Saharan Magazine from the Sahara Hotel and Casino, July 1966

LtpriM? IIJJ colmmtiV JULY 1966 ?CLUB DATE? AT THLSAHARA Lovely Go ffer Susan SiegrWBLiberace Heads Show with Special Appearance of "Day of Decision" Artist SINGER JOHNNY SEA, VOICE OF ?DECISION,? JOINS SHOW JULY 4 The extravagant Liberace revue ?? ? . checks in June 21, staying through Liberace ?? Mr. Showmanship ot ju]y lg jt>s a sh0w that also features the American entertainment scene ?? songstress Karen Wessler and magic brings an all-new Silver Anniversary whiz Channing Pollack, production into the Sahara?s Congo Sea?s appearance will be his only Room commemorating his 25 years in scheduled stage outing of the year show business. Replete with Liberace Joining Liberace m h.s own polished trademarks, glistening smile, candel- ^?es'a sudden rise to star abra and lavish wardrobe, the box of- status Qn the strength Gf the phenom- fice champion checks into Las Vegas enal record sales of ?Day of Decision.? with still another grand surprise ? The disc, selling upward to a million the special appearance, starting July ;n less than a month, breaks all exist- 4th, of the recording star who is ing records. It?s Johnny ?n January Into Congo Room July 19 AND NOW, here?s Johnny! The familiar phrase that ushers Johnny Carson into view on his nightly T-V show changes locales for a few weeks as the dimpled one trades that setting for the Congo Room stage in what Johnny likes to term his ?midsummer fun romp in Las Vegas. Johnny Carson, with gorgeous songstress January Jones once more in tow, comes into the Sahara July 19 for his third once-a-year stage engagement in the resort city. Already holder of Sahara s all-time show at?tendance record, Carson s 1966 appearance car?ries earmarks of being much the same. Opening night, for example, has had reservations coming in for the past six months. Reasons? There are many; but in a nutshell it?s the idea of seeing a Johnny you?d never see on 1-\ ? the fun?poking satirist, the hilarious skitmaker ? even singer and dancer. Add to that the rare .talents of January Jones ? rare because she sings fully as well as she looks ? and that?s considerable. Sahara Maestro Louis Basil Tells All (about work with Super Stars) Louis Basil, musical director at Hotel Sa?hara, is a diminutive man but a giant in his trade. Most stars, in fact, consider him to be the finest show conductor in the business. The handsome, grayish conductor was mow?ing the lawn when our writer and photographer arrived at his home in one of Las Vegas? plush residential districts. ?This is the way I keep in shape,? he said, wiping perspiration from both his brow and finely tailored mustache. Basil escorted the visit?ors to his favorite hangout -? an immaculate den of Mexican decor. ?It took a year for me to build this room and I laid every piece of wood and concrete myself,? he said proudly. Then he admitted, ?I did get a few boys in the band to help me when I got to the ceiling. Those big beams are pretty heavy and, as you can see, I?m not ex?actly a muscleman.? Getting to the subject at hand, his musical profession, Basil was asked right off which of the stars with whom he?s worked was the most enjoyable? ?All of them,? he answered. ?I can honestly say, after nearly 30 years in the business, I?ve never had a problem with any of them. That includes Mickey Rooney and Jerry Lewis. They?re all pros and so am I.? Wasn?t Judy Garland a teeny weeny bit temperamental? ?Not at the Sahara. She didn?t miss a per?formance, looked great and she?s still the most electrifying performer I?ve ever had the pleasure to work with.? Basil made special reference to Shirley Bassey, the European songstress who recently debuted at the Sahara with recording whiz Roger Miller. ?Shirley is tremendous,? he