Washington Joins Rat Pack

Denzel Washington is never one to shy away from a good biopic. Many of his best performances are based on real characters, so it seems entirely sensible that he should be behind the wheel for the story of one of the great entertainers of the last century, Sammy Davis Jr. The film will be based on the biography "In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr". In show business from the age of four, Sammy Davis Jr got around child labour laws by holding a miniature cigarette and being billed as "Silent Sam, the Dancing Midget" in his early years. After serving in the Army during World War II, Davis returned to the stage and screen to growing success. He formed a lifelong friendship with Sinatra when he supported him on tour and found controversy in the 1950s when he converted to Judaism after losing his left eye in a car crash, dated Caucasian actresses at a time when racial segregation was an increasingly hot issue and got involved in the civil rights movement. Film roles included the original Ocean's 11 and the Cannonball Run movies. Washington previously directed Antwone Fisher, but this second directorial effort will be much higher profile and considerably more ambitious. He is also considering two acting roles in other films, one called The Great Debators and one called Brothers in Arms about an all-black World War II tank unit. As for Davis Jr., and using the lexicon of the Rat Pack themselves, we hope that Washington turns out to be a big-leaguer and avoids bombsville to produce something that is truly ring-a-ding.