For me to fully discuss the way Dean Martin performs with the Ratpack I must first speak of his act before the Ratpack and how he changed. Dean Martin started as a solo act before he was joined by Jerry Lewis. Once the pair split up he found his audience were not as supportive of his act as they had been and so his act changed. His new acting persona intensified and gained form when Frank came on the scene, when the Ratpack began.
Dean Martin, when he and Jerry Lewis were a double act, was the more serious half of the double act, even if it was tongue in cheek. In contrast to Lewis who cantered around the stage cracking jokes and clowning around, winning the hearts of his audience, Martin kept the show rolling so to speak, brushing off practical jokes with one-liners, getting on with the main material of the act. They often played with the band, making them stop or speed up just to provoke a reaction and of course, as always, entertaining the audience. Martin often indulged his partners capering by joining in much to the audiences’ delight. It was for his tongue-in-cheek seriousness that Martin was known and loved by his audience. I believe that this duos impact on the world of entertainment was so powerful because of the contrast between the acts of the two performers. Lewis put Martin’s act into context and vice versa. Lewis often played with pronunciation and disjointed his sentences which often threw Martin off. The pair would bounce off each other reacting quicker than the audience could keep up which kept the audience on their toes.
Dean Martin’s voice was very versatile and seemed to come so easily. One minute he was bent double, laughing along with Lewis or Sinatra, the next he was composed and singing as normal. It seemed his singing voice was separate to the rest of him because his voice did not waver. He could sing songs which varied from That’s Amore, which played on his Italian heritage by singing in his native language and strengthening his accent, to King of the Road, in which he played with the audience, emphasizing words or changing them altogether.
When Lewis and Martin disbanded, Dean found his act was not liked as much without Lewis’ silly antics to give it meaning. The serious act was not nearly as funny without the silliness of its counterpart. He did not, however, ‘change his voice, [just] what he did with it’ (Levy; pg 47). He went from performing seriously to acting in a much more carefree manner. The overall standard of the performance did not change, but his attitude to the act did. He viewed it in a more casual light which made him seem much more comfortable with the material he was performing. The once sober, serious performer created a new stage persona by acting drunk and interrupting his own act.
He could have gone on from this turning point with what would probably have been a very successful solo career. He did not, however, because before he could fully establish himself as a solo artist he was ‘teamed, unofficially [...], with Frank’ (levy; pg 47). Dean was lazy as a performer, lucky breaks tended to show up and announce themselves to him, which says to me that Martin was happy to forgo the solo career as a partner would take some, or most in Martin’s case, of the pressures of organising himself, finding the work and generally motivating him into action.
Martin’s material was always much ‘queerer [...] than Frank[s]’ (Levy; pg 52). While Sinatra’s numbers were serious ballads and love songs, Martin’s were fun ‘novelty’ (Levy; pg 52) songs. Frank often interrupted Martin’s songs with one-liners and witty remarks. Martin could carry on singing while this went on and, if you were not watching, would hear no difference, but his whole posture seemed to change from ‘singer’ to ‘showman’, like he is being reminded that they are there to have fun.
Martin was a very good dancer. Which added more individuality to his performance style as he would randomly break into dance either on his own or with the others (being Sinatra, Davies Jr or Lewis).
I believe that martin’s ability to keep a straight face when his co-stars, first Jerry Lewis and later both Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davies Jr, are joking and throwing in wisecracks make him a stronger performer than most, if not all, the other Rat Packers. He is often the one left singing while the others are doubled over in laughter. He is conscious of his audience as something to be wary of. I believe he remembers how they snubbed him after his break-up with Jerry Lewis. This, however, is speculation on my part as he never falters while on stage and shows no signs of stage fright.
The performing style of Dean Martin changed to fit his surroundings. He was serious to Lewis’ clown-like routine yet still managed to keep the audience laughing. His stage presence grew in the brief time that he was a soloist due to the fact that it needed to change to recapture his audiences’ affections. His act remained the same when he and Sinatra merged acts as the two fitted together easily and worked well. He was always ahead of the game, first to recover from jokes and tricks and always thinking about his audience. I think this last statement is the most important factor of Dean Martin’s performance style as it is woven into everything he did on stage.
