Transcript of interview with Eugene Brandise by Mark Mangiaracina, March 3, 1980

UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 1 Interview with Eugene Brandise An Oral History Conducted by Mark Mangiaracina UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection Special Collections Oral History Research Center University Libraries University of Nevada, Las Vegas UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 2 The Oral History Research Center (OHRC) was formally established by the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada System in September 2003 as an entity of the UNLV University Libraries’ Special Collections Division. The OHRC conducts oral interviews with individuals who are selected for their ability to provide first-hand observations on a variety of historical topics in Las Vegas and Southern Nevada. The OHRC is also home to legacy oral history interviews conducted prior to its establishment including many conducted by UNLV History Professor Ralph Roske and his students. This legacy interview transcript received minimal editing, such as the elimination of fragments, false starts, and repetitions in order to enhance the reader's understanding of the material. All measures have been taken to preserve the style and language of the narrator. The interviewee/narrator was not involved in the editing process. UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 3 Abstract Mark Mangiaracina interviews Eugene Brandise, born in Denver, Colorado, in his home about Nevada’s growth over time. Brandise discusses his experience as a construction worker and construction business owner as a resident of Las Vegas for over 25 years. He also discusses changes in the gaming industry over time, specifically how hotels and casinos treat their patrons. UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 4 Interview with Eugene Brandise of Las Vegas, Nevada. Alright, Mister Brandise, can I call you Eugene? Yes. How about Gino? You know, any way you want (unintelligible). Gino’s fine. Alright, Gino, when’d you first come to Nevada? Oh, 1956, January. What (unintelligible)? 1956. Okay, when you first got here, what was it like, the city, the town? It wasn’t very big. It was only about 35,000 in the whole area. Okay. What about the population, is like, density in certain spots? All in Downtown area. Just Downtown? Just around Downtown up to Las Vegas Boulevard. It used to be 5th Street then, up in that area, down to Charleston, and up to Maryland Parkway. Did they have the Paradise Valley housing tract then? Just more of Downtown, right? Yes. How about the Strip, the Las Vegas Strip? There wasn’t much out there. It was the Flamingo, and the Sands, the Desert Inn, and El Rancho, and Sahara. Did those hotels, by themselves, did they bring a lot of tourists in? Not as many as they do today. UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 5 Is it a considerable change? Oh yes, (unintelligible). A lot of changes. Like what, for instance? Well, there’s more hotels now. Hell, how many’s out there now? Quite a few. They were building the Riviera in ’56, they finished that. They started the Tropicana in ’56. And they started the Hacienda (unintelligible) Lady Luck when they first started it. That’s the Hacienda? Then they build the Stardust. Do you think that with all the tourism, brought a lot of people’s – they brought a lot of growth to Nevada? Oh hell yeah, sure. Every time they put up a hotel, it’s employed three or four thousand people. That many? Three or four thousand. That’s a pretty good deal. Big size hotel. Grand employs over five thousand. That’s the largest hotel. You multiply that by three, and that tells you what your population is. (Tape cuts out) And the area, I guess, it was pretty close to 450,000 people. So, you think that – what do you think, like, as for right now? What are your looks on Las Vegas, or Nevada? UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 6 Well, as long as they don’t, California don’t have gambling, we’re safe. We’ve got ten, fifteen million (unintelligible) from down there. Okay. To hell with the rest of the country’s [states]. (Laughs) Let’s get back to when you came out here. Let’s say, why did you come out here to Las Vegas? What brought you here? Well, I didn’t want to stay in the cold country; I was in Jackpot. I left there and came to Las Vegas ‘cause it was warmer here. And I went to work for a construction company. Right now, that’s Brandise Construction? No. I went to work on construction, and later on, I became a keno writer. So you worked at casinos before? Yes. The hotel California Club Downtown. It used to be old bank across the street. It was an old building in between there and Boulder Club, staking across the street. And what’s there now? The Mint’s there now. The Mint. (Unintelligible) The Mint and the Horseshoe covers the whole deal. The whole Downtown area. The Horseshoe was there, and the Fremont wasn’t there. The service station where Fremont is. Now you got Fremont Street in there. And then where the Four Queens is, there was White Cross Drug on the corner. And when you came out here, who’d you come out here with? By yourself? Yes. UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 7 Nobody else with you? No. (Unintelligible) Ogden, Utah. And when did they come out there? Oh, about six months later. In July of ’56. Why didn’t you bring ‘em out in the first place? Didn’t have the money. I was broke. And they is your wife? Yes. Wife and family – six kids. And you bring all six kids at one time? Yes. Okay. Now, when they came out here, and you settled down, and you moved in, what did you think of their impression, what did they think? Did they like Vegas, or did they – Of course they liked Vegas. They just came right in, went right along with