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| Arthur Silber, Jr. in the Media and Book Reviews Author of award winning Sammy Davis, Jr.: Me and My Shadow, Contributing Story Author for Chopped Liver for the Gentle Spirit & The Spirit of David, Author of Grandma's Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Things and Narrator & Creator of the Audio CDs The Legend of the Christmas Rose & The Little Christmas Story Book |
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"The most definitive book currently in print about Sammy Davis Jr., Is a new biographical memoir called Sammy Davis, Jr.: Me And My
Shadow by Arthur Silber Jr., Sammy’s best friend, confidant, production manager, and business partner for over 23 years. It is the only
book ever endorsed by May Britt, Sammy’s ex-wife.
This book tells the true story of Sammy’s incredible rise to stardom from the time he got out of the Army until he became a megastar.
Silber was there for the whole journey and validates the story with 325 photographs, almost all from his personal photo albums.
Shadow by Arthur Silber Jr., Sammy’s best friend, confidant, production manager, and business partner for over 23 years. It is the only
book ever endorsed by May Britt, Sammy’s ex-wife.
This book tells the true story of Sammy’s incredible rise to stardom from the time he got out of the Army until he became a megastar.
Silber was there for the whole journey and validates the story with 325 photographs, almost all from his personal photo albums.
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| Reno Tahoe Today |
| Los Angeles Times Behind the Scenes by Alice O’Neill |
“Reading Arthur Silber’s memoir of Sammy Davis Jr. Is like being a fly on the wall as the life of a famous celebrity unfolds. The
singer/actor /dancer who died in 1990, just two years after his father died is remembered by the man who acted as his personal
assistant and shared his life for 23 years.
"Silber’s father was a successful manager/agent of celebrities Nat King Cole, Mary Martin, Martha Ray, Ann Miller and Sammy
Davis, Jr. to mention a few. Silber Jr., who’d lived with the Davis family when her was a teen, considered Sammy his brother. He knew
the inside details of Davis’ love life and tells how the superstar met, wooed and lost most of the women he loved, including Kim Novak
and May Britt. This is not a gossipy book, but seems to fill in the gaps left by the tabloid stories we’ve all read about."
singer/actor /dancer who died in 1990, just two years after his father died is remembered by the man who acted as his personal
assistant and shared his life for 23 years.
"Silber’s father was a successful manager/agent of celebrities Nat King Cole, Mary Martin, Martha Ray, Ann Miller and Sammy
Davis, Jr. to mention a few. Silber Jr., who’d lived with the Davis family when her was a teen, considered Sammy his brother. He knew
the inside details of Davis’ love life and tells how the superstar met, wooed and lost most of the women he loved, including Kim Novak
and May Britt. This is not a gossipy book, but seems to fill in the gaps left by the tabloid stories we’ve all read about."
“According to Silber, Sammy Davis, Jr. was one of the greatest
entertainers the world has ever seen. From the late 1940s
almost until Davis’ death, Silber shepherded the entertainer
through the vicissitudes of the show business world. During his
early travels with Davis, Silber sees the ugly face of racism and
grows incensed over the practice of prejudice in the South and
other places that consigned Davis to second-rate hotels and
derogatory treatment in spite of his star status.
Silber ranges briefly over Davis’ relationship with Kim Novak,
his interracial marriage to May Britt (which made Davis a target
of vicious attacks by the Nazi Party in America) and his
relationship with the Rat Pack.”
entertainers the world has ever seen. From the late 1940s
almost until Davis’ death, Silber shepherded the entertainer
through the vicissitudes of the show business world. During his
early travels with Davis, Silber sees the ugly face of racism and
grows incensed over the practice of prejudice in the South and
other places that consigned Davis to second-rate hotels and
derogatory treatment in spite of his star status.
Silber ranges briefly over Davis’ relationship with Kim Novak,
his interracial marriage to May Britt (which made Davis a target
of vicious attacks by the Nazi Party in America) and his
relationship with the Rat Pack.”
| Publishers Weekly |
| The World Entertainment News Network |
“Beloved crooner SAMMY DAVIS JR. attempted suicide on his wedding night
because racial jibes drove him mad, according to a new biography. The MR.
BOJANGLES singer's former personal assistant Arthur Silber, Jr. has
revealed the cabaret star's personal pain in a new memoir, Sammy Davis,
Jr.: Me and My Shadow.
Silber claims the song-and-dance man was distraught at having to end his
secret romance with actress KIM NOVAK after mobsters, who disapproved of
the interracial match, threatened to kill him. Sammy then wed dancer LORAY
WHITE in a marriage of convenience, but drank too much at the ceremony
and wailed, "Why can't I be with the woman I love?" Silber recalls, "Sammy was
putting a gun to his head. I jumped on top of him and pinned his arms as I
wrestled the gun out of his hand. It was loaded. "I twisted his arm and the gun
fell to the floor."
because racial jibes drove him mad, according to a new biography. The MR.
