 television special ''The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson'' and inspired screenwriter Richard Curtis, who attended the London service, to write the growing-orchestra wedding scene of his 2003 film ''Love Actually''.

Henson's sudden death resulted in an outpouring of public and professional affection. There have since been numerous tributes and dedications in his memory. Henson’s companies, which are now run by his children, continue to produce films and television shows.

Legacy

The Jim Henson Company and the Jim Henson Foundation continued after his death, producing new series and specials. Jim Henson's Creature Shop, founded by Henson, also continues to build creatures for a large number of other films and series (e.g. the science-fiction production ''Farscape'', the film adaptation of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', and the movie ''MirrorMask'') and is considered one of the most advanced and well respected creators of film creatures. His son Brian and daughter Lisa are currently the co-chairs and co-CEOs of the company; his daughter Cheryl is the president of the foundation. Steve Whitmire, a veteran member of the Muppet puppeteering crew, has assumed the roles of Kermit the Frog and Ernie, the most famous characters formerly played by Jim Henson.

On February 17, 2004, it was announced that the Muppets (excluding the ''Sesame Street'' characters, which are separately owned by Sesame Workshop) and the ''Bear in the Big Blue House'' properties had been sold by Henson's heirs to The Walt Disney Company. However, as a result, Sesame Workshop (formerly the Children's Television Workshop), also lost the rights to Kermit the Frog, and he could no longer appear on any new material on ''Sesame Street'', although Kermit did later appear on the premiere of the show's 40th season on November 10, 2009.

One of Henson's last projects is a show attraction in Walt Disney World and Disneyland featuring the Muppets, called Muppet*Vision 3D, which opened in 1991, shortly after his death.

The Jim Henson Company retains the Creature Shop, as well as the rest of its film and television library including ''Fraggle Rock'', ''Farscape'', ''The Dark Crystal'', and ''Labyrinth''.

In 2010 it was announced that the first major biography of Henson, sanctioned by the family and the Jim Henson Legacy, was under way.

Tributes

Henson is honored both as himself and as Kermit the Frog on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Only two other people have received this honor: Mel Blanc, the voice actor of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck; and Walt Disney, the voice actor of Mickey Mouse.

The theater at his alma mater, Northwestern High School, in Hyattsville, MD, is named in his honor.

''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze'' and ''The Muppet Christmas Carol'' are both dedicated to him.

Stephen Lynch produced a song titled "Jim Henson's Dead", in which he pays homage to many of the characters from ''The Muppet Show'' and ''Sesame Street''.

Henson featured in ''The American Adventure'' in Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Philip Roth often quotes Jim Henson in his Sabbath's Theater as the "great regret" for Mickey Sabbath.

The Jim Henson Museum, located in his hometown of Leland, Mississippi, features an assortment of original Muppet characters, official certificates from the Mississippi Legislature honoring Henson and his characters, and a statue of Kermit in the middle of the stream behind the museum.

The 1990 television special ''The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson'' allowed the Muppets themselves to pay tribute to Henson. The special featured interviews with Steven Spielberg and others.

Tom Smith's Henson tribute song, "A Boy and His Frog," won the Pegasus Award for Best Folk Song in 1991.

Henson was featured in Boyz II Men's 1991 video, "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday".

Episode 2880 of ''Sesame Street'' (which aired on November 15, 1991) was dedicated in his memory, with a memorial card following the closing credits.

The classes of 1994, 1998, and 1999 at the University of Maryland, College Park, Henson's alma mater, commissioned a life-size statue of Henson and Kermit the Frog, which was dedicated on September 24, 2003, Henson's 67th birthday. The statue cost $217,000, and is displayed outside Maryland's student union. In 2006, Maryland introduced 50 statues of their school mascot, Testudo the Terrapin, with various designs chosen by different sponsoring groups. Among them was Kertle, a statue by Washington DC artist Elizabeth Baldwin designed to look like Kermit the Frog.