everything. There was nothing – (unintelligible) just liked it. They had no problems adjusting or anything? No. What about yourself, when you first came here? You mean, did I adjust to it? Yes. In ten minutes. That quick, huh? Ten minutes. UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 8 When your first year was over, and you realized, you know, that you were gonna stay here for a while, did you think that you were gonna be here for the rest of your life, or did you think that you were gonna move again? I figured I’d stay here. That you’d stay here for a while. Stay here – forget it, forget move. Well, it’s evident that you stayed here, ‘cause there’s now three generations. Yes, there’s three generations. Of Brandises in the state. It’ll be four in another week. Four? Yes. In just one more week. Joe’s daughter’ll have a baby. And that’ll make the fourth generation of the Brandises. Yes. It’s supposed to be a boy. Alright, let’s talk about the growth of this city, as far as like when Pahrump, for instance – was there, like, a Pahrump when you got here? Did they have Pahrump in Nevada? Yes, there was Pahrump, but there wasn’t anything there. It’s not very big now. But there wasn’t hardly anything there. It was just two little farms. That’s all. That’s about it. Did – UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 9 (Tape cuts out) (Unintelligible) Los Angeles. That’s when he went to prison. Did a lot of people come from California back then? Oh yes. There wasn’t very many places – hotels, motels – and they’d come up and park along the streets, on 1st Street and 2nd Street, and sleep in their cars. That’s how they got by? Well, they’d just come and drive up, and sleep in their cars, and then they’d gamble. That’s what they did. They didn’t go in motels and hotels. Just didn’t bother? No. Some of them stayed up all the time. Okay. Getting back to when you started working in construction. Alright, what was your wage then? Five dollars an hour. Five dollars an hour? You didn’t started out as a hired hand? Well, it was a friend mine – name was Harry Hurst. Oh, Harry Hurst? Yes, we went to school together. Oh, I see. So he started you out? Yes, but two months later, I went to work writing keno at the California Club. And from there? I took over the tip top driving. I run night for a couple of years. And how’d that fair? UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 10 And I built the (unintelligible) and I got out of that one. And about a year later, Joe and I went in the construction business. Been there ever since. And you just built it up? And how large is that right now? What? Brandise Construction? Oh, it’s big enough that we can do a lot of work. (Unintelligible) Yes (unintelligible). Okay, do you get a lot of major projects with Brandise Construction, right? Just housing, mostly. Mostly housing? (Background speech) I’m sorry, what? Oh yes, the rehabs to start with. To start the construction company, we did the rehabs. Oh yes, that was a lot of work. Was it hard back then to start, to get off a construction business going? Yes, we did rehabs first – repossessed house. We go back in, doing all, fix it all up – fix it up so that they could sell it or move back in. As far as competition, did they have many other construction agencies, then? Oh yes, your competition. That’s the biggest competitive market in the world. ‘Cause growth was the high (unintelligible). Not only that, but today, there’s still small construction outfits. Competition was a real (unintelligible). UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 11 What is it now compared to then? Oh, it’s bigger now, yes. There’s a one hundred times more going on, but still, it’s competitive, real competitive. Do you have trouble finding work? No, you don’t have no trouble finding work. Or when they had the concrete strike? Oh that (unintelligible). Still didn’t (unintelligible). They didn’t bother us anyway. We were framing houses. We already had (unintelligible). (Unintelligible) I would say that anybody that comes here and wants to really make a life up here with themselves, they can do it, because this is a 24-hour town. If you can’t get a job in a 24-hour town, you better go back where you come from. So if you were coming out here right now, and you were starting out fresh, what would you recommend to get into right away? I would go right down and learn how to deal 21, and forget it. Do you think that gambling, being a dealer – Well, sure. Gambling is a big interest, and that’s what’s holding that thing together. If you set gambling up today, what would you have tomorrow? A lot of people moving out with mattresses on top of their cars. (Laughs) Apparently when they had, they put in gambling in New Jersey, that didn’t affect Nevada that much? UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 12 Didn’t affect – it didn’t take them 20 years to accomplish what Nevada did. 20 years, easy, 20 years. That’s even that long. They’re having troubles right now. It’s just like anything else. You gotta take the bugs out first. If you get the bugs out, then (unintelligible) go along smoothly. There’s gonna be a lot of time to get the bugs out. Alright. Right now, almost every major hotel on the Strip is expanding, right? Okay, now, as far as the growth and population in Nevada, how do they – well, not just in Nevada, around the world – how often do you see these hotels expanding their growth? Well, the reason they expand their growths here is this: The more rooms you got, and if they’re all filled up – you got 2,000 rooms, and they’re all filled up – you automatically got close to 4,000 people right at your doorstep. Yes. You understand? So the more rooms you got, the better off you are. They need the rooms right now, too. Absolutely. You can’t be short