AMERICAN MASTERS: “SAMMY DAVIS JR.: I GOTTA BE ME”
PBS, 9:00 p.m. ET
Sammy Davis Jr. seems to have been around show business forever – but he died at age 65, which, since I have lapped that age myself, now seems unsettlingly young. And yet, despite his Rat Pack associations, his killer TV variety show appearances, and his iconic photo-op kiss with Archie Bunker on All in the Family, Davis has never been the subject of a full-length artistic biography – until now. So even if it misses some cultural moments (Billy Crystal’s impersonation, for one thing), this I Gotta Be Me study does shine the spotlight where it belongs, showing a man of many talents, and just as many contradictions. Check local listings. For full reviews, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower, and Ed Bark's Uncle Barky's Bytes.