Sammy Davis, Jr. on Late Night: "I Can't Get Started"

[@trishlangford5773]

This man was just gorgeous. I keep returning to these videos over and over. There is no-one today who even comes close. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@yachtmojitoes]

His voice was golden, and no one is truly classy and cool like that anymore!

[@debrathompson4319]

I have adored Sammy since I was a child..I am 72. I betcha, though, Bruno Mars could come up with a Sammy imitation that would be respectfully worthy! Sammy, the greatest!❤️

[@deneenjeffries2768]

I said that he resembles Sammy in stature and maybe he could play him in a biopic

[@marmaly]

One of the best live TV performances ever. Done without rehearsal by a man with throat cancer. The man had so much talent. He refused to have surgery so he could continue to sing. This decision may have shortened his life, but it gave us this treasure.

[@spooncvc]

wow, that was an impressive, on-the-fly performance! No one, I mean, NO ONE can replace Sammy. RIP

[@AllmanBros]

The all-time greatest entertainer ever! God Bless you Sammy!

[@laurencelance586]

+dallmanbro absolutely the most talented man in hollywood. Ever

[@draganryo]

Man. This is just...pure talent! You just can't beat this man! As a singer...or a performer! His dancing can be ranked with Astaire and Kelly! Impersonations....amazing. Comedic performance and acting talent. No comparision! He was and still is the greatest performer to have ever lived! Sorry MJ fans. Its the truth.

[@heldersufiano2816]

the real deal !!!!!

[@TheInvincibleViolet]

I never get tired of hearing this.. Remembering Sammy.. .. Fantastic..

[@meegeecee]

A pro, an artist and a master. It's like he inhaled the song and it oozed out of every pore, man what chops.

[@31plemoine]

Of course the performance is top notch, but just notice this: "no rehearsal, see?" then greeting every member in the band... He was such a class act.

[@toneroable]

Agree w/U 100%....its clear, was no rehearsal. And Sammy was spectacular. RIP Sammy...!

[@lose7468]

The fact that Sammy shakes the hands of just Paul Schaefer but other members of the band shows how classy he was, RIP Sammy!

[@catman916]

Sammy was a phenomenal talent. My parents took me to see him in a Broadway show, Mister Wonderful, when I was age 10. I have never forgotten that experience.

[@clydecavalieri4511]

I can't think of a better overall entertainer. His singing of course, highly respected dancer, could talk to an audiance, tell jokes, do impressions, not a bad actor, etc.

[@TheInvincibleViolet]

Absolute perfection. Consummate KING of music and dance. Sammy Davis Jr. The Best. . Rest in Peace, Mr. Davis.

[@trombonesolosbyfreddy7525]

Sinatra said publicly when asked a few days after he died in 1990 what Sammy's legacy would be: "He did it all -he was the best!". The world misses Sammy Davis Jr. - what a talent!

[@hughjazzole2037]

i grew up thinking that sinatra was a thug? BUT HESTOOD UP FOR SAMMY N HIS FRIENDS!! HE SAID YOU DONT GET ME UNLESS YOURE NICE TO MY FRIENDS!!

[@catfish336699]

i've watched this on several occasions. knocks me out of my chair every time! a little fellow with a huge talent & personality. thanks sammy. you made a significant contribution to the world.

[@sventrogrlic6370]

I could watch this performance over and over!! So pure and good...and even no rehearsal...!

[@marymuselman432]

mr. wonderful!

[@KingBoss-xy2ol]

Me too

[@teecee3866]

yes

[@just4cruisin]

Sammy was the greatest entertainer of the 20th century! And 'Can't get Started' is my most favorite song of the past, made famous by trumpet player Bunny Berigan back in the 20/30's. Gosh we miss him, and may God Bless Sammy Davis.

[@user-xu4ow3bu6f]

My God to hear the audience cheering. I think they knew they were having a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Only a pro at that level could switch around the lyrics ,Have Some Fun, smile, and never miss a Beat.

[@billr3640]

Sammy Davis has sung, danced, acted, and performed for me almost all of my life. Because of him I have enjoyed life a little bit more. Thanks Sam, you truly are and will always be the very best.

[@teecee3866]

Agreed.

[@patriciasanders2942]

Absolutely loved this amazing guy,talented beyond belief,thank you SAMMY you were an unbelievable entertainer,nothing you could not do,rest easy MR WONDERFUL,you were class personified.

[@annagarber3939]

He reminds me of my Dad so much May they both rest in Paradise What a fabulous singer

[@schaferatsprynet]

Scatting is the toughest thing to do in jazz. Yet, the band hits the counterpoints and keeps up with the tempo changes. Very impressive and polished for a first take, like a long time gig number.