said. ?In my opinion, she?s one of the greatest nightclub sing?ers to come along in ten years. She has the qualities all great singers have ? and a little more.? Besides Miller and Miss Bassey, the current array of Congo Room stars receiving musical backing from the Louis Basil orchestra include Donald O?Connor, Johnny Carson, Connie Francis, Buddy Hackett, Robert Goulet, Dinah Shore, the Smothers Brothers, Liberace, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Vikki Carr, Shari Lewis, Liza Minnelli, Norm Crosby and Pat Henry. ?They bring us the orchestrations and we play ?em,? Basil explained. ?The stars tell me what they want and I try to give them a lit?tle more. Anticipation is the keynote of success. It?s a feeling, a God-given gift ? and I don?t mean to sound egotistical. ?We rehearse just two days for about four hours in the afternoon before a show opens. Usually the star stands by and gives me tempos. During those two days, I read music like most people read novels. My type of work doesn?t of?fer the luxury of countless rehearsals, like a dance band; we have to produce on the spot. It?s highly specialized and experience counts. ?Audiences may not realize it, but orches?tration is at least seventy-five per cent of every star. It can make them or break them. A star performing without an orchestra is like putting up a Picasso painting without a frame. The or?chestra_ is the frame ? the part that brings out the artist?s true expression.? And what about Louis Basil? Basil smiled and said, ?My home town is New York City and as a teenager I studied violin and orchestra with Ferdinand Carri. I (Continued page 8) READING BOOKS i s one of Basil?s hobbies during relaxing hours spent in the den of his Las Vegas home. The noted Sahara show conductor built the den himself and he and his lovely wife, Vicki, furnished it in Mexican decor. Congo Room Attractions LIBERACE June 21 Through July 1 8 JOHNNY CARSON January Jones July 19 Through Aug. 15 DONALD O?CONNOR Shari Lewis Aug. 16 Through Sept. 12 BUDDY HACKETT LIZA MINNELLI iept. 1 3 Through Oct. 10 ROBERT GOULET Norm Crosby I Oct. 25 Through Nov. 7 DINAH SHORE Oct. 11 Through Oct. 24Don Rickies, Martha Raye Party Hits Peak in Comedy The Sahara?s Casbar Theatre, where entertainment hilarity goes on from dusk until dawn 365 days a year, has naturally experienced some pretty wild moments. But a new high was reached recently when super comedy stars Don Rickies and Martha Raye climbed onto the Casbar stage at the same time. It was Don?s birthday and Martha?s closing night (she?s back now) ? and the Sahara saw fit to give them a party. It turned out to be a fit of outlandishness the likes of which the Las Vegas Strip may seldom see again. And it was played before a star-studded audience headed by Sammy Davis, Jr. and Betty Grable who themselves got into the act. TEARS OF JOY glistened through the hilarity as Sammy Davis, Jr. cli?maxed his own on-stage shennanigans by surpris?ing Martha Raye with a huge bouquet of roses to honor her record- breaking Sahara en?gagement. Moments lat- er,she and Sammy were pinning roses behind the ears of the audience. HAPPY BIRTHDAY . . . chirped Martha as she planted goodly portions of Don?s birthday cake on his kisser. Donning a blonde b e a n i k wig, "Maggie" cut short a typical Rickies diatribe with the surprise "cake?washing" of his face. A rarity ? Rickies was speechless. Sahara news in pictures ?WHICH BUTTON?? asks Martha Raye as she ad?justs a control on a piece of test equipment at Nel?lis Air Force Base near Las Vegas. Holding his ears is A1C Jim Fraley. SUMMER fashions, mod?eled by lovely Pat Good?win of the Sahara wom?en's shop, Maru's, was the topic of discussion recently when noted de?signers Rudi Gernreich, left, and Alberto Fabi- ani visited the Sahara. MARCH OF DIMES na?tional poster child, Lori Wagner, left, joined Randy Robbins and Stev?en Thompson in Hotel Sahara's Caravan Room. It's Always "Meetin' Time" at the Sahara A GOVERNORS? WELCOME was ex?tended to Nevada Gov. Grant Sawyer, right, and Arizona Gov. Samuel God?dard by Sig Front, Hotel Sahara Direc?tor of Sales, during the recent West?ern Governors' Conference. Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall, second from left, was the principal speaker at the Nevada - hosted conference at?tended by 15 state leaders.POOLSIDE SERVICES for Hotel Sahara guests are enhanced by 'ovely cock?tail waitresses like Carol Shepard. The services in?clude food and bever?age, a coffee shop and a snack bar plus, of course, those three spa?cious swimming pools. NEW ROLES for singer Connie Francis and com?edian Pat Henry were played at the Shrine of the Guardian Angel in Las Vegas recently when Miss Francis and Henry served as Godmother and Godfather during the baptism of Angela Madge Bell, daughter of Sahara entertainers Ro?berta Linn and Freddie Bell. Miss Linn, in back?ground, proudly looks on. ?MAN OF YEAR? for the Sales Promo?tion Executives Association, George D. Booth, left, accepted his award from Robert Konikow, Managing Editor of Advertising & Sales Promotion maga?zine, during the SPEA?s 9th Interna?tional Conference at Hotel Sahara May 16-18. Booth is Merchandising Manager of Chrysler Corporation's Marine and Industrial Products Group. DIGGING IN a poolside buffet during the Heavy-Specialized Carriers Confer?ence 1966 meeting at Hotel Sahara were, from left, A. M. Shirley, HSCC manager, Washington, D. C.; Donald Morken, attorney for Murphy Trucking Co., Minneapolis, Minn.; Fred L. Bros, Cummins Engine Co., Columbus, Ind., and Richard T. Murphy, Murphy Truck?ing Co. president. Bullwinkle mocks our girl A PARODY in photography was captured by an enterprising Sahara photographer as he caught this scene on famous Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. For years the sight of the gigantic rotating girl atop the Sahara's billboard has been a familiar one. Recently the creators of BULLWINKLE moved across the street and in jest put up a statue of their hero in the same pose as the girl, striped bathing suit and all. What's more, Bullwinkle rotates in unison with the girl. THE GIRLS ARE BACK! meaning, of course, the Moro-Landis chorus line made famous in Hotel Sahara's Congo Room. The girls, all beautiful, will debut July 19 when Johnny Carson and January Jones open a four-week engagement. GO, GO, GO is the theme for the third ? and finest ? edition of Arthur Leon's "Go-Go Galore" revue in Hotel Sahara's Casbar Theatre. George Fullwood, in foreground, is the choreographer of the early-morning show.News From' SAHARA-TAHOE Crowds Hail Opening of $3 Million Sahara-Tahoe Theatre, largest in U. S. ?Exciting!? Everything about it was just that. In a word, it was the description voiced by press, critic and showgoers alike in telling of the opening on May 12 of Sahara-Tahoe?s new 1,100-seat High Sierra Theatre at Lake Tahoe?s South Shore. In fact, it was a double opening. On Thursday night, special festivities marked the curtain raising before a specially-invited press audience which trekked in from all parts of California, Nevada and the west in general. The next night saw another capacity house hosted by Nevada?s Governor, Grant Sawyer and Mrs. Sawyer in a special $25 per plate March of Dimes benefit show. Dignitaries from the worlds of business, politics and entertainment from throughout the U. S. came to see the premiere performance starring Phyllis Diller, fea?turing the singing Osmond Brothers and a lavish opening produc?tion titled ?Tivoli by Night.? Miss Diller regaled the audiences both nights with