'Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me' Trailer: An American Icon Gets His First Major Documentary

Sammy Davis Jr. has is an essential member of the Rat Pack and an icon of American culture, but his contributions to pop culture have remained mostly unsung. A new documentary from PBS as part of their "American Masters" series gives the spotlight to Sammy Davis Jr., in the aptly titled Sammy Davis Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me. PBS has debuted the official Sammy Davis Jr. I've Gotta Be Me trailer which you can watch below.

"Sammy Davis, Jr's whole life was about confronting obstacles."

The feature-length documentary about the legendary Rat Pack member, Sammy Davis, Jr., seeks to uncover the life and career of a trailblazer, in all his flaws and imperfections. Described as the "first major film documentary to examine Davis' vast talent and his journey for identity through the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress during 20th-century America," the documentary features interviews with Billy Crystal, Norman Lear, Jerry Lewis, Whoopi Goldberg, and Kim Novak, along with never-before-seen photographs from Davis' personal collection and excerpts from his performances.

Directed by documentary filmmaker Samuel D. Pollard (Two Trains Runnin', ACORN and the Firestorm, Maynard), Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year, and also played at AFI Fest, DOC NYC, and other festivals through the year.

Here is the official synopsis for Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me:

Sammy Davis, Jr. had the kind of career that was indisputably legendary, so vast and multi-faceted that it was dizzying in its scope and scale. And yet, his life was complex, complicated and contradictory. Davis strove to achieve the American Dream in a time of racial prejudice and shifting political territory. He was the veteran of increasingly outdated show business traditions trying to stay relevant; he frequently found himself bracketed by the bigotry of white America and the distaste of black America; he was the most public black figure to embrace Judaism, thereby yoking his identity to another persecuted minority.

PBS will premiere the doc starting February 19, 2019 as part of the "American Masters" series.