Transcripts For CNNW Vegas 20240704

I made a few Million Dollars in las vegas. Mcbride las vegas always sold the illusion that you can indulge in any way you like, and the only way you find out what you cant do is if you do it. In the 70s, you start to sense the old days are over. You could just see that las vegas lost its mojo. Reporter Howard Hughes asked for permission to buy another gambling casino, this one in reno. Charles when Howard Hughes came in, corporate mentality took over. Elvis i like to get there and fool with an audience. If you can do that, it works. Elvis was caught in a trap, and he couldnt get out. Luck be a lady tonight Luck Be A Lady Tonight tonight luck, if you ever were a lady to begin with Luck Be A Lady Tonight luck be a ladyyyyy tonight [ jazz music playing ] binkley the purpose of las vegas was to forget what was happening in the rest of the country and leave it behind. People in las vegas were certainly aware of what was going on in the 60s, but no casino was going to have a bunch of hippies coming through protesting against the vietnam war. So you start to see a transition period. Now youve got people and fresh minds that are really interested in las vegas coming in. Reporter las vegas. It was to here, four years ago, that Howard Hughes came. Hughes, The Sportsman and pilot, engineer, eccentric, but most of all billionaire. In 1966, Howard Hughes is a longtime aviation pioneer, hed had a career in movies. Hes also one of the richest men in america. He also desperately wants to avoid any kind of publicity and any kind of attention. So he decides to move to the las vegas strip. Reporter he liked vegas. Perhaps the sheer glare of it all enabled him to become anonymous. Up there in the Penthouse Suite of the desert inn hotel, he cut himself off from the rest of the world. Total, absolute seclusion. Barbutti when Howard Hughes was staying at the desert inn, they told him, were gonna need the room, and howard told them, no, i dont want to leave. So they called again and said, mr. Hughes, maybe you dont understand. You can come back in after the next week, and well comp it all for you. They offered him everything. And so it got to the point where they said, were going to have to evict you. And with that, hughes bought the hotel. Zoglin that started a buying spree. And suddenly, he was the Biggest Hotel owner in las vegas. Gill he had the frontier and the castaway and the Silver Slipper, and he had the sands and the desert inn, and he had the landmark. I mean, one person bought all these hotels. Reporter here at the sands, sammy davis jr. Described Howard Hughes as the only man who plays monopoly with real buildings. Binion he put a lot of money into the town, to the point they said, you know, maybe this is getting to be close to a monopoly or something. And they asked my dad what he thought. He said, nobody with money hurts the game. He brought a certain respect with him at a time when the fbi was starting to say, we gotta clean this place up. He was helping to build modern las vegas as we know it. Green hughes cashes out several mobowned casinos, and theres a thought that hes getting rid of Organized Crime. He really isnt, but las vegas is clearly trying to move away from that. Hughes was a billionaire. The mob is not going to control him. Mckee Howard Hughes was at the desert inn on that top floor for the entire time that i was there those first early years, 66, 67, 68. A lot of times, we would go over to the desert inn, and wed always think we were going to maybe see Howard Hughes. Everybody wanted to see Howard Hughes. That was what we were waiting for. Nobody ever did. You were described as a 6foottall man, weighing only 94 pounds, with a beard to his chest, hair to the middle of his back, and fingernails and toenails from 6 to 8 inches long. [ chuckles ] newton i worked for mr. Hughes for 14 years, and i remember when he would send me a note about, im glad youre doing great. Im enjoying the shows. Which meant that he had cameras up watching the shows over in his suite at the desert inn, you know . Little hed send word down, get rid of him, or, this guys great. Give him more bookings. You know, so Howard Hughes was a phantom, but he he was always watching, always watching. Zoglin Howard Hughes was the sort of Starting Point for what i call the corporatization of las vegas. It was a more businesslike approach to running a Las Vegas Hotel casino. Up until 1967, the person running the casino really was controlling the action. When hughes comes in, he starts the age of the accountant, which shifts everything. Charles everything now was the corporate mentality, as opposed to the mob guys. If one of the mob bosses liked you, then theyd go, give these guys a 1,000 raise. You got it. You cant do that with corporate. Barbutti corporate moved in, and of course they brought in their bean counters. They say sinatra was getting the top dollar, whether he did one show or two. It didnt matter. And so, they had a meeting, and they said, that doesnt seem equitable, although the casino drop Opening Night was over a million. Gill after Howard Hughes came in and bought all of this and bought all of that, its really never been the same since, and it never will be. Schumacher even more so than Howard Hughes, Kirk Kerkorian was someone who helped usher in a new era in las vegas. Binkley Kirk Kerkorian was a poor armenian