her off-beat humor, the brand that has made her America?s No. 1 stage comed?ienne. The 12-minute opening production, an Allan Blackburn and Allen Lee creation, choreographed by Sonia Shaw and spot?lighting the gorgeous Sonia Shaw dancers, turned out to be a thrilling spectacle, acclaimed by all as one of the most luxuriant ever to grace a Nevada hotel stage. Bill Hitchcock penned the musical arrangements and batoned the 14-piece Sahara-Tahoe orchestra. NEW ?HIGH SIERRA THEATER? opened on May 12 with the curtain rising on a spectacular production, "Tivoli by Night," (photo upper right) spot?lighting a full cast of dancers, showgirls and some of the most spec?tacular illuminated sets seen in a Nevada resort theatre. The showroom holds 1,100, itself America's largest, and cost some $3 million. NAME STEALING ? Mr. and Mrs. Bob Pruitt, and Mrs. Del E. Webb, right, chide Sahara-Tahoe star Phyllis Diller on the co?incidence of using the Pruitt name in her forth?coming T-V series called "The Pruitts of South Hampton." The Pruitts and Mrs. Webb were among the V.I.P. crowds attending the High Si?erra Theatre opening. FIRST NIGHTERS ? Ne?vada Governer Grant Sawyer, left, H. P. James, center, executive vice president of the Sahara- Nevada Corporation, and Del E. Webb headed a long list of dignitaries sharing in opening night festivities at new theatre. NEW JETS SERVE TAHOE Pacific Airlines has announced it will begin 727 Jet service di?rect to Lake Tahoe from Los Angeles, San Jose and San Francisco this coming August. The full jet service augments the Fairchild fleet currently serv?ing Lake Tahoe and connecting with most major airlines. United and Western serve Tahoe via Reno, with limousine service to the lake. RESERVATION NOTES Summer vacationers are re?minded to make reservations to Lake Tahoe well in advance. Deluxe room and show accom?modations can be confirmed by calling the following numbers or your travel agent: San Francisco ................421-0108 Los Angeles ................. 272-8892 Denver ............................. 222-0864 Seattle ............................. 623-1177 Salt Lake ....................... 355-7489 WHAT AM I BID? The Trenier Twins, Cliff and Claude, stepped in as auctioneers during second night March of Dimes benefit. T-V sets in foreground were among many valuables auctioned. SAHARA-TAHOE STARS coming in?to the new theatre are Liberace, right, and Henry Mancini, making his first nightclub appearance with the New Christy Minstrels and full orchestra.SAHARA LENSMEN CITED BY PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD Two things make life worthwhile for the hard working souls who inhabit our photo darkrooms. First, they are credited by a listing of their names on our Saharan back cover. Second, they are allowed to come out into the light of day with judicious frequency. Recently, on such an occasion, they stepped right into a spotlight, as the Saharan gained first place award for excellence in photography given by the Intermountain Associa?tion of Industrial Editors. Overjoyed to the point of delirity, the boys decked themselves in their finest cameras (see right) and, of all things, climbed a ladder for all the world to see. ON DISPLAY are not only the photomen themselves, right, but a couple of samples, above, depicting the wide range of their work, the Sahara's 1966 Helldorado parade float and an unnamed specialty. The boys are: bottom row, Joe Buck and Milt Palmer; center, Terry Todd, Jerry Abbott and John Cook; at the summit, Don English. We Get Visitors! HANDSOME COUPLES, above, are, at left, Ellis and Sylvia Holt, poolside on a vacation from Chicago, while, right, famous singing star Jane Pow?ell and hubby, Jim Fitzgerald enjoy a Don the Beachcomber dinner. Jim is publicist for Sa?hara star