Visiting Caesar's Palace, 1968
It's another "Anything Goes Saturday", and this time we are returning to Las Vegas. I've had these scans for a while, and part of me was convinced that I'd already shared them, but after doing a search, I guess you've never seen them.
Caesar's Palace is one of the more famous icons of Las Vegas, and here we see some women and girls posing beneath the colossal marquee, just like one would have seen in ancient Rome. Intense pink must have been the color of the moment for females right about then. Look at the names on the sign; Buddy Rich! The Four Preps! Harry Belafonte (Day-oh)! And some other names I'm not so familiar with. Gaylord and Holiday (a comedy team, presumably)? Lee Meza? Kim Weston?
The same group of gals now poses near a fountain, while a statue of naked men frolicking doesn't get any attention. There appears to be at least two adult women in this group - sisters or sisters-in-law? Maybe that man is one of the husbands, and he just snapped a picture with that lady's Instamatic. I hope this family went to enjoy a fabulous performance by The Four Preps!
20 comments:
Major-
Gaylord & Holiday was actually a singing duo. As is Lee Meza - whose performance has been described as: "An experience not to be forgotten". Kim Weston, at one time recorded for Motown Records, is obviously another singer.
As for 'Bottoms Up', it's "The Saucy and irreverent musical comedy revue that has become a legend of laughter..."
Love those outfits, gals. Apparently, it's not possible to show too much pink-!
Thanks, Major.
#1: Looks like Shiny Boy has some competition with these glossy Centurions. Tall sonsofguns they are, too!
Those marquee letters are HUGE! Especially the "Belafonte" letters. They must be 4 ft. high.
#2: I'm guessing the naked men are wrestlers, the statue that is. There are also some others statues in the shadows on the left. The middle one looks like a facsimile of Michelangelo's "David". The one on the right is Venus de Milo.
I think these gals got car sick on their way to Sin City, hit a speed bump and spilled a bottle of Pepto-Bismol all over themselves; a big industrial-sized 30 gallon drum of it.
Thanks for the glimpse of Vegas, Major. I'm still kicking myself for missing out on Gaylord and Holiday. They had an animal act like Siegfried and Roy, only their animals were mallard ducks. You can see where I'm going with this: As soon as the ducks saw the audience full of food (people), carnage and mayhem ensued. They were shut down after just one performance.
Nanook, Fine. Make a liar out of me. ;-) I think my version of Gaylord and Holiday would be more memorable though. Folks would still be talking about the "Big Duck Ruckus" of '68.
Is any of this fabulous architecture or signage, still standing today? Somehow, I'm doubting it, but I just thought I would ask.
Next to the naked people (recreating the dream ballet sequence from "Oklahoma"), we can see a bit of the famous Caesar's Palace fountains. At some point, Evel Knievel jumped over those fountains on his motorcycle. Or was it Arthur Fonzarelli? Whoever it was, I sure hope Lindsay Wagner was on the back of their motorcycle! Everything is better with Lindsay Wagner.
Nanook, I knew that you would know about Gaylord and Holiday! Lee Meza… “An experience not to be forgotten”, you could say that about my singing as well. If “Bottoms Up” was not a “saucy and irreverent musical comedy revue” I would have been extremely disappointed. Thanks Nanook!
JB, people in the past were generally much smoother and shinier then they are today, it’s because they ate more passenger pigeons. You aren’t kidding about the large letters, I wonder how much each one weighed. Who knew that Las Vegas was all about spectacle? I am guessing that the statue represents Hercules wrestling Antaeus; Antaeus got his strength from his mother (the Earth), so Hercules lifted him off of the ground and crushed him. As one does. I used to like to read about those old Greek myths! There’s no reason that Gaylord and Holiday couldn’t have been singers who also had mallard ducks. You have to have an angle! And ducks are much more affordable than white tigers. I hope their act ended better then Siegfried and Roy’s did (RIP).
TokyoMagic!, I doubt that any of that stuff is still standing, but I can’t say for sure. Las Vegas is particularly brutal about tearing down anything that is old and historic. As for Evel Knievel, I’m more of a Snake River guy myself, but i have to admit that jumping the Caesar’s Palace fountains is a pretty cool thing. Lindsay Wagner, why didn’t she go on to have a huge career? Was she typecast as a bionic woman?