Friday 26 October 2007
Monday 22 October 2007
Frank Sinatra (1000 words!)
Frank Sinatra, like each other member of the Rat Pack, had his own performance style in order to distinguish himself when they all performed together on stage. In this performance profile, I shall discuss how Sinatra’s physical presence on stage and how he used his voice as a singer helped establish his relationship with the other members of the Rat Pack on stage, distinguishing him as a performer.
I shall begin with Sinatra’s physical presence on stage. Some particular physical elements remained throughout his career, however, other elements changed somewhat by the time he had joined the Rat Pack in contrast. A continuous physical feature of Sinatra was his dress code. The archetypal image of Sinatra on stage was of him dressed in a suit and tie to perform his songs. This has been a continuous aspect throughout his career. Still images of Sinatra during his career with the Hoboken Four, which appear in the television documentary Frank Sinatra: the Voice of the Century, show him with the other three members all wearing matching suits. In the same documentary, as it shows how Sinatra progressed to working for Tommy Dorsey and beginning his solo career, he appears still wearing a suit in archive footage of Sinatra performing the song I’ll Never Smile Again. This physical attribute continued through into his time in the Rat Pack. This is evident on the Frank Sinatra Disc of the Rat Pack DVD Anthology Rat Pack: Kings Of Swing, in every clip which Sinatra appears with other members of the Rat Pack on stage; he is still dressed in a formal suit with tie.
However, a physical attribute that did change throughout Sinatra’s career was his use of the stage. For example, in the previously mentioned footage of the song I’ll Never Smile Again, as well as the footage of Sinatra singing Old Man River, which is featured on Rat Pack: Kings Of Swing, Sinatra is stood centre stage, in front of a large orchestra, very still, as he sings out to the audience. However, as Sinatra progressed into the Rat Pack, his attributes on stage began to relax much more. He began to move around the stage much more as he sang his songs, to the extent which in one particular performance of I’ve Got You Under My Skin, which appears on Rat Pack: Kings Of Swing, he sits down with the conductor of the orchestra and begins to conduct with him. It was essentially a personal choice that he wanted to be a central presence on stage. The Frank Sinatra: the Voice of the Century television documentary explains that the reason for this attribute was subsequently the reason in which he worked with band leader Tommy Dorsey: “Sinatra liked the fact that, with Dorsey, the singer played a central role…” (Frank Sinatra: the Voice of the Century).
The style of Sinatra’s presence on stage changed through his career but the reason for this particular attribute was so he would be noticed in any circumstance. This was certainly the case during the Rat Pack onstage. In Rat Pack: Kings Of Swing, Sinatra begins to sing Please Be Kind, whilst Sammy Davis Junior and Dean Martin begin to heckle and distract him offstage. Sinatra simply laughs it off and responds with quips such as “Get off while I’m a hit?” and “You’ve got a beat like a cop”. Sinatra drags the attention away from the heckling and back onto himself as he continues to sing.
I shall now discuss how Sinatra’s uses his voice as a singer. This was an attribute that changed throughout his career. His singing technique derives from working with Tommy Dorsey, according to the Frank Sinatra: the Voice of the Century television documentary. It explains that Sinatra’s vocal technique “was based on extraordinary breath control” which is attributed to the “smooth continuous tone” of Tommy Dorsey’s instruments; Sinatra then “tried to imitate that sustained sound in his singing” (Frank Sinatra: the Voice of the Century). This is evident in several of Sinatra’s songs. For example, in the previously mentioned Old Man River, Sinatra’s voice follows that particular song’s style and volume; when the song starts it has a very low volume which Sinatra’s voice emulates as he sings the opening line “Old Man River” very quietly, when he progresses to the middle verse of the song and the music goes very staccato, Sinatra’s voice copies the music when he sings the line “tote that barge, lift that bale” very staccato, and when he sings the line “Old Man River” for the final time, the orchestra is playing very loudly so he sings that line just as loud.