Shirley Bassey. LOUISIANA SHOWGOERS in Ho?tel Sahara's Congo Room re?cently were Morgan City vaca?tioners Leonard Gaurisco and Mac Russo, left, and Dominick Larocca and Nick Russo, center. Singer Eddie Fisher is at far right. Mac Russo is Sports Editor of Morgan City Daily Review. APOLLO ASTRONAUTS Virgil (Gus) Grissom, Rus?sell (Rusty) Schweickart, Roger B. Chaffee and Edward H. White II, all in training for the Apol?lo moon program, made a stop at Hotel Sahara recently to get in a few hours of entertainment. They are registering at hotel's front desk. BASEBALL TALK was the order of the night re?cently when Maury Wills, base-stealing star of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Jay Barrington took in a show in Hotel Sa?hara's Congo Room. Har?ry Kearns, Congo Room Assistant Maitre D', got in on the conversation. DINING ELEGANCE in the plush House of Lords was experienced by, from left, Elaine Hallusco, Jack Shapiro, Sandra Giles and Arthur Rooks, all regular Sahara guests. Jim Hochland, House of Lords Maitre D , greets the group.Sahara Special Events SEPT. 15-18?Sahara Midsummer Gun ShdW. SEPT. 29-OCT. 2?Sectional Bridge Tournament. OCT. 8-16?L_hara Invitational Golf Tournament. NOV. 10-13?Las Vegas Numismatic Society Convention. NOV. 17-20?International Bellmen?s Convention. THE SAHARAN Voi. 7, No. 7 July, 1966 OCL I VI ? Member International Council of Industrial Editors; Intermountain Assn, of Industrial Editors PUBLISHED MONTHLY by the Hotel Sahara publicity department, Las Vegas, Nevada, for the information of guests, travel agencies, and members of the press. EDITORIAL ADVISORS: ALEX J. SHOOFEY A. A. McCOLLUM herb McDonald john romero EDITOR: Nicholas Naff ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Ron Amos EDITORIAL STAFF: Joe Buck Milt Palmer Jerry Abbott Don English John Cook Helen Bruno Tony Atchley Billie Geller Regina Riley Hotel Sahara ? Property of a Del E. Webb Corporation Subsidiary Hotel Sahara, through the Sahara-Nevada Cor?poration, made the largest contribution to the ?Combined Jewish Appeal? (Jerry Mack, president) at the Sands Hotel May 19 . . . The Roger Miller- Shirley Bassey opening in the Sahara?s Congo Room May 24 coincided with the third anniversary of the opening of the hotel?s Skyscraper . . . Miller switched shows with Miss Bassey on their closing night, June 6, so he could catch an early flight to Washington, D. C., where he was a special guest at the White House . . . Speaking of the White House, comedienne Martha Raye also was a guest there May 16. Martha opened her second 1966 en?gagement in the Sahara?s Casbar Theatre May 31 . . . The Sahara welcomes Mark Scott as a new member of the hotel?s Catering-Convention Department . . . Keeping with a time-honored hotel tradition, that of flying the national flag of a visiting foreign dignitary, the Sahara rigged a special device to fly the Welsh flag during the stay of Shirley Bassey . . . Lou Loren, the Hotel Sahara Comptroller, has been elected president of the Hotel Accountants Association of Nevada for the year 1966-67 . . . Roberta Linn, who recently gave birth to a new daughter, dropped the baby bottle long enough to fill in for Congo Room star Connie Francis May 16. Miss Francis suffered from a singing ailment known as ?Vegas throat.? Miss Linn also joined husband-partner Freddie Bell on stage in the hotel?s Casbar Theatre May 31 for the final week of their recent booking . . . MGM Recording Co. officials commented on the excel?lence of the Louis Basil orchestra in furnishing the musical backing for a recent Cannie Francis re?cording in the Congo Room. Basil?s group was used 100 per cent ? an unusual move due to the fact that recording companies seldom use a ?for?eign? orchestra throughout a recording ... It was fitting (and ironic) that Elizabeh Miller, daughter of Mary Miller, secretary to Sahara Entertainment Director Stuart Allen, served as baby sitter to Roger Miller?s children during Miller?s Congo Room en?gagement. Sahara Candids Peter Urquidi and Hank Castro, perennial cocktail hour favorites in Hotel Sahara?s Casbar Theatre, have succeeded in getting their or?chestrations recognized among the top 10 in the world ? at least as far as Hohner Electronic Corporation is concerned. Hohner recently came out with a new type of drums and, recognizing Castro as one of the nation?s best, asked him to endorse the product. Castro did, for which Hohner is supplying him with drums for life. Urquidi wasn?t left out, either. He is being rewarded with a lifetime supply of amplified attachments for his variety of instruments, a move contemplated to make the duos? already famous sounds even more famous. It all points to happier cocktail hours. John Hughes, Casino Gen. Mgr. Enjoy the finest hotel facilities in related Del Webb properties: Thunderbird Hotel Las Vegas, Nev. TowneHouse San Francisco, Calif. Mountain Shadows Scottsdale, Ariz. TowneHouse Fresno, Calif. Kings Inn Sun City, Ariz., Sun City, Calif., Sun City, Fla. TowneHouse Phoenix, Ariz. Sahara-Tahoe Lake Tahoe, Nev. The Mint Las Vegas, Nev. ? 1966 - Sahara-Nevada Corporation RESERVATION OFFICES Sydney, Australia BW 8333, 29-2701 Calgary, Alberta, Canada AM 3-4810 London, England REG 4995 Singapore, China 39-227 Hong Kong, China 667-453 Kowloon, Hong Kong 62068 Kyoto, Japan 7-0041,0040 Tokyo, Japan 212-2513 Osaka, Japan 631-2097 Mexico City 11-79-89, 25-71-28 Manila, Philippines 59-977 Bangkok, Thailand Anchorage, Alaska Phoenix, Ariz. 264-9321 Tucson, Ariz. Los Angeles, Calif. Palm Springs, Calif. Philadelphia, Pa. San Diego, Calif. San Francisco, Calif. Denver, Colo. Honolulu, Hawaii Chicago, III. St. Paul, Minn. Las Vegas, Nevada Albuquerque, N.M. New York, N.Y. Portland, Ore. El Paso, Texas Fort Worth, Texas Galveston, Texas Houston, Texas Lubbock, Texas Texas City, Texas Salt Lake City, Utah Seattle, Wash. 36-966 BR 4-3001 , AL 4-5411 264-3961 MA 2-7726 BR 2-8892 CR 6-0231 325-2756 WA 2-0860 BE 9-5151 EX 7-4996 244-2261 933-841 FI 6-2368 698-1242 735-2111 CH 2-6457 CH 2-5263 581-7766 AT 8-5801 LO 6-1631 ED 5-4424 SO 5-9347 JA 9-3911 PO 3-4354 Wl 5-4422 355-2841 LA 5-4050, ME 3-3020 MU 2-1955, MA 3-1177 SAHARA MAESTRO LOUIS BASIL TELLS ALL (Continued from p. 3) was conducting a high school orchestra when a dance team saw me and offered me the job of conductor with their troupe on a European tour. I played in France, Germany, Italy and England, all before I was 18. I definitely knew it was the career for me. ?When I got back to America, I played Carman Theatre in Philadelphia before going to Loew?s State in New York City, then to Chi?cago Theatre and on to Las Vegas where I?ve been ever since. Imagine, just four jobs in nearly 30 years! ?My early years with vaudeville in movie houses were a baptism in fire that most show conductors can?t include in their backgrounds. I?d begin rehearsals at 7 a.m. and the screen would come down at 9 a.m. Our first show would be at 11 a.m. and we?d have six a day. It was rugged, to say the least.? Basil is married to the former Vicky Page, the daughter of an Army colonel and a former member of the famous Sahara chorus line, ?The Most American Girls in the World.? They are expecting a child in late June or early July. ?Just think,? said Basil with a twin?kle in his eye, ?it may be a 4th of July baby.? Basil also has a daughter, Toni, who has distinguished herself as a dancer, singer, chor?eographer and actress. Toni?s mother, Basil?s first wife, passed away eight years ago. SIvnaiAIONI A9 Q31IVW 31 ABVSS3D3N 30V1SOJ SLN30 8003 60168 A3N SVD3A s^n Sahara laxoH