kid who had about four careers before he came to las vegas. And by the time he got to las vegas, hed made his money. They didnt come any better than Kirk Kerkorian. A great, great businessman. He brought a dream of what he wanted to control. And with his vision, he did what he dreamed. Green kerkorian buys the flamingo about the time hughes is getting into action. And theres a story that the state called him in and said, we have never seen such revenue from the flamingo before. How did you do it . And the answer is he wasnt skimming. Anka he knew the town. And he knew how to manifest and look at growth and look at business. He knew what he was buying, who hed hire to go in and build it. But he never went past the front door. Binkley before kerkorian, casinos had been relatively intimate places. He was not an idea man. He just wants to be big, and he liked glitz and wealth. And he actually did build the Biggest Hotel in the world. Announcer in las vegas, the newest and Biggest Hotel is the international, a fantastic place with a unique rooftop Recreation Area and magnificent showrooms. Anka there was no other hotel in town like that, and they all said, oh, he aint gonna make it. In he walks and made it better. He was making a fortune. Zoglin here were the corporate players who were coming in and really taking an organized, methodical approach to maximizing the profits out of las vegas. Yeah, yeah, yeah they werent shelling out quite as much money for the entertainment, and it was a different atmosphere. And a lot of the old timers thought it was the beginning of the downfall of las vegas. But vegas had a different idea. Schumacher as the 1970s progressed and the corporations came in, las vegas lost its mojo a little bit. They werent as creative with the entertainment. It was an impersonation of las vegas rather than the las vegas of the rat pack. Schwartz a couple things happen to end the rat packs era in vegas. Howard hughes and sinatra did not get along. Green sinatra owned the sands in the sense that it was his playground. Hughes bought it, cut off his credit line, and theres an incident where sinatra says some things he shouldnt to carl cohen, the casino manager. Zook sinatra ended up throwing carl cohens breakfast into his lap, they got into a brawl, and carl cohen punched sinatra in the mouth. And sinatra retaliated by running a golf cart through the plate glass windows in the front of the sands, and then he went to the airport and said he was never going to play vegas again. But never say never. Anka you start to sense the evolution of vegas. They started to realize that the rat pack was not what it was. Schwartz the entertainment started to shift, and that star really went away and was replaced by other people. Elvis one, two, three. Weve got to patch it up, baby before we fall apart at the seams when elvis was in las vegas, the city was on fire. This was a place that was electric for those weeks that he was here in a way that it wouldnt be with any other performer. When he was here, it was his town. Patch it up with a Whole Lotta Love Noff well, when you speak of the impact of an entertainer on las vegas, theres no match for elvis. Every time he plays las vegas, the town assumes almost a new spirit. Charles he just turned the town on its ear when he came here. Hed finish his midnight show, and wed go back to the Dressing Room and hang out with him until 3 00, 4 00 in the morning. And hed just talk to you like you were just a buddy of his. He was a really, really cool guy. I liked elvis. Zoglin Elvis Comeback Show was a huge success. Before elvis, The Standard Vegas Show was an intimate sort of nightclub encounter. Elvis was in a 2,000seat auditorium that was really like a rock concert. Elvis was pointing them in that new direction. Elvis was also the first performer to create a regular schedule in las vegas. He came twice a year, for fourweek stints each time. Before elvis, people came to vegas to come to vegas. With elvis, people came to see elvis. Then they might go see other shows, and they might gamble. But elvis was the attraction. So people could kind of plan their vegas excursions around elvis. Binkley he had a big following in Older Americans that remembered when he was young and sexy and groundbreaking and all of those things, maybe a little more working class. Zoglin these were people who were not necessarily big gamblers. It was middle america. And this was the audience that vegas would start to move toward as the years went on. Reporter las vegas where all the girls are beautiful and all the men are rich. Or thats what they would have you believe. A beacon in the night to all the suckers adrift in the world. In the 70s, you then have economic changes. There is stagflation, the oil crisis. These have an impact on las vegas. Schwartz it really does represent the shifting face of capitalism in the united states. Now its not just about keeping your customers happy, its about driving shareholder value. Binkley at that time, you start to see the early part of what we recognize today as a very corporate las vegas. The feds were coming down on Organized Crime. So the 70s In Las Vegas represents a period where, on the one hand, its starting to become okay to actually do business there, and on the other hand, outside of elvis, las vegas isnt so cool anymore. I cant stop this feeling, Deep Inside Of Me Schumacher las vegas