This aspect, much like his physical presence, changed throughout his career prior to or during the Rat Pack. His vocal style began to relax much more and allows the music to be emphasised more over his voice. For example, as he sings Get me to the Church on Time, on Rat Pack: Kings Of Swing, Sinatra’s voice is more in time with just the song’s bass-line, as opposed to the whole orchestra, which allows the brass section to be more unpredictable; this gave Sinatra the ability to ad-lib as he sang through a song. For example, after forgetting the lyrics part of the way through the song Get me to the Church on Time, he ad-libs to the audience: “I forgot the words all of a sudden.” He is effortless in regaining the control of the song.
Sinatra gains presence through ad-libs during the Rat Pack onstage shows such as when he and Dean Martin make drinks for one another on Rat Pack: Kings of Swing. Dean quips “I’ll make you one for you if you make me one for me”, to which Sinatra quickly adds, “…You talkin’ about broads or drinks?” to the audience’s laughter. Sinatra would essentially ad-lib in order to gain the central attention of the audience.
Sinatra was seen as the leader of the Rat Pack; a central figure amongst the rest, which his how he distinguished himself as a performer. Sinatra’s voice and physical presence drew attention to himself; he always had the last word whether it is in a joke or in a song.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Biography (1987) Frank Sinatra: The Voice Of The Century. London, BBC. The Biography Channel, 13th August 2007 [Television]
Rat Pack: Kings Of Swing (2007) Frank. London. Waterfall Home Entertainment, 21st September [DVD]
I shall begin with Sinatra’s physical presence on stage. Some particular physical elements remained throughout his career, however, other elements changed somewhat by the time he had joined the Rat Pack in contrast. A continuous physical feature of Sinatra was his dress code. The archetypal image of Sinatra on stage was of him dressed in a suit and tie to perform his songs. This has been a continuous aspect throughout his career. Still images of Sinatra during his career with the Hoboken Four, which appear in the television documentary Frank Sinatra: the Voice of the Century, show him with the other three members all wearing matching suits. In the same documentary, as it shows how Sinatra progressed to working for Tommy Dorsey and beginning his solo career, he appears still wearing a suit in archive footage of Sinatra performing the song I’ll Never Smile Again. This physical attribute continued through into his time in the Rat Pack. This is evident on the Frank Sinatra Disc of the Rat Pack DVD Anthology Rat Pack: Kings Of Swing, in every clip which Sinatra appears with other members of the Rat Pack on stage; he is still dressed in a formal suit with tie.
However, a physical attribute that did change throughout Sinatra’s career was his use of the stage. For example, in the previously mentioned footage of the song I’ll Never Smile Again, as well as the footage of Sinatra singing Old Man River, which is featured on Rat Pack: Kings Of Swing, Sinatra is stood centre stage, in front of a large orchestra, very still, as he sings out to the audience. However, as Sinatra progressed into the Rat Pack, his attributes on stage began to relax much more. He began to move around the stage much more as he sang his songs, to the extent which in one particular performance of I’ve Got You Under My Skin, which appears on Rat Pack: Kings Of Swing, he sits down with the conductor of the orchestra and begins to conduct with him. It was essentially a personal choice that he wanted to be a central presence on stage. The Frank Sinatra: the Voice of the Century television documentary explains that the reason for this attribute was subsequently the reason in which he worked with band leader Tommy Dorsey: “Sinatra liked the fact that, with Dorsey, the singer played a central role…” (Frank Sinatra: the Voice of the Century).
The style of Sinatra’s presence on stage changed through his career but the reason for this particular attribute was so he would be noticed in any circumstance. This was certainly the case during the Rat Pack onstage. In Rat Pack: Kings Of Swing, Sinatra begins to sing Please Be Kind, whilst Sammy Davis Junior and Dean Martin begin to heckle and distract him offstage. Sinatra simply laughs it off and responds with quips such as “Get off while I’m a hit?” and “You’ve got a beat like a cop”. Sinatra drags the attention away from the heckling and back onto himself as he continues to sing.
