Sammy Davis, Jr..asf

This was Sammy Davis Jr.'s second appearance on national TV. The Colgate Comedy Hour--this week of February 23, 1951, hosted by Eddie Cantor--the spotlighting of African-American performers was deeply controversial. The racist reaction to the appearance, the personal criticism of Cantor for sharing his handkerchief with Davis, for placing his arm around the young phenom--was powerful and bitter. But Cantor resisted the racist challenge. He continued to book the Will Mastin Trio--Sammy, his father and his uncle--on many consequent programs he hosted. Such was American racism in the 1950s. Such was Eddie Cantor. And this is Sammy Davis in his earliest TV days!