at the last minute. And then when people come out here, you got to have accommodations for them if you want people to come to gamble. If you don’t have accommodations, you just get it. You got them a place to stay. Okay, say 20 years ago, did we have tourist accommodations? No. (unintelligible) what we’ve got today. We didn’t have no tourist accommodations whatsoever? We had very little. UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 13 What about taxes? Taxes, we had taxes. What about bus transportation? Still stinks. Still same as it was? (Laughs) Thinking about the person in the gambler or the tourist that comes to Vegas, okay, did we have adequate protection in law enforcement? For gamblers? As far as, you know? You’re talking about cross-roaders, as they call ‘em? Yes. Yes, we have plenty of protection. They had their protection? Yes, we got it. We got the eye in the sky, we’ve got TV surveillance. They can watch every tape. What about just the basic tourist being here in Nevada and out, you know, on the streets in the town? You know, was the police force strong enough to – No. Nevada was somewhat weak. No, they’re not weak. It’s just that they – so spread out, why you can’t cover it all. See, when you take gambling from north Vegas, clear out to the edge of the Strip, you’ve got gambling in places put out on Boulder Highway, you’ve got gambling clear up to Henderson, you’ve got gambling in North Las Vegas, you’ve got gambling everywhere you go. So it’s almost UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 14 impossible for (unintelligible) covered. They covered as good as they can. We’ve got a good police force. (Tape cuts out) Sometimes (unintelligible) a security man on the Strip. And each one of them places – they’re deputy sheriffs. They’re actually policemen. They can make an arrest. Well, each one of the places that has their own security, which takes care of the police department as far as the hotels and gambling halls are concerned, they’ve already through security. It’s already policed. See, so that takes a big load off the police. Alright. Now, we think about protection towards the city, what do you think now that there’s 400,000 people there. What do think the protection is, you know? I mean, it was last year we had the highest homicide rates in the nation. Yes, per capita. Yes. But it isn’t any higher anywhere else, I think. You don’t think? Well, I think your dope is a little bit strong right about now, but it’ll pass. What about marijuana and drugs and dope back then? It’ll pass, because they’ve had it from the turn of the century. Drugs? Yes, they used to be (unintelligible) smoke, pipe smokers in this area, and (unintelligible) west San Francisco than there is today. It’s just (unintelligible) it’s just one of those deals (unintelligible). This is where most of our crime is related to, today, I think. It’s, to my opinion, is dope. UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 15 Was the influence – was the use of it strong in 1956 than it is now? Yes. It was more open then? What? The use of drugs. Oh, no. No. It was closed? Yes. And, to you, when do you think it started becoming more open? It started right in the ‘70s, ‘60s, about late ‘60s. Do you think that the drugs is that, being so widespread, do you think that it’s tearing Nevada down? No, it’s not tearing Nevada down. In any other country, you can go up in Iron County, and there’s no houses there with the – there’s just as much dope up there as there is any place else. It’s just nationally distributed all over. That’s all. This is what it is. There’s big money here. And it’s stupid. It’s like the bigness, huh? Huh? Big business. Sure, big money. That’s a shame ‘cause they got it all over the world. But Las Vegas would survive it ‘cause there’s too many – they catch ‘em every day, but it’s, I think a lot of it when they get ready. UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 16 Okay, you’ve been to Reno, haven’t you? Yes. And Carson City. Okay, now, was you there back then in 1956? Did you (unintelligible) to pass by there. I passed through Reno in 1930, up until recently. Okay, let’s compare recently. Do you feel that their growth is about the same as ours, in Reno, Nevada? No, but it’ll catch up, ‘cause they’re only 125 miles from Sacramento Valley. They’ve got the San Joaquin Valley to pull from, which they (unintelligible). Out in California now, (unintelligible). Well, you can drive for almost seven hours, and it’s nothing but grapes, cotton, alfalfa, all the way from L.A. clear up to Sacramento. So you believe Reno should have an expansion? They’re gonna expand. See, because they’ve already asked for a thousand (unintelligible). In fact, you got another thousand going up here. That’s gonna make both the MGMs, two of the largest hotels. There’s only one large hotel; that’s the (unintelligible). It’s got 3,000 rooms. Has it? (Unintelligible) When you were up in Reno, Nevada, just recently, did you have a good time? Did you enjoy Reno? Oh yes. Oh, we found out Las Vegas is losing out as far as courtesy is concerned. They show you more courtesy up there than they do down here. Do you feel there’s any special reason for that? UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 17 Well, they’re probably managing. In other words, I think the management in this town here should really step down on their helm as far as courtesy is concerned. This is what the tourist wants. They don’t want nothing else, they want to be treated nicely, they want to spend their money, and they want to go home and relax. But they don’t want to take no gut from nobody. And every time that somebody takes the gut, they don’t go back to that place again. And there’s a lot of it in this town. That’s something I notice a little bit lately. I’ve worked