ContentsOrganization of the Burt Boyar Collection of Sammy Davis, Jr. Biographical Materials Container List Recorded Interviews, Performances, and Public Appearances, 1954-1988, undated; bulk 1985-1988 |
Burt Boyar Collection of Sammy Davis, Jr. Biographical MaterialsProcessed by the Music Division of the Library of Congress2009
Biographical NoteBurton Anselm Boyar was born on November 30, 1927 in New York City to Benjamin and Lillian Boyar. He acquired an early appreciation for the world of the theater, eventually working as a radio actor and pursuing a career in the performing arts. His nationally syndicated newspaper column Beau Broadway presented interviews, criticisms, and musings pertaining to the New York theater world. Boyar first contacted Sammy Davis, Jr. in 1957 about an interview for a feature story. One dinner invitation quickly turned into nightly discussions and a blossoming friendship that would last for the rest of Davis' life. Boyar agreed to write the entertainer's biography, and after working on it for six years, published Yes I Can: The Story of Sammy Davis, Jr., in 1965. The best selling book became a contender for the Pulitzer Prize. In the years following, Boyar and his wife Jane collaborated on several books on the life of Sammy Davis, Jr. Why Me?, published in 1989, further explored the highs and lows of Davis' life and career. With the 2000 publication, Sammy: An Autobiography, the Boyars revised material from the two previous biographies. In 2007, Boyar published Photo by Sammy Davis, Jr., a compilation of black-and-white photographs taken by the performer with text by Boyar. Return to the Table of Contents Scope and Content NoteThe Burt Boyar Collection of Sammy Davis, Jr. Biographical Materials consists of drafts, galleys and page proofs for the books Yes I Can: The Story of Sammy Davis, Jr. and Sammy: An Autobiography, thirty-five cassette tapes with interviews conducted by Boyar and his wife Jane for their book Why Me?: The Sammy Davis, Jr. Story, and digital media and text files of Davis appearances, recordings and interviews stored on a portable hard drive. These materials span the years 1954 to 2000 with the majority dating from 1965 to 1988. Yes I Can: The Story of Sammy Davis, Jr. (1965) is represented by typescript drafts, master galleys, unbound galleys, page proofs, uncorrected proofs, and uncut proofs and signatures. A portion of this material has been arranged under the book's three preliminary titles: Everybody Else Had A Raincoat; Yes I Can: The Autobiography of Sammy Davis, Jr.; and Yes I Can: The Story of a Negro in a White World. Each title contains significant quantities of draft materials annotated by Davis, Burt and Jane Boyar, and others. The Boyars conducted a series of taped interviews with Davis between 1985 and 1988 for Why Me?, their 1989 biography of Davis. The recording sessions mainly take place in Los Angeles, with a few sessions held in Reno, Nevada, or at Caesar's Palace and the Desert Inn in Las Vegas. In these interviews, which typically last two hours per tape, Davis is very forthcoming about his life and career. He talks candidly about his difficulties with alcohol and drug abuse, his three marriages, and his relationship with his children. He also shares his thoughts and feelings about politics and social issues, such as civil rights, and his relationships with Robert Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Many of Davis' stories focus upon the entertainment business, including his membership in the Rat Pack, performing at various venues, explanations of his signature song "Mr. Bojangles," and his friendships with fellow celebrities, such as Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Jerry Lewis, Bill Cosby, Shirley MacLaine, and Burt Reynolds. Although the vast majority of the recordings feature Davis, there are also brief interviews with Altovise, his third wife, on tapes 32 and 34. She discusses meeting Davis for the first time, their courtship, and her role as his sister in the Broadway production of Golden Boy. Additionally, she expounds on her membership in the charity organization Share Happily and Reap Endlessly, dancing in the musical High Sprits, and her friendship with actress Lucille Ball. These cassettes were originally numbered sequentially to 38, although tapes 1, 29, and 30 are unaccounted for. They are housed in the Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division where they were assigned shelf numbers as indicated in this finding aid. A portable hard drive, also housed in the Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division, contains digital media and text files. The digital audio files document radio, television, and live appearances by Sammy Davis, Jr., as well as a number of his commercially released recordings. Also included are digital versions of complete interviews and excerpts of interviews originally recorded during the 1980s. Return to the Table of Contents Selected Search TermsPeople
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Return to the Table of Contents Organization of the Burt Boyar Collection of Sammy Davis, Jr. Biographical MaterialsThe Burt Boyar Collection of Sammy Davis, Jr. Biographical Materials is organized in two series: Return to the Table of Contents Container ListWritings, 1960s, 2000Annotated typescript drafts, galleys, proofs, and signatures for various iterations of Yes I Can: The Story of Sammy Davis, Jr. and Sammy: An Autobiography. Includes annotations in the hands of Davis, Burt and Jane Boyar, and others. Drafts for Yes I Can: The Story of Sammy Davis, Jr. are arranged by working title. Sammy: an autobiography (2000) Proofs and cover mockupsYes I can: the story of Sammy Davis, Jr. (1965) Annotated draftsYes I can: the story of Sammy Davis, Jr. (1965) Annotated draftsYes I can: the story of Sammy Davis, Jr. (1965) Annotated draftsYes I can: the story of Sammy Davis, Jr. (1965) Annotated drafts, proofs, and miscellanyRecorded Interviews, Performances, and Public Appearances, , ; 1954-1988undatedbulk 1985-1988Recorded interviews, 1985-1988 35 sound cassettes :analog.Thirty-five numbered audiocassette tapes of Burt and Jane Boyar's interviews with Sammy Davis, Jr., conducted between 1985 and 1988, for Why Me, the follow-up book to Yes I Can. Tapes 1, 29, and 30 are unaccounted for. Arranged by cassette number. No. 2: , Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada 1985 OctoberNo. 3: , Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada 1985 OctoberNo. 4: , Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada 1985 OctoberNo. 5: , Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada 1985 OctoberNo. 6: , Reno, Nevada 1986 March 30No. 7: , Reno, Nevada 1986 MarchNo. 8: , Reno, Nevada 1986 March-AprilNo. 9: , Reno, Nevada 1986 March-AprilNo. 10: , Reno, Nevada 1986 March-AprilNo. 11: , Reno, Nevada 1986 March-AprilNo. 12: , Los Angeles, California 1986No. 13: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986No. 14: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986No. 15: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986No. 16: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986No. 17: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986No. 18: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986No. 19: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986No. 20: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986No. 21: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986No. 22: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986No. 23: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986No. 24: , Caesar's Palace and the Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986No. 25: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986No. 26: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986 June 5No. 27: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986 June 18No. 28: UndatedNo. 31: 1988 January 18No. 32: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986 NovemberNo. 33: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986 NovemberNo. 34: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986 NovemberNo. 35: , Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada 1986No. 36: UndatedNo. 37: 1988 January 21No. 38: 1988 JanuaryDigital audio of various interviews, performances, and appearances, 1954-1988,undatedApproximately 113 gigabytes of digital media and text files stored on a LaCie portable hard drive formatted for Apple Macintosh. Includes AIFF, AAC, SD2, and MP3 digital audio files documenting radio, television, and live appearances by Sammy Davis, Jr., as well as a number of his commercially released recordings. Also included are digital versions of complete interviews and excerpts of interviews originally recorded during the 1980s. Some of the files are described in four PDF audio log files. Return to the Table of Contents |
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