On the evening of October 25, 2000, Comedy Central had a banner sign that said: Jim Henson [1936–1990].

In 2003, Jim Henson was honored at the annual Norsk Høstfest in Minot, North Dakota.

Oury Atlan, Thibaut Berland, and Damien Ferri wrote, directed, and animated a 3D tribute to Henson entitled ''Over Time'' that was shown as part of the 2005 Electronic Theater at SIGGRAPH.

The Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia, has acquired more than 700 puppets created by Henson and his studio, including some of the earliest Muppets. Many of these are displayed in the museum exhibit ''Jim Henson: Puppeteer''. In September 2008, the Center opened ''Jim Henson: Wonders From His Workshop'', highlighting creations from ''Fraggle Rock'', ''Labyrinth'', and other later works.

On September 24, 2011, Henson's hometown of Leland renamed one of their bridges "The Rainbow Connection" to honor Henson and his work. He was also honored with a Google doodle on his 75th birthday; the Google logo had six Muppets that were clickable using the “hand” buttons.

References

Further reading

External links

The Jim Henson Legacy

Art Directors Club biography and portrait

Jim Henson at Find A Grave

The Jim Henson Works at the University of Maryland: 70+ digital videos available to students, scholars and visitors at the University of Maryland (College Park, MD)

Early Jim Henson films in the AT&T Archives: "Robot" and "Charlie Magnetico," two films that Henson created for the Bell Data Communications Seminar in the early 1960s

Category:American Christians Category:American film directors Category:American film producers Category:American puppeteers Category:American television producers Category:American voice actors Category:Deaths from pneumonia Category:Disney people Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Fraggle Rock Muppeteers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Infectious disease deaths in New York Category:Muppet designers Category:Muppet performers Category:Peabody Award winners Category:People from Greenville, Mississippi Category:People from New York City Category:People from Prince George's County, Maryland Category:Sesame Street Muppeteers Category:The Jim Henson Company Category:University of Maryland, College Park alumni Category:1936 births Category:1990 deaths

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Name	Sammy Davis Jr.
Alt	Black-and-white photograph of an elderly African-American man wearing a striped shirt, grey trousers, a watch and various jewelry, sitting hunched on a sofa with a sombre expression.
Birth name	Samuel George Davis, Jr.
Birth date	December 08, 1925
Birth place	Harlem, New York, United States
Death date	May 16, 1990
Death place	Beverly Hills, California, United States Interred: Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
Death cause	Throat cancer
Other names
Occupation	Singer, tap dancer, actor, musician
Years active	1928–1990
Spouse	Loray White (1958–1959)May Britt (1960–1968)Altovise Davis (1970–1990)
Religion	Judaism
Children	Tracey (b. 1961)Mark (b. 1960)Jeff (b. 1964)Manny (b. 1988)
Parents	Sammy Davis, Sr. (father)Elvera Sanchez (mother)
Website	sammydavis-jr.com
Footnotes	}}

Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities.

Primarily a dancer and singer, Davis started as a child vaudevillian who became known for his performances on Broadway and Las Vegas. He went on to become a world famous recording artist, television and film star. Davis was also a member of Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack".

At the age of three Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father and "uncle" as the Will Mastin Trio, toured nationally, and after military service, returned to the trio. Davis became an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's after the 1951 Academy Awards. With the trio, he became a recording artist. In 1954, he lost his left eye in an automobile accident.

Though his film career had begun as a child in 1933, in 1960 he appeared in the first Rat Pack film, ''Ocean's 11''. After a starring role on Broadway in 1956's ''Mr Wonderful'', Davis returned to the stage in 1964's ''Golden Boy'', and in 1966 had his own TV variety show, ''The Sammy Davis Jr. Show''. Davis' career slowed in the late sixties, but he had a hit record with "The Candy Man", in 1972, and became a star in Las Vegas.

