Billy Crystal as Sammy Davis, Jr.: Offensive or No?

[DRDMovieMusings]

@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.

[E-DUB]

How about Daryl Hammond doing Jesse Jackson?

[Saint_Cad]

@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?

[Annie-Xmas]

See? You let a guy play a homosexual transgender character and next thing you know, he’s doing racist impersonations.

[jtur88]

Racism’s ability to do harm resides in its intent to do harm. It comes from the heart of the racist…

[pool]

It’s offensive in the sense that Billy Crystal is the unfunniest Jew that ever lived.

[cochrane]

Sweet zombie Sammy Davis, Jr.!