I shall now discuss how Sinatra’s uses his voice as a singer. This was an attribute that changed throughout his career. His singing technique derives from working with Tommy Dorsey, according to the Frank Sinatra: the Voice of the Century television documentary. It explains that Sinatra’s vocal technique “was based on extraordinary breath control” which is attributed to the “smooth continuous tone” of Tommy Dorsey’s instruments; Sinatra then “tried to imitate that sustained sound in his singing” (Frank Sinatra: the Voice of the Century). This is evident in several of Sinatra’s songs. For example, in the previously mentioned Old Man River, Sinatra’s voice follows that particular song’s style and volume; when the song starts it has a very low volume which Sinatra’s voice emulates as he sings the opening line “Old Man River” very quietly, when he progresses to the middle verse of the song and the music goes very staccato, Sinatra’s voice copies the music when he sings the line “tote that barge, lift that bale” very staccato, and when he sings the line “Old Man River” for the final time, the orchestra is playing very loudly so he sings that line just as loud.
This aspect, much like his physical presence, changed throughout his career prior to or during the Rat Pack. His vocal style began to relax much more and allows the music to be emphasised more over his voice. For example, as he sings Get me to the Church on Time, on Rat Pack: Kings Of Swing, Sinatra’s voice is more in time with just the song’s bass-line, as opposed to the whole orchestra, which allows the brass section to be more unpredictable; this gave Sinatra the ability to ad-lib as he sang through a song. For example, after forgetting the lyrics part of the way through the song Get me to the Church on Time, he ad-libs to the audience: “I forgot the words all of a sudden.” He is effortless in regaining the control of the song.
Sinatra gains presence through ad-libs during the Rat Pack onstage shows such as when he and Dean Martin make drinks for one another on Rat Pack: Kings of Swing. Dean quips “I’ll make you one for you if you make me one for me”, to which Sinatra quickly adds, “…You talkin’ about broads or drinks?” to the audience’s laughter. Sinatra would essentially ad-lib in order to gain the central attention of the audience.
Sinatra was seen as the leader of the Rat Pack; a central figure amongst the rest, which his how he distinguished himself as a performer. Sinatra’s voice and physical presence drew attention to himself; he always had the last word whether it is in a joke or in a song.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Biography (1987) Frank Sinatra: The Voice Of The Century. London, BBC. The Biography Channel, 13th August 2007 [Television]
Rat Pack: Kings Of Swing (2007) Frank. London. Waterfall Home Entertainment, 21st September [DVD]
Hannah's 1000 words on sammy
Sammy Davis Jr. on Stage
Shawn Levy describes Sammy Davis Jr’s performance as ‘a dazzling black ball of fire.’ (Levy, 1998, p7) This describes how I also feel about Sammy’s distinct style. On stage Davis is an electric performer who lights up the stage. In order to create this effect Sammy’s performance is made up of several key building blocks.
One of the elements which make up Sammy’s performance style is the impression that he is very grateful for the other people who make up his success. On several of his live recordings, including one of ‘Hey There’, he takes a moment to say thank-you to his audience for their applause. At the St Louis concert he makes a point of saying that they should thank their orchestra and joins in the applause for them. The humbleness of Sammy’s attitude to me is one of the qualities which make him such a strong performer on stage.
Another factor which is integral to Sammy’s performance is his ability to laugh at himself. Sammy doesn’t appear to take himself too seriously on stage. He was quite often the butt of Frank and Deans jokes. For example at the St Louis performance, when he is about to sing Birth of the Blues someone says ‘Why don’t you sing a medley of race riots?’ and later they ask him ‘how does it feel to sit at the back of the bus?’ These could be taken quite offensively, however Sammy laughs. Levy describes Sammy’s laugh as ‘desperate mirth, literally slapping his knees, not a sound coming out of his mouth.’ (Levy, 1998, p126) However it was Sammy’s witty comebacks which made his performance as the most appealing to watch. For example, many of the jokes made on stage were about Sammy’s race and his Jewish faith. On one such occasion he retorts with ‘will you hurry up? I’ve got a barmitsva to go to.’ This joke shows how he does not take himself too seriously. I feel that this is a creditable ability in an entertainer as it enhances his frivolous and light-hearted persona which he then carried into his overall appearance during his pieces.