As an African American, Davis was the victim of racism throughout his life, and was a large financial supporter of civil rights causes. Davis had a complex relationship with the African-American community, and attracted criticism after physically embracing Richard Nixon in 1970. One day on a golf course with Jack Benny, he was asked what his handicap was. "Handicap?" he asked. "Talk about handicap – I'm a one-eyed Negro Jew." This was to become a signature comment, recounted in his autobiography, and in countless articles.

After reuniting with Sinatra and Dean Martin in 1987, Davis toured with them and Liza Minnelli internationally, before dying of throat cancer in 1990. He died in debt to the Internal Revenue Service, and his estate was the subject of legal battles.

Davis was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP, and was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for his television performances. He was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987, and in 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Early life

Samuel George Davis, Jr. was born in New York City, to Sammy Davis, Sr. (1900–1988), an African-American entertainer, and Elvera Sanchez (1905–2000), a tap dancer. During his lifetime, Davis, Jr. stated that his mother was Puerto Rican and born in San Juan; however, in the 2003 biography ''In Black and White'', author Wil Haygood writes that Davis, Jr.'s mother was born in New York City to Cuban American parents, and that Davis, Jr. claimed he was Puerto Rican because he feared anti-Cuban backlash would hurt his record sales.

Davis' parents were vaudeville dancers. As an infant, he was raised by his paternal grandmother. When he was three years old, his parents separated. His father, not wanting to lose custody of his son, took him on tour. Davis learned to dance from his father and his "uncle" Will Mastin, who led the dance troupe his father worked for. Davis joined the act as a child and they became the Will Mastin Trio. Throughout his career, Davis included the Will Mastin Trio in his billing. Mastin and his father shielded him from racism. Snubs were explained as jealousy, for instance. When Davis served in the United States Army during World War II, however, he was confronted by strong racial prejudice. He later said, "Overnight the world looked different. It wasn't one color any more. I could see the protection I'd gotten all my life from my father and Will. I appreciated their loving hope that I'd never need to know about prejudice and hate, but they were wrong. It was as if I'd walked through a swinging door for eighteen years, a door which they had always secretly held open."

Career

During service in WWII, the Army assigned Davis to an integrated entertainment Special Services unit and he found that the spotlight lessened the prejudice. Even prejudiced white men admired and respected his performances. "My talent was the weapon, the power, the way for me to fight. It was the one way I might hope to affect a man's thinking," he said.

After his discharge, Davis rejoined the family dance act, which played at clubs around Portland, Oregon. He began to achieve success on his own and was singled out for praise by critics, releasing several albums. This led to Davis being hired to sing the title track for the Universal Pictures film ''Six Bridges to Cross'' in 1954, and later to his appearance in the Broadway play ''Mr. Wonderful'' in 1956.

In 1959, Davis became a member of the famous "Rat Pack", led by his friend Frank Sinatra, which included fellow performers such as Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. Initially, Sinatra called the gathering "the Clan", but Sammy voiced his opposition, saying that it reminded people of the racist Ku Klux Klan. Sinatra renamed the group "the Summit", but the media referred to them as the Rat Pack.

Davis was a headliner at The Frontier Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, but he was required (as were all black performers in the 1950s) to lodge in a rooming house on the west side of the city, instead of in the hotels as his white colleagues did. No dressing rooms were provided for black performers, and they had to wait outside by the swimming pool between acts. Davis and other black artists could entertain, but could not stay at the hotels where they performed, gamble in the casinos, or dine or drink in the hotel restaurants and bars. Davis later refused to work at places which practiced racial segregation.

In 1964, Davis was starring in ''Golden Boy'' at night and shooting his own New York-based afternoon talk show during the day. When he could get a day off from the theater, he would be recording new songs in the studio, or performing live, often at charity benefits as far away as Miami, Chicago, and Las Vegas, or doing television variety specials in Los Angeles. Davis knew he was cheating his family of his company, but he could not help himself; as he later said, he was incapable of standing still.

