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Las Vegas is one of the most famous cities in the world. The glitz and the glam and the thought of becoming rich quick drew people from around the world. In its earliest days, legends like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack roamed the town on a daily basis, and the nightlife was robust and over-the-top. Las Vegas is unapologetically gaudy, flashy, and downright sinful. Hey, they don’t call it Sin City for nothing.
Take a look at this collection of never-before-scene photos from the early days of the infamous City of Lights in all its wonder.
Poolside at El Rancho
Pictured here are some bathing beauties taking a dip in the swimming pool at El Rancho hotel in 1942. Though the world was at war, Las Vegas created the perfect escape from reality for vacationers.
Down in the Sands
Pictured here is a glitzy dance show at the Sands Hotel in December 1952. The hotel played host to some of the biggest performers of the time, including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Dean Martin. Pop culture came alive here, and in the photos to come, you will see how…
Sultan of Swoon
Before Britney and Celine hit the strip, Vegas shows were dominated by male crooners like Frank Sinatra and others from the Rat Pack. Pictured here, in a photo from 1955 taken at the Dunes Hotel, the Sultan of Swoon is surrounded by a harem of Vegas beauties, and beauties were a common sight to behold in Sin City…
Behind the Scenes with the Bluebell Girls
This backstage glimpse of one of the Bluebell Girls was taken in 1958. In a matter of minutes, she would appear before a crowded audience and give them the show of a lifetime with her fellow Bluebell Girls.
The Bluebell Girls – Live!
Here are the Bluebell Girls in action in one of their larger-than-life Vegas shows. These beauties came all the way from the Lido Nightclub in Paris to dazzle patrons at the Stardust Resort and Casino with their ethereal beauty. The dancers performed on platforms suspended from the ceiling of the Stardust Hotel, pictured here in 1958.
Gambling with Dumbo
Like any typical casino, the Dunes hosted plenty of classic Las Vegas shows, including ones featuring an elephant by the name of Tanya. In between performances, Tanya would sometimes gamble with the customers, as was the case in this photo from 1966. Elephants and showgirls, what more could a Vegas sinner ask for?
Frank Sinatra and the Folies
The man in the middle is Frank Sinatra, the American crooner, and the world's first pop star. In this picture, Sinatra is surrounded by the famous Copa Girls. He was performing at one of the legendary Las Vegas resorts, the Sands, in 1963. Sinatra put Vegas on the map, and Vegas gave life to Sinatra’s massive career.
The Gabor Sisters
Meet the famous and glamorous Gabor sisters, pictured here at the Last Frontier Hotel in 1955. They were a trio of beautiful actresses and socialites that originally hailed from Hungary but made names for themselves in Hollywood. Zsa Zsa is on the left, Magda is in the middle, and Eva is on the right. Vegas was always crawling with stars, much like this next familiar face…
The King
Every king has his loyal subjects and here, Elvis Presley spends some time with his fans at the Sahara Hotel signing autographs. Elvis made a name for himself in the City of Lights, and for good reason…
The Copa Room
These are the Copa Girls, the showgirls who performed in the Copa Room, which was the nightclub of the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. It was the ultimate show for those who wanted a night full of every kind of entertainment possible. Besides these beauties, many other people of note performed at the famed Copa Room, including Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Edith Piaf, and Frank Sinatra, and others from the Rat Pack.
The French Female
Brigitte Bardot was spotted here walking down the strip with her new husband, wealthy and hip German industrialist Gunther Sachs Von Opel, in 1966. The two flew to Las Vegas and exchanged their vows in a surprise ceremony, proving that Vegas truly is the place for a quick nuptials.
