This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/12/2021
Offered is a collection of Sammy Davis, Jr.'s personally owned awards and other items. After a starring role on Broadway in Mr. Wonderful with Chita Rivera (1956), he returned to the stage in 1964 in a musical adaptation of Clifford Odets' Golden Boy opposite Paula Wayne. Davis was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance and the show was said to have featured the first interracial kiss on Broadway. In 1960, he appeared in the Rat Pack film Ocean's 11, with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. In 1966, he had his own TV variety show, titled The Sammy Davis Jr. Show. While Davis's career slowed in the late 1960s, his biggest hit, "The Candy Man", reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1972, and he became a star in Las Vegas, earning him the nickname "Mister Show Business".
The collection includes:
- 1972 Soul and Blues Award which states "First Annual Soul and Blues Award / 1972 / Beverly Hills, California / SAMMY DAVIS JR. SPECIAL HUMANITARIAN AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS AND ACHIEVEMENT IN BLACK ARTS AND CULTURE FOR 1972." The award measures 10 x 15 inches and presents in Excellent to Mint condition.;
- City of Burbank Proclamation which reads "I, William B. Rudell, Mayor of the City of Burbank, do hereby proclaim Friday, January 9, 1976, as 'Sammy Davis, Jr. Day' and urge all citizens of Burbank to join with me in honoring this celebrated entertainer and humanitarian." The award is signed by Mayor Rudell. The award is framed to a size of 10 1/2 x 13 inches.;
- Certificate of Merit from The National Advisory Council and Theatrical Committee of the Talent & Booking Association of America to "Sammy Davis, Jr. in recognition of Grateful Service to the Industry in the Year 1954 through 1979." The award is framed to a size of 11 x 13 inches.;
- 1974 Demo Song Lyric sheet for "The Hungry Years" written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. The sheet is accompanied by a signed typed letter on Greenfield's stationary that reads "Dear Sammy, Enclosed is 'The Hungry Years' the title song from the next Neil Sedaka album. Neil and I feel it's probably the finest ballad we've ever written together. Hope you can use it.";
- 1980 Leather Bound Rolls Royce Day Planner personalized on the cover "Sammy Davis, Jr." The planner measures 6 x 8 1/2 inches and presents unused.