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LOT 204
Iconic Documented Colt Third Generation Single Action Army Revolver Inscribed to Legendary Hollywood Performer, Sammy Davis Jr. with Quick Draw Modifications and Holster Rig by Hollywood Technical Advisor Arvo Ojala with Notarized Letter - Serial no. SA30944, 44 special cal., 4 3/4 inch round bbl., nickel finish, pearlite grips. Manufactured in 1980, this iconic Colt Single Action Army revolver and holster rig is documented as belonging to the legendary Hollywood performer, Sammy Davis Jr. (1925-1990). Davis’ performing career began as a child, joining with his father and godfather to form a song and dance act called the Will Mastin Trio. Davis was drafted at age 18 for World War II and experienced frequent racism while serving in the army, before eventually being reassigned to a role in entertaining troops. After the war he returned to the Will Mastin Trio and recorded blues songs with Capitol Records. Around 1959 Sammy became a member of what would become known as “The Rat Pack”, an informal group including the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop. The group made multiple films together including “Ocean’s 11”, “Seargants 3”, and “Robin and the 7 Hoods”. Davis performed along with the Rat Pack in Las Vegas, and he was a headliner at The Frontier Casino there. In 1964, he was the first African American to perform at the famous Copacabana night club in New York, as well as starring in “Golden Boy” on Broadway. In the late 1960s, Davis befriended Elvis Presley and both drew top crowds performing in Las Vegas. Through the 1960s and 1970s Davis appeared on many different television shows, recorded music, and appeared in movies, in many cases breaking long-held racial color barriers. He appeared and starred in many different Westerns, both film and television, and his gun twirling and quick-draw skills were well known in Hollywood, making a revolver and rig like this very fitting for him. This specific revolver is documented in a notarized letter as modified for quick draw by Arvo Ojala (1920-2005), a legendary Hollywood technical advisor on quick-draw and western gun techniques. The included letter is signed by Ojala and states that the revolver was modified by him and the holster rig was made by him and gifted to Davis Jr., who later returned the items to Ojala as a gesture of friendship. The revolver itself has standard markings with the addition of “SAMMY DAVIS JR.” engraved on the back strap. It has mostly standard features apart from the shorted front sight blade, narrowed hammer that is slightly turned to the right, a pair of smooth pearlite grips, and a lightened mainspring. The included black leather holster rig shows nice texture and light border tooling, a single row of cartridge loops, “SAMMY” carved on the inside surface of the belt and finished in brown for contrast, and engraved sterling silver buckles on the belt and holster.
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