I think that Beebe Gallini from the Brady Bunch must have made a huge impression on these pink ladies! "Mommy she cries black tears!" Or perhaps these pink ladies inspired the hit variety show "Pink Lady and Jeff" AND that Brady Bunch episode? Probably... as both the Brady's and Pink Lady came after '68. Gotta say, Beebe Gallini's "iconic status" is up there with "Serena" aka Samantha aka Bewitched, singing "I'll blow you a kiss in the wind" (which I do have the vinyl of...) "Beebe Pink" is a specific pink...that unfortunately didn't make the cut into the Brady Bunch Movie much much later (another story). Back to VEGAS BABY! Baby!.....Vegas INVENTED "they ruin everything"!!! Since clearly everything was made of plastic and cheap glitter I don't think anyone had any emotional attachment to random bulldozing and blowing up things out there in the desert. Caesar's Palace- where the "Family Partridge" made their big debut- certainly brings back loads of memories. This entrance in the photos is featured strongly in that first episode- pretty much as you see here with plastic gladiators and naked "wrasslers". We did not go here as kids, but my mom and dad were married here and my dad loved topless lady shows- "nudes on ice" was a huge hit!....so we weren't invited on trips. I can't see trooping out to Vegas from LA with a bunch of brats saying "are we there yet?" and then when you "get there"...there would be nothing for the kiddy winks to do. I'm confused as to why these kids are there. I didn't visit until I was on my own at 16. I love roulette, still do. We had a plastic set to play with at home which I think is probably akin to giving kids candy cigarrettes to "smoke". or chocolate cigars. Candy cigarettes were not very tasty...in fact they were pasty...but it was fun to blow the powdery "smoke" from the wrappers. "Look mom! I'm smoking!" Kind of explains a lot. Caesars had the BEST pool ever...it was very Hearst Castley, with marble and really pretty scantily clad cocktail waitresses, outdoor Keno, handsome lads handing out towels. The Mirage did not hold a candle to Caesars. Another favorite hangout at Caesars was "Cleopatra's Barge". It actually bobbed up and down as if it were sailing down the nile. The costuming at Caesars was fantastic and everyone was so beautiful and done up. Ladies with very specific cone shaped wigs with ponytails, and guys in Gladiator suits. I looked 16 up until the time I turned 30, but no one in Vegas tended to give 2 bits. My drink of choice at the roulette table was a rusty nail: Whiskey and Drambuie. That also explains a lot. I was, and still am very blessed at roulette. I was like Lucy in Monte Carlo. Most trips were completely paid for by winnings and still some to bring home. The last time I stayed at Caesars...in the early 80's mind you...I stayed in a suite with red velvet flocked wallpaper, crimson shag carpeting, a round bed (yellow quilted satin) surrounded with electric control curtains and mirror on the ceiling...I could go on, but I won't...I think that is enough visual for all. I was honestly expecting less "adult" and more "Roman"...so after that time I moved down the street to the Mirage with it's White Tigers and aviary and and and....the land of excess, but who doesn't love a .99 shrimp cocktail from the Imperial Palace? Thanks for the memories this morning!
Great old Vegas pics today – thanks, Major. The prominent statue seems to be a rough copy of Giambologna's "Rape Of The Sabine Women", a sixteenth century work which stands in the loggia in Florence's Piazza della Signoria. As for Kim Weston, I believe it is indeed the Motown singer (now known best for her 1966 duet with Marvin Gaye, 'It Takes Two') who by 1968 had left Motown for the MGM label which seemed, at that time, to be repositioning her as more of a 'supper club' entertainer. I couldn't see anything online about a Vegas residency but I did come across an article mentioning a 1968 residency at the Cocoanut Grove in the Ambassador Hotel complete with orchestral backing.
I've never had any desire to go to Vegas. All my friends rave about how fun it is, but it just doesn't seem like it to me. Part of it might be that I'm horribly cheap. Gambling has as much appeal to me as tossing quarters into a storm drain.
Speaking of which, I did fly into Reno once and put a quarter into a slot machine with the predicted results. Nope. I'm done. (and I still want my quarter back).
If they were going to go through the trouble of making a copy of the Venus de Milo, you’d think they’d have put the arms back on it first.
Random memory: Mrs. Chuck’s reaction at seeing the Venus at the Louvre: “That’s the Venus do Milo??!! It’s just another broken statue!” I was absolutely mortified, but she later explained it was the funniest reaction she could think of.
Bu, Bebe Gallini - man, that’s a deep cut I had totally forgotten about! But you’re right - same shade of eyeball-searing pink.