Although he was still a draw in Las Vegas, Davis' musical career had sputtered by the latter 1960s, although he had a No. 11 hit (#1 on the Easy Listening singles chart) with "I've Gotta Be Me" in 1969. His effort to update his sound and reconnect with younger people resulted in some "hip" musical efforts with the Motown record label. But then, even as his career seemed at its nadir, Sammy had an unexpected hit with "Candy Man". Although he did not particularly care for the song and was chagrined that he was now best known for it, Davis made the most of his opportunity and revitalized his career. Although he enjoyed no more Top 40 hits, he did enjoy popularity with his 1976 performance of the theme song from the Baretta TV series, "Baretta's Theme (Keep Your Eye On The Sparrow)" (1975–1978), which was released as a single (20th century 2282). He occasionally landed television and film parts, including cameo visits to the television shows "I Dream of Jeannie", ''All in the Family'' (during which he famously kisses Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) on the cheek) and, with wife Altovise Davis, on ''Charlie's Angels''. In the 1970s, he appeared in commercials in Japan for Suntory whiskey.

On December 11, 1967, NBC broadcast a musical-variety special entitled ''Movin' With Nancy''. In addition to the Emmy Award-winning musical performances, the show is notable for Nancy Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. greeting each other with a kiss, one of the first black-white kisses in U.S. television history.

It's been said Davis had a friendship with Elvis Presley. Davis sang a cover-version of Presley's song "In The Ghetto" and made a cameo-appearance in Presley's concert-film ''Elvis: That's the Way It Is''. One year later, he made a cameo appearance in a James Bond film, but the scene he appeared in was deleted.

In Japan, Davis appeared in television commercials for coffee, and in the U.S. he joined Sinatra and Martin in a radio commercial for a Chicago car dealership.

Davis was a fan of the daytime soap operas, particularly the shows produced by the American Broadcasting Company. This led to a cameo appearance on ''General Hospital'' and a recurring role as character Chip Warren on ''One Life to Live'', for which he received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1980. He was also a game show fan, appearing on the ABC version of ''Family Feud'' in 1979. He appeared on ''Tattletales'' with third wife Altovise Davis in the 1970s. He made a cameo during an episode of the NBC version of ''Card Sharks'' in 1981.

In addition to American soaps, he was also a huge fan of the Australian show ''Prisoner: Cell Block H''. Davis wanted to make an appearance in ''Prisoner'', but the show ended (in 1986) before this could be arranged.

Davis was an avid photographer who enjoyed shooting family and acquaintances. His body of work was detailed in a 2007 book by Burt Boyar. "Jerry [Lewis] gave me my first important camera, my first 35 millimeter, during the Ciro's period, early '50s", Boyar quotes Davis. "And he hooked me." Davis used a medium format camera later on to capture images. Again quoting Davis, "Nobody interrupts a man taking a picture to ask ... 'What's that nigger doin' here?'". His catalog includes rare photos of his father dancing onstage as part of the Will Mastin Trio and intimate snapshots of close friends Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, James Dean, Nat "King" Cole, and Marilyn Monroe. His political affiliations also were represented, in his images of Robert Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. His most revealing work comes in photographs of wife May Britt and their three children, Tracey, Jeff and Mark.

Davis was an enthusiastic shooter and gun owner. He participated in fast-draw competitions—Johnny Cash recalled that Sammy was said to be capable of drawing and firing a Colt Single Action Army revolver in less than a quarter of a second. Davis was skilled at fast and fancy gunspinning, and appeared on TV variety shows showing off this skill. He appeared in Western films and as a guest star on several "Golden Age" T.V. Westerns.

Personal life

Car accident and conversion to Judaism

Davis nearly died in an automobile accident on November 19, 1954 in San Bernardino, California, as he was making a return trip from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. The accident occurred at a fork in U.S. Highway 66 at Cajon Boulevard and Kendall Drive (). Davis lost his left eye as a result. His friend, actor Jeff Chandler, offered one of his own eyes if it would keep Davis from total blindness. The offer was not needed. Davis wore an eye patch for at least six months following the accident. He appeared on ''What's My Line'' wearing the patch. Later, he was fitted for a glass eye, which he wore for the rest of his life.

