Customer Reviews

Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob

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Deconstructing Sammy by Matt Birkbeck provides the reader with an inside view of Sammy Davis Jr.'s life. It was obvious from the first page this would not be a light, fun-filled, flattering book. By page two, there was information that caused my jaw to drop and would not allow me to stop reading until I had completed the book.

Birkbeck exposes how Davis' zest for life and desire to live and spend as though there was no tomorrow, wreaked havoc in the life of this huge talent. The author also paints an unflattering view of the entertainment industry and how it literally feeds off the largesse of egocentric entertainers. There were moments in this book when I actually had to read it again, unable to believe that family and friends would do some of the things indicated, such as literally stealing from the home of a dying man.

Deconstructing Sammy, also exposes the frailties of his wife, Altovise, and tells in no uncertain terms how she dealt with her emotional issues with a jar full of vodka. I could literally feel the pain of this woman who lived in her husband's shadow, with no personal identity. There is also much mention of how Sammy squandered millions and ended up in debt to the IRS. This book could serve as Entertainment 101 on what not to do.

I found Deconstructing Sammy to be fascinating and at times harrowing. I recommend the book to all who love biographies and those who simply want to know what a celebrity's life can really be, behind closed doors.

Angelia Menchan
APOOO BookClub

In his two autobiographies, Sammy Davis, Jr. made it clear how determined he was, at all costs, to be a legend in the entertainment industry on par with Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and his friend, Frank Sinatra. Sadly for Davis and his family, the memories of his controversial 60 year career are continuing to fade 18 years after his death.

In Deconstructing Sammy, Matt Birkbeck shows how Davis' live for today philosophy, his poor business decisions and his neglect of his wives and children led to the shambles of his legacy and finances. Although Davis himself had a happy public persona, Birbeck shows how the seedy and exploitative aspects of the entertainment industry contributed to the darker aspects of his personality. In one chilling passage, Birkbeck writes how the people in his life, including his manager and wife, were busy looting his house as Davis lay on his deathbed. Davis' widow, Altovise, serves as one of the story's primary characters. A barely functioning alcoholic who eventually frustrates and alienates almost everyone she meets, one can't help but feel sorry for Altovise who comes across as a modern day Norma Desmond with severe emotional issues after years of being exploited and ignored by Sammy for most of their marriage and scorned by his family and associates. With her best years seemingly behind her, she spends her days drinking vodka out of mayonaise jars, reflecting on her husband's glory days in Hollywood and holding onto the delusion that she can return to her A-list, Beverly Hills lifestyle despite the loss of money and celebrity.

Unfortunately, Davis is not the first nor last celebrity to spend his way through a fortune. The book makes for depressing reading but it should be required for all future entertainers hoping to make their fortune in show business. If nothing else, it shows how the entertainment industry can coldly use and discard so-called stars who let themselves be distracted by partying and what they consider to be the glamourous life.

I wish there were endless books like this. Revealing and stunning information about how Sammy Davis lived his life. A thorough look into the man he really was (not who I thought he was) The racist world he came from which orchestrated his eventual plunge into excess and waste. His friends who weren't so friendly, his wives and lovers who contributed to the darkest side of his life. This man who was a giant in the entertainment world and his tragic demise. Completely riveting. One of those books you don't want to finish but can't stop reading.

Sammy Davis Jr. was probably the most gifted multi-talented entertainer of the twentieth century. He was a great singer... dancer... actor... and his impressions of famous personalities were "spot-on" beyond belief. Yet when Sammy died from throat cancer at the age of sixty-four on May 16, 1990 he was almost penniless... in debt... and his wife... close friends... and employees were stealing him blind. As Sammy lay dying in his bedroom on a morphine drip... they were stealing Rolls Royce's, paintings, films, recordings, furniture... and more importantly... as the crux of this book is built around... the future use of his good name... likeness... and any intellectual properties... royalties... and residuals.

After his death, by August 1994, Sammy's taxpayer debt to the IRS "WAS THE LARGEST SINGLE OPEN CASE OF AN INDIVIDUAL TAXPAYER DEBT IN THE NATION." The central character in the pursuit of settling the case with the government was Albert "Sonny" Murray. Sonny had gained national fame as the lead prosecutor that brought down E.F. Hutton. Because of Sammy's unpaid tax debt to the IRS... "SAMMY'S NAME AND LIKENESS WAS OWNED BY THE IRS. BECAUSE OF THE DEBT, SPECIFICALLY THE MONEY OWED TO THE GOVERNMENT, NO ONE WANTED TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE SAMMY DAVIS JR. ESTATE, KNOWING THE IRS WAS WATCHING. HENCE, SINCE SAMMY'S DEATH, THERE WERE NO MOVIES, RECORDS, OR VIDEO, AND VERY FEW BUSINESS DEALS INVOLVING THE NAME, LIKENESS, OR VOICE OF SAMMY DAVIS JR." **IT WAS AS IF SAMMY NEVER EXISTED**

