In those days, if you stole from the casinos, you were stealing from the Mafia and depending, you would be taking in the back and beaten or killed and dumped in the desert, probably a good beating as a warning
This vacation foorage is pretty neat! We got to see the Sahara one last time before it was closed down. My friend found $5 walking in the lobby and won $95 playing the slots!
This is wonderful and life seems good here, but don’t forget there were major issues that are not easily visible. Civil and voting rights were not protected, homophobia was rife, abuse was covered up, and women were unequal to men. Lets not view this period with rose tinted glasses. It was beautiful, but very dark
I can remember going (more like passing through) Las Vegas in 1954 on a cross country automobile trip. My parents stopped in a casino on the strip. I had them play some nickels for me. It was August and hotter than Hell and no AC in our 50 horsepower 1950 Plymouth. Being inside the AC'ed casino was the big treat.
I remember in those days the new cars would come out in the end of the previous year...and they didn't all look alike as they do today. Those were some fine cars! Big, gaudy, and lots of chrome. My folks had the 56 black and white Buick that I shot in a few scenes.
I used to live in Las Vegas, and let me tell you it wasn’t as charming as this era. It was okay when I was there, but I would have loved to see it in its formative years.
As a kid, I remember driving through and spending the night in Vegas from Southern California to get to Utah in the early 70's. Those same casinos and hotels were still thriving, such a magnificent time in history. Great video, Ray!
This is really great. There are a bunch of old home movies on Vegas, but so few of them have a voice over. This adds so much to the film. By the way, are you a pro v/o artist. You definitely have the voice for it!
Wow! I lived out there very briefly as a toddler, and I still have vivid memories of these hotels. We lived between the desert inn and the Sands. In retrospect, I’m just amazed by how low and close to each other these “monumental” landmarks were. I remember people being impressed by the then under construction Stardust, because it “went all the way back to the railroad tracks.” I vaguely remember driving all the way along the strip, which at that point pretty much meant from the Tropicana to the Sahara. Also recall a grand opening of a big department store (Magnin?) with fireworks, and the Dancing Waters- i think at the Desert Inn. But it’s the neon that is burned most vividly into my memory. Thanks for sharing this classic. What fun! ( great narration, too!)!
By 1956 most of the early fabulous well known strip hotels were up and running, including the El Ranch Vegas , The Last Frontier, Flamingo, Thunderbird, D.I. Sahara, Sands and Riviera...a couple of years later, the 2 final giants would be underway, The Stardust and the Tropicana........
Mom and Dad had great taste and some bucks, to be able to afford a brand new shiny 1956 Buick, and stay at the fabulous Sahara!...Thanks for posting....
COULD PUT THE REAL VEGAS ..BACK.. SOME THES HOTELS .. SHOULD BE PUT BACK' THERE.. THAT WAY PPL COULD GO TO THE 50'S STREETS OR 60'S .. FLOCKS [ HOPEFULLY..]
1969 my first trip to vegas to see elvis, his dinner show was 15.00 per person. most other shows were no more than 10.00 for dinner. What a great time !!
Great video Ray.. I been going to Vegas since 1980. Not much of anything left in that area. Most places built after this in that area are gone now.. Stardust, Westward Ho, Riviera, Sahara, Frontier, Desert Inn.. These were the places I liked best.. Ty for posting .. Great job.
When I first visited in '99, we walked down the strip to the water park and stopped to admire the windowless, ready for implosion 'El Rancho Vegas' (which I think may have been across the street from its location in your film?). 5 years later I was staying in Wilsonville, OR on business and found a odd hanger in the closet... labeled 'El Rancho Vegas' which I traded for one of mine. Thanks for the great film and great narration.