Another of Sammy’s mode of performance is his dancing. Whilst singing, Sammy would also quite often dance. When he was predominantly singing, his moves were quite often small and accompanying. A good example of this is on the DVD ‘The Rat Pack: The Greatest Hits’ where he explains to his audience the difference dances he is doing during his song (for example the mash potato). However Sammy’s dancing was not just restricted to simple moves. Some of the earliest footage of Sammy dancing as a youngster (Rufus Jones for President http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GCq9ytNjd1I) already shows his amazing dancing talent. His work within the Will Mastin trio was particularly stunt style tap dancing which shows the extent of Sammy’s ability. When you compare these different styles you can see how versatile Sammy’s dancing was.
Sammy’s singing style was very different to that of Frank and Dean. Recordings by Sammy range from up-tempo numbers to slow ballads and he is remembered for both styles. Levy supports this idea that Sammy was a many styled performer; ‘Ballads, saloon songs, swing numbers, novelty tunes, he wrung them all, completely.’ (Levy 1998, p138) Unlike Frank’s style of lyrical phrasing, Sammy tended to stick to the more traditional style of musical notation guiding his singing. However his actual singing voice is much more within the Broadway musical style; this idea is supported by his move to performing on Broadway in 1956 with the show Mr Wonderful.
Despite Sammy’s own singing being an important part of his act he also relied heavily on his ability to sing in the style of other artists too. Sammy’s impressions were an integral part of his act as he could both sing and speak in the style of certain performers. Part of what makes this particular aspect of Sammy’s act so appealing to watch is the creative way in which he adapts his body, facial expressions and adopts the mannerisms of the people he is impersonating. Sammy’s impersonation of Lois Armstrong for instance always involved him wiping his face with a handkerchief and baring his teeth as this is what Armstrong would do onstage; also his ability to make fun of Dean Martin as a drunkard was a popular crowd pleaser. When compared to Frank and Dean’s ability in that area Sammy appears to be the stronger performer due to his quick switch between characters and the range of people he does. This, I feel, is one of the most important features in Sammy’s performance.
One of the most appealing characteristics of Sammy on stage is that he is an all round entertainer. People knew him for his dancing, his singing, his impressions, his acting and his involvement with his audience. This made him stand out from the other members of the rat pack as he can merge his different talents into one situation. An example of this is he could dance whilst singing and involve his audience in this by explaining the style of dance that he is doing. This ability to merge several elements of his performance together gave him a frenzied and excitable appearance on stage. This is part of the reason why I compare him to a firecracker. Once you have all of Sammy Davis Jr’s elements of performance together you have an entertainer that you cannot help but watch; be it for his jokes, his dancing, his singing or his impressions.
Shawn Levy describes Sammy Davis Jr’s performance as ‘a dazzling black ball of fire.’ (Levy, 1998, p7) This describes how I also feel about Sammy’s distinct style. On stage Davis is an electric performer who lights up the stage. In order to create this effect Sammy’s performance is made up of several key building blocks.
One of the elements which make up Sammy’s performance style is the impression that he is very grateful for the other people who make up his success. On several of his live recordings, including one of ‘Hey There’, he takes a moment to say thank-you to his audience for their applause. At the St Louis concert he makes a point of saying that they should thank their orchestra and joins in the applause for them. The humbleness of Sammy’s attitude to me is one of the qualities which make him such a strong performer on stage.
Another factor which is integral to Sammy’s performance is his ability to laugh at himself. Sammy doesn’t appear to take himself too seriously on stage. He was quite often the butt of Frank and Deans jokes. For example at the St Louis performance, when he is about to sing Birth of the Blues someone says ‘Why don’t you sing a medley of race riots?’ and later they ask him ‘how does it feel to sit at the back of the bus?’ These could be taken quite offensively, however Sammy laughs. Levy describes Sammy’s laugh as ‘desperate mirth, literally slapping his knees, not a sound coming out of his mouth.’ (Levy, 1998, p126) However it was Sammy’s witty comebacks which made his performance as the most appealing to watch. For example, many of the jokes made on stage were about Sammy’s race and his Jewish faith. On one such occasion he retorts with ‘will you hurry up? I’ve got a barmitsva to go to.’ This joke shows how he does not take himself too seriously. I feel that this is a creditable ability in an entertainer as it enhances his frivolous and light-hearted persona which he then carried into his overall appearance during his pieces.