While in the hospital, Davis' friend, performer Eddie Cantor, told him about the similarities between the Jewish and black cultures. Prompted by this conversation, Davis—who was born to a Catholic mother and Protestant father—began studying the history of Jews. He converted to Judaism several years later. One passage from his readings (from the book ''A History of The Jews'' by Abram L. Sachar), describing the endurance of the Jewish people, intrigued him in particular: "The Jews would not die. Three millennia of prophetic teaching had given them an unwavering spirit of resignation and had created in them a will to live which no disaster could crush". In many ways, the accident marked a turning point in Davis' career, taking him from a well-known entertainer to a national celebrity and icon.

Marriages

In the mid-1950s, Sammy was involved with Kim Novak, a film star under contract to Columbia Studios. The head of the studio, Harry Cohn, was worried about the negative effect this would have on the studio because of the prevailing taboo against miscegenation. He called his friend, the mobster Johnny Roselli, who was asked to tell Davis that he had to stop the affair with Novak. Roselli arranged for Davis to be kidnapped for a few hours to throw a scare into him. His hastily arranged and soon-dissolved marriage to black dancer Loray White in 1958 was an attempt to quiet the controversy.

In 1960, Davis caused controversy again when he married white Swedish-born actress May Britt. Davis received hate mail while starring in the Broadway musical adaptation of ''Golden Boy'' from 1964–66 (for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor). At the time Davis appeared in the play, interracial marriages were forbidden by law in 31 US states, and only in 1967 were those laws ruled unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court. Davis and Britt had one daughter and adopted two sons. Davis performed almost continuously and spent little time with his wife. They divorced in 1968, after Davis admitted to having had an affair with singer Lola Falana. That year, Davis started dating Altovise Gore, a dancer in ''Golden Boy''. They were married on May 11, 1970 by the Reverend Jesse Jackson. They adopted a child and remained married until Davis's death in 1990.

Political beliefs

Although Davis had been voting Democratic, he felt a lack of respect from the John F. Kennedy presidency. He had been removed from the list of performers for Kennedy's inaugural party (hosted by Davis' close friend Frank Sinatra) because of Davis' recent interracial marriage to May Britt on November 13, 1960, in order to quell any controversy.

In the early 1970s, Davis supported Republican President Richard M. Nixon (and gave the startled President a hug during a live television broadcast). The incident was controversial, and Davis was given a hostile reception by his peers. Previously Davis had won their respect with his performance as Joe Wellington Jr. in ''Golden Boy'' and his participation in the Civil Rights Movement. Nixon invited Davis to sleep in the White House in 1973, which is believed to be the first time an African-American was invited to do so. Davis spent the night in the Queens' Bedroom. Unlike Sinatra, Davis voted Democratic for President again after the Nixon administration, supporting the campaigns of Rev. Jesse Jackson in 1984 and 1988.

Death

Davis died in Beverly Hills, California on May 16, 1990, of complications from throat cancer. Earlier, when he was told that surgery (laryngectomy) offered him the best chance of survival, Davis replied he would rather keep his voice than have a part of his throat removed; he subsequently was treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. However, a few weeks prior to his death his entire larynx was removed during surgery. He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California next to his father and Will Mastin.

Davis died on the same day as Sesame Street creator Jim Henson.

On May 18, 1990, two days after Davis' death, the neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip were darkened for ten minutes, as a tribute to him.

Portrayals

Davis was portrayed by Don Cheadle in the HBO film ''The Rat Pack'', a television film about the pack of entertainers. Cheadle won a Golden Globe award for his performance.

Eddie Griffin has made his impersonation of Davis a major part of his career, be it at stage or TV.

