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"Holiday in Japan" dancers joint oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00954

Abstract

Oral history joint interview with the "Holiday in Japan" dancers conducted by Claytee D. White on May 26, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. The dancers present for the interview were Sachiko O. Thompson, Minoru Saito, Kazu Hamada, Kyoko Nakamura, Nobuko Suda, and Katsuko Tomoko Billman. The dancers begin by discussing their lives in Japan before coming to the United States in 1960 to perform their "Holiday in Japan" stage show. They describe their reactions to coming to the United States and compare it to life in Japan, as well as their reactions to coming to Las Vegas, Nevada specifically. They discuss performing their show at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino, Desert Inn Hotel and Casino, and Dunes Hotel and Casino. They describe their show, which presented Japanese culture to Western audiences, and the work that went into it. They end the interview by detailing their lives and careers after performances of the show concluded in 1961.

Archival Collection

Kim Krantz oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01046

Abstract

Oral history interview with Kim Krantz conducted by Joyce (Marshall) Moore on February 26, 1996 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Krantz begins her interview discussing her transition from an east coast dancer to a Las Vegas, Nevada dancer. Krantz discusses the performing scene at the time and the general distaste dancers had for showgirls. Krantz goes on to discusses the details of nudity in performances and the relationships show directors like Harold Minsky and Donn Arden had with their performers. Krantz also discusses her experiences as a dancer and her opinions about the treatment of African American dancers.

Archival Collection

Dolly Kelepecz oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00994

Abstract

Oral history interview with Dolly Kelepecz conducted by Claytee D. White on April 29, 2010 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Kelepecz discusses her career as a ballet dancer, a performer in a circus, and a showgirl and dancer in Las Vegas, Nevada, especially in the Lido at the Stardust Hotel and Casino. She also discusses her time as a model, a pilates instructor, and running the Opus Dance ensemble. Kelepecz then discusses teaching a class at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Archival Collection

Carolyn MacMullen oral history interviews

Identifier

OH-02117

Abstract

Oral history interviews with Carolyn MacMullen conducted by Su Kim Chung on April 21, 2014 and July 07, 2014 for the West Charleston Neighborhoods: an Oral History Project of Ward 1. In these interviews, MacMullen discusses being a dancer in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Sands, Desert Inn, and Sahara throughout the 1950s. She recalls working as a dresser and describes what it is like to be backstage during a show production. MacMullen then talks about changes in showgirl costumes, the Texas Copa Girls, and her decision to stop dancing. Lastly, MacMullen discusses living in the West Charleston area and changes in Las Vegas.

Archival Collection

Barbara Davis oral history interviews

Identifier

OH-03610

Abstract

Oral history interviews with Barbara Davis conducted by Joanne Goodwin on December 18, 1996 and March 25, 1997 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Davis opens her interviews by discussing her audition for the Folies Bergere as a dancer with limited experience. Davis describes working with the Folies Bergere as a touring showgirl in the 1940s. She discusses touring the United States in the Folies Bergere, touring South America for three years, and going to college at night while performing during the day. Davis then talks about the city of Reno, Nevada and working as a showgirl there. Davis addresses common rumors about showgirls, such as being involved in prostitution or being addicted to gambling. She then discusses her interest in education in her later years including earning various post graduate degrees. Davis ends her interview with a discussion on classic entertainment of the 1940s, including vaudeville and entertainment hotspots of the time.

Archival Collection

Valerie Chapman Eliot oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02435

Abstract

Oral history interview with Valerie Chapman Eliot and Connie Pooley conducted by Su Kim Chung on January 30, 2013 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Eliot begins the interview by discussing her upbringing in England, her early dancing career in France in the Bluebell Girls dancing troupe, and working with Donn Arden. She continues, describing the other countries where she performed, including Argentina and Cuba, before eventually going to Las Vegas, Nevada during the 1960s to dance in productions at the Stardust Resort and Casino. She describes the life of a dancer, the differences between dancers and showgirls, and life in Las Vegas during the 1960s. Connie Pooley was also present for this interview.

Archival Collection

Nancy Williams oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01993

Abstract

Oral history interview with Nancy Williams conducted by Joyce Marshall on June 13, 1996 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Williams talks about her early life and career as a dancer. She describes moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1948, organized crime in Las Vegas casinos, and segregation of African American entertainers at the time. Williams remembers riding horses to and from casinos, the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA) union, and early showgirl costumes. Lastly, Williams talks about retiring from dancing and establishing a school of dance in Las Vegas.

Archival Collection

Barbara and Norman Kaye oral history interviews

Identifier

OH-00989

Abstract

Oral history interviews with Barbara and Norman Kaye conducted by Claytee D. White on February 24, 2010, March 09, 2010, and December 06, 2011 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Barbara Kaye begins the interview by discussing her career as a showgirl and moving to Reno, Nevada in 1955 to work as a dancer in a show at the Mapes Hotel in 1955. She then talks about later moving to Las Vegas, Nevada to dance at the Riviera Hotel & Casino. She also describes living briefly in Hawaii with her husband, Norman Kaye, his career as a musician, and the life of a Las Vegas showgirl. Norman Kaye discusses his career as a musician in the Mary Kaye Trio with his sister, Mary Kaye. He recalls when they performed at the El Rancho Hotel and Casino, Tropicana Hotel, and Sahara Hotel and Casino, as well as his songwriting outside of the group and being named the poet laureate of Nevada by Governor Grant Sawyer. Lastly, he talks about his career in real estate and his company, Norman Kaye Real Estate.

Archival Collection

Jim Kaufman and Larry Reeves oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00987

Abstract

Oral history interview with Jim Kaufman and Larry Reeves conducted by Joyce Marshall on June 18, 1996 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this joint interview, Kaufman begins by talking about his start as a wardrobe dresser for Hollywood, California and Las Vegas, Nevada hotel-casino revues in the early 1970s. He relates a number of stories and comments on work, including the temporary nature and the potential safety hazards. Reeves starts to add his perspective as a "boy dancer" in the shows, and the two men continue trading stories and anecdotes about the small world of Las Vegas Strip revues.

Archival Collection

Patrice Adams-Fauci oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02060

Abstract

Oral history interview with Patrice Adams-Fauci conducted by Joyce Marshall on June 19, 1996 for the Las Vegas Women in Gaming and Entertainment Oral History Project. In this interview, Adams-Fauci relates how she traveled to the United States with the Bluebell Girls dance troupe in 1960. She continues talking about life as a dancer, how the rules of behavior and comportment differed in Europe, and how strange it was to see racial prejudice in the entertainment industry in the United States. She ends the interview by explaining that dancers had to quit once they married and how she returned to school and became an interior designer.

Archival Collection