Poolside Gambling
You shouldn’t have to leave the pool to gamble, and the Sands Hotel had it all figured out in 1954. Here, we see gamblers placing their bets in the water, and why not, vacation is the time to make a real splash, just ask the Follies…
A Night of Follies
What would a visit to Las Vegas be without a good show? Pictured here are the showgirls of the Folies Bergere at the Tropicana casino and hotel in the 1960s. They set the gold standard for the extravagant and over-the-top Vegas shows we’ve come to know and love. And their style was unmatched, just like this next photo…
Shuttled in Style
The guests of the Sands Hotel not only had a special shuttle to take them around, but they also had some especially stylish drivers as well. From its opening in 1956 until it was demolished in 1996, The Sands Hotel and Casino was the epicenter of the Las Vegas scene, and those who stayed there probably enjoyed a show with this next group…
The Rat Pack in Action
To this very day, the Rat Pack embodies true Vegas cool, the kind that oozed from the city throughout the late ’50s and early ’60s. Pictured here from left to right are Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Joey Bishop. These were some lucky audience members!
Hello, El Morocco!
Nowadays, the idea of a fast and cheap Vegas wedding is a well-known thing, but back in the 1940s, it was something new and exciting. Shown here is the wedding of on-screen siren Betty Grable and bandleader Harry James on July 14, 1943. If huge stars were coming to Vegas, that could only be a good sign of things to come…
The Queen of Rock
Seen here is the Queen of Rock and Roll, Lillian Briggs. She hit it big in the early ’50s as one of the first female rock stars and blew the crowds away when she did shows in Las Vegas. In this rare photo from 1958, she is seen giving a fierce performance at the Sands Hotel, much like this next superstar…
Smiling Sammy
Seen here is the mega-talented singer-actor-dancer Sammy Davis Jr. When the Rat Pack ruled the roost in Vegas, they were frequenters of the Golden Steer restaurant, Casbar Lounge at the Sahara Hotel, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, and Atomic Liquors, the city’s oldest bar. But all that time in the spotlight meant taking care of themselves, much like the crew at this next famous location…
Morocco Beauty Salon
If you were going to dine, drink and gamble with the best of the best in old Las Vegas, you would have needed a stunning hairdo to match. Below is an ad from the ’70s for one such place, the Morocco Beauty Salon at the El Morocco motel. Unfortunately, this motel was demolished in 2008, luckily, we have photos like the above to keep the memories and glory alive.
A Table of Greats
Pictured below is the definition of the cool table including the original Rat Pack. One infamous night in 1955, some of the greats of Hollywood and Las Vegas were seated together at a single table at the Sands Hotel to enjoy a meal. On the left side of the photo, we see actor Humphrey Bogart, producer Sid Luft, actress Lauren Bacall, actress Judy Garland, and Jack Entratter (manager of the Sands hotel). On the right side of the table is Hollywood restauranteur Mike Romanoff (whose face is mostly hidden), singer Frank Sinatra, Gloria Romanoff, actor David Niven and Hjrdis Niven. But one famous daredevil was missing…
Evel Knievel
Before the boys of Jackass, Evel Knievel was the ultimate daredevil. Pictured here in 1967, Knievel tried to jump over the fountains at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The jump was around 141 feet and Knievel didn’t make it. Knievel crashed and wound up in a coma for 28 days. Not everyone was lucky in Vegas.
The Change Girl
The “Change Girls” at Las Vegas casinos were your go-to gals when you ran out of coins because let’s face it, you gotta spend money to make money.
Vegas Vic
You’ve probably seen this large neon cowboy many times in movies and on TV. His name is Vegas Vic and he was part of the sign for the Pioneer Club, a casino and cocktail bar on the Las Vegas strip that opened in 1942. The famous neon sign changed the Las Vegas landscape forever when it was erected in 1951 and has stayed there to this day, even though the casino closed in 1995. Restored today, tourists can still get their photo with this famous guy.
Chic, Pose, and Poise
Noel Coward was a playwright and performer. According to Time magazine, Coward exuded an exceptional “sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose, and poise.” Coward’s love for the flamboyant and the theatrical inevitably took him to Las Vegas. His shows were one-of-a-kind, just like the city they debuted in.
