On May 10, 2016, director Sam Pollard interviewed Billy Crystal about his admiration for and working relationship with Sammy Davis, Jr., who he would later impersonate on Saturday Night Live. Interview conducted for Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me (2019).
Chapters:
00:00 – Crystal’s first magical encounters with Sammy Davis, Jr.
03:56 – His first gig opening for Davis in Lake Tahoe
09:23 – Forming an impression of a storied impressionist
11:20 – Davis impersonates Humphrey Bogart, Gary Cooper, and Frank Sinatra
13:05 – Crystal and Davis pranking each other during their Tahoe run
15:22 – Debuting his Sammy Davis, Jr. impression on Saturday Night Live
The
American Masters Digital Archive includes over 1,000 hours of never-before-seen, raw interviews: a treasure trove of the movers and shakers of American culture, including Maya Angelou, Patti Smith, Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Matthew Broderick, Carl Reiner, Joan Rivers, Dionne Warwick, Lee Grant, Sidney Lumet, Betty White and many others.
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