[@PerfectWoodGrain]

An off-the-cuff performance for which he rehearsed for 60 years.

[@kingusmcgee]

Every bit as good as Sinatra, Bennett, Vic Damone, if not better. Phenomenal entertainer and singer. Priceless. Thanks for posting, I play it a few times a day, prompting me also to work it out on the piano.

[@pkneeno]

2:23 shaffer and the scat is precious. Then the change of the tempo is spectacular. thanks for the great upload

[@Soul74]

Thank you for posting this. I was a 14 year old aspiring musician when this originally aired. I remember being impressed at how great the 5 of them sounded for never have played together before. (and now that I hear this almost 20 years later, big thumbs up to Will Lee for swinging on the electric like its an upright!)I also was struck by how Sammy shakes the hand of all the band members after the song. That taught me something about professionalism and class. Thanks Sammy.

[@aaaaaaaaaaaa808]

That voice, that cigarette, that young bloke tv presenter, make it so classic, the most classic of all.

[@abeboy12345]

hello what a great talent sammy was. nothing he couldnt do. dance and sing and act and do impersonations. but what impressed me the most was that he was a very nice man. he treated people with kindness. i was a young bartender and had nothing---no money,no family and i was nobody special. he was the best to me out of all of them. he was a friend and he gave me a sense of dignity when i felt i had none. i would say that i loved him.

[@TATOIANENTERPRISES]

I cried when my dad died, when my uncle passed & when Sammy Davis passed away.;)

[@ManAndAHalf]

An absolute legend. He paved the way for so many that have no idea who he was.

[@newstart2009]

I agree the footage is priceless. He did do a press confrence for some award. I forget. His voice speaking was barely there. That is the last time i saw Sammy on TV. In fact i read where he watch the 60th anniversary special from a hospital bed. Nobody will replace him. I thank you for this post and having a VCR to tape it!

[@NaturalFlirtGamer]

His ease with performing, the little changes & jokes with the lyrics, that smooth sound & great pitch made Sammy Davis Jr a fantastic artist. Don't I wish I was of that generation that saw him & Dean Martin & Frank Sinatra all live in Vegas back in the day. With no rehearsal, this is a wonderful rendition of that classic. Nice upload!!

[@user-xu4ow3bu6f]

I just played that 8 times in a row and I don't understand how any human being could sound the Beautiful. God inspired him for sure

[@eastonpeter1242]

I read all the comments...about 6 1/2 feet of them. Found only two negatives on Sammy (5/8th of an inch). Sammy really dramatizes the lyrics, making you enjoy listening to them. His performance on the Carol Burnette show was like he was singing a song, not acting out a script. What a guy.

[@Amileoj]

Wonderful vid. And you've captured the dynamic between Sammy and the band perfectly. He strolls up, loose as can be, and proceeds to give a little impromptu master class in Jazz phrasing, built around a Vernon Duke / Ira Gershwin classic. The band at first understandably hangs back a bit, wary of getting in the way, but Sammy pulls them in, and they finish where he started, totally into the tune. At that point they could have held that audience rapt all night if they wanted to.

[@user-xu4ow3bu6f]

You nailed it. Great writing.

[@pegbars]

I've always LOVED Sammy! The consummate professional, heh-heh, needs no rehearsal. That's the stuff legends are made of. Absolutely fantastic! 5 stars.

[@Bartels92]

this man had PURE talent and PURE class RIP Sammy 1925 - 1990

[@gmonkey808]

amazing. time and again he takes an average song and has you glued to him in awe. RIP Sammy. We still love you.

[@nyc1rob]

A true giant of a man in every respect....Sammy can do it all....Sing, Dance, Act.....R.I.P. this dear sweet man who's talent was second to none. One of the truly great entertainers of all time.

[@TONORAD]

Just wow! I love his interpretation of this song. Sadly and sorely missed gentleman.

[@DavidDavidsonRhettEColumnSWN]

A true class act(s). Truly miss Mr. Davis. When I was a kid I wanted to sing like Nat King Cole and dance like Sammy Davis, Jr. and Michael Jackson. All my musical heroes. Loved them all. May they rest in peace?

[@b133le]

People STILL have no clue as to how gifted and talented Mr. Davis was! He was a giant.

[@marywalker9423]

There was no part of showbusiness Sammy wasn't great at! His whole life was in showbusiness. He was one of a kind.

