Sep 15, 2008 (Talk of the Nation) — Sammy Davis, Jr. made $50 million singing, dancing and cavorting with the Rat Pack but died impoverished and in debt to the IRS. Matt Birkbeck, author of the biography Deconstructing Sammy, discusses the entertainer's legacy.
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Sammy Davis Jr. 1961 (Getty Images)
Sammy Davis, Jr.'s 'Music, Money, Madness'
Sep 15, 2008 (Talk of the Nation) — Sammy Davis, Jr. made $50 million singing, dancing and cavorting with the Rat Pack but died impoverished and in debt to the IRS. Matt Birkbeck, author of the biography Deconstructing Sammy, discusses the entertainer's legacy.
During his lifetime, Sammy Davis, Jr. served in World War II, fought racial segregation, converted to Judaism and made $50 million singing, dancing and cavorting with the Rat Pack. By the time he passed away however, Davis was impoverished and deeply in debt to the IRS. After his death, Davis' estate lost all rights to his name, image and music.
Investigative journalist Matt Birkbeck traces the rise and fall of Davis' fortunes in his biography, Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob.
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