Pegleg Pete, that Giambologna statue has an interesting history. It was originally intended to do nothing more than show off the sculptor’s talents, and then when it was decided to display it publicly they had to find a suitable mythological subject to name it after.
Stu, “…tossing quarters into a storm drain” - what a brilliant way to teach kids about gambling economics!
What happened in Vegas should have stayed in Vegas, if those clothes are any indication. Good grief, Pepto-Bismol is right. But I remember my Mom wearing things like that, and the photos are proof that others did.
I’ve mentioned before that we went to LV several times when I was younger. The weather was a nice respite from the cold, foggy winters in the Valley. Dad liked desert country and used LV as a base to do day trips out to various parks and monuments, like Hoover Dam, or destinations further East like Zion or Bryce. I remember him chuckling that the inexpensive room and food rates were subsidized by gamblers who were bad at math. Stu, his (and my) attitude to gambling was much like yours.
Major, you are correct, the large marquee is very similar to the one that Caligula installed on the Imperial Palace on the Palatine Hill. The Principate derived significant income from the ad revenues and product endorsements by the Crown.
Pegleg Pete, I concur in your ID of the statue, while I don’t know the full backstory of the Florentine sculpture (other than walking around it in admiration), the assigned name is an event of great importance in the founding history of Rome, making the work a suitable ornament to the casino theme. Roman men kidnapped women from a neighboring tribe and married them. The neighbors took so long to attempt a rescue that the captive women begged their parents and brothers to make friends with the Romans, who weren’t such bad guys after all, just lonely. The rest, as they say, is history…
The architecture in the fountain pic would seem right at home today, as the wheel has turned another circuit and everything that was once good, then bad, is now good again.
I returned to LV about 15 years ago for a trade event, had a horrible time in a big casino hotel. But we are contemplating a return on my Dad’s model because of things like the Neon Museum and Valley of Fire.
JG
Bu, well I guess I have to confess that I got a C- in “Advanced Brady Bunch Studies” in college, because I don’t remember Beebe Gallini. So much shame. Why did she cry black tears? Was it because of the blackness of her soul? Maybe she liked Nine Inch Nails. As much as I bemoan the fact that anything vintage in Las Vegas will be torn down eventually, at least they have been up front about it forever. Were any of those old buildings as wonderful as the famous hotels in Miami? Or did they just have great signs? Funny about those topless lady shows, my old best friend took his fiancee to Vegas and she was extremely jealous of him looking at the showgirls. What was he supposed to do, cover his eyes? My mom used to have a roulette wheel and a felt “board” where you could place your bets; I have NO idea why she had one or how she got it, but it was heavy and nice. I guess it’s gone now, or put away so thoroughly that I haven’t seen it in years. I know that the various hotels in Vegas have their reputations, my sister took my niece and some of her friends to go see Gaga a few years back, and they had rooms at the MGM Grand. One of her friends who spends a LOT of money there told her “The MGM Grand is a dump!”, and he promptly got her free rooms at the Bellagio, overlooking the fountains.
Pegleg Pete, ah, I think you’re right, I only noticed two people, but it probably IS a version of “Rape of the Sabine Women”. Hey, I took Art History class! Thanks for the info about Kim Weston, I definitely know the song “It Takes Two”. Did Marvin Gaye perform with Kim after the death of Tami Terrell? Sounds like Kim did alright for herself if she was at the Cocoanut Grove with an orchestra.
Stu29573, Vegas has stuff to offer if you aren’t into gambling (I don’t want to throw my money away), but it sure isn’t at the top of my list of places to go. I went once, had a fine time, and future trips will probably be someplace else. Maybe if I was into high-stakes poker, but I don’t have the constitution for it. Have you ever tossed quarters into a storm drain? It’s actually pretty fun!
Chuck, turns out the Venus de Milo was holding a jar of Ovaltine, archaeologists actually found the pieces. While I get that Mrs. Chuck was joking, I understand the disappointed reaction to seeing some classic works of art. When I saw the Mona Lisa, which had crowds of people around it, I was MUCH more impressed by Leonardo’s “The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne”, which NOBODY was looking at. Such a beautiful picture. Sculptors loved to show off their talent, isn’t that basically what Michelangelo did when he carved the Pieta? He even put his name on a sash so that people knew who did it.