On ''Saturday Night Live'', Davis has been portrayed by Garrett Morris, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal and Tim Meadows.

Davis was portrayed on the popular sketch comedy show ''In Living Color'' by Tommy Davidson, notably a parody of the film ''Ghost'', in which the ghost of Davis enlists the help of Whoopi Goldberg to communicate with his wife.

David Raynr also portrayed Davis in the miniseries ''Sinatra'', a television film about the life of Frank Sinatra.

Davis was portrayed by Keith Powell in an episode of ''30 Rock'' entitled "Subway Hero".

In the 1993 film ''Wayne's World 2'', Tim Meadows portrays Davis in the dream sequence with Michael A. Nickles as Jim Morrison.

He was portrayed by Paul Sharma in the 2003 West End production ''Rat Pack Confidential''.

In September 2009, the musical ''Sammy: Once in a Lifetime'' premiered at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego with book, music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, and additional songs by Bricusse and Anthony Newley. The title role was played by Broadway Tony Award nominee Obba Babatundé.

Davis was mentioned in British singer Amy Winehouse's album ''Back to Black'' on the song "Me and Mr. Jones". The lyrics are as follows: "Aside from Sammy you're my best black Jew."

A black and white portrait of Davis, drawn by Jim Blanchard, adorns the cover of avant-garde rock band Oxbow's second album ''King Of The Jews''.

Midwest radio personality Kevin Matthews impersonated Sammy Davis, Jr. many times on his radio show.

Comedian Jim Carrey has portrayed Davis on stage in a stand up routine.

Discography

Honors and awards

Grammy Awards

{|class=wikitable |- ! Year ! Category ! Song ! Result ! Notes |- align=center |2002 |Grammy Hall of Fame Award |"What Kind of Fool Am I?" |Inducted |Recorded in 1962 |- align=center |2001 |Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award | |Winner | |- align=center |1972 |Pop Male Vocalist |"Candy Man" |Nominee | |- align=center |1962 |Record of the Year |"What Kind of Fool Am I" |Nominee | |- align=center |1962 |Male Solo Vocal Performance |"What Kind of Fool Am I" |Nominee | |}

Emmy Awards

{|class=wikitable ! Year ! Category ! Program ! Result |- align=center | |Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy |''Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th Anniversary Celebration'' |Winner |- align=center |1989 |Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series |''The Cosby Show'' |Nominee |- align=center |1980 |Outstanding Cameo Appearance in a Daytime Drama Series |''One Life to Live'' |Nominee |- align=center |1966 |Outstanding Variety Special |''The Swinging World of Sammy Davis Jr.'' |Nominee |- align=center |1956 |Best Specialty Act — Single or Group |Sammy Davis Jr. |Nominee |}

Other honors

{|class=wikitable |- ! Year ! Category ! Organization ! Program ! Result |- align=center |2008 |International Civil Rights Walk of Fame |Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site | |Inducted |- align=center |2006 |Las Vegas Walk of Stars |front of Riviera Hotel | |Inducted |- align=center |1989 |NAACP Image Award |NAACP | |Winner |- align=center |1987 |Kennedy Center Honors |John F. Kennedy Center forthe Performing Arts | |Honoree |- align=center |1977 |Best TV Actor — Musical/Comedy |Golden Globe |''Sammy and Company'' (1975) |Nominee |- align=center |1974 |Special Citation Award |National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences | |Winner |- align=center |1968 |NAACP Spingarn Medal Award |NAACP | |Winner |- align=center |1965 |Best Actor — Musical |Tony Award |''Golden Boy'' |Nominee |- align=center |1960 |Hollywood Walk of Fame | | |Star at 6254 Hollywood Blvd. |}

Filmography

''Rufus Jones for President'' (1933)

''Seasoned Greetings'' (1933)

''Sweet and Low'' (1947)

''Meet Me in Las Vegas'' (1956)

''Anna Lucasta'' (1959)

''Porgy and Bess'' (1959)