Another of Sammy’s mode of performance is his dancing. Whilst singing, Sammy would also quite often dance. When he was predominantly singing, his moves were quite often small and accompanying. A good example of this is on the DVD ‘The Rat Pack: The Greatest Hits’ where he explains to his audience the difference dances he is doing during his song (for example the mash potato). However Sammy’s dancing was not just restricted to simple moves. Some of the earliest footage of Sammy dancing as a youngster (Rufus Jones for President http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GCq9ytNjd1I) already shows his amazing dancing talent. His work within the Will Mastin trio was particularly stunt style tap dancing which shows the extent of Sammy’s ability. When you compare these different styles you can see how versatile Sammy’s dancing was.
Sammy’s singing style was very different to that of Frank and Dean. Recordings by Sammy range from up-tempo numbers to slow ballads and he is remembered for both styles. Levy supports this idea that Sammy was a many styled performer; ‘Ballads, saloon songs, swing numbers, novelty tunes, he wrung them all, completely.’ (Levy 1998, p138) Unlike Frank’s style of lyrical phrasing, Sammy tended to stick to the more traditional style of musical notation guiding his singing. However his actual singing voice is much more within the Broadway musical style; this idea is supported by his move to performing on Broadway in 1956 with the show Mr Wonderful.
Despite Sammy’s own singing being an important part of his act he also relied heavily on his ability to sing in the style of other artists too. Sammy’s impressions were an integral part of his act as he could both sing and speak in the style of certain performers. Part of what makes this particular aspect of Sammy’s act so appealing to watch is the creative way in which he adapts his body, facial expressions and adopts the mannerisms of the people he is impersonating. Sammy’s impersonation of Lois Armstrong for instance always involved him wiping his face with a handkerchief and baring his teeth as this is what Armstrong would do onstage; also his ability to make fun of Dean Martin as a drunkard was a popular crowd pleaser. When compared to Frank and Dean’s ability in that area Sammy appears to be the stronger performer due to his quick switch between characters and the range of people he does. This, I feel, is one of the most important features in Sammy’s performance.
One of the most appealing characteristics of Sammy on stage is that he is an all round entertainer. People knew him for his dancing, his singing, his impressions, his acting and his involvement with his audience. This made him stand out from the other members of the rat pack as he can merge his different talents into one situation. An example of this is he could dance whilst singing and involve his audience in this by explaining the style of dance that he is doing. This ability to merge several elements of his performance together gave him a frenzied and excitable appearance on stage. This is part of the reason why I compare him to a firecracker. Once you have all of Sammy Davis Jr’s elements of performance together you have an entertainer that you cannot help but watch; be it for his jokes, his dancing, his singing or his impressions.
this is my 1000 words on Sammy Davis Junior! Enjoy!
Sammy Davis Jr.: What he brought to the Stage.
I have decided to write about Sammy Davis Junior because I find his stage presence so compelling, it is almost difficult to look away once he has captured my eye.
Sammy started live performing when he was three with his Father, Sammy Davis Senior and Uncle, Will Mastin, in the “Will Mastin Trio”. From watching clips of this time in his life it is obvious he had an immense stage presence even then which eclipsed that of the others working around him. In “You Rascal You” he is centered round the main microphone and although his voice is obviously in its youth it is strong enough to carry a strong tune. His tap routine would have outshone some of the older performers with years of experience behind them, and yet he makes it all seem so easy.
The quality that I find makes watching him so entertaining is the fact that he is clearly enjoying himself and has taken to the stage so naturally it would be almost inconceivable that he could ever live not part of the entertainment business. Even when he had to join the Army and was asked to entertain the racists who abused him he couldn’t let the opportunity to be up on the stage go amiss. It is obvious to see that when he is performing he simply wants to entertain people and the prejudices of the world are forgotten to him when he is lost in his world of performance.
All of Sammy’s talents such as dancing, impersonations and acting, naturally came to him; none of these had to be taught or brought out of him by a peer, they just seem like a way of life and he has always been able to entertain just by being himself.
