A quick and pertinent history of how Las Vegas developed from 1951 -- the year Frank Sinatra came to town -- through the corporate makeover of the '90s. The rise and fall of the golden age of "Cult Vegas."
The full story of the Las Vegas lounge -- and the genre it created -- told for the first time. Yes, Louis Prima -- but also the Mary Kaye Trio, the Treniers, Freddie Bell, Sonny King, Esquivel, the Checkmates and Cook E. Jarr. With sidebars on "exotica" and the '90s lounge revival.
The distinctly Vegas brand of comedy, as told by drunks, smart guys and crazy people: Joe E. Lewis, Buddy Hackett, Shecky Greene, Don Rickles, Johnny Carson, Totie Fields, Foster Brooks, Redd Foxx and Sam Kinison.
Elvis Presley's Las Vegas story -- a saga worthy of one of his movies. Includes a bizarre only-in-Vegas meeting between Elvis and TV horror hostess Vampira, and a sub-chapter on the man Elvis could have lived to be: Tom Jones.
The most outrageous movies made in Vegas, from "The Las Vegas Story" to "Vegas Vacation." Long essays on the three classics: "Ocean's Eleven," "Viva Las Vegas" and "Diamonds Are Forever," complete with location information and script-to-final cut comparisons.
Plus, Las Vegas through the decades:
The '50s: "The Atomic Kid" and "The Amazing Colossal Man"
The '60s: "The Grasshopper" and "Hell's Angels '69"
The '70s: "The Night Stalker"
The '80s: "Rocky 4" and "Over the Top"
The '90s: "Honeymoon in Vegas" and "Indecent Proposal"
And shorter looks at: "Austin Powers," "Best of the Best II," "Casino," "Con Air," "Cool World," "Corvette Summer," "The Electric Horseman," "Elvis and Me," "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," "The Gauntlet," "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man," "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid," "Kill Me Again," "Las Vegas Hillbillys," "Las Vegas Story," "Las Vegas Weekend," "Lookin' to Get Out," "Lost in America," "Mars Attacks!," "Meet Me in Las Vegas," "One from the Heart," "Showgirls," "The Stand," "Swingers," "Things are Tough All Over" and "Vegas" (TV pilot).
The ladies that made Las Vegas famous -- no not those ladies, the ones who performed on stage! Also, some surprise appearances from starlets better known in the B-movie world.
Includes, Lili St. Cyr, Tura Satana, Regina Carrol, Dyanne Thorne, Angelique Pettyjohn, Jayne Mansfield, Mamie Van Doren, Charo, Juliet Prowse and Ann-Margret.
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