Vitals

Sammy Davis Jr. as Charles Salt, nightclub singer and co-owner

London, Spring 1968

Film: Salt and Pepper
Release Date: June 21, 1968
Director: Richard Donner
Costume Designer: Cynthia Tingey
Tailor: Charles Glenn

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Multi-talented entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. was born 100 years ago today on December 8, 1925. Davis started performing on stage at only three years old when he joined his father and godfather in a touring act named after the latter: the Will Mastin Trio. After serving in the Army during World War II and maintaining his stardom through the ’50s, Davis developed an informal but enduring association with fellow entertainers Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford that has become immortalized as the “Rat Pack”. (It was reportedly at Davis’ insistence that Sinatra changed the group’s initial name from “the Clan” to “the Summit”.)

The Rat Pack’s heyday was through the early 1960s, consisting primarily of stage shows and feature films like Ocean’s 11 (1960), playing a group of Army vets teaming up to rob five Vegas casinos. But as Dino’s character declares in that flick, “old times are only good when you’ve had ’em,” and the group’s cultural domination began to sizzle within a few short years. Sinatra had spent a small fortune to renovate part of his Palm Springs estate in anticipation of a visit from Lawford’s brother-in-law—who happened to be then-President John F. Kennedy—until Attorney General RFK advised his brother to limit his association with the mob-connected Ol’ Blue Eyes… so both JFK’s visit and Lawford’s upcoming role in 4 for Texas went to Bing Crosby instead.

Ever the diplomat, Davis maintained professional ties with Lawford as the two pallies starred in three more films through the end of the ’60s, adapting their Rat Pack personas to the times in Salt and Pepper (1968) and the Jerry Lewis-directed sequel, One More Time (1970).

Salt and Pepper was the second film directed by Richard Donner, who would more successfully revisit the black-and-white buddy comedy subgenre two decades later with the Lethal Weapon series. Davis and Lawford play swingin’ London nightclub operators-turned-spies Charlie Salt and Christopher Pepper, respectively, who uncover a plot to overthrow the British government.

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What’d He Wear?

Salt and Pepper puts style way ahead of substance, with both ex-Rat Packers dressed to suit their respective personas; while Peter Lawford models tasteful suits and sport jackets tailored by the legendary Douglas Hayward, Sammy Davis Jr. cycles through colorfully groovy duds designed for him by Charles Glenn of Paris.

Davis changes clothes so frequently that it could give a movie style blogger whiplash, but we’re able to slow down enough in the extended sequence where the fellas call on Colonel Balsom (Ernest Clark) of the SIS for protection, and Pepper’s date with Marianne Renaud (Ilona Rodgers) ends when Salt discovers a bomb disguised as a compact in his room. (In an interesting real-life spy parallel, the character name “Marianne Renaud” recalls French resistance fighter Madeleine Riffaud, who was Private Sammy Davis Jr.’s guide to the city following the liberation of Paris in August 1944.)

Salt wears a rich dark-green suede pullover with wide notch lapels that taper to a four blazer-style nickel shank buttons in a 4×2-button double-breasted keystone-shaped bib. The set-in sleeves are finished with plain cuffs, and the side vents are closed with silver-toned zippers.

Under that, he wears a bright orange woolen turtleneck sweater that hangs loosely on Davis’ lean frame, styled with a narrowly ribbed roll-neck and cuffs. He tucks them into trousers with a then-fashionable low-rise, made from a rust-brown wide-waled corduroy. These flat-front trousers have long belt loops (that go unused) and legs that taper down to plain-hemmed bottoms. The front pockets are curved like jeans, though the jetted back pockets are more conventional.

Reportedly invented by Queen Victoria’s shoemaker Joseph Sparkes Hal, Chelsea boots had a Mod revival more than a century later during the 1960s as everyone from the Beatles to James Bond embraced elastic-sided boots. Charlie Salt’s dark-brown suede uppers follow the traditional Chelsea boot design with their brown elastic side gussets, though the raised black leather heels are a fashion-forward touch likely added to boost the 5’5″ Davis’ height.

Much as Davis’ off-screen style drove his on-screen wardrobe, the entertainer likely wore his own jewelry. His yellow-gold bracelet has an personalized ID plate on a chunky chain link. He wore several throughout his career, including two that have since been auctioned with “B.I.B.” and “Sammy” engraved on them, but the Salt and Pepper screen-worn bracelet appears to be engraved with his monogram: “S.D.JR.”

Davis was also a prolific watch collector in real life, favoring models from the likes of Bueche Girod, Cartier, and Rolex. It’s less clear what dresses his left wrist in Salt and Pepper, but it appears to have a smaller yellow-gold case and two-toned Jubilee-style link bracelet with a round silvered dial. Based on Davis’ experimentation with timepieces, he may even wear the Rolex Lady Datejust with a steel-and-gold “Rolesor” 26mm case—opting for this daintier watch’s proportional elegance before graduating up to a full-size gold Datejust in the ’80s.

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How to Get the Look

Sammy Davis Jr.’s December birthday aligns with his style serving as inspiration for any holiday parties this season—assuming you have a statement piece like a green suede double-breasted pullover.

• Dark-green suede pullover with nickel 4×2-button double-breasted bib and zip-up side vents
• Orange wool turtleneck sweater
• Rust-brown wide-waled corduroy flat-front trousers with long belt loops, curved front pockets, jetted back pockets, and tapered plain-hemmed bottoms
• Dark-brown suede Chelsea boots with brown elastic side gussets and raised black leather heels
• Yellow-gold chain-link ID bracelet
• Gold-and-steel wristwatch with round silver dial on two-toned Jubilee-style bracelet

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Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie.