SAMMY DAVIS JR.'S "MR. BOJANGLES" BOWLER
A national treasure known affectionately as ‘Mr. Show Business’, Sammy Davis Jr.’s career spanned decades. A dancer, singer, actor, comedian, musician, and Civil Rights pioneer, it seemed Sammy Davis Jr. could do it all. And he did. While a member of the Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin-led ‘Rat Pack’ in the 1950s-60s and throughout his lifetime, Davis Jr. stoically withstood the slings and arrows of racial bigotry. Even while a headliner in Las Vegas, Davis was compelled to stay in lodging on the opposite side of the city, rather than in luxury hotels like his contemporaries. Still, he somehow kept a sense of humor. A popular story often repeated by Davis Jr. was about the time he went golfing with comedian Jack Benny. Benny asked him “What’s your handicap?”, to which Davis Jr. replied “Talk about handicap…I’m a one-eyed, Negro Jew.” This black bowler made by Stetson Hat Co., was worn by Davis Jr. during a performance of his trademark song ‘Mr. Bojangles’ on the Joe Franklin Show in New York City in the late 1980s. Accompanied by a fully executed letter and press package from late TV talk show legend Joe Franklin who received the derby as a gift from Davis Jr., as well as an 8” x 10” portrait of Davis Jr. and Franklin on set.