Just kidding, but cripes, Sammy was on this show at least three times, including one episode where he basically played himself. His "acting" was always dreadful, so was it just "star appeal" of the era that got him on the show so much?
I'm trying to watch and enjoy the show now, but if Sammy shows up again, it's going to be tough to keep going. ; )
Well, you do know he was boinking Peggy Lipton, don't you?
shareWas he???
I mean, Peggy must like black guys, because she later married Quincy Jones (and their first child is Rashida Jones, also an actress). I remember her saying in some interview that she liked musicians, because their egos didn't clash with actors' egos...different media, you know...and they were easier to live with.
Or maybe, just maybe Lipton just happened to like a few dudes who are black. She might have this weird habit of not being enamored by skin color and more enamored with the person. She has dated white men too so there's no reason to fetishize her dating black men like it's a huge deal. Its 2015 for God's sake.
And yeah, Sammy Davis was generally rather hammy and dreadful in television roles. Perhaps it was because the roles were always of the stunt variety, but I remember him being on Gimme a Break! once and he was bad. I think he was more of a personality by the late 60s and was usually a better singer and dancer in general anyway.
I enjoyed watching Sammy in "Keep the faith,baby".
shareMe too. I thought "Keep the Faith" was a well written episode and Sammy was great in it.
shareFor me his best was on another series "The Rifleman" where he played a gunslinger on an episode. He actually put in a lot of practice so he would look the part.
shareHe was NOT an actor. He was an entertainer. His real work was Vegas, singing and acting. He was one of the Rat Pack. But his skill was never as an actor. He was a personality. Yes, he did a lot of episodes on TV shows (and a ton of variety shows), but he was used because his name and face were sellers, not because he had any skill as an actor. He was a sure ticket to higher ratings.
As for his connection with Mod Squad, I don't remember enough of the time to know if he was dating Peggy and using that connection to get work. I'm sure he didn't need the work/money.
As for this being 2015, that's irrelevant. We're talking about the '60s and '70s. A white woman dating/marrying a black man at that time was scandalous! Of course it doesn't make much difference, today, but in those days, it was huge!