BOJANGLES singer's former personal assistant Arthur Silber, Jr. has
revealed the cabaret star's personal pain in a new memoir, Sammy Davis,
Jr.: Me and My Shadow.
Silber claims the song-and-dance man was distraught at having to end his
secret romance with actress KIM NOVAK after mobsters, who disapproved of
the interracial match, threatened to kill him. Sammy then wed dancer LORAY
WHITE in a marriage of convenience, but drank too much at the ceremony
and wailed, "Why can't I be with the woman I love?" Silber recalls, "Sammy was
putting a gun to his head. I jumped on top of him and pinned his arms as I
wrestled the gun out of his hand. It was loaded. "I twisted his arm and the gun
fell to the floor."
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There is probably no greater test of a writer’s adjectival resources than the task of
describing Sammy Davis, Jr. Perhaps the easiest is to term him phenomenon,
which is what he was. He certainly rates the many descriptions of versatile, dynamic,
galvanic, kinetic, protean and exciting that have been pinned on him by critics and
audiences the world over. Sammy Davis, Jr. was simply one of a kind.
This Picture book of the best part of Sammy’s life is a dream of mine and a promise I
made to him one night in Australia when I said, “One day I may write a book about
all this stuff,” and he replied, “If you do Silber, be sure you tell it right.” After writing
my biographical memoir, Sammy Davis Jr. - Me And My Shadow, how better to show
and tell the story of my best friend and partner than in pictures.
Entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. was a human dynamo; a powerhouse of talent and
the favorite son of the show-biz universe for decades. His story has been told on
television, in magazine articles and in various biographies on which Sammy was
"consulted" but these renditions only skimmed the surface. Even Sammy's
autobiography, Yes I Can, did not contain the whole truth. At that time it was too
dangerous for him to tell it.
describing Sammy Davis, Jr. Perhaps the easiest is to term him phenomenon,
which is what he was. He certainly rates the many descriptions of versatile, dynamic,
galvanic, kinetic, protean and exciting that have been pinned on him by critics and
audiences the world over. Sammy Davis, Jr. was simply one of a kind.
This Picture book of the best part of Sammy’s life is a dream of mine and a promise I
made to him one night in Australia when I said, “One day I may write a book about
all this stuff,” and he replied, “If you do Silber, be sure you tell it right.” After writing
my biographical memoir, Sammy Davis Jr. - Me And My Shadow, how better to show
and tell the story of my best friend and partner than in pictures.
Entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. was a human dynamo; a powerhouse of talent and
the favorite son of the show-biz universe for decades. His story has been told on
television, in magazine articles and in various biographies on which Sammy was
"consulted" but these renditions only skimmed the surface. Even Sammy's
autobiography, Yes I Can, did not contain the whole truth. At that time it was too
dangerous for him to tell it.
| Click here to see about the new coffee book about Sammy Davis Jr. Sammy, A Life in Pictures: From Vaudeville to the Rat Pack and Beyond Arthur Silber, Jr. |
Arthur Silber, Jr. received the IRWIN Award for the
Entertainment Book of the Year 2005 from the
Book Publicists of Southern California for Sammy
Davis, Jr.: Me and My Shadow.
The IRWIN Award stands for Industry Recognition for
Writers in the News and was started by the Book
Publicists of Southern California in 1995. Inspired
by group founder and legendary book publicists Irwin
Zucker, the IRWIN Award has so far been given to
over 160 people during its 14 year history.
Arthur Silber, Jr. amazing biography of one of the
greatest entertainers in history was a worthy recipient
of the for the IRWIN Award in 2005.
Entertainment Book of the Year 2005 from the
Book Publicists of Southern California for Sammy
Davis, Jr.: Me and My Shadow.
The IRWIN Award stands for Industry Recognition for
Writers in the News and was started by the Book
Publicists of Southern California in 1995. Inspired
by group founder and legendary book publicists Irwin
Zucker, the IRWIN Award has so far been given to
over 160 people during its 14 year history.
Arthur Silber, Jr. amazing biography of one of the
greatest entertainers in history was a worthy recipient
of the for the IRWIN Award in 2005.
| Contact Arthur Silber, Jr. at arthursilber@sprintmail.com |
| This web site contains dozens of previously unpublished Photographs from the private collections of Sammy Davis, Jr. and Arthur Silber, Jr. which are from the Silber family archives or those for which I have been permission and/or credited. No pictures may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without the express written permission of the author, Arthur Silber Jr. , Samart Enterprises / StoryTime Enterprises © 1997-2007 All Rights Reserved. |
| Nevada News Makers Interviews Arthur Silber, Jr. About his Biography of Sammy Davis, Jr. |
Arthur Silber, Jr. Interviewed by Danita Cohen
of Daybreak ABC-TV about the Life of
Sammy Davis, Jr. and the Biograpahy he
wrote about this great entertainer
of Daybreak ABC-TV about the Life of
Sammy Davis, Jr. and the Biograpahy he
wrote about this great entertainer