# Billy Crystal as Sammy Davis, Jr.: Offensive or No? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 28, 2012, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-crystal-as-sammy-davis-jr-offensive-or-no/614214 "2012-02-28T02:46:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DRDMovieMusings](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb9ed0/32.png) [@DRDMovieMusings](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DRDMovieMusings)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2018, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-crystal-as-sammy-davis-jr-offensive-or-no/614214/41 "2018-12-03T01:15:04Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > A Sammy impression is a Sammy impression. It’s not an impression of “Black People”. The make-up is just make-up for the part- “Black Face” is about more than just the make-up. Nothing black face or minstrel about it, baby. I agree, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2018, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-crystal-as-sammy-davis-jr-offensive-or-no/614214/42 "2018-12-03T04:46:39Z")
How about Daryl Hammond doing Jesse Jackson? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-crystal-as-sammy-davis-jr-offensive-or-no/614214/43 "2020-02-13T17:48:10Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Sammy Davis Jr. was one of Billy’s “regular” characters (especially in his one Saturday Night Live season), so I didn’t see it as a problem - but that was almost 30 years ago (1984-85, I think, because I remember Billy being on the night before the first WrestleMania in early 1985), so some people might not realize this. Didn’t he play Prince doing a solo version of “We are the World” as the cold opening that night? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-crystal-as-sammy-davis-jr-offensive-or-no/614214/44 "2020-02-13T18:30:02Z")
See? You let a guy play a homosexual transgender character and next thing you know, he’s doing racist impersonations. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2020, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-crystal-as-sammy-davis-jr-offensive-or-no/614214/45 "2020-02-14T03:20:40Z")
Racism’s ability to do harm resides in its intent to do harm. It comes from the heart of the racist… ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2020, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-crystal-as-sammy-davis-jr-offensive-or-no/614214/46 "2020-02-14T03:22:45Z")
It’s offensive in the sense that Billy Crystal is the unfunniest Jew that ever lived. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2020, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-crystal-as-sammy-davis-jr-offensive-or-no/614214/47 "2020-02-14T03:23:52Z")
Sweet zombie Sammy Davis, Jr.! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billy-crystal-as-sammy-davis-jr-offensive-or-no/614214.md?page=2)