SAMMY DAVIS JR. LIVE IN GERMANY

Legendary Entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. Sings and Swings Through a Night of Classic Hits

This magnetic special captures the amazing voice, impressions and dance moves of one of America’s greatest performers

The incredible talents of Sammy Davis Jr. are on display in SAMMY DAVIS JR. LIVE IN GERMANY, airing on WPBT/Channel 2 in Miami on Thursday, December 6 at 8 p.m. The program,  features the legendary Davis performing a night of spectacular entertainment—from spot-on impressions to mesmerizing tap-dancing, and, of course, a sterling set list of Rat Pack classics, filmed live before a packed audience in Germany’s famed Hohensyberg Casino.

Davis was renowned for his all-around talents as an entertainer. As a member of the “Rat Pack,” along with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Peter Lawford, he scored dozens of top-10 singles and unforgettable albums. His 1963 album “Live at the Cocoanut Grove” is still considered one of the greatest live albums of the crooner era. He was acclaimed for his performances in films like Porgy and Bess, Sweet Charity with Shirley MacLaine and Ocean’s Eleven with the rest of the “Rat Pack” members, as well as for his Tony-nominated Broadway turn in Golden Boy.

Captured in the midst of Davis’ stunning mid-’80s resurgence, SAMMY DAVIS JR. LIVE IN GERMANY showcases the amazing entertainer at his finest. Davis begins with the unforgettable “Where or When,” “New York New York,” and his most well-known hit, “The Candy Man.” He dazzles the crowd with a virtuoso tap-dancing performance to “Singin’ in the Rain,” and the soaring ballads “What Kind of Fool Am I” and “The Lady is a Tramp.” A jazzy, scatting improvisation swings through “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” to “The Girl from Ipanema.”

His amazing ability for impressions comes to life on a rendition of “As Time Goes By.” Davis sings and laughs through spot-on sonic mimicry, crooning in the down-home folksy tones of Jimmy Stewart, the inimitable accent of Humphrey Bogart and the rat-a-tat gangster sneer of James Cagney. A drunken, slurring impression of Dean Martin leaves the audience in stitches, and astonishing re-creations of the voices of Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole brings them to their feet. He finishes the concert, clad in a traditional dancer’s outfit and hat, with an emotional “Mr. Bojangles,” to thunderous applause.

A glitzy, glamorous concert in the swingin’ style of the classic Rat Pack, SAMMY DAVIS JR. LIVE IN GERMANY is a captivating and intimate performance by one of the most talented, versatile entertainers of the 20th century.