''Ocean's 11'' (1960)

''Pepe'' (1960)

''Sergeants 3'' (1962)

''The Threepenny Opera'' (1962)

''Convicts 4'' (1962)

''Johnny Cool'' (1963)

''Robin and the 7 Hoods'' (1964)

''Nightmare in the Sun'' (1965)

''The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World'' (1965)(title song)

''A Man Called Adam'' (1966)

''Alice in Wonderland (or What’s a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This?)'' (1966)

''Salt and Pepper'' (1968)

''The Fall'' (1969)

''Sweet Charity'' (1969)

''One More Time'' (1970)

''Elvis: That's the Way It Is'' (1970)

''Diamonds Are Forever'' (1971; deleted scene)

''Save the Children'' (1973)

''Gone with the West'' (1975)

''Sammy Stops the World'' (1978)

''The Cannonball Run'' (1981)

''Heidi's Song'' (1982)

''Cracking Up'' (1983)

''Broadway Danny Rose'' (1984)

''Cannonball Run II'' (1984)

''Alice in Wonderland'' (1985)

''That's Dancing!'' (1985)

''Knights of the City'' (1986)

''The Perils of P.K.'' (1986)

''Moon Over Parador'' (1988)

''Tap'' (1989)

''The Kid Who Loved Christmas'' (1990, last role)

Stage

''Mr. Wonderful'' (1957), musical

''Golden Boy'' (1964), musical – Tony Nomination for Best Actor in a Musical

''Sammy'' (1974), special performance featuring Davis with the Nicholas Brothers

''Stop the World - I Want to Get Off'' (1978) musical revival

TV

''The Rifleman'' – episode "Two Ounces of Tin (#4.21)" (February 19, 1962).

''Ben Casey'' – episode "Allie" (1963).

''The Patty Duke Show'' - episode "Will the Real Sammy Davis Please Hang Up?" (1965).

''Wild Wild West'' – episode "The Night of the Returning Dead" (October 14, 1966).

''I Dream of Jeannie'' – episode "The Greatest Entertainer in the World" (1967).

''The Name Of The Game'' - episode "I Love You, Billy Baker." (1970).

''All in the Family'' – episode "Sammy's Visit" (1972).

''The Jeffersons'' episode "What Makes Sammy Run?" (1984).

''Gimme a Break'' – episode "The Lookalike" (1985).

''The Cosby Show'' – episode "No Way, Baby" (1989). (After Davis' death in 1990, Bill Cosby wore a black pin with Davis' initials printed in white for an entire season of the show.)

See also

Rat Pack

Jews and Judaism in the African diaspora

List of notable Hispanics from the United States

References

Further reading

Autobiographies

''Yes, I Can'' (with Burt and Jane Boyar) (1965) ISBN 0-374-52268-5

''Why Me?'' (with Burt and Jane Boyar) (1980) ISBN 0-446-36025-2

''Sammy'' (with Burt and Jane Boyar) (2000) ISBN 0-374-29355-4; consolidates the two previous books and includes additional material

''Hollywood in a Suitcase'' (1980) ISBN 0-425-05091-2

Biographies

Haygood, Wil. (2003) ''In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr''. Billboard Books. ISBN 978-0-8230-8395-4

Birkbeck, Matt. (2008) ''Deconstructing Sammy''. Amistad. ISBN 978-0-06-145066-2

Silber, Jr., Arthur (2003) "Sammy Davis, Jr: Me and My Shadow, Samart Enterprises, ISBN 0-9655675-5-9

Other

''Photo by Sammy Davis, Jr.'' (Burt Boyar) (2007) ISBN 0-06-114605-6

External links

Discography of Sammy Davis, Jr.'s Recording Career

Obituary, NY Times, May 17, 1990 ''Sammy Davis Jr. Dies at 64; Top Showman Broke Barriers''

Sammy Davis Jr. talks to draft dodgers in Canada, CBC Archives

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