News

Vibrant Time Capsules Illuminate Las Vegas’ Legendary Nightlife in the 1950s

8 June 2023adminVibrant Time Capsules Illuminate Las Vegas’ Legendary Nightlife in the 1950s

These pictures of Las Vegas strip in the 1950s were taken by LIFE photographer Loomis Dean and capture the nightlife and the long-gone sights of Sin City.

The 1950s were a defining era for Las Vegas. It was the decade that saw the rise of the Riviera, the Sands, and the Dunes, where the likes of Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis flocked to the Strip along with millions of other tourists. There were dancers, mobsters, weddings, gamblers, and the glamour of post-war America.

By 1951 the Thunderbird Hotel, the Desert Inn, and the Silver Slipper had joined the El Rancho, the New Frontier, and the Flamingo on the Strip.

Then a number of new properties were built in quick succession: the Sahara (1952), the Sands (1952), the Royal Nevada (1955), the Riviera (1955), the Dunes (1955), the Hacienda (1956), the Tropicana (1957), and the Stardust (1958), in addition to off-Strip properties such as the Showboat (1954), the Fremont (1956), and the ground-breaking Moulin Rouge (1955).

Each new hotel-casino owner sought to have high-quality entertainment and hired the best local musicians available for their in-house orchestras. They also hired entertainment directors, dancers, stagehands, customers, and everyone else needed to put on a first-rate show.

After coming to see these stars, the tourists would resume gambling, and then eat at the gourmet buffets that have become a staple of the casino industry.

As the city became a centre for gambling, illegal activity became rife and many muckraking scandals emerged in the press during the 1950s and 1960s.

Over 8 million people were visiting Las Vegas annually in 1954, pumping $200 million into casinos, which consolidated its image as “wild, full of late-night, exotic entertainment”. The population grew dramatically from 8,422 during World War II to over 45,000.

Vegas Vic, the unofficial, yet most widely used name for the Las Vegas, a 40 ft neon sign that represents a cowboy, was erected above the Pioneer Club in Las Vegas in 1951.

The sign was a departure in graphic design from typeface-based neon signs, to a friendly and welcoming human form of a cowboy. The giant neon cowhand’s creation was based on an image that was part of the promotional campaign launched with the slogan “Still a Frontier town”.

The voice message that was broadcast every 15 minutes by the mechanically operated image was “Howdy, pardner”. This voice was not liked by people and hence its broadcast was stopped.

The original figure (now restored) was of 40 ft height weighing about 6 tons (considered then as the largest such mechanical contraption sign in the world).

The sign moved its arms, winked, held a cigarette, and let out smoke rings. Its attire consisted of a cowboy hat, blue jeans, boots, a yellow checked shirt, and a bandana.The New Frontier Hotel was the venue of Elvis Presley’s first shows in Las Vegas from 23 April 1956. The 12-story tall Fremont Hotel and Casino located on 200 Fremont Street opened on 18 May 1956 and was then the tallest building in downtown Las Vegas for several years.

It was designed by architect Wayne McAllister, and at the time of its opening it had 155 rooms, cost $6 million to open, and was owned by Ed Levinson and Lou Lurie.

Related Posts

Kalki: Part 2 – Hindi Trailer | Prabhas | Vijay Deverakonda | Amitabh, Kamal Haasan, Deepika, Ajay D

Divine Teachings Highlighted: The narrative emphasizes the unique role of a singular immortal being capable of halting cosmic elements, entrusted with imparting the teachings of Lord Kalki. Historical…

British supermodel Georgina Cooper – an icon of ‘Cool Britannia’ and a friend of Kate Moss – has tragically died at the age of 46 on a Greek island just months after she married, MailOnline can reveal today.

British supermodel Georgina Cooper – an icon of ‘Cool Britannia’ and a friend of Kate Moss – has tragically died at the age of 46 on a Greek island just months after she married, MailOnline can reveal today. Tributes have poured in from fellow catwalk stars including Jade Parfitt, Erin O’Connor, Jodie Kidd and Helena Christensen, who called her a ‘ray of light’ whose ‘achievements in the industry were huge’. The mother-of-one was with her new husband Nigel on Kos when she fell ill. She was initially taken to the island’s main hospital but her condition was so serious doctors arranged for an air ambulance to fly her to Crete which has better facilities.

A contestant waved a Palestinian scarf as he left the Big Brother House, amid controversy of ITV editing the show to remove references to Gaza.

A contestant waved a Palestinian scarf as he left the Big Brother House, amid controversy of ITV editing the show to remove references to Gaza. Khaled Khaled was evicted alongside Lily Benson on Friday night as a part of a shock double eviction. The 23-year-old was seen holding up a pro-Palestinian scarf handed to him by an audience member as he left the reality show house – but the scarf was gone later in the programme.

At least once a day, Dr Paul Morrison stands at one of his upstairs windows with a pair of binoculars and counts the seabirds flying past.

At least once a day, Dr Paul Morrison stands at one of his upstairs windows with a pair of binoculars and counts the seabirds flying past. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing that as long as I live here,’ he says. The birds hail from Coquet island, a stunning six-hectare outcrop (a mile offshore from his Northumberland home) which is home to 40,000 breeding seabirds, including puffins and rare roseate terns.

I had the great privilege of spending US election night with Emily Maitlis as she began her gradual descent into madness.

I had the great privilege of spending US election night with Emily Maitlis as she began her gradual descent into madness. Unfortunately, I had to leave the Channel Four studio early – to catch a plane back from Washington to London. So I missed the bit where those swing states began turning Republican red, and when Emily apparently started swearing in frustration. But I could already see that she was getting pretty revved up. At one point she turned to me and glared tragically through kohl-rimmed eyes: ‘Would YOU leave your children alone in the company of Donald Trump?’ she asked, as if that were some clinching political argument.

LAHORE 1947 – Trailer | Sunny Deol | Aamir Khan | Shilpa Shetty | Preity Zinta | Rajkumar Santoshi 2

Violence Escalates in Punjab: Looting and riots have intensified over the past 24 hours, leading to widespread chaos and bloodshed across the region. Communal Tensions Rise: Reports indicate…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *