Forbidden Love
Sammy Davis’s Jr.’s romance with Kim Novak was forbidden during this time. Both Davis and the actress were getting threats about staying involved with one another. In 2015, National Enquirer reported that in 1957, the controversial interracial relationship was broken up by Harry Cohn, Columbia’s boss, who had a domineering reputation. Allegedly, Cohn hired a hitman to scare off Sammy, telling him that he would lose his other eye if he continued seeing Kim.
Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak. Photo by Moviestore Collection / Shutterstock
Novak verified, “That DID happen. [Cohn was] surrounded by all these men, including people in the Mob. He told me that my career was in jeopardy if I continued to see Sammy… it was very disturbing, but we knew there was no use fighting it.”