didnt recognize that it should be looking for ways to appeal to the youth culture. Las vegas aged and its demographics of its visitors aged. Weatherford the people that were performing in the vegas showrooms were, you know, people like roy clark or tony orlando, people you saw on variety tv. Up, up, up up on your feet come on up up okay tie a ribbon round the ole oak tree those yellow ribbons the rockers wanted nothing to do with that. They thought playing vegas would kill their career. Las vegas didnt quite realize that it had become kind of a punchline. Green the glitz and glamour are giving way, in a lot of peoples minds, to something that looks a little tawdrier, kitschier. Polyester. Charles and the next thing you know, all of that classy Nightlife Stuff that we saw back in the 60s was now gone. Mckee before, it was glamorous. You walked in the casino, you saw women dressed to the nines. But in the 70s, things just changed. Reporter people jet to this remote desert city with hopes of jetting home with lucky winnings. But they know that luck is elusive and that they probably will lose. Morikawa on 18. He is really boxed in here. Not a good spot. Off the Comcast Business van. Into the vending area. Oh, not the fries wheres the ball . Anybody see it . Oh wait, there it is back into play and. Aw no, its in the water. Wait a minute. Are you kidding me . You got to be kidding me. Rolling towards the cup, and its in the hole what an impossible shot brought to you by Comcast Business. Binkley by the early 70s, it was clear in las vegas that the Balance Of Power was shifting. It hadnt completely shifted. Nobody operating in las vegas thought the mob was gone. But it was starting to look safer to other people. Green its a period where theres some restructuring going on, you might say recalibrating. The corporations are coming in, and kerkorian sold his two hotels, the flamingo and the international, to hilton. Schumacher that was a big deal for las vegas because there was a respectability associated with hilton that las vegas aspired to. When you were able to attract somebody as respectable as the hilton family, we were getting somewhere. [ Machinery Beeping ] barbutti kerkorian sold the international, made a lot of money, and then he went to mgm movie corporation, said, id like to build an mgm hotel. Binkley he saw that people were building fantasies and doing crazy things. He saw Caesars Palace, and he wanted to do those kinds of things himself. Green this is something totally different on the strip. He puts in a movie theater, they show old mgm movies. Barbutti it was like 100 million. And it was 2,000 rooms. They said, youre crazy. You cant build a hotel that big. And they built the hotel, and they had their money back in less than a year. It was the hugest success. [ Inaudible Chatter ] he made large resorts that, you know, felt more like cities than hotels. Kirk kerkorian made building a bigger resort fashionable. Schumacher in the early to mid 70s, corporations started this process of nudging the mob out of las vegas, but they didnt just disappear overnight. Today a Federal Grand Jury looking into the links between Organized Crime and Las Vegas Casinos handed down an indictment. It followed a twoyear fbi probe and may embarrass the las vegas gambling industry, which claims that any substantial mob involvement was a thing of the past. Schumacher the chicago mob was the controlling interest behind four casinos in las vegas the stardust, the hacienda, the fremont, and also the marina. And in each case, chicago was skimming off the top from these casinos, sending the money back home. They installed Tony Spilotro as the street enforcer, who was supposed to make sure that nobody caused any trouble. If they did, he was going to take care of it. Reporter federal investigations now reveal that Anthony Spilotro was profiting himself from the illgotten casino money instead of sending it back to chicago. Additionally, spilotro did not fit the profile of a mob overseer. Instead of being lowkey, spilotro kept a high profile in the community and even ran a smalltime Burglary Ring which became known as the Hole In The Wall gang. Schumacher they were Burglarizing Homes and businesses. And one of their methods was to punch a Hole In The Wall rather than going through the door or a window, which might have a, you know, an alarm that would be triggered. So they became known as the Hole In The Wall gang. Gill i saw him back then. I didnt know who he was. And we hung out and we had a couple drinks at the chateau vegas. I introduced him to sean connery. I didnt know who he was, you know . Oh, come and meet tony, you know . Oh, and thats lou beans over there. [ sighs ] i didnt know. I was, like, naive. I had never really discussed all of this with anybody. Schumacher he could be a ruthless killer. He was very tough, very hotheaded, and had a reputation that preceded him. So people kind of knew that if they went crossways with Tony Spilotro, something bad might happen. I knew to stay away from spilotro and, like, you know, to stay away from from things that are not your business. You know, just. You know, mind your business, thats all. Anka ultimately, it evolved into the great film casino. All of the characters you saw in casino, they were at my club. Binkley that movie tied together all of the fabulous fantasies that we have about mobbedup las vegas. And