When I listen to him I realize he is the type of artist who can be associated with any sort of song, whether it is a ballad or an up-tempo number. He can perform a love song such as “Because of You” one minute then a livelier number such as “This Could be the Start of Something Big” the next. This is something that Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin were less good at, and are more remembered for their ballads.
From watching many different concerts and T.V appearances I can see that impressions are a significant part of his act and admire how he can mould himself to the part of the song he is performing. Others he was performing with, such as Sinatra, I found only had his own persona onstage, as strong as it may be, Sammy could convince you that he was anyone, playing any part. Yet he is always respectful of other artists, especially other black artists such as Nat King Cole who he eulogizes before impersonating.
During singing “Because of You” during one of his shows, he not only sings in the styles of other singers of the time but also actors, during this one song alone he impersonates four singers and four actors. To me the reason he is so convincing is aided by the changes in his facial expressions, hand movements and leg movements as well as adapting his clothing to show the audience an all round impression of the people he wants them to see.
He also has a unique way of including the audience in his act and making them feel as though he is entertaining them personally; when he is changing between two impersonations in “Because of You” he whispers to the audience “Watch this, watch this” in a way that makes me feel as though he’s only speaking to me at that moment in time. This is also apparent in the “Medley” where he performs some dance moves and then breaks off to explain to the ‘older members of the audience’ what these dance moves are.
He plays to the audiences’ wants and needs and seems to constantly want to please them, at the end of each performance he thanks his audience repeatedly, this could be because of the racial inequalities at the time and as a black performer he felt he needed to thank the white audience for letting him perform for them.
He is also very conscious of the orchestra when on stage; he interacts with them and acknowledges them as part of his performance.
He loves to play for laughs, and this is emphasized even more when he is onstage with the rest of the Rat Pack. One key moment of seeing how Sammy fitted into the group is when he performs with Peter Lawford in “Shall we Dance”. Although Lawford can sing, his voice seems to be overshadowed by the strength of Sammy’s and stood next to Sammy onstage Lawford looks awkward and uncomfortable compared to Sammy. The joke of the sketch is that Lawford isn’t a strong dancer and yet wants to dance with Sammy, the strongest dancer in the group.
When the Rat Pack perform together at concerts such as St. Louis (1964) or The Summit at the Sands (1960) I find that they have an almost magical ease of being able to interrupt and perform over each other and the performances all flow into one showcase of talent; and yet it never looks staged or forced because they are strong performers in their own right, and also close friends.
To me the appeal of the Rat Pack is that by watching them onstage together I almost feel included in their private jokes and as one of the group. When they are performing together it is almost as though they’re merely entertaining a group of friends.
Ethnicity is referred to frequently onstage between them, not just for Sammy but everyone’s identity was the source of a joke in some way. As Sammy was a black Jew, he usually ended up being the butt of the joke more frequently than the others as these were the times when black rights were still being campaigned for. Although this never bothered him onstage and he could always retort with a witty comeback.
As a performer in his own right and as a member of the Rat Pack to me Sammy Davis Junior is the most talented, natural and all round performer who oozed comedy and gave a unique singing style to the group.
I have decided to write about Sammy Davis Junior because I find his stage presence so compelling, it is almost difficult to look away once he has captured my eye.
Sammy started live performing when he was three with his Father, Sammy Davis Senior and Uncle, Will Mastin, in the “Will Mastin Trio”. From watching clips of this time in his life it is obvious he had an immense stage presence even then which eclipsed that of the others working around him. In “You Rascal You” he is centered round the main microphone and although his voice is obviously in its youth it is strong enough to carry a strong tune. His tap routine would have outshone some of the older performers with years of experience behind them, and yet he makes it all seem so easy.
The quality that I find makes watching him so entertaining is the fact that he is clearly enjoying himself and has taken to the stage so naturally it would be almost inconceivable that he could ever live not part of the entertainment business. Even when he had to join the Army and was asked to entertain the racists who abused him he couldn’t let the opportunity to be up on the stage go amiss. It is obvious to see that when he is performing he simply wants to entertain people and the prejudices of the world are forgotten to him when he is lost in his world of performance.
