- "On the plus side, I got a new character I think people are going to love."
- Henry Stein
See Sammy (disambiguation) for other related uses.
"Sing my song and my sanctuary will open to you." |
Samuel “Sammy” Lawrence was an award-winning musician and composer, and the director of the Music Department at Joey Drew Studios, known for writing the music for the Bendy cartoons in the studio's heyday.[1]
By mid-1935, he had grown frustrated with his tight schedule. Eventually, it got to the point where his ethics rivaled that of Joey Drew's, such as strictly ordering the Music Department staff to refrain from making loud noise.[2]
Around 1946, as revealed in the Dreams Come to Life novel, he stole a large number of ink bottles that were used for the Ink Machine, proceeding to drink them day by day as some kind of addiction and ultimately transformed into a mind-corrupted creature of ink. He later appeared in Bendy and the Ink Machine as one of the major antagonists pursuing Henry Stein in the game.
General Description
Physical Appearance
Although Sammy's human self was not seen in the game, the only known evidence about Sammy's human appearance is he once had a flowing cascade of brown or blonde hair, not remembering which one.[3]
From the third chapter of Bendy and the Ink Machine, Twisted Alice describes Sammy as once a "very handsome man", meaning that Sammy used to look attractive in appearance. This indicates that she might have known him before.
As described by Buddy, Sammy was a very "pointy" man. Buddy comments on his "pointy" nose, eyebrows, and chin, even saying that he looked like a bird when he was at his conductor stand. Buddy also mentions that Sammy "always" wore trousers and suspenders.
At the opening night party for Ira Gershwin's Girl Crazy, as described by Joey, Sammy was wearing a neat simple black evening suit and other appropriate attire for the event, although his hair could have been slicked back a bit more as it was, and still was after, long and floppy on the top. Joey also notes that Sammy was a few years younger than him, and he had an angular face that in certain lighting could make him look "insect-like."
Personality
Overworked and abrasive but doing everything within his power to maintain his composure, Sammy's main interest is writing music and songs, as he started this career in his young years.[4]
In tapes, Sammy is shown to be a frustrated songwriter, with what seems to be a blunt and sarcastic disposition. With the addition of the numerous leaking pipes in his department, the ink pumps and all of the constant distractions when writing music for the Bendy cartoons, Sammy is irritated with Joey Drew's project as it keeps setting him back in his work. The only person he has kind words to say about is Susie Campbell, the former voice actress of Alice Angel, that he refers her as a very charming woman, suggesting that he was infatuated with her.[5]
It can be inferred from the voice recordings that he found it hard to focus on his work when there were distractions present, which was likely the reason he needed a private "sanctuary".
Based on his voice recording from ####, Sammy had even criticized Joey for his poor planning skills, which caused him to work constantly to compose songs by a quick deadline, referring to this planning as Joey's typical planning. This constant increase in work caused him to slowly go insane at the constant sight of Bendy, who he claimed to have seen in his sleep and would expect himself to go insane after a few months. He claimed Bendy is "always watching", and states how something seems wrong about his smile to him, but couldn't confirm the reason for his suspicion. Although he decides to shake off these observations for the sake of his department and Bendy.
In the Dreams Come to Life novel, he is relatively neutral towards most others (albeit rude and condescending), especially Buddy Lewek, when the former forced the latter to clean an ink spill, which also means that he is also somewhat bossy towards his workers.
In The Illusion of Living, Joey claims that Sammy is not a fan of attention and putting on a big show, in contrast to his partner Jack Fain. Sammy is always suspicious of people and is always looking to see if something deeper is going on. As a result, Joey struggles to read Sammy based on his facial expressions, something Jack struggles with as well.
In-Game Appearances
Sammy Lawrence In His Ink Form
Bendy and the Ink Machine
Chapter 2: The Old Song
Sammy has two audio logs, recorded from when he was still human. They can be found in the Music Department hall and hall closet respectively.
According to his first audio log, Sammy complains that he and the other workers have been unable to get out of their department at least three times since the arrival of the Ink Machine because the ink that flows from it kept flooding the stairwell. In order to drain the ink out, Joey installed an ink pump with the switch in Sammy's office, greatly frustrating him with the number of people going in and out all day.
From his second recording, Sammy gives hints on how to open his sanctuary by playing two, three, or four of his favorite instruments. The order in which they are played is changed every playthrough.
The projectionist, Norman Polk, makes note of Sammy's strange behavior of telling the band and the recording staff to wait in the hall in the middle of a recording session.[6] Norman would hear Sammy turn on the projector and then rush back down to the studio[7]. Even though the projector would turn off, Sammy would not resurface out for a long time.[8] This is another hint on how to open Sammy's sanctuary.