As Sonny invests year after year trying to find out why Sammy's estate has no money, the book uncovers deceit and debauchery, not only by Sammy, but by other famous household names ranging from Frank Sinatra - to - John F. Kennedy - to - the mafia - and believe it or not... inside information regarding the JFK assassination. How you may say? Well... Sammy literally hob-knobbed with Kings, Queens, Prince's, Presidents, and the Mafia. One day he was having lunch with a Mafia chieftain in Mexico... and the next day he was in the White House with the President. Sammy had a drinking problem and a serious drug problem with cocaine and amyl nitrate, and experimented briefly with Satanism and pornography. Sammy's heavy cocaine use caused his split with Frank Sinatra. Sinatra was all for booze and broads... but he wanted nothing to do with a cocaine user. Davis was also a heavy gambler and the "bosses" in Vegas were quite willing to keep fronting Sammy credit that he would be forced to work off with future gigs. So in addition to all the aforementioned vices and problems... Sammy had to take a six figure loan from the mob... and thus was at their beckoned call.

A concurrent subject throughout this odyssey is Altovise Davis, who was Mrs. Sammy Davis Jr. at the time of Sammy's passing. Their marriage was, in Sammy's eyes, a way to satisfy the public that he married a black woman after his earlier marriage to May Britt, and his constant public pursuit of white women. By the end of his life Sammy slept with his live-in white girl friend while Altovise lived in another part of their house. Sammy also directed Altovise to have sex with other men and other women in front of him... while he was involved in seemingly constant ongoing orgies. Altovise becomes an alcoholic and cannot cope with being a down and out semi-homeless person... and even as Sonny dedicates years of his life with no pay... only a promise of a discounted rate payment... if and when the Sammy Davis Jr. estate makes enough money to pay off its IRS debt and be solvent... Altovise bites the hand that feeds her... and is an embarrassment to herself and others.

This marvelously detailed book pursues the astonishing question of how could Sammy Davis Jr. been broke and in debt... after having had a career "THAT SPANNED MORE THAN SIX DECADES... AND GROSSED OVER *FIFTY-MILLION-DOLLARS*... AND EARNED OVER *ONE-HUNDRED-FIFTY-THOUSAND-DOLLARS-A-WEEK IN THE MID 1970'S IN LAS VEGAS CASINO'S."

One of the answers reminds me of the lyrics from an old Bob Seger song: *"SURROUNDED BY STRANGERS I THOUGHT WERE MY FRIENDS."*

This unusual book tells the story of a middle class African American attorney who meets Sammy Davis Jr.'s widow and is drawn into her complicated life. Wondering why Davis' reputation is languishing, and curious about where all the money went, Albert "Sonny" Murray signs on as attorney for Altovise Davis and begins a long quest to unravel rights, IRS debts, contracts, missing valuables, and lost master tapes. Along the way he encounters acrimonious family members, crooked advisors, self-serving "friends," sycophants, mobsters and more lawyers. The author tells us that Sonny does all this work (mostly unpaid) because he's offended by the injustice he sees, but real justice is never achieved.

The book tells an ugly tale of money flowing through the hands of a talented but profligate entertainer, abetted by a pack of wolves acting as friends and advisors.

More forensic accounting than biography, the book nevertheless includes a number of anecdotes about the late entertainer and is ultimately an interesting look at the dark side of fame.

Sammy Davis, Jr. was an immensely talented individual. His success came at a price - by having to play second (or third) fiddle in the famed Rat Pack, remaining indebted to the mob, and all the while having to fight hard against racial prejudice. Though he tried to be the big player that his friend Frank Sinatra was, he never gained that reputation. Unfortunately, his legacy also came at a price, as he surrounded himself with a shady cast of characters and was too willing to sell himself for more money.

"Deconstructing Sammy" is a remarkable - and unflattering - tale that sheds much light on these sad events, which includes the shabby affairs of his estate in the years after his death in 1990. Author Matt Birkbeck traces Sonny Murray's efforts to settle the Davis estate's issues with the IRS, as well as redeem the sorry figure that is Altovise Davis, Sammy's last wife (in what can best be described as a marriage of convenience). Mr. Birkbeck excels at showing how Murray's effort was at once noble and naive, with the end result of mixed results. Murray was able to settle with the IRS and get some deals to infuse the Davis estate with some income (and gain it some much-needed respect), but in the end it cost him a wife, legal fees, and then was cast aside in favor of yet another cast of shady characters.