they got a lot of it right. Little they showed a part of vegas that a lot of people knew existed, but had never really seen. Schumacher it allowed las vegas to Take A Deep Breath and accept its mob past. And not only to accept it, but kind of embrace it. Were going to own it. This is part of our past. There are a lot of bad things that happened, but thats part of how we built this city. Schumacher in the 1970s, outside of elvis, las vegas did not have the Entertainment Magic that it had captured previously with the rat pack and other performers of the 50s and 60s. Las vegas had so many different entertainers now. You could tell they were stretching. Hey it was almost like vegas was having an Identity Crisis and trying to figure out, where, how, what, when, whats going to work now . Weatherford by the middle of the 70s, as vegas got away from that tuxedoed crooner, wayne newton sort of inherited their audience and some would say had it all to himself. I can face all the madness this world has to give but i wont last a day without you anka when there was a Knock On Vegas and everybody poopooed it to come there, he was part of that makeup that everybody wanted to knock, but wayne newtons fans were with him all the way. Schilling going to see a wayne newton show, you got your moneys worth and more. I think wayne became the resident elvis of las vegas. Newton i have a true desire to entertain. You know, they can walk out saying that they didnt like wayne newton, but they couldnt walk out saying that i didnt work hard enough for them. Little he used to do a threehour show sometimes, and the management didnt like that because they want to get people out there and get them gambling, but he didnt care. The audience just loved him because he worked so darn hard, and he became known as mr. Las vegas. Newton yeah. This is the moment my Once In A Lifetime when i can explore a new. I dont know how i got the name mr. Las vegas, but with it comes a great deal of responsibility. I never walk on stage anytime in my life that i dont learn something, even if its what not to do again. And every time, i say to myself, you now have to step up and be everything you can be, because the people who are paying for those tickets need it. They need to get away from all the stuff that theyre hearing in the news. They need to come here and have fun, because thats what vegas is. Could you give me some sexy lights . Thank you, thats perfect. Schwartz he becomes the quintessential las vegas performer. Maybe somebody sold more tickets than him, maybe somebody performed more shows than him, but i dont think anyone got more Standing Ovations than wayne newton in vegas. With changes in the country, there are changes happening in las vegas. And the city also faces competition from outside. So las vegas constantly reinvents itself or finds new ways to reach you, and it has to, to be successful. Announcer and now we come to a very rare category. Its the rare art of female impersonation. Hello, you little dolls. Id like to do a medley of my greatest hit. Hello, Dolly Mcbride there was always a huge contingent of gay people in the entertainment industry, the showboys, the showgirls, but the mob made absolutely sure there were never any gay bars on the strip. Schumacher when you look at the gay movement in america, las vegas was not exactly a leader, it was a follower. Mcbride when stonewall happened in 1969, the local newspapers ignored it completely. It really was not until gay people from other parts of the country, who were ahead of what was going on in nevada, moved here and brought that consciousness with them. [ knock on door ] lets go, kids. Its showtime. Keep your pants on [ all muttering ] alright, but sinatras in the audience. Announcer for just 4. 95, and you dont have to buy a drink unless you want one, you can see boylesque 78 at the Silver Slipper mcbride one of the first significant drag shows in las vegas was this is boylesque. There had been smaller drag shows even as early as the 1930s, but kenny kerr, a female impersonator, a drag queen, who had done shows all up and down the circuit, gave the Gay Community in las vegas a jump. You have arrived at boylesque. Well dance and well sing well do a little. Woman how do you keep your figure . How do i keep my figure . Mostly to myself. And i get laid three times a day. [ laughter ] mcbride it was the first time and the safest way that the straight public could be introduced to a Gay Community and not feel threatened and retaliate. It was probably kenny kerr and boylesque that, more than anything, gave the Gay Community in las vegas that last push to go forward. [ applause ] you know something . Vegas is a lot of fun. And a lot of people come here for conventions, meetings, or just to have a good time. But dont ever get sick in this town, under any circumstances, or youll find yourself at their only medical facility the silver sequin General Hospital and casino. [ laughter ] you cant miss it. You can see the names of the doctors in big lights on a marquee out front. [ applause ] las vegas was a great town for comedians. People wanted to laugh, and, you know, they just love them. So you got a great reaction from them. And you got to see some of the alltime greats. Surely many of us remember this, huh . The Evening Breeze caressed the trees tenderly and id like very much to play it for you on my broom. [ laughter ] to everybody who was a comic, this was the big time. The casino could afford to pay them more than they could make anywhere else. Plus, you had great audiences because they were in a festive mood. I called my wife back in pennsylvania, and i said, get on the train and get the kids and get out here. This is paradise. Binkley comedians bust people up, they have a good time, they enjoy themselves. And people wanted to have a good time. Comedians could pull you out of whatever your real world was back home, and just Pure Entertainment for the evening. And then go out to dinner. Is this the wife . Yes. [ laughter ] whatd you have for dinner . Fish . [ laughter ] newton people dont come here to hear problems. They come here to forget theirs. And if we cant do that as performers, then were not doing our job. You know, arabic or jew, we are brothers. Arabic or jew, it doesnt matter to me, sir. Were all human beings. God bless you, really. [ applause ] [ laughter ] schumacher for some reason, when we talk about entertainment in las vegas, we turn our attention to Frank Sinatra and liberace and elvis, but comedy has a long history in las vegas, and what las vegas has done in its evolution is created spectacles. You would come specifically to las vegas for that one event, and where that really started was with boxing. It is another one of those big oh, you wanna do that . Big nights in sports tonight. Theres been a great deal of talking about this fight. Its a fight that two billion people around the world will be watching, the fight between muhammad ali and larry holmes. It is a Battle Of Hard Hitters in a city of high rollers. Announcer muhammad schilling muhammad ali, larry holmes in las vegas. There was excitement. People were coming from all over the world, not just america. Announcer if larry gets lazy with his left jab, which hes been known to do, he can. Holmes vegas was paying more. They would outnegotiate the Madison Square garden, people like that. Because they wanted to be known as the place to be. Announcer thats it they stopped the fight. A tko boxing became another form of entertainment in las vegas. If there was a title fight, it was going to be here. And you knew you were getting people who spend money. Barbutti i would see at those fights the most beautiful women ive ever seen in my life wearing designer dresses, 60,000 furs. You never saw them at a show. They only went to the fights. There was something about the fights that drew this crowd out. Any sport like that is amazing for the entertainment capital of the world. They come and they gamble and they spend money. Where normally you would never get that many people with that much interest in something as you do with boxing. Wynn years ago, fight promoters used to rent a hall somewhere and print the tickets and do the press and do the advertising and put together a deal, and for this they took a big cut out of the fight purse. Today, its altogether different. We provide the tickets, we provide the advertising, we provide the personnel, we provide the arena. Schumacher when theres a big fight in las vegas, it really transforms the town. Theres really an energy surrounding these kinds of spectacles that emanates throughout the valley. Announcer a playground for flamboyant highrollers. And a dramatic arena for the super bowls of boxing. Tonight, from Caesars Palace on the strip of las vegas, nevada, Hbo Sports Presents World Championship boxing. Leonard larry holmes has been through major wars, and the fact that he faced muhammad ali here, and that was a very significant fight. I dont think hes gunshy. Announcer introducing, in the red corner, the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world, Larry Holmes Holmes when i fought gerry cooney, he was the numberone contender. He was a white boy, and they wanted a white guy to be heavyweight champion of the world. It was marketed as the great white hope. [ laughs ] [ bell dings ] announcer in the blue corner, introducing gentleman gerry cooney. The basic reason for this multimilliondollar extravaganza is that just as blacks identify with heroes like muhammad ali, white people occasionally invest in a gerry cooney. I think its fair to say that this impulse is more racial than racist. But that impulse has projected gerry cooney into this rich opportunity despite the fact that hes never faced a legitimate contender and that he hasnt fought anyone for more than a year. Holmes im the champ, and you got a white guy coming in here and trying to take over my position. You see, i became the enemy. Shake hands. Now, lets get it on gonna be a good fight. Holmes they wanted gerry to win. I was the underdog. But it did sell tickets. How much money do you think Las Vegas Made that night . Thats how you look at it. Announcer righthand. Holmes knows he has his man in trouble. Then another righthand. And that eyes really opened up. Combinations of punches thrown by the champion against gerry cooney. This one is all but over, cooney against the ropes. Holmes but, you know, i pay it no mind. I knew what i had to do. And i had to keep him from winning my title. And i did. Announcer and still the wbc heavyweight champion of the world, larry holmes anka weve seen fights in other cities, weve seen them in other countries, but it doesnt draw the influx of people. So, vegas became the boxing capital of the world. You can make money the