Susie Campbell mentions that Sammy once told her that Alice's popularity may rival Bendy's some day in her cassette.[9] Other than that, Sammy describes Alice's voice as so heavenly and beautiful.[10]
Wally Franks notes in his audio log that he hopes Sammy does not find out about him losing his keys, once again showing the music director's lack of patience for distractions.
Chapter 3: Rise and Fall
Although Sammy does not appear in Chapter 3 as a voice or a presence, Susie Campbell mentions him in her second audio log found in the "angel path" room. She is horrified at seeing Sammy from the recording booth meeting a new voice actress, Allison Pendle, intended to replace her as the new voice of Alice.[11]
As Henry enters the elevator after collecting all special gears on Level K, Twisted Alice will mention Sammy, claiming that he once told her she had talent, but that he was a good liar.[12] She also says that Sammy used to be a handsome man before he was turned into a monster of ink.[13]
Chapter 5: The Last Reel
Besides his ink form's return, Sammy's name is seen on his to-do list notepaper printed on the bulletin board from Joey's house at the chapter's end, told to write a soundtrack for the "Tombstone Picnic" cartoon, record voice-over of Allison Pendle (with Susie's name crossed out) for Alice Angel, and keeping the Bendy cutouts out of the animation company's recording studio (referencing the witness seen in Chapter 2).
Novel Appearances
Dreams Come to Life
Sammy appears in the Dreams Come to Life novel as the secondary antagonist. He first appears in the third chapter covered in ink. He stumbles into Buddy Lewek, who was lost after being tasked with delivering a folder to the Music Department. After Buddy helps clean the ink off his face and introduces himself as the new gofer for the Art Department, Sammy asks him why ink is being stored in his sheet music closet and why Joey is running a pipe through it. Buddy is confused so Sammy drags him to the closet to show him the mess and then furiously orders him to clean it up.
In the seventh chapter, Buddy is taking some paper and ink from the sheet music closet when he hears approaching voices and footsteps. He hides in the closet and overhears a heated argument between Sammy and Thomas Connor, concerning the former's habit of stealing ink bottles. Sammy attempts to deny the claims but Thomas refuses to listen, having seen Sammy sneaking around his work station and the Ink Machine. Thomas was also made aware that Sammy had asked his worker where they kept the ink last Friday. Eventually the two go their separate ways and Buddy is able to sneak out of the closet. Later on, he is sent on an actual task to the Music Department. Buddy notices a half-empty bottle of ink besides Sammy as he's dropping off the folder and when he turns back to ask him about it the ink bottle is empty. Sammy turns his attention to Buddy briefly and he notices a small black smudge at the right-hand corner of his mouth.
In the thirteenth chapter, Sammy storms into the Art Department and approachs Abby Lambert, demanding to know where the ink is. Abby is confused and asks if he’s wanting to borrow some of the Art Department's, but he violently shakes his head and demands to know where the ink from their supply closet is. Abby explains that their ink isn't kept in the supply closet, which Sammy responds to with a strange gurgle. Abby continues to explain that their ink is kept under her desk in a safe and offers to give him some, but Sammy shakes his head and storms off.
In the fourteenth chapter, Sammy mysteriously disappears and the musicians are locked out of the Music Room. People don't notice until a week later when police show up to investigate the disappearance. Shortly after, the studio is closed down for two days after the Music Department is vandalized.
In the twentieth chapter, following Buddy's conversation with Thomas and Allison, he leaves Joey Drew's party to look for Dot and Jacob. He arrives at Duke's Bar only to be told that they had left about an hour prior to investigate the studio. Buddy panicks and runs into the studio. He arrives on the Music level and begins looking for them but instead finds "He Will Set Us Free" written in the ink splatters, which reminds him of the disturbing sketches and notes written in Sammy's notebook. He concludes that Sammy wasn't missing but instead hiding, and he turns around only to be knocked out.
Buddy wakes up at the beginning of the twenty-first chapter to find himself on the stage of the Music Room restrained in a chair next to Richie, who tells him that Sammy took Jacob while Dot got away. They hear a door open and a completely transformed Sammy Lawrence enters the room and approachs his music stand. Buddy asks what happened to him, but Sammy laughs and says Buddy already knows as he was there. Still, Sammy goes on to explain that on the day they first met he had accidentally swallowed a few drops of ink, and he became addicted to consuming ink, resulting in him going insane and eventually transforming. Sammy begins pacing the room and laughs at the two, asking why one would please a man when they could please a god. Buddy demands to know where Jacob is, and Sammy responds that he took him to where everything began, but doesn't elaborate further. He stops walking, but before he can do anything else he's knocked out by Dot, who had managed to get into the Projector Booth and push a large projector on Sammy. He is not seen again for the remainder of the novel, although it is likely he survived, for obvious reasons.
