02/28/2023
"When there was finally a role calling for a Negro cowboy, John Wayne gave me the hat heβd worn in βStagecoachβ for luck in playing it. He said, 'I didnβt let my kids touch this Stetson. Itβs very dear to me. But I guess youβll be able to find a home for it.' Iβm proud to have had his friendship. ββββββββ
βSammy Davis Jr.ββββββββ
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Duke and Sammy had a long, lasting friendship and often reached out and extended a hand when the other needed it. One such instance was when Sammy Davis Jr. found himself being heckled on stage in Canada.ββββββββ
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Duke and his son, Patrick Wayne, were in Detroit, Michigan as the Duke was on a personal tour for the film Hatari! (1962). Sammy was putting on a concert less than an hour away in Windsor, Ontario and the two wanted to go see him. When they arrived through the back entrance, they heard Sammy being heckled on stage and the air getting thick with tension across the auditorium. Without a second thought, Duke marched up on stage and threw his arm around his friend to show him support and elicit support from the audience. To no surprise, it worked. The uncomfortable moment passed and Sammy put on an amazing concert.ββββββββ
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Recalling the moment, Patrick Wayne remembered how swift his father was to react to his friendβs distress. How that big bear hug he gave Sammy Davis Jr. melted away any tension, racial or otherwise, across the whole room. It wasnβt about being someone who simply talked a good game. It was about someone who took action and stood up for someone else in need. Thatβs who John Wayne was.