**A Mafia Boss Cornered Sammy Davis Jr. Backstage—Stay Away From That White Woman or Lose Your Other Eye**
Hollywood sold America the myth that love was colorblind, but the reality was far more dangerous. When Sammy Davis Jr., one of the most electrifying entertainers of his era, fell in love with blonde movie star Kim Novak in 1957, their secret romance set off a chain reaction that reached from the executive offices of Columbia Pictures all the way to the heart of Chicago’s criminal underworld.
Kim Novak was Columbia’s golden girl, a rising star whose every move was controlled by studio chief Harry Cohn. Sammy Davis Jr. was a trailblazing performer, beloved by audiences of all races but living in a time when interracial relationships were taboo—and could be deadly. Their relationship began in secret, with stolen moments and late-night phone calls, but in 1950s America, secrets rarely stayed hidden for long.
When Harry Cohn learned of their romance, he didn’t just disapprove—he took action. Cohn had deep ties to the mob, and he called on Johnny Rosselli, a notorious enforcer for the Chicago Outfit, to put an end to the relationship. On January 14, 1958, after a show at Chicago’s Chez Paree nightclub, Rosselli confronted Sammy backstage.
He delivered a chilling ultimatum: end things with Kim Novak immediately, or risk losing his remaining eye—or worse. Sammy understood the threat was real; the mob had the power to make accidents happen, and Rosselli made it clear that Sammy’s life was on the line.
To prove his compliance, Sammy was told he had 24 hours to find a wife—a public marriage that would erase any doubt about his romantic interests. In desperation, Sammy reached out to Loray White, a young black chorus girl he had dated casually. Without explaining the true reason, he proposed marriage. Loray, sensing his urgency, agreed.
They wed in a rushed, unromantic ceremony two days after Rosselli’s threat. The marriage made headlines, sending a clear message to Hollywood and the mob: Sammy Davis Jr. was safely married to a black woman, and the interracial romance was over.
Kim Novak, meanwhile, was forced into a public relationship with a white actor, orchestrated by Columbia Pictures to protect her image. Both stars were sacrificed to preserve the studio’s bottom line and the racist status quo of the era. Sammy’s marriage to Loray White quickly fell apart, ending in divorce less than two years later. The union was doomed from the start, built on fear rather than love, and left both parties heartbroken.
The forced separation from Kim Novak haunted Sammy for the rest of his life. Friends said he never truly recovered, always wondering what might have been if they’d lived in a different time. Kim Novak’s career suffered as well, stifled by studio manipulation and the loss of personal freedom. She eventually retired from films, retreating from an industry that treated her as property.
The mob’s intervention wasn’t just about racism—it was about power. It was a brutal demonstration that even the most famous entertainer could be controlled and destroyed if he challenged the system.
Sammy Davis Jr. complied, but the cost was his happiness and the love of his life.
Their story is more than a tale of forbidden romance. It’s a window into the machinery of oppression, showing how powerful men used fear and violence to enforce social norms that benefited them. It’s a reminder of the human cost of systemic racism: two people who found love were torn apart not by incompatibility, but by a system that refused to let them exist as equals.
Sammy Davis Jr. survived the mob’s threats, but he spent the rest of his life grieving for a love murdered by men who couldn’t stand the idea of a black man and a white woman finding happiness together. Their tragedy is a testament to the destructive power of racism and the lengths to which the powerful will go to maintain control.