hard way as a bullfighter or a human cannonball. Or save money the easy way, with xfinity mobile. Existing customers can get a free line of our most popular unlimited plan for a year not only will you save hundreds but youll also be joining millions who have connected to americas most reliable 5g network. Sure is a lot safer than becoming a stuntman for money. Get a free line of unlimited intro for a year when you buy one unlimited line. Visit xfinitymobile. Com today to learn more. [ Suspicious Minds plays ] were caught in a trap gill in the early 70s, elvis loved performing. And it was so evident. So evident. Because i love you too much, baby for the first year or two after his vegas comeback in 1969, elvis did great shows. He was packing audiences across the country and concerts all over. Newton it was christmas. Santa claus is here. Thats what the town felt like when elvis finally showed up, headlining at the international. Man nobody among the entertainers in las vegas ever had the Drawing Power that elvis did, or stirred up things the way he did. Zoglin he was at the peak of his powers. I mean as a singer, he was never better. But he did the same thing over and over. He came back twice a year. It started to get old for him. Weatherford with elvis, its like all good things. You can just squeeze it too dry and take it too far. And he was trapped on this hamster wheel. Zoglin strangely enough, he never toured outside the u. S. , partly because his manager, tom parker, didnt have a passport. Elvis needed to do new things. Schilling there were other problems, but not before the creative disappointments. You cannot take a genius and give them mediocrity. [ applause ] schumacher he was being pushed to the limit. He just should not have been performing as much as he was, both in las vegas and around the country. Elvis needed help. Schilling why didnt anybody do anything . That question comes up. Well, i can say i did. And i went to vegas. When i got over there, he was really in bad shape. And i had a confrontation with the doctor. I said, i better never see this man like this again. Of course, next day, he went to elvis, and i go there, and elvis is really upset with me. When you get your damn medical degree, you tell my doctors. Sidney in his last years, he was just going down, you know . He was grossly overweight. He was sweating, and. I felt badly for him. He was declining. Its like my husband said, showbiz is the greatest business in the world if youre on top. Anything below that, its not very good. Dont be cruel to a heart thats true yeah newton i noticed a decline in elvis appreciation of being on stage. I could see that his heart was not in the same place and that he was hurting. Anka you knew that he was going through many things. Hed come and sit with me in my Dressing Room at caesars, and we would talk about a lot of things. I think he had this fear of getting older and being relevant, and then it got out of hand. Were caught in a trap good evening. Elvis presley died today. He was 42. Apparently, it was a heart attack. Reporter he was a man who influenced millions of lives, but couldnt control his own. Reporter 2 President Carter today described presley as a symbol of the vitality, rebelliousness, and good humor of his country. Why cant you see reporter 3 pandemonium has broken out here on Elvis Presley boulevard. Reporter 4 police estimated that as many as 80,000 mourners gathered to pay their last respects to the dead singer. I just cant believe hes dead. All i feel is just hurt. I hurt all over. We cant go on together gill although a lot of people could see it coming, elvis death hit people like a ton of bricks. I still cant believe it. I still cant believe it. And we can build our Dreams Schilling what i saw, down Elvis Presley boulevard on that fourmile drive, i realized that he had accomplished what he set out to do, because lined up on that street there were black people, there were white people, there were asian people, there were bikers, there were people in suits, and they all were standing there paying their respects, together. Here we go again against all odds, everybody loved him. Asking where ive been charles i had to stop. I had to pause for a minute, because he was a big part of my reality. Elvis and frank and all of those people were just part of it. And when he died, that was the end of that era. We cant go on together you dont think rock n roll is dying . In 1956, when i first started out, i was hearing the same thing, that rock n roll was dead or dying out. Im not saying that it wont die out, because it may be dead tomorrow, completely. I dont know. I wish i did know. Oh, let our love survive newton its not something that i can even take lightly to this day, when you love someone as a friend, that elvis was to me. Lets dont let a good thing die anka he was an important force. Theres nobody like him. And he wound up in vegas at a time when they needed him, and, sadly, it ended with vegas. You know id never lie to you mmmmmmmmm zook elvis death was a huge blow. He would fill the town, and now that was gone. We need to find somebody to replace elvis. Woman casinos cant afford star salaries. Theyve simply priced themselves out of the market. Las vegas really needed an attraction. The city that thrives on replacing itself all the time. Zoglin this was the beginning of vegas as a disneyfied entertainment zone