JG, I guess I could understand the Las Vegas heat being a nice respite from chilly fog, but I was there right in early July, and it was SO hot, it felt like I had a hot frying pan resting on my head when I was out in the sun. So we tried to stay inside the air-conditioned casinos, or else we’d stay by the pool. I did like that part! But they played “Champagne Supernova” (by Oasis) so often that I can hardly listen to that song anymore. I know that Caligula was famous for his giant marquee signs and neon-decorated temples, that guy might have been nuts, but he knew how to make an impression. I mentioned that I studied Art History for a few semesters (great class!), and the “Rape of the Sabine Women” was a very popular subject for those Salon painters. Big action, nudity, why it had it all. I’d go to Vegas for some of the shows, but those are so darn expensive that I would probably be limited to two at the most. We saw Penn and Teller, that was fun!
OK...more memories...in the 80's there was an explosion at a Marshmallow factory in Henderson, NV...a stones throw from Vegas (and a quick day trip from Vegas along with the Hoover Dam, etc.) and also the Ethel M chocolate factory, home of booze-filled chocolates...which seemed to be a "thing" back then. My first reaction to a marshmallow factory exploding is "how does that happen?" my second was "I wonder if my pipeline to Ethel M chocolates has been compromised?" and thirdly...imagining in my mind a marshmallow factory exploding into a very sticky icky gooey mess like a Marshmallow Fluff Vesuvius...coating the landscape of Henderson Nevada, and it's environs, with a vanilla scented crust of goopy molten sugar. I just looked it up as my memory gets fuzzy... and this was a real thing (!), for the next door neighbor made fuel bits and bobs for the Space Shuttle and serious weapons and what not. IT exploded, and the Marshmallow factory was leveled due to it's proximity. Later, this particular explosion was included in episodes of such things like "Worlds most powerful explosions" etc. This apparently was a big deal with hundreds of casualties and two deaths. The marshmallow factory was re-built, and the other fuel/weapons/etc: PEPCON was relocated to Utah. The explosion site is now where you can buy cars, or go to University ....or get marshmallows. What did we do before the internet?
@ Pegleg Pete-
Kim Weston recorded another song with Marvin Gaye: "What Good am I Without You?" in 1964, also prior to his teaming-up with Tammi Terrell for 1967's hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".
Major-
“An experience not to be forgotten”. Yes, I love vague marketing phrases such as this. It doesn't matter what it's describing - it's all good [or awful-!]
I think I would have liked LasVegas 1968. When I see the resorts like The Sands Etc. All gone now. I’ve been to Las Vegas twice and if I never go again it will be way too soon. I’m not much for gambling - I always feel guilty and cannot enjoy it. And going into almost any casino ( except the PALMS CASINO in Knotts Roaring 20’s) I sense sadness and desperation .....all ( at the time ) overlaid with the smell of disgusting cigarette smoke . In fact both my Las Vegas visits are memory’s of the smell of cigarette smoke. My 1982 Las Vegas trip I was in junior high school .... my second was in the early 90’s and I went with a group of friends : we were excited to see the MGM preview center models and construction site ..... lol!! We all stoped at Calico Ghost Town on the way. And our none smoking rooms at The Showboat ALL were the worst cigarette smoke smelling places I had ever been in ..... other than the casino lobby’s. The Excalibur was the newest hotel in that visits. I do drink .... but I can think of 5,000 other cities to have cocktail in!
Sorry Las Vegas : I never knew you .... and I am grateful for that.
@ MIKE-
Sin City is definitely a mixed bag. The 'always ever-present' cigarette smoke is greatly diminished from the 'salad days' of the nasty habit, but can still be found. And there's no getting past the over-the-top gambling, and excessive tacky glitz and [so-called] glamour. But to simply write it all off as a great example of "useless excess, run amok" is very shortsighted.
There really is a lot to do - that has little to do with the "casino scene": day trips - as previously mentioned. The Pinball of Fame; the Mob Museum; the Neon Museum; the National Atomic Testing Museum; Ethel M Chocolates factory - including the largest Cactus Garden in the Southwest United States; with over three acres of botanical cactus; the Clark County Museum in Henderson, which includes Heritage Street which is a collection of restored historic buildings that depict daily life from different decades in Las Vegas, Boulder City, Henderson and Goldfield. Not to mention great places to eat, from small, local eateries, right up to all kinds of fine dining with incredible food. And in spite of the obscene growth, and over-built casinos, there are architectural gems still around.
No, I don't moonlight for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Just don't sell the area short. I think many who follow this blog would have a blast in Vegas. Beauty and surprises await those who are willing to explore beyond The Strip, etc.
