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30 June 2006
Viva Las Vegas - Elvis
Presley
In the spring of 1956,
when he turned 21, Elvis Presley first appeared in Las Vegas
at the New Frontier.
With his ducktail hairdo,
long sideburns and eye shadow, and the collar of his pink
shirt turner up, he slung his guitar forward and, sneering,
began to play while jerking around the stage.
Newsweek magazine later
said his presence in the show was like having a "jug of corn
liquor at a champagne party," as if he were a clinical
experiment.
Fast forward 13 years, and
Elvis Presley is single handedly reviving Las Vegas as 'The
Entertainment Capital of the World'. Performing at the newly
opened International the 'Vegas Elvis' - perhaps inspired
by fashion tips from Liberace
- comes onstage in his famous white jumpsuit adorned with
ropes of pearls, beads and rhinestones; he's replaced the
jerky undulations of his old act with more fluid motions And
backing 'The King' is a 35 piece orchestra, his old five
piece rock band and two soul and gospel groups.
By the time Elvis had
concluded his first month long engagement at the
International, the showroom had generated more than $2
million - the first time a Las Vegas resort had ever
profited from an entertainer. For the next five years Elvis
appeared for four weeks twice a year.
This wasn't however a time
of happiness for the rock n' roller turned showroom star. He
had married Priscilla Anne Beaulieu in Las Vegas in 1967,
and the couple got divorced in 1973; the star's drug use had
become a health hazard and his weight gain alarming. In
August 1977 Elvis was found dead in his bathroom aged just
42.
Return
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Also see:
Viva
Las Vegas - Liberace
Pianist Wladziu Valentino Liberace made his Las Vegas debut
in November 1944 at the age of 25. He'd already taken the
showbiz step of changing his name, initially to 'Walter
Liberace' and then 'Walter Buster Keys,' and finally dropped
his first name altogether.
Viva
Las Vegas - Frank Sinatra
More than any other entertainer, Old Blue Eyes gave the city
it's sophisticated edge and glitzy image. The rise of the
singer and the Strip are inseparable.
Las
Vegas History. The Story Of
Vegas
How a tiny desert town turned into the ultimate gambling
Mecca.
Las
Vegas Showgirls
She is a beautiful creature bedecked in sequins, feathers
and always wears only the reddest lipstick. Her image is
synonymous with the glamour of the city's stages. She is the
Las Vegas showgirl and without Donn Arden she may never have
existed.
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