in the culinary union before, and you know, I have experienced myself. Well, you know, if you’re working for a tip, don’t just work for it. You don’t just serve the people and get away from them. You treat ‘em halfway decent. And these people don’t know how to make tips. They don’t know what to do. There’s no courtesy there. I go down to Showboat, pull up a thousand on me, come and say, “Good evening, sir.” You don’t give me a ticket to park my car, and I walk out the door to run and get in my car and bring it to me. See, there’s what you call personalized service. And I’m no better than anybody else. I only give ‘em a buck the same as anybody else does. But you go out on the Strip, they don’t even thank you, some of ‘em. Is that gonna hurt Las Vegas? Oh, sure it’s gonna hurt Las Vegas. They’ve got to change their whole operations and start showing people more courtesy. Another thing these newer places that’s coming into town, they’ve dropped their food prices to the point where people from California like cheaper food prices, and they go to those places and (unintelligible) place out there behind the Tropicana, what do they call it? What do they call that place behind the Tropicana, the one that’s giving food away? UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 18 (Background voice) Treasury The Treasure. You cannot get into the place. Their buffet, right? Buffet, breakfast. Their price is so cheap, you just can’t believe it. And people like it. You can’t get in the parking lot. You can’t get in the place to eat. See, one time they used to do that here. Are they doing it up in Reno? I’ve never seen it in Reno, not like they do here. See, we got southern California people. They’re a different breed than the northern California people. You ever go to Frisco? No, I haven’t ever been – In San Francisco, you go in a place, and their prices are all high, all their, everything that you buy in the restaurant. They got no gambling to back it up. That’s why their prices are high. That’s why their prices are high, but Lance Burton paid more money than those people coming out of there. These people down there, they don’t expect to pay. I used to go to Butte, Montana back in the ‘30s, when I was a student in the trade, but I used to go into those little joints they had up there, and they had free lunches. So you think the geographical aspect of where Nevada lies is important? Oh yes, sure. The weather, the climate. You can’t beat the climate. Yes. It’s good weather. Who would want any better? Sure, it gets a little cold once in a while, but – UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 19 It’s good for the body. Everybody’s got air conditioning. It’s just an air-conditioned city, that’s all it is. You might be out in the sun a few minutes; ten minutes later, you’re in where it’s nice and cool. Do you feel that if Nevada, Nevada and its gambling, was located, say, in the middle of the Midwest of the United States, do you think its growth would’ve been a lot quicker, ‘cause then they’d have access to the whole nation, or do you think it’s better off out on the west coast? Well, it’s better off where it is because you have the climate to go with it. See, what really started the ball rolling was Boulder Dam, or Hoover Dam. They started sightseeing, tourists coming to there, ‘cause it was one of the greatest feats ever done in the United States. Then you feel Hoover Dam definitely added to the growth (unintelligible) for Las Vegas? That’s what started it, yes, that’s what it started. That’s what built Boulder City. See, when I used to come through here in ’37, the whorehouses were right Downtown on 1st Street. And the old Overland Hotel was where the Las Vegas Club is, that was there. (Tape cuts out and begins mid-sentence) Nevada Power. And that supplies all that – That supplies our power. All the power to Nevada. To us here. Reno gets some of it – goes down the coast and up the coast into Reno. Think about the MX Missile Project, and what are your views on that concerning Nevada and its growth? UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 20 It will be alright for the growth of Nevada to have (unintelligible) but it won’t take that many people to maintain it after it’s completed. Well – Well, in your opinion, every war – how should I say it – everything that they’ve made in missiles, all except the atomic bomb, will become obsolete in a couple years. So, I don’t know if that’s gonna become obsolete or not. When they bring all these people to this part of the world – You gotta bring ‘em up in that area up there, be it Tonopah, Pioche, Caliente. And they’re gonna fill all those places up with people to build this thing, now when there’s – When they leave, there’ll be a depression in their (unintelligible). You think they’ll just move out, huh? Oh, sure. There’s nothing for ‘em to do. Okay, don’t you think that, when they all come to town, that will up the gambling industry? Well, not only that. See, when you got an industry like gambling, each time your hire a certain amount of people, then what you create is a pyramid of businesses. And each one of these businesses survives from the other. You understand what a pyramid of business is? Mm-hmm. Alright, so, when they opened a hotel, they hire 3,000 people. When it takes X amount of people to supply them with 3,000 people, it’s hard; well, if you want to multiply it by three, then 9,000 people. So it takes X amount of people down the road to supply them, you understand? Yes. UNLV University Libraries Eugene Brandise 21 So, each time you go to the hotel, you have to build other businesses to take care of these people. See, this is what you call the pyramid of businesses. So, when you take the hotels and gambling industry is supporting all of these other – (Tape cuts out)