A Talented Friendship
This image, taken in 1955, depicts a rare encounter between two of the world’s biggest performers of its time: Elvis Presley and Liberace, at the Frontier Hotel. From 1969 to 1976, Elvis played 636 sold out shows at Las Vegas Hotels. Meanwhile, Liberace maintained a steady presence on the Las Vegas strip from the ’50s to the ’70s. The King was one of the most famous faces in Vegas, just look at this next photo…
Elvis in Action
This photo captures Elvis Presley in action. Here he’s seen performing at the Las Vegas International Hotel in August of 1969. The Las Vegas International Hotel booked Presley for four weeks for the sum of approximately half million dollars, and that was merely the beginning…
Ms. Audrey Hepburn & Friends
Audrey Hepburn dazzled viewers on the big screen and then her famous friends dazzled her in Las Vegas. This intimate photo shows Hepburn hanging out with some of her talented pals, husband Mel Ferrer, Mike Romanoff, and Frank Sinatra, in Las Vegas in 1956.
A Vegas Kinda Love
Not everyone who gets married in Las Vegas is spontaneous. In fact, many people have chosen to tie the knot in Sin City, including the famous actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Here they are pictured on their wedding day on January 29, 1958.
Losing 10Gs
The man in the white suit and dark tie is Jake Freedman, owner of the Sands Club, whose biggest rival at the time was the Dunes. Eager to find out more about his competition, he headed over to the Dunes. He is pictured here taking a chance at the craps table in 1955. This night, however, was not a great one for Jake, as he lost over $10,000. Maybe he should have stuck to the next famous game instead..
Playing the Slots
Pictured here is a showgirl named Kim Smith trying her luck at a Las Vegas casino in 1954. Judging by the smile on her face, let’s hope she took home more money than she arrived with…
Vegas in the ’50s
This is the main strip of Las Vegas in the 1950s. Pictured here is the Golden Nugget, the Lucky Strike Club, and the infamously-named Hotel Apache. The view is of Fremont Street, which to this day epitomizes the glitz of the Golden Age of Vegas. Today, this area is enclosed as a pedestrian walkway…
The Desert Inn
The Desert Inn first opened in 1950 in Paradise, Nevada, around the same time the unincorporated town was founded. One year later, in 1951, Frank Sinatra began to perform there, giving the hotel and casino some much-needed visibility. However, after 50 years in business, the Desert Inn was demolished in 2000, but not this next place…
Bugsy Siegel’s Hotel
Seen in the photo above is the entrance to the Flamingo Hotel, as shown on one of the hotel’s postcards. It was the first luxury hotel on the strip when it opened in 1946. The Flamingo Hotel was financed by world-famous mobster Bugsy Siegel and his associates, who pretended to be businessmen. Vegas had a reputation of loose morals, much like these mobsters…
The Biggest Swimming Pool
When the Stardust resort flung open its doors in 1958, it could proudly declare that it aimed to become a true center of entertainment that eventually all hotels in the area aspired to be. Not only did it have a hotel, the resort also housed a casino and what was once the largest swimming pool in all of Las Vegas. It hosted the Lido de Paris show as well as Sigfried & Roy.
Cleaning Up
This man was just one of the many people behind the scenes who made the city and its famous hotels and casinos run. Cleaning up was part of the party.
Groundbreaking
The Hotel Apache was first built in 1932, when Herbert Hoover was president and the Great Depression was, well, depressing everybody. As America was reeling, the Hotel Apache was creating a one-of-a-kind experience for all visitors to the Las Vegas strip in the early days. Not only did Hotel Apache feature stained-glass windows, it was also the first hotel in Las Vegas to have an elevator.
