Sammy Davis Jr. was on a The Rifleman episode Saturday. Apparently, its an after 2nd season episode. Anyway, reason I'm mentioning this, is because it was actually he himself, and not a stand-in, doing his gun tricks.

He competed in fast draw competition was supposed to have been quite good

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Len

Had quite a collection of Colt Peacemakers and was very capable with them!

I have read that do to circumstances that he carried a small weapon at most times.

He was one of the best entertainers of the last century IMHO!

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

Did he shoot with both eyes open, or one closed?.


WuzzFuzz

Boooo...

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Isaiah 41:10

Several of the members of the Rat Pack were gun fans and most of them collected Colt SAAs. Another performer with a large Colt Collection was Mel Torme the crooner known as the Velvet fog.
Jim

Unknown. I was watching the TV attached to the cycling machine at freedom fitness yesterday, didn't have my glasses on and sweat was in my eyes.

BTW, wm is currently selling the 2nd half of season 2 of: The Rifleman now.

Ringo that was a bum question. Davis was blind in, I believe, the left eye.

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Quando omni flunkus moritati.

Sammy Davis Jr. was fast. He may have been the fastest in Hollywood. They say Glen Ford and James Arnes were fast.

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Have Gun Will Carry

I used to be fast too......................with guns, not so much.


WuzzFuzz

And don't forget Jerry Lewis. He was very very good with his Colt SAAs. I watched a demo by him at the Sahara Hotel in LV about 1959 while he was practicing in a back yard area. I later saw him on stage doing his gun handling demo about 1980. He was even better at the fancy gun handling and was a great entertainer.

In 1959 I was a carpenter working on an addition to the Sahara Hotel. Jerry Lewis was appearing there and was out and about during the afternoon most days. He was very nice to talk with and actually let me handle his two Colt SAAs after a practice session. Heck of nice guy. He wasn't anything like the character he played while partnered with Dean Martin. ..........

I'm betting that most of these guys were either taught by Arvo Ojala or Thell Reed, Jr. Both were expert single action virtuosos and were consultants on many western movies.

Here's Thell as a youngster -


John

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- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

And today's kids have.... The Kardashians. Well, my dad used to say "The worlds going to hell in a hand basket". Back then I didn't know what he meant. Now I think I do.

Those guys... Sammy Davis, Frank Sinatra, James Arness, etc. we're gun guys, and gave guns a positive image. There are still a few of them left... I understand that Tom Selleck and a few others in Hollywood are positive images that present firearms in a positive way.

Still love watching some of the old shows, though. Thanks, Ringo!!!

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

SD J was in two episodes of the Rifleman.
In one he was a fast draw expert.
In the other (if I remember correctly) he could not hit the broad side of a barn so he got some "help" from Lucas boy.

SD Jr. had a hit contract out on him to discourage his getting married to Kim Novak (that was before his marriage to Mai Britt). So he didn't. He lost his eye in an auto accident. I saw him at a Baccarat table at the Golden Horseshoe in Las Vegas sometime in the mid-80s.

He was THE best entertainer of the last century!

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Stay protected my friends.

In Ohio there is a small farming town named Monroeville. Rumor has it that many years ago an older farmer around there somewhere had an old Colt revolver that was worth quite a bit of money. Not sure what model it was. Supposedly Sammy Davis Jr. came here and bought the revolver for a very large sum of money. I heard it was 6 figures something like $125,000 CASH! Don't know anymore info on this, but I believe it is quite possible that it happened.

Assorted gun handling was part of Mr. Davis' act for years, After receiving credible death threats, he moved the fast draw portion of his act into his intro. Mr. Davis then reloaded both revolvers with live ammo and wore them through the rest of his performance.

I wonder how many people missed out on a very enjoyable and informative thread because they thought it was about another Hollywood anti?

I saw that episode of The Rifleman. He was impressive. IDK if the trick where he threw a knife, drew and fired his revolver and the knife hit the bullet hole was real or not but would have been impressive. A heck of an entertainer.

There was a Las Vegas resident named Ron Donahue who collected badges from the Las Vegas area. Ron was also a single action shooter.
I got to know him looking at the badge collection he would show at the Antique Arms show then he showed me photos of Sammy Davis Jr, and Mel Torme with their guns. Ron would shoot with them when they were in town.

I donr care for musicals that mutch but Sammy Davis Jr. was great in the way He handled His Guns in Robin and the seven Hoods.

While Sammy's gun handling in the rifleman clip was his own, it was filmed on an indoor sound stage and I doubt the shooting was done as filmed with that horse standing there quietly!

He was a great entertainer. My folks never missed a show when he, Dean Martin or any of the crew were on, and of course, with just ONE TV in most homes back then, us kids watched what Mom and Dad liked!

I never mentiond His Shooting in the Movie just the way He handled the Revolvers.

That I was not aware of? pretty dog gone good gun handling though. I notice in everything I've seen him handling guns in, that his guns are all art least with 6 inch barrels.

Several months ago, I met a retired Detective who is part of a group that puts on some kind of show here locally. I think theory put on an exhibition every two months? I'll have to find out more next time I run into him.

I loved the appearance of Sammy David on the Johnny Carson show. He display his gun handling and fast draw and when he sat down Johnny said,"When you are black AND Jewish, you better be good with a gun!

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Old paratrooper in NC

No other gun has the precise balance and perfect proportions of a a Colt single action. These types of twirling & whirling tricks couldn't be done with most any other handgun.

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~ S&W aficionado in training ~

That's partly why all my revolvers are S.A's. I love how they balance. All but one of these also have at least 6 inch barrels.

I heard someone was talking about golf with Sammy and Sam stated that he loved to golf. The other guy asked him what his handicap was to which Sammy said "I'm a one eyed black Jew how much more of a handicap do you want?"

Sammy Davis Jr. was likely even less a role model than the Kardashians. The guy at one point joined the Church of Satan, though accounts differ as to whether he did so out of any sort of belief or out of a simple desire for kinky sex and drugs. That he was a womanizer, drunk, and addict is also fairly well documented. He quite literally used to snort cocaine off of prostitutes.

Then as now most of the folks in Hollywood who rose to fame were vice riddled and troubled individuals. Only difference between now and then is that it is a bit more commonly known now.