In the end, we see that despite Sammy Davis Jr.'s immense talent, he was a flawed man. He burned through money chasing fame, dubious business pursuits, and destructive habits. He left a broken family who continues to argue with one another to this day. But worse, he put his trust in individuals who used and abused him. To top it all off, his marriage of convenience was to a woman who is ultimately an unredeemable soul who has perpetuated the degradation of the Davis legacy - despite the nobly naive efforts of Sonny Murray to make it right.

This is a very strong book that I highly recommend. Not only would it be of interest to those who are fans of the Rat Pack and its individual members, but it is an important, cautionary tale of the dark side of entertainment that we see played out time and again in the present day.

This is one of the most fascinating books about the entertainment industry and one of the most enigmatic men in it, Sammy Davis Jr.

The story is incredibly told, as the author, allows us to go into the consciousness of Albert "Sonny" Murray,a former federal prosecutor, who is trying to uncover what happened to the late Davis's estate and why his debts were so overwhelming.

It is written in such a way that it feels like we are peeling an onion that keeps having more and more and more layers to it.

The profile of Davis's wife Altovise and the associates Davis picked is astounding.

What adds so much to this story, which if it was fiction, no one would believe it, is that we cannot hear from Davis himself, who has passed away. So Sonny Murray keeps trying to figure out the motivations and behaviors of Davis as we are dying to ask Davis "Why".

As more and more was learned about Davis, as "the onion" keeps un-peeling and reveals an incredibly complex man who has more sides and pressures to him and can't really be understood and certainly can't be labeled with any simple descriptions to who he was.

What also is interesting is that for someone like myself, who is aware of much of the depravity of the rock stars from the late sixties and seventies, this enters a word that kills any stereotype of those entertainers and their world that appeared to be "socially acceptable", clean, yet cool, where the only vice seemed to be to have a few drinks too many.

Fantastic page turner that proves that truth is more interesting than fiction.

A well written cautionary tale about yet another entertainer's demise after being trapped in a life that most never knew existed.

Matt Birkbeck investigative and analytical approach to deconstruction the events in Sammy Davis Jr.'s life gives us readers insight to a performer we never knew existed in the backdrop of many historical events and figures. Plus, it also shows us the courage, compassion and determination of "Sonny" and his efforts to reconstruct Sammy. Is this book a final epilogue regarding Sammy Davis Jr.? If so, hopefully, the work of Matt and Sonny via this book will reconstruct enough of Sammy's contribution to the arts that others can learn from his mistakes.

For the history and history of famous entertainer buffs out there this book is a must read.

I enjoyed every moment of it and look forward to a book about Sonny or Matt's next journalistic achievement.

Matt Birkbeck writes powerfully in Decontructing Sammy of the tragic life and legacy of Sammy Davis, Jr. It is a heartbreaking "must read" book for every Sammy Davis fan, and anyone who thinks that achieving stardom is all it's cracked up to be.

Birkbeck brings us a great story, tightly wound and beautiful spun. Leaving broken hearts around every corner of his life and death, Sammy Davis was the most talented entertainer in the world --- a man who was
so deeply encumbered by parasitic characters that he literally had to dance for his supper. Critical to the story of victims and victimizers is Davis's third wife, Altovise, who moves effortlessly between roles.

But, as in any well-woven tale, Birkbeck tells us about the real hereos. Rising above them all is Albert "Sonny" Murray, a former U.S. attorney who worked valiantly to restore dignity to Sammy's legacy. And, Sammy's children, for whom he had little time in life, and shut-out by his death.

It's a heart breaker, a wonderful read, chock full of insider information, and the last place I would expect to find Donald Rumsfeld
--- but he's there. A story of good and evil ... and, above all, honor.

I have read a lot of books on Sammy. Ever since his passing all of us have wondered, "why don't we see more Sammy stuff?" Well this answers all your questions. You will not want to put this book down. Sonny is a angel in the estate of Sammy and does all he can to get Sammy the respect he deserves. You will see the UP HILL battle Sonny goes through not only with Sammy but with in his own family business.

I don't want to give it all away but lets just say, Sammy should have pocketed the money instead of wearing it around his neck and fingers. I hope this book is picked up by every new talent that thinks they can spend all their money and still have a legacy for themselves.

The writing is smooth and this book is not for new people who have just started to discover Sammy. Go with some others first then end your trip on Sammy with this book.

May God bless Sammy where ever he is, a talent that we will never see again. I hope the very best for his kids who I think truely have Sammy in their hearts and may God produce more people like Sonny who want to help those who need it.