My Interview about "SAMMY DAVIS JR.: Me and My Shadow" on an ABC affliate.
Sammy with ROBERT F. KENNEDY ~ Kennedy's sigature is at the bottom of this photograph
with MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
Sammy, matinee idol JEFF CHANDLER, Me (Arthur Silber Jr.) and MARILYN MONROE around 1954.
A few photographs in the book "SAMMY DAVIS JR.: Me and My Shadow" by Arthur Silber Jr.:
"In the same way that a live performance is an impermanent art, a star is an impermanent illusion, who lives only in the memory of those who have seen him and then dies with them. I believe that by keeping our films, video tapes and books in the hands of those who so diligently and lovingly restore and take care of them, the illusion of Sammy Davis Jr. will never die."
~ SAMMY DAVIS JR.
I took this picture of Sammy photographing ELIZABETH TAYLOR and EDDIE FISHER
with ISAAC HAYES
About ARTHUR SILBER JR.:
(Book Author/Best Friend and Business Partner to the Late Great SAMMY DAVIS JR.)
My Interview about "SAMMY DAVIS JR.: Me and My Shadow" on an NBC affliate.
My parents spent all of their lives in show business. My father started out as a song and dance man in vaudeville and later became one of the most well known and respected talent agents and managers in the business. President of the Theatrical Agents Association for twelve years, Arthur Silber, Sr. managed such stars as Hopalong Cassidy, Martha Raye, Ann Miller, Nat King Cole, Mary Martin, Dorothy Dandridge and her sister Ruby, and Sammy Davis, Jr., just to name a few.
When I was fourteen years old, traveling with Dad in Hawaii, I met Sammy Davis, Jr. and we became lifelong friends.
My first big professional break came when I was twenty and Sammy Davis, Jr. hired me as his personal assistant and lighting director, a position I remained in for over thirty-three years. During that time we became business partners and formed Samart Enterprises, which I still own to this day.
Some of the highlights of my years with Sammy were when I staged and produced his portions of three Royal Command Performances. The first was for Queen Elizabeth II in London, 1960. Then, in 1961 I staged and produced Sammy's portion of Princess Grace Rainier Red Cross Gala in Monaco for their Royal Family and, finally, a Royal Command Performances for England 's Queen Mother in London, 1961.
Over the years I produced and co-produced many of Sammy's shows including England's Best TV Show of the year, 1961, Sammy Meets the British, and the following year Sammy Meets the Girls.
Some Celebrity Friends in the book: