"Frank and Sam" at Greenwich House, September 19, 2025

Published on October 5, 2025 at 10:05 AM

On Thursday and Friday of last week, Compassionate Cultural Projects opened its 3rd season at the Woodstock with a performance of "Frank and Sam."

Two images above at right are images that more than anything made Frank and Sam the pioneers of total diversity....that they were. The first is Marty O'Brien's saloon, MOB "The Association of All Nations" in Hoboken in 1926. Frank's father Martino Sinatra changed his name to "Marty O'Brien" to get into all Irish boxing bouts, also to be able to operate the pub.... Irish politicians at that time sort of controlled the scene. That kind of emphasis on identity shook Frank, and he fought it his entire life.

.Sammy Davis Jr, in World War 2 experienced an extreme level of racism in the Army (this photo of SDJ in WW2 training is very rare)...In 1961, when he converted to Judaism, he said the only ethnic group that went through something considerably worse than he did at that time....well, you know the rest. Very heroic move....and so a hearty Happy New Year to the utterly heroic memory of Sammy Davis Jr, which is a rare thing to be able to say about a showbiz figure, but I think is quite deserved, and a Happy New Year to everyone.... in all nations....everywhere.

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