Las Vegas, 1950s
I've had a small number of scans of vintage Las Vegas slides in a folder for a long time. Years. I think it's about high time to use them!
The first three feature photos from "Last Frontier Village", also known as Hotel Last Frontier, which opened on October 30th, 1942 as the second resort on the Las Vegas Strip. The western-themed property included 105 rooms, as well as the Little Church of the West. A new owner (William J. Moore) added a western village in 1948. The village consisted of authentic Old West buildings from a collector and would also feature the newly built Silver Slipper casino, added in 1950. Below, a mother and son pose with a genuine old train, which I assume was a static exhibit.
I don't really think of rusty jalopies as something you'd see in an "old west" setting, but I've managed to keep my cool, somehow! I'll bet that in the 1950s, and "antique" like the one below could be had for a song.
Here, mom poses with two disreputable cowpokes, they managed to not spit or cuss for the entire time she was there - maybe they're not so bad after all! This got me to wondering if the tableau of Whiskey Bill and Handsome Brady (at Knott's Berry Farm) was the first example of this kind of "photo op", or if it was a more common thing back then?
This next one is from a different batch; it was a bit of a mystery to me, but we can see "Free Ride to the Silver Slipper" on the cable car (possibly a repurposed San Francisco cable car?) - and as we just read, the Silver Slipper was part of Last Frontier Village. It's hard to be certain, but I assume that the cable car was perhaps attached to some sort of motorized conveyance.
5 comments:
Major-
I assume the partial image of the sign on the Silver Slipper Gambling Hall showing the name "Buddy Baer", refers to the younger brother of world heavyweight champion Max Baer, and the uncle to Max Baer, Jr., who played Jethro Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies.
Thanks, Major.
[JB switches from his usual elitist verbage to that of an old west coot.]
Dangnabit! This here picher is a might blurry! Thet mama an' her boy look like folks do after I done drunk a bottle or two! Oh well. Life ain't always whut ya want it to be, I always say.
Thet thar rusty jalopy is a goin' nowhere real fast! Bein' as it's a sittin' up on them wood blocks an' all. Purty picher though!
Them two gents a sittin' on that there bench look like me! What I'm a wonderin' is... how'd them two skallywags rope a purty young thang like her?
[JB switches back to his usual elitist verbage.]
The lady in the cable car reminds me of Julia Child: Her face, the way she's dressed, and her pose. Bon appétit! (I copied and pasted that ;-))
Thank ya kindly, Major.
@ JB-
That woman does bear a resemblance to Miss. Julia not only from her dress and pose, but also her size - this woman appears tall and Julia Child clocked-in at 6'-2".
(For future reference when switching writing modes, the word you're looking for is spelled verbiage and, correctly pronounced with the "i"). See... the more you know-!
In that first image, Mom is giving me Maya Rudolph vibes.
And after viewing that last image, I am now craving some Rice-A-Roni.....even though I've never tried Rice-A-Roni. I think I've heard that it was Julia Child's favorite food. And Martha Stewart's, too.
Thanks for the fun Vegas pics, Major!
Nanook, Well golllleeee! I done never knew there was such a thang!
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