All of Sammy’s talents such as dancing, impersonations and acting, naturally came to him; none of these had to be taught or brought out of him by a peer, they just seem like a way of life and he has always been able to entertain just by being himself.
When I listen to him I realize he is the type of artist who can be associated with any sort of song, whether it is a ballad or an up-tempo number. He can perform a love song such as “Because of You” one minute then a livelier number such as “This Could be the Start of Something Big” the next. This is something that Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin were less good at, and are more remembered for their ballads.
From watching many different concerts and T.V appearances I can see that impressions are a significant part of his act and admire how he can mould himself to the part of the song he is performing. Others he was performing with, such as Sinatra, I found only had his own persona onstage, as strong as it may be, Sammy could convince you that he was anyone, playing any part. Yet he is always respectful of other artists, especially other black artists such as Nat King Cole who he eulogizes before impersonating.
During singing “Because of You” during one of his shows, he not only sings in the styles of other singers of the time but also actors, during this one song alone he impersonates four singers and four actors. To me the reason he is so convincing is aided by the changes in his facial expressions, hand movements and leg movements as well as adapting his clothing to show the audience an all round impression of the people he wants them to see.
He also has a unique way of including the audience in his act and making them feel as though he is entertaining them personally; when he is changing between two impersonations in “Because of You” he whispers to the audience “Watch this, watch this” in a way that makes me feel as though he’s only speaking to me at that moment in time. This is also apparent in the “Medley” where he performs some dance moves and then breaks off to explain to the ‘older members of the audience’ what these dance moves are.
He plays to the audiences’ wants and needs and seems to constantly want to please them, at the end of each performance he thanks his audience repeatedly, this could be because of the racial inequalities at the time and as a black performer he felt he needed to thank the white audience for letting him perform for them.
He is also very conscious of the orchestra when on stage; he interacts with them and acknowledges them as part of his performance.
He loves to play for laughs, and this is emphasized even more when he is onstage with the rest of the Rat Pack. One key moment of seeing how Sammy fitted into the group is when he performs with Peter Lawford in “Shall we Dance”. Although Lawford can sing, his voice seems to be overshadowed by the strength of Sammy’s and stood next to Sammy onstage Lawford looks awkward and uncomfortable compared to Sammy. The joke of the sketch is that Lawford isn’t a strong dancer and yet wants to dance with Sammy, the strongest dancer in the group.
When the Rat Pack perform together at concerts such as St. Louis (1964) or The Summit at the Sands (1960) I find that they have an almost magical ease of being able to interrupt and perform over each other and the performances all flow into one showcase of talent; and yet it never looks staged or forced because they are strong performers in their own right, and also close friends.
To me the appeal of the Rat Pack is that by watching them onstage together I almost feel included in their private jokes and as one of the group. When they are performing together it is almost as though they’re merely entertaining a group of friends.
Ethnicity is referred to frequently onstage between them, not just for Sammy but everyone’s identity was the source of a joke in some way. As Sammy was a black Jew, he usually ended up being the butt of the joke more frequently than the others as these were the times when black rights were still being campaigned for. Although this never bothered him onstage and he could always retort with a witty comeback.
As a performer in his own right and as a member of the Rat Pack to me Sammy Davis Junior is the most talented, natural and all round performer who oozed comedy and gave a unique singing style to the group.
Sunday 21 October 2007
1000 words
yea i definately think thats a good idea! i will post my 1000 words when i can find my usb stick!
xxxx
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Idea (nicked from Magic!)
Hey up all!
I think this may be a good, going on what the magic lot do! We should all each post our 1000 words on Frank, Dean and Sammy on here. So we all get ideas of what each is like as a performer!
What do we all think?
NICK
I think this may be a good, going on what the magic lot do! We should all each post our 1000 words on Frank, Dean and Sammy on here. So we all get ideas of what each is like as a performer!
What do we all think?
NICK
Saturday 20 October 2007
first blog for ratpack!
hi guys this is our blog!
any information you want to add do! i think it would be very helpfull for us all to add information and help each other!
laura
xxxx
any information you want to add do! i think it would be very helpfull for us all to add information and help each other!
laura
xxxx
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