Nanook: oh I’m not putting down any of those other destinations - all of which I’ve been to ( except the neon museum - which I know I’d enjoy)
But almost everything you mentioned can be enjoyed without having to actually go into LAS VEGAS ( other than the neon museum and gangster museum) I personally would prefer to explore GoldField than Las Vegas .... I think I id have more interest In Las Vegas if it was still a stage stop and horse changing station.
Incidentally if anyone is traveling to Nevada : Skip Vegas and see the V&T railroad museum in Carson or Virginia City . I’m currently beginning a project for the Nevada state Virginia City of a model of the pre 1870’s Fire boomtown .... and possibly a second model of the town after the great fire ..... Depicting Virginia City in its last hooray! Both models focus on “C” Street.
Tokyo, Arthur Fonzarelli was doing a headstand on the seat behind Evel Knievel, and Lindsay Wagner was standing on top of Fonzie's upturned feet. Oh, there was also a shark in the fountain pool.
Major, no more passenger pigeons, so no more shiny people. Wow, you have a real knack for slicing through the crud and getting to the truth of things! We are so fortunate to have someone with your wisdom and knowledge in our midst.
After a lot of research (15 seconds of Google), I found out that Lindsay Wagner "...joined the faculty at San Bernardino Valley College in southern California as an adjunct professor of acting and directing. Wagner has also been recognized for her work as a philanthropist."
Thanks to all who shared their Vegas memories today, and thanks Major for starting the discussion with today's photos.
Bu,I have heard of an explosion at a fireworks factory, but never at a marshmallow factory. Sounds delicious. Booze filled chocolates, I remember my grandma had some, only I did not know about the booze inside of them. So I ate one, and the unpleasant surprise of alcohol made me spit the thing out immediately! I guess I’m glad the factory was rebuilt, they must have had good insurance.
Nanook, the “blurb” about Kim Weston is so pointedly vague, open to any interpretation a reader can muster, that it is odd. How hard would it have been to just write something along the lines of “An exciting performer with an incredible voice!”?
Mike Cozart, 1968 might have still been a good time to see Vegas. Was the Rat Pack still doing anything together? Or were they through by then? Fremont Street was probably still a fun place to visit, hopefully not too run down. All of the big casinos had not yet moved to Las Vegas Blvd. Funny about your non-smoking rooms stinking of cigarettes, I have certainly had that same experience. And yes, if my goal is to enjoy a nice cocktail in a classy environment, there are many other options!
Nanook, I found it depressing to walk through the casinos and observe the people sitting at the slot machines, mindlessly pressing buttons (no more fun lever-pulling). The weird overlap of many sounds was sort of fascinating. Since each casino is in direct competition with the others, it only makes sense that they all try to outdo each other. All of those non-gambling things you listed sound 100 times more interesting to me than any games of chance.
Mike Cozart, I have friends who go to Vegas at least twice a year, hey, if they love it, good for them. It doesn’t affect me at all. I just don’t happen to share their love. Goldfield, I’ve never heard of it. Is it near Vegas? The railroad museum would be right up my alley for sure. I’d love to see that model (or those models?)!
JB, I seem to remember that they put a shark in the fountains of Caesar’s Palace for Fonzie to jump. What could be more exciting! When I was a kid I read about the extinction of the passenger pigeon, how could it not have an effect on anyone? Hard to imagine the flocks of millions of birds flying overhead for hours. I’m glad to hear that Lindsay Wagner did well for herself, and hey, she supports good works of some kind. Not the “Send random cash to Major Pepperidge”, but I’ll let it slide.
Major, Lindsay Wagner made a lot of TV movies through the 80s, 90s, and into the 2000s. Like, A LOT! My favorite is, "The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story," from 1988. It's a true story and she even speaks German in it! Of course, she was also the spokesperson for Ford, for many years.
JB, I forgot about that daredevil team of Knievel, Fonzarelli & Sommers. I had also forgotten about the shark in the fountain. But I do remember that Arnold had a chicken-to-go stand in the Caesar's Palace parking lot, and after they cleared the fountain, they crashed right into it. Chicken parts went flying everywhere. It was a mess.
Tokyo, too bad it wasn't a swan-to-go stand with swan parts flying everywhere. Would've done everyone a favor. Oooh! Maybe Gaylord and Holiday kept their swarm of mallards there. Duck parts everywhere! Talk about DuckDuckGo!
Major-
“An exciting performer with an incredible voice!” Thank you-! I'm so flattered.
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