Skip to main content

Search the Special Collections and Archives Portal

The Story of Classic Las Vegas Oral History Interviews (MS-01075)

Abstract

The Story of Classic Las Vegas Oral History Interviews (approximately 1950-2006) is comprised of raw and edited video recordings of oral history interviews used for The Story of Classic Las Vegas documentary which was produced, directed, and edited by Lynn Zook. The documentary offers first person historical overviews of what it was like to live in Las Vegas, Nevada from the 1920s to the 1970s. Individuals interviewed include a wide range of community members of the Las Vegas Valley including business owners, educators, entertainers, politicians, gaming professionals, casino workers, and activists. Materials also include a media kit with promotional materials and interview transcript for one of the interviewees, Betty Willis.

Finding Aid PDF

Date

1950 to 2006

Extent

686 digital_files (137.000 GB) MP3, MP4, PDF/A

Scope and Contents Note

The Story of Classic Las Vegas Oral History Interviews (approximately 1950-2006) is comprised of raw and edited video recordings of oral history interviews used for The Story of Classic Las Vegas documentary which was produced, directed, and edited by Lynn Zook. The documentary offers first person historical overviews of what it was like to live in Las Vegas, Nevada from the 1920s to the 1970s. Individuals interviewed include a wide range of community members of the Las Vegas Valley including business owners, educators, entertainers, politicians, gaming professionals, casino workers, and activists. Some of the individuals represented in this collection include Anna Bailey, Rex Bell, William Boyd, Richard Bryan, James Cashman, Thalia Dondero, Ruby Duncan, John Mendoza, Ed Von Tobel, Valerie Wiener, and Betty Willis. Materials also include a media kit with promotional materials and interview transcript for Betty Willis.

Access Note

Collection is open for research. Arrangements must be made in advance to access digital files; please contact UNLV Special Collections and Archives for additional information.

Publication Rights

This material is made available to facilitate private study, scholarship, or research. The donor, Lynn M. Zook and Jonathan Stromp, retains all copyrights for materials in the Story of Classic Las Vegas Oral History Interviews until their deaths, and then transfers all copyrights to UNLV. However, some material may be protected by copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity rights, or other interests not owned by the donors or UNLV. Users are responsible for determining whether permissions are necessary from rights owners for any intended use and for obtaining all required permissions. Acknowledgement of the UNLV University Libraries is requested. For more information, please see the UNLV Special Collections policies on reproductions and use or contact us at special.collections@unlv.edu.

Arrangement

Materials are organized in alphabetical order by the interviewee's surname.

Biographical / Historical Note

Lynn M. Zook was born in Battle Creek, Michigan and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of four with her mother, Laura. Zook graduated from Clark High School in 1975 and attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for two years before moving to Los Angeles, California to major in film at the University of Southern California (USC). Zook eventually obtained a BFA and MFA from USC's School of Cinematic Arts and worked on low-budget productions before working for a company that made educational films for schools. Zook has worked as a producer, writer, and asset manager for media companies like Turner Classic Movies and Warner Bros. Studios and cultural heritage organizations like the Las Vegas Springs Preserve and the Walt Disney Family Museum.

Inspired by her childhood growing up in Las Vegas throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Zook conducted oral history interviews with long-time and native-born Las Vegans to document their experiences living in the city. The interviews became the basis for the documentary The Story of Classic Las Vegas which tells the social history of Las Vegas from the 1920s through the 1970s. The documentary debuted at the CineVegas Film Festival in June 2005. The history of Las Vegas has always been important to Zook and she has strived to preserve it through her historic preservation projects and her writings. As of 2024, Zook continues to share the history of Las Vegas through her website, ClassicLasVegas.com and her books including Gambling on a Dream: The Classic Las Vegas Strip 1930-1955 and Las Vegas: 1905-1965.

Sources:

"Real History: Documentarian focuses on Las Vegas' social growth," Las Vegas Sun, June 29, 2004. https://lasvegassun.com/news/2004/jun/29/real-history-documentarian-focuses-on-las-vegas-so/

Lynn M. Zook, e-mail message to Tammi Kim, July 23, 2024.

Preferred Citation

The Story of Classic Las Vegas Oral History Interviews, approximately 1950-2006. MS-01075. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada. http://n2t.net/ark:/62930/f1p46z

Acquisition Note

Materials were donated in 2021 and 2024 by Lynn Zook; accession numbers 2021-117, 2022-046, and 2024-048.

Processing Note

In 2021 and 2022, Tammi Kim transferred ISO files off of optical discs and created the finding aid in ArchivesSpace for accessions 2021-117 and 2022-046. In 2024, the donors transferred additional digital files (2024-048) to UNLV Special Collections and Archives on a Mobius 5 Bay RAID System which included interview transcripts in RTF format and video files in both MOV and MP4 formats. In 2024, Tammi Kim transferred the interview transcripts and MP4 files off the RAID system. It was decided by Technical Services staff (Tammi Kim and Sarah Jones) and the collection curator (Su Kim Chung) that the MOV files would be transferred at a later date due to limitations in UNLV Special Collections and Archives' digital storage capacity. Files were reformatted to create access files including converting RTF to PDF/A and converting ISO files to MP4. The finding aid inventory was also updated in ArchivesSpace.

Resource Type

Collection

Collection Type

EAD ID

US::NVLN::MS01075

Appraisal Note

Acquired by Su Kim Chung, curator, as part of UNLV Special Collections and Archives holdings in Las Vegas history. All material that formed the original gift has been retained.

Finding Aid Description Rules

Describing Archives: A Content Standard
English