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Transcript of interview with Burton Cohen by Claytee White, January 9, 2009
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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.
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Photograph of William G. Bennett, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1984
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Archival Collection
Description
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Larry Corash oral history interview
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Abstract
Oral history interview with Larry Corash conducted by David Schwartz on July 12, 2007 for the Remembering Jay Sarno Oral History Project. In this interview, Corash discusses his family background and involvement in the hospitality industry. He remembers his father’s hotel business, his investments in hotels with Jay Sarno, and the increase in popularity of themed hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada throughout the 1970s. Corash talks about the opening of the Circus Circus Hotel and Casino, the planning for the Grandissimo, and how significant Caesars Palace was to the future of Las Vegas hotels and casinos.
Archival Collection
Postcard of playing cards advertising casinos, Las Vegas (Nev.), approximately 1900s-1980s
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Archival Collection
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Nancy Deaner oral history interviews
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Oral history interviews with Nancy Deaner conducted by Claytee D. White on June 05, 2018 and June 11, 2018 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In the first interview, Deaner talks about her upbringing in Reno, Nevada and in Las Vegas, Nevada. She remembers her father’s career in gaming, and her employment at the Mint Casino and Circus Circus Hotel and Casino. Later, Deaner talks about her involvement with the Shade Tree, her role as the Las Vegas Cultural Affairs Director, and public art in Las Vegas. In the second interview, Deaner discusses working with the Neon Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, and the Arts District.
Archival Collection
View of Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas, Nevada: photographic slide
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Archival Collection
Description
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Slide of neon signs on Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada, circa 1980s
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Archival Collection
Description
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Jay Sarno Jr. oral history interview
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Abstract
Oral history interview with Jay Sarno Jr. conducted by David G. Schwartz on March 25, 2008 for the Remembering Jay Sarno Oral History Project. In this interview, Sarno Jr. discusses his personal history growing up in Atlanta, Georgia and eventually moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1965. Sarno Jr. describes his father, Jay Sarno, opening Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino and Circus Circus Hotel and Casino. He recalls what it was like to live with his father and becoming involved with his businesses. Lastly, Sarno Jr. talks about the negative assumptions associated with being the son of Sarno.
Archival Collection