Historian Carter G. Woodson began the tradition of Black History Month in 1926 first as the celebration of black culture called Negro History Week. Today, there may be no better way to begin a month-long tribute to African American heritage and history than by examining the fascinating 2017 documentary “Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me,” directed by Samuel Pollard. Davis, known as “Mr. Entertainment,” was a multi-talented singer, exceptional dancer, movie and Broadway star and civil rights advocate who raised money for Dr. Martin Luther King’s social movement.

Director Pollard is a master storyteller. His film on Sammy Davis Jr. portrays a great entertainer who strived to define a unique personal identity while defying conventions and social trends. At the same time, Pollard tries to avoid playing to racial stereotypes. He covers the famed entertainer’s high time successes, hit recordings, Broadway appearances and Davis’ low time controversies, like when he lost his left eye in a horrible car accident in 1954 and when he married the Swedish film star May Britt in the early 1960s.

Using various film clips, archival television interviews with Davis and more recent celebrity interviews, Pollard examines the lasting impact of Sammy’s incredible talents. Quincy Jones, Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Lewis, Billy Crystal, producer Norman Lear, composer Leslie Bricusse, publicist David Steinberg and historian Michael Dinwiddie provide personal insights into the impact of Davis’ career.

Pollard’s film is told mostly chronologically, yet periodically makes use of thematic section headings like: “The Rebel,” “The Activist,” “The Patriot” or “the Hipster” to emphasize critical aspects of Davis’ life. Davis was born in Harlem in 1925 and began his show business career in the early 1930s performing in the Will Mastin Trio, a song and dance troupe that featured his father, Sammy Davis, Sr., which was called the Chitlin Circuit. By 1933, he became a child film star appearing in a short film with singer Ethel Waters called “Rufus Jones for President.” 

Davis’s early career featured his dancing skills, smooth vocal talents and impressions of celebrities like Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Louis Armstrong and James Stewart. In a more contemporary interview, Jerry Lewis humorous comments, “He stole my act.”

As his singing and acting career flourished, Davis frequently appeared at Ciro’s Night Club on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. He began doing shows with what became known as the Rat Pack — Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford — in Las Vegas. Davis made hit songs out of Broadway tunes like “Hey There,” “It Ain’t Necessarily So” and “Mr. Bojangles.” Dr. King especially loved his song “No More” before recording his super number one smash hit “The Candy Man” in 1969.

Davis appeared to never shy away from controversy as one of the first black entertainers on the popular Eddie Cantor Show. Cantor became like a father figure in his early career. Davis then had a short affair with blonde film star Kim Novak, until Columbia Pictures head forced Novak to marry someone else.

Davis’ politics swung from being a strong supporter of John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., yet within a decade, embracing Richard Nixon in a White House ceremony and becoming one of the first African Americans to sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom.

Along with singing stars like Harry Belafonte, Davis forged the integration of Las Vegas entertainment acts. Davis starred on Broadway in “Golden Boy,” which featured an interracial love relationship. Years later, in the 1970s, he appeared on the popular sitcom “All in the Family” and laid a kiss on bigot Archie Bunker’s cheek.

Despite years of drinking, smoking and drug use, Davis confronted many career obstacles to carve his own uniquely individual path of success in the entertainment industry.

I was so fortunate to see Davis in one of his last public appearances at the Chicago Theatre in March 1988, two years before his death from cancer. While he appeared before a sellout crowd, with his old Rat Pack buddies Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, Davis gave it his all in an unforgettable performance. Sammy was simply outstanding!