[@TheInvincibleViolet]

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS. Rest In Peace, dear man. Thank you for SO much ♪♪♫♪♫

[@TheInvincibleViolet]

:) xxxxxx

[@TheInvincibleViolet]

Love you, Sammy.. never forgotten, the gift was YOU, you gave to the World...... xxx

[@beverleye7853]

Sammy was the greatest Entertainer ever .. How i enjoyed the concert Frank Liza and Sammy -- The Ultimate event ,.. Thanks for posting

[@spinandmarty]

one of the best voices i ever heard live...thanks sammy

[@smclarke63]

Just love Sammy, wonderful, gifted man, RIP, always playing your music x

[@angelialvares]

Very engaging. Sammy has a knack of just pulling you into his song and the next thing is one is mesmerized..Such superb phrasing, dynamics, lyric clarity, just as great a vocalist as he was a tap dancer As a child growing up I always found Sammy beautiful to watch. Nowadays we have artists who are considered beautiful but are ugly and vulgar to watch.

[@TheInvincibleViolet]

I love this song, as do I EVERYTHING that he ever did. He does an exceptional job singing this. Always a professional. He is one of the greatest talents EVER.

[@AngusTCat]

Up to the very end he could blow anybody out of the water. What a performer! I wish he could still be with us.

[@jettyoeill]

A truly mindblowingly beautiful moment!!!! Thank you for sharing.

[@trishlangford5773]

Mr Wonderful ❤️ absolutely.

[@PaulGreen11]

My mind is blown. Thank you, Gary. Thank you, KZbin. The Man absolutely delivered. The band delivered. "I'm short on the golf course." I'm telling you, I was sucked into a past moment in time.

[@Sicilia928]

The greatest ever. I got to see him perform about 6 times and I met him and Altovise twice. He was as nice as he was talented. My idol (aloong with Sinatra) since I was 7...that makes 50 YEARS!!!!

[@tuxguys]

The World's Most Dangerous Band... ...which would become the rhythm section of the CBS Orchestra, when Letterman switched networks. These guys could play anything, and the marvelous "horn" shots you're hearing are Shaffer on polyphonic synthesizer (state-of-the-art in those days). Sammy Davis, Jr., God Bless, and RIP.

[@AuntieN2]

Privileged to see Sammy Davis Jr. on stage at the St. Louis Fox Theater just before he died. He still put on a great show!

[@jordanwilliamson2259]

I read Pau'ls book, he said Sammy did not want to rehears the song, that's why at the end of the song he said to Paul, "you see that's better" or something along those words

[@JoeNocella]

Sammy was one of the most talented, coolest performers ever. It's no wonder Sinatra respected him so much. He knew he was in a class all by himself.

[@take942]

I'm a life long fan of Sammy Davis Jr. Amazing singer and dancer and had a great sense of humor!

[@bobpeckinpaugh2550]

There is nobody today who could come close to this. Sheer, pure AWESOME.

[@scatmando]

I love this man, what an entertainer. Love from Bonnie Scotland !!!!!!!

[@swans1997]

He was always fun to watch. Such a warm soul and phenomonal entertainer!

[@montunod]

Love Sammy Davis Jr. for his beauty of heart and depth of soul.

[@stephenburley7517]

Sammy was massively underrated as a singer, i considered him Sinatra’s equal without a shadow of a doubt.

[@rich465]

Truly an awesome video. Sammy was quite an amazing performer. Legends like this don't come around very often. Thanks for the memory!

[@croonerbart]

I grew up with his music while my brother was listning to Uriah heep, I bought a record of a complete life performance, and it became my most played record. Ever sinds I think Sammy was the best there ever is. As you see in this video he (and so was I) was confronted with the first Big band played on an electronic keybord, and you see him look at it because it sounds unreal and horible squeeky, but he still do his professional thing, thats class... R.I.P Mr Davis I still miss you too

[@ChiTownBlackDragon]

This is awesome. Sammy is classic. Talent is talent. If you listen at the end, they are talking about how that was without rehearsal. There is no way in the world you get that quality out of today's artist, first time through. Sammy is the man. RIP

[@aarfeld]

Thanks for posting this, Gary. Sammy was such a great talent. When I was a kid back in the '60s and '70s I always enjoyed seeing his performances on TV, and thought he was such a class act.

[@4DECO1]

Great performance. It made me miss Sammy and all of the performers of his generation who are no longer with us.

[@littlelouie11]

Just magical. Look at way Sammy massages a lyric. a lost art today. He is very much missed.

[@esca7902]

to say he was great is a gross understament hey someone up in heaven has a smile on his face thanks a million for posting this

[@FatherRikhi]

Truly rad. Sammy, what a hero!

