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.
Frank Sinatra was a Las Vegas fixture for 43 years, from his first gig in September 1951 until May 1994.
It was in 1960, when the guys who were to become known as the 'Rat Pack' descended on the city for the filming of Ocean's 11, that he really came into his own. By night Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, Buddy Lestorand Peter Lawford would perform - all together or in various combinations - at the Sands to overflowing crowds, then deal cards at the blackjack tables afterwards. The cover charge was $5.95 and included dinner.
In 1967, when Howard Hughes bought the hotel and clamped down on the singer's huge casino debts, Sinatra moved to Caesars Palace. But there the issue of casino credit once again reared it's head, and in 1971 Sinatra announced his retirement from showbiz.
Just three years later, however, Sinatra was back in all his tuxedo clad hipness and, after a much vaunted 'return' concert at Caesars Palace in January 1974, he never missed a year of packing showrooms at various Las Vegas hotspots.
In December 1992 the Desert Inn celebrated Sinatra's 77th birthday with a gala concert. It was a fitting tribute to the man who put the swing into the Las Vegas Strip.
