Abstract
The Larry Billman Papers (1961-1975) primarily reflect his work in the entertainment industry of Las Vegas, Nevada as a dancer, choreographer, and director. Materials include scripts, photographs, music scores, contracts, ephemera, and magazine and newspaper clippings. The collection also includes two scrapbooks and photographs of Tomoko (Katsuko) Billman performing in shows like "Holiday in Japan" at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino and "Rome Swings" at Caesars Palace in the late 1950s into the mid-1960s as well as photographs of Tomoko and other "Holiday in Japan" performers at various reunions.
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Scope and Contents Note
The papers of author, director, dancer, and choreographer Larry Billman (1961-1975) contain materials from the Las Vegas, Nevada shows in which he performed. Materials include music, scripts, photographs, contracts, and clippings, as well as magazine articles about Las Vegas showgirls written under Billman's pseudonym, Lars Bonner. The collection also includes two scrapbooks and photographs of Tomoko (Katsuko) Billman performing in shows like "Holiday in Japan" at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino and "Rome Swings" at Caesars Palace in the late 1950s into the mid-1960s as well as photographs of Tomoko and other "Holiday in Japan" performers at various reunions.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Material is arranged alphabetically.
Biographical / Historical Note
Author, choreographer, and dancer Larry Billman began his professional career at the age of 16 in his home town of Hollywood, California. He came to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1961 to be a dancer in the Johnny Mathis Show at the Sahara Hotel. He was a dancer and singer in the “Hello America” productions at the Desert Inn Hotel from 1965 to 1967 and in two Ann Margaret Shows in 1967 and 1969, one in Las Vegas, Nevada and one at Harrah's in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Billman also wrote and directed "Fanny Hill," a lounge show production at the Desert Inn, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Billman wrote two biographies for Greenwood Press about Fred Astaire and Betty Grable and the first encyclopedia detailing the dance artists who made the movies ‘move,’ which referred to the movement provided by dance. He also directed six additions of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus and founded the Academy of Dance on Film to document the importance of dance.
In 1969, he was employed by Walt Disney Attractions where he wrote, directed, and produced hundreds of live shows for Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, and Tokyo DisneySea. Larry Billman retired from the Disney Company in 2007. Billman was married to fellow performer, Tomoko Katsuko Sekiya from 1967 until his death in 2017.
Source:
Stephen Schaffer, -Stephanie Stromer. "Larry E. Billman Obituary." Los Angeles Times Obituaries. May 6, 2017. Accessed March 19, 2019. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?n=larry-e-billman&pid=185310482.
Preferred Citation
Larry Billman Papers, 1961-1975, undated. MS-00577. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada
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Acquisition Note
Material was donated in 2011 and 2015 by Larry Billman; accession numbers 2011-09, 2015-114.
Processing Note
Material was processed by Joyce Moore in 2015.
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Additions
Future additions are anticipated.