[@fretbuzz59]

Thanks for posting. One comment on the band...they weren't playing lightly out of any apprehension; that was the feel the arrangement called for. Remember, those guys are pros, & to play in that band you have to be able to play off the cuff. Sure, playing for Sammy was no doubt a thrill & they wanted to do it right, but they're highly experienced players, used to doing stuff seat-of-the-pants.

[@funnyguy52]

What a truly great entertainer!! Such enormous talent...may he rest in peace.

[@wtwn]

I hope someday NBC will release an HD quality version of this. Not likely, but it's a treasure to have the clip at all! Thanks for uploading this.

[@BigCityPalooka]

Hey, I have a tidbit about this… I fairly vividly recall, either later that night or in the next day's show, Paul saying he suddenly realized that they'd screwed up, that they'd accidentally played the tune in the wrong key...and that Sammy handled it beautifully anyway… And Paul shaking his head with admiration… It's barely possible it wasn't Sammy and I'm confused, but I'm pretty sure it was....

[@jaybucks3276]

This performance was the culmination of nearly 60 years as an entertainer, and it shows. Awe-inspiring, s talent

[@andrescosta2992]

Sammy....he had one of the strongest & prettiest voices we have heard....besides being a Showman. How talented he was ......I am not sure......but still I don't see one like him yet. RIP Sammy

[@henhao1972]

DAMN THATS TALENT AT ITS BEST !!!!

[@ningxiabird]

Singers, this is a real lesson in giving cues to a band!

[@stevesmith6685]

Professional show business from years ago. Thank you for posting.

[@brynjarhoff-lr6hw]

Thank you to you for taking care of this recording..

[@neilmaxman]

wouldn't we all love to be able to just walk to a piano like that and be and look as cool singing this ........class

[@SteveSmith-hu3zo]

Only saw him on TV. I'm 60 now. Said to be "The Greatest Entertainer In Show Business" back then. And I agree. Just based on this. And he could dance, do impressions, comedy, drama... he lived show business and as my wife and I always say when we see a pro, Sammy was, "Professional Show Business." And he came from NYC. RIP. Thanks.

[@swans1997]

What a talent, he did it all. One of my favorite entertainers. So much fun and very funny and seemed like a helluva nice guy.

[@TerryArtanis]

agree with Gary's points.......... listened to the piece more closely because of his description of how the band got more comfortable with SD ......my father thought that Sammy Davis's impressions, although very good, hurt him being taken seriously by his audience.....belongs in the top 10 all time

[@goldbergje]

The world lost a powerhouse. How I wish I could have met this man.

[@lestercombs1871]

Best entertainer of all time. Love you Sammy. Never to be forgotten.

[@dantean]

His voice amazing to the end.

[@poorringo]

One of a kind! Simply beautiful! There will never be another. I think he deserves more recognition these days. He was always busy doing ten projects at once. I always wonder what would have happened if he never got the cancer? What would he be doing throughout the nineties and today?

[@managerguy1722]

Sam did not have a bad bone in his body! How I wish hew was still with us. It's great to hear and se him here. Many thanks! RIP Sam. There was never another as multi-talented as you. Frank knew it, so did we. a/a/a

[@lebarosky]

He has nothing left but his diaphragm and his genius. The reason the band made sure to shake hands with him is because, like divinity, genius, even a small particle of it, may be conveyed by a touch.

[@ahstc1973]

I have stated previously that Mr Davis is in my estimation the greatest entertainer of all time. Sing dance act comedic interpretation ... he did it all ... but just watching this you see a pro's pro ... and more so, someone enjoying his own talent and being able to be an entertainer ... Thanks Sammy ... RIP

[@wernermatrisch2]

simply wonderful!

[@amazmace]

No other performer had as much talent! He could do anything. I am so fortunate to have seen him live on the Jerry Lewis Telethon in the 80's. What a man!

[@Shaolin1554]

Most talented person in history...Thank you !!!!!

[@ElizabethBix]

Boy, do I enjoy this video. Love the song. Your comments about the story behind the appearance makes it so much more interesting. Sammy is great and so is the band. Thanks for a great posting!

[@GaryNolt]

I read that when Sammy Davis Jr,Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin were booked at a club in vegas they would come to each others show and perform with no rehersal for hours.

[@Magamiam]

Absolutely true garyhopkins! A PRODIGY Thank you!!! Cheers from Mexico City.

[@chaseyl1]

The absolute KING of old-school show-biz phonies-and BTW one hell of a singer....

[@JOJOHOUND]

Always great to get something from Sammy ! Thanks for posting !