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 can t 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 couldn t 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
overseas appreciation of being on stage. i think he had this fear of getting older, being relevant, and then it got out of hand. was nothing more than a few miners and railroad man trying to scratch out a living on this harsh on yielding nevada desert but even amid the hardship, there were glimmers of what the city would one day become the ultimate place to work. las vegas, nevada vegas is always marketed itself on it s not enos of course, within legal constraints. well, sometimes illegal no one knows gambling better than organized crime actually, vegas became the entertain net capital two of the world. say as long as we re all here together when we have a drink the content of that town, what has to offer? you can t beat that. every song would become visual show. every song will be like an adventure, like an experience. to be a headliner on his vegas that s what i m wonderin g whether you re driving into laws or you re flying into los but you see it. it
announcer: friends, viewers, countrymen, lend me your eyeballs. las vegas has always been able to grab you by the lapels and pull you in. little: it s glitz and glamour, entertainment, gambling. it s a place that s like no other. announcer: with time on your hands and money to spend, your thoughts may turn to las vegas. anka: by the late 60s, vegas started to figure out, what else can we bring here? woman: love you, elvis! thank you, dear. elvis was, like, an alien-like thing. he was so unique, so charming, and so hot. they saw that sex and debauchery sells, so let s do sex and debauchery. [ chuckles ] 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 ladyyyyyy toniiiiiight the stars of the las vegas shows may be frank sinatra, dean martin, and wayne newton, but for years, the fantasy and the razzle dazzle came from the famous long-legged showgirls.
of getting older and being relevant, and then it got out of hand. narrator: with nothing more than a few miners and railroad men trying to scratch out a living on this harsh, unyielding nevada desert. but even amid the hardship, there were glimmers of what this city would one day become. the ultimate place to work las vegas, nevada. vegas has always marketed itself on its naughtiness. of course, within legal constraints. well, sometimes illegal. man: no one knows gambling better than organized crime. white: eventually, vegas became the entertainment capital of the world. say, as long as we re all here together, why don t we have a drink? [ laughter ] anka: the content of that town, what it has to offer you can t beat that. dion: every song would become a visual show. every song would be like an adventure, like an experience. to be a headliner in las vegas, that s what i want to do. luck, be a lady tonight luck, be a lady tonight tonight luck, if you
narrator: with nothing more than a few miners and railroad men trying to scratch out a living on this harsh, unyielding nevada desert. but even amid the hardship, there were glimmers of what this city would one day become. the ultimate place to work las vegas, nevada. vegas has always marketed itself on its naughtiness. of course, within legal constraints. well, sometimes illegal. man: no one knows gambling better than organized crime. white: eventually, vegas became the entertainment capital of the world. say, as long as we re all here together, why don t we have a drink? [ laughter ] anka: the content of that town, what it has to offer you can t beat that. dion: every song would become a visual show. every song would be like an adventure, like an experience. to be a headliner in las vegas, that s what i want to do. 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 luc