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Transcript of interview with Burton Cohen by Claytee White, January 9, 2009
Date
Archival Collection
Description
In this interview, Burton Cohen discusses his involvement in the Las Vegas casino industry, including booking entertainment for various hotels.
Burton Cohen's long casino executive career began in the mid-1960s when he accepted a proposition to become involved with the transformation of the Frontier Hotel. He left his south Florida roots and law practice to become a co-owner/general manager of the Frontier Hotel. Thus, began his highly regarded Las Vegas presence. For nearly four decades he served in the management of some of the Strip's most famous casinos: Flamingo, Dunes, Circus Circus, Caesar Palace, Thunderbird and the Desert Inn, which remains his favorite. In this interview, Burt reflects on the positions he held, the celebrities he hired and befriended, and offers a unique look at the behind the scenes marketing and entertainment strategies that he helmed. He shares stories of becoming entrenched in casino operations, his reflections of union experiences, and even anecdotes about moving his mother to Las Vegas.
Text
Reproduction photocopy of May 28, 1945 issue of the Desert Breeze, newspaper for Las Vegas High School, approximately 1990
Level of Description
Archival Collection
Collection Name: Leslie H. Smith Papers
Box/Folder: Oversized Box SH-081 (Restrictions apply)
Archival Component
1990 historical Las Vegas calendar, 1990
Level of Description
Archival Collection
Collection Name: Leslie H. Smith Papers
Box/Folder: Oversized Box SH-081 (Restrictions apply)
Archival Component
Photographic reproductions of Helldorado ladies (1935) and Fremont Street (1930s), approximately 2000 to 2017
Level of Description
Archival Collection
Collection Name: Leslie H. Smith Papers
Box/Folder: Oversized Box SH-081 (Restrictions apply)
Archival Component
Aerial photographic reproductions of the Las Vegas Strip and Fremont Street during the 1950s, approximately 2000 to 2017
Level of Description
Archival Collection
Collection Name: Leslie H. Smith Papers
Box/Folder: Oversized Box SH-081 (Restrictions apply)
Archival Component
"Our Trip to the Midwest" Smith family vacation to Monona, Iowa (birthplace of J. D. Smith), 2010
Level of Description
Archival Collection
Collection Name: Leslie H. Smith Papers
Box/Folder: Box 04
Archival Component
Reunion photographic prints and negatives, 1985 to 2018
Level of Description
Archival Collection
Collection Name: Leslie H. Smith Papers
Box/Folder: Box 02
Archival Component
Reunion attendee lists, programs, fliers, and planning correspondence, approximately 1995 to 2009
Level of Description
Archival Collection
Collection Name: Leslie H. Smith Papers
Box/Folder: Box 02, Box 03, Box 05, Box 06, Box 07
Archival Component
Ruth Weir autobiography, Weir family research, copies of William Weir's letters (bound in two volumes), approximately 1980 to 2000
Level of Description
Archival Collection
Collection Name: Leslie H. Smith Papers
Box/Folder: Box 01
Archival Component
Scrapbooks with reproductions of class photographic prints from the 1930s, approximately 1980 to 2012
Level of Description
Archival Collection
Collection Name: Leslie H. Smith Papers
Box/Folder: Box 03
Archival Component