Inside John Wayne’s Lasting Friendship With Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy Davis Jr. was one of the most acclaimed song-and-dance men of his generation, a lifelong performer who was raised in a vaudeville family and began dancing professionally as a toddler. He graced stages around the world, won Tonys on Broadway, and was nominated for a Grammy for his signature tune, the swinging “The Candy Man.”
John Wayne was one of the most acclaimed Hollywood heroes of his generation, basically defining the stoic cinematic good guy in films like The Searchers, True Grit, Stagecoach and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
The Candy Man and the Duke don’t seem like they should have had much in common — but the two men shared a long and deep friendship that lasted until Wayne’s death in 1979.
Interesting Facts About Rat Pack Star Sammy Davis Jr.
How did John Wayne and Sammy Davis Jr. become friends?
Though it’s not clear exactly how Davis and Wayne first met, Wayne was no stranger to the Rat Pack, the informal group of performers that included Davis, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin. Martin and Wayne appeared together in two movies, in fact — 1959’s Rio Bravo and 1965’s The Sons of Katie Elder — and Wayne appeared on The Dean Martin Show multiple times, once even joining Martin in song (though he was lip-synching to Frank’s vocals). He often had the entire pack on his beloved boat, The Wild Goose.
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Wayne and Davis’s friendship dates back at least to 1962, a time when Wayne’s son Patrick Wayne recalls paying a visit with his dad to see Davis in concert. Wayne was promoting the film Hatari! in Canada, and wanted to see Davis perform in nearby Windsor, Ontario.
When the Waynes reached the venue, “they heard Sammy being heckled on stage and the air getting thick with tension across the auditorium,” according to the official John Wayne Facebook page. “Without a second thought, Duke marched up on stage and threw his arm around his friend to show him support and elicit support from the audience. To no surprise, it worked. The uncomfortable moment passed and Sammy put on an amazing concert.”
Wayne Supported Davis in Rat Pack Western Sergeants 3
Wayne also supported Davis when it came time for Davis to film a Western, the 1962 Rat Pack film Sergeants 3. “When there was finally a role calling for a Negro cowboy, John Wayne gave me the hat he’d worn in Stagecoach for luck in playing it,” Davis recalled in his 1989 memoir Why Me? “He said, ‘I didn’t let my kids touch this Stetson. It’s very dear to me. But I guess you’ll be able to find a home for it.’ I’m proud to have had his friendship.”
According to a feature in True West Magazine, the hat was a bit small for Davis, who at 5’5″ was nearly a full foot shorter than the Duke: “Even with extra padding in the liner, the hat still fit Davis loose … every time Sinatra or Martin walked by Davis, they jerked the hat down over his eyes and joked, ‘John Wayne, huh?’ By the time Wayne got the hat back, the top front of the crown was badly torn, and the hat was ready to be retired.”
John Wayne’s Last Public Appearance
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
John Wayne’s final public appearance was at the 1979 Oscars, on April 9; he would be dead just two months later, on June 11. Wayne made a special appearance, and presented the Best Picture award. At the show’s closing, host Johnny Carson brought out a group of Wayne’s friends from backstage. Davis was among the assembled, and later gave Wayne a big bear hug.
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