We saw Sammy Davis Jr. in the Broadway musical Golden Boy. Sammy broke up during the show, momentarily losing himself in laughter—something that apparently wasn’t in the script—and he actually came out onstage after the final curtain call to rap with us all and make amends. Cigarette in hand, he said, “I feel like I’m cheatin’ the audience, man. Let me just explain something to you cats, if I may, about what transpired . . .” (You can see how this experience might have had some bearing on some characters in my later television career.)