The Illusion of Living
Sammy appears in The Illusion of Living in the final two chapters of Part IV, where Joey explains how he came to work at Joey Drew Studios. Joey was invited to the opening night party for Ira Gershwin's Girl Crazy , only a year after the stock market crashed. There, Sammy was playing the piano, and his performance impressed Joey. However, it wasn't until Jack Fain got up to sing an original song made by him and Sammy that Joey's interest was peaked. After the show, Joey pulls Sammy and Jack onto the terrace where he explains who he is. Sammy is unfamiliar and acts coy, but quickly remembers Joey from his time working for the Grand Cinema as a teenager. Joey would show up almost daily, always near the front row by himself. Jack steps in and brings the conversation back to the present, with Joey noticing a hint towards a possible bit of strain between Jack and Sammy, and Joey offers them a job to produce original songs for the Bendy cartoons.
Sammy request to see the studio and demands to see it that night, so Joey leads them to the studio, which at the time was only the first two floors. He leads the two upstairs and shows off the music room, which consisted of an upright piano and a music stand barely managing to fit in the space. Joey explains that an expansion is obviously planned, which would also consist of offices for the two of them, but Sammy also adds that he needs a projector to play with the movie, so Joey adds a projector booth as a top priority to a mental list. Jack, on the other hand, only needs some quiet space to do his thinking. Sammy then requests to see what the studio makes, so Joey leads them to the screening room where he plays an unfinished animation of Bendy dancing. Sammy asks about other characters and says they need a female one, which Joey reports is currently in development. After some thinking, Sammy requests full creative control over his department, to hire is own people, and good pay. Joey agrees, and Sammy leaves the room without any sort of farewell, which Jack gives instead. The two join the studio two weeks later.
Joey jokingly goes on to explain how Sammy is seen as a god to his musicians, which he told Sammy at one point. Sammy just sees it as respect, and wanting Sammy to joke around with him, Joey asks who a god worships. Sammy sighs and plays along, saying a god with such magnitude hasn't been created yet, but maybe someday.
Dialogue
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Trivia
General Facts
- It has been stated by theMeatly that April 18 is Sammy's birthday, the same release date of Bendy and the Ink Machine: Chapter 2.[14] However, it is unclear if this is a legitimate fact about Sammy or a joke about him being first introduced on that date in said chapter.
- Sammy is shown to smokes cigarettes.
- Sammy Lawrence's name could be a reference to Sammy Lerner, known for composing the "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man" song for Popeye cartoons and other pieces of music from Fleischer Studios.
- His name could also be a reference to Sammy Timberg who is also a music director from Fleischer Studios.
- Sammy and Jack Fain's names could be references to Sammy Fain and Jack Lawrence, both of whom were composers.
In-Game Facts
- Chapter 2: The Old Song
- The transcript's first line of Sammy's first recording as a human has an error. The word is "had" instead of "kept" from Sammy describing how "...the ink had flooded the stairwell."
- In his second audio log, there is also an error where the transcript's word is "have" instead of "got" from Sammy saying "Joey Drew has his and I have mine.".
Gallery
References
|
| Executives | Joey Drew • Henry Stein | |
|---|---|---|
| Art Department | Abby Lambert • Jacob • Richie • Dave | |
| Story Department | Dot | |
| Music Department | Sammy Lawrence • Jack Fain | |
| Voice Providers | Allison Pendle • Susie Campbell | |
| Daniel Lewek • Wally Franks • Norman Polk • Miss Rodriguez • Emma LaMonte | ||
| Major characters | Allison Pendle (Allison Angel) • Bertrum Piedmont • Buddy Lewek (Buddy Boris) • Henry Stein • Joey Drew • Norman Polk • Sammy Lawrence • Susie Campbell • Thomas Connor (Tom) • Wally Franks | |
|---|---|---|
| Minor characters | Boris Clone • Grant Cohen • Jack Fain • Lacie Benton • Shawn Flynn • Lost Ones • Balcony Lost One | |
| Mentioned | Linda | |
| Major characters | Buddy Lewek (Buddy Boris) • Lost One Player • Sammy Lawrence | |
|---|---|---|
| Minor characters | Boris Clone • Emma LaMonte • Jack Fain • Norman Polk • Shawn Flynn • Thomas Connor • Wally Franks • The Patron | |
| Mentioned | Nathan Arch | |
| Major characters | Abby Lambert • Allison Pendle • Buddy Lewek • Dave • Dot • Irena Lewek • Jacob • Joey Drew • Mr. Schwartz • Mr. Unger • Norman Polk • Richie • Sammy Lawrence • Thomas Connor | |
|---|---|---|
| Minor characters | Bertrum Piedmont • Lenny • Miss Rodriguez • Mrs. Panek • Wally Franks | |
| Mentioned | Henry Stein • Mr. Lewek • Linda • Susie Campbell | |
