Charlie's Angels (TV Series) Sammy Davis, Jr. Kidnap Caper (1977) User Reviews

A bona fide guest STAR!

[Milk_Tray_Guy · 7/10 · 19 June 2021]

The Angels and Bosley are hired as bodyguards and chauffeur for Sammy Davis Jr. (playing both himself and a 'lookalike', Herbert Brubaker III), to foil a kidnap/ransom plot. Brubaker is mistakenly grabbed instead of Davis (of course), and the Angels have to find a way to get him released (rather than killed, once the kidnappers realise who he is - and how much he ISN'T worth).

Davis' preconception that every bodyguard is '7'6" tall, with a face like a catcher's mitt' is amusingly dismantled in his first time meetings with each of the Angels. The plot hangs together okay (if a little far-fetched - but what else is new!). A young Martin Kove is one of the henchmen. And Davis' wife is played by his wife in real-life, Altovise.

Not one of the best episodes, but entertaining enough. 7/10.

Sammy over plays it, but still entertaining

[angelsunchained · 8/10 · 8 January 2021]

Hey, it's the 70s Baby! Sammy Davis, Jr. overplays himself and even his lookalike double, which is Sammy playing two roles. It's all good natured fun baby! Sammy even has his wife playing herself in the episode, yet she seems unhappy about the whole thing. If you like Sammy, you will like this episode.

Probably better if you appreciate Sammy Davis Jr

[riku-28160 · 5/10 · 24 February 2020]

This is my least liked episode of Charlie's Angels so far and that has a lot to do with the presence of Sammy Davis Jr. Probably the episode went down better in the 70's when he was famous and appreciated but 45 years later the episode feels quite flat and his mannerisms and comedy mean nothing to me since I have not seen him in movies or whatever he was famous for years ago and he certainly doesn't add much to this episode. The main problem is that his "lookalike" behaves so much like him that the whole premise of the story is flawed. Another actor without such distinctive mannerisms and behaviour would have been better since then it would be believable that there were actually two people who just look almost identical.

The Angels vs Hammy Davis Jr.

[adamcshelby · 5/10 · 5 July 2021]

This is one episode that is clearly stuck in the 70's. It reminds me of those Scooby Doo cartoons where the Harlem Globetrotters would make an appearance, the credits mentioning a "very special guest star". Sammy Davis Jr is the 'very special guest star' of this Angels episode. It certainly speaks to the popularity of the show that it was engaging in stunt casting in just its second season. Personally I don't believe the Angels needed this kind of 'jump the shark' moment but there it is, Sammy Davis Jr playing himself.

A few things standout. Sammy has his real life wife Altovise play his wife, Altovise. Solid casting for sure. I'm sure Lola Folana was busy that week.

Chris Pine's dad returns to the C. A. universe. Robert Pine appeared in the first season episode called Bullseye playing an Army doctor, the one where the Angels go undercover at an army base. He was a bad guy in that one and a bad guy here too. In the army episode he ended up dying, here he survives.

Martin Kove makes an appearance as a dumb kidnapper. Kove of course is best known for playing the Cobra Kai teacher in The Karate Kid. The kidnapping plot is so ham-handed that it's clear the producers wanted it all played for laughs and Kove's performance makes that clear.

Besides playing himself, Sammy Davis plays a second character, Herbert Brubaker the 3rd, who just happens to work as a Sammy Davis lookalike. Brubaker is a bit of a jive-talking fool who dresses even more flamboyant than Davis himself. He's a slight caricature and an indictment of 70's era TV writing for people of color. What can you do, it is what it is.

Other than Brubaker's clothing, the standout among the Angels is Kris for her purple/violet jogging outfit, cap included. Not sure it was the the most utilitarian choice for a jogger but she looked good in it, so hey, why not!

The episode ends with Sammy Davis Jr putting himself in danger to help crack the case, which is just what the Harlem Globetrotters would have done in one of those Scooby episodes. Hey, if you are going to be a very special guest star, you better act like one when the chips are down. All in all, this was a farce and the kind of episode that I'm sure led to Kate Jackson eventually leaving, wanting more serious scripts.