Howdy Podner
Anyone who visited the Pioneer Club was greeted by this cigarette-smoking cowboy named Vegas Vic. The sign was legendary and still around to this day, even though the Pioneer Club is not. It was known as Howdy Podner (because that’s how he would say “partner”). At the Pioneer Club, gambling was available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Las Vegas in the Sky
This is an aerial picture of Las Vegas. It was taken in 1964 when Las Vegas was more potential than pandemonium. It still had plenty of action but was not yet the true Sin City that people the world over encounter today.
Small Town Vegas
As hard as it is to believe, this was Las Vegas in 1905 and pictured is one of the city’s most famous streets, Fremont Street. It doesn’t really look much like the epicenter of what we now know of as Vegas, it looks more like the charming main street in any small town in America.
Simpler Times in Vegas
This is an image of bathing beauties in the 1920s ready to take a dip in the pool at Ladd’s Resort, one of the first vacation resorts in Las Vegas. It would still be another 25 years or so until the city’s first luxury resort would open. Ladd’s was a sleepy resort that was peaceful and serene, even providing a live orchestra alongside the pool, but soon, other musical stars would take its place…
Elvis in Rehearsal
The greatness of Elvis’ shows came from loads of practice and here is a glimpse into one of those grueling rehearsal sessions. This image shows Presley practicing with his band in July of 1970 during the first year of his five-year performance contract at the Las Vegas International Hotel.
For Sale
This photo from the 1950s depicts a plot of barren land for sale. For a cool, $3-million, someone could buy this area and turn it into a big-time casino, and that’s exactly what developers did. But once upon a time, Las Vegas, too, was relatively small and non-existent.
The Godfather
This photo was taken in 1955, two years before the Tropicana Hotel finally opened its doors in April 1957. The hotel was featured in The Godfather, The Godfather: Part Two, and the Elvis Presley movie Viva Las Vegas.
Before the Glam
Las Vegas in 1906 (when this picture was taken) was far cry from Las Vegas in 1956, and certainly nothing like the Las Vegas we know and love today. Here, Las Vegas is a just a small town in the Wild West, but not for long…
Goodbye, Landmark Tower
In 1960, Kansas City builder Frank Carroll bought the land that would become home to the Landmark Tower. Carroll had hopes of building the largest structure in Las Vegas, but money and construction troubles got in his way. Nine years later, after Howard Hughes bought the building, the Landmark Tower finally opened.
The Landmark contained 400 slot machines and 476 rooms. It claimed it was the largest building in Las Vegas, but it wasn’t. That honor went to the Las Vegas International Hotel. But the Landmark had many other honors, including appearing in Martin Scorsese’s Las Vegas mafia film, Casino. In 2003, the Landmark Hotel was demolished.
Early Glam
The main strip in Las Vegas during the golden era hints at its potential for growth. The open expanse reveals the desert backdrop in all its glory and the Dunes Hotel is the only focal point in the foreground
Roulette
Playing a game of chance: Gamblers crowding around a roulette table at a casino in 1935, Las Vegas.
Chips in the Deep End
Don’t drop your chips: Gambling tables in swimming pools allowed guests to keep on playing without ever leaving the pool.
The Cal Neva
The Cal Neva Lodge in Crystal Bay in the early 1980’s, before the Las Vegas Strip, ruled the gambling world, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. helped make the Cal Neva Lodge one of Nevada’s coolest casinos in the 1960s.
The Golden Nugget
In 1950, the Golden Nugget embodied the city of Las Vegas. With its Wild West charm, this casino has tourists adn locals alike flocking to its tables.
By Air
Seen here, is a photo of the McCarran Airfield in Las Vegas in 1959. A far cry from the bustling airport it is today.
The Stardust
Above is The Stardust Motel in all it’s glory in 1970.
Fremont Street
Seen above is Las Vegas in July of 1959. Fremont St in the afternoon, looking west at Third just look at those vehicles.
The Real Caesar’s Palace
Seen here is Caesars Palace circa 1968 in a promotional photo for the ‘Suite with a Piano,’ also seen in the film Hell’s Angels ’69.