Oral history interview with Rizzo Rich conducted by Nancy Hardyl on June 19, 2003 for the UNLV University Libraries Oral History Collection. In this interview, Rich discusses the choreographing process for the
Archival Collection
Oral history roundtable interviews with Jerry Jackson, Jillian Hrushowy, Dawnie Sachs, and Trenna Howard moderated by Su Kim Chung on May 17, 2015 for the Las Vegas Women in Gaming and Entertainment Oral History Project. The panel discusses their experiences working in Las Vegas productions including Folies Bergere and Lido de Paris as part of an opening event for the exhibit The French Connection: Lido de Paris and Folies Bergere in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Mary Louise Williams conducted by Claytee D. White on June 19, 1998 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. In this interview Mary Louise Williams discusses her dance career, working at the Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino, visiting Las Vegas, Nevada numerous times throughout her life, and why she retired in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Janet Kravenko conducted by Bridget Kelly on August 07, 2002 for the Women's Research Institute of Nevada (WRIN) Las Vegas Women Oral History Project. Kravenko opens her interview by discussing the importance of dance to her family, and her early interest in becoming a member of the Bluebell Girls dance troupe. She describes the rules of touring as a Bluebell Girl and her experiences traveling the world for two years. She then discusses her first contract in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Lido de Paris show. She describes the daily life of a Bluebell Girl, and where they rehearsed and performed. Kravenko then talks about being a young performer in Las Vegas and the challenges of finding work. She also describes some of the famous people she worked with including Zsa Zsa Gabor and Major Riddle. Lastly, Kravenko discusses how her dance career changed after she became a mother.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Frederic Apcar conducted by Nancy Hardy on July 19, 2003 for the Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Apcar describes his birth and early life in Paris, France, his parents' divorce, working from a young age, and, at the age of sixteen learning to dance ballet and tap. He talks about his first dancing job at the Folies Bergere in Paris, going on tour for several years with Josephine Baker, and on his return to Paris, dancing with the Lido before signing a contract for a three-month job at the Copacabana in New York City, New York. He then discusses his move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1959, where he produced the Las Vegas Les Folies Bergere, Vive les Girls with Ron Lewis, and Casino de Paris. He also talks about Donn Arden as the other major show producer on the Strip during this period.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Louise Randall Lawler conducted by Claytee D. White on September 25, 2021 for African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project.
Louise Randall Lawler discusses her early years in Las Vegas, her family history, and her experience as Rancho High School's first Black cheerleader. She talks about her cheer experience at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, her teaching career for the Clark County School District at Rancho High School and Valley High School, her time dancing with Redd Foxx, and her bartending career at the Imperial Palace Hotel and Casino.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with William Bailey conducted by Betty Rosenthal on March 16, 1978 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Mr. Bailey, who came to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1955, discusses his experiences in the entertainment business. He also discusses discrimination that African-Americans experienced in Las Vegas.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Marietta "Margie" Llorente Gonzales conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Vanessa Concepcion, and Stefani Evans on November 1 and 22, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. Margie Llorente-Gonzales discusses her upbringing in Manila, the Philippines and her family history within the country, recalling the lives of her parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. She talks about her childhood, educational pursuits, and courtship with her husband in the Philippines. Margie shares how she and her husband immigrated to the United States, how she adapted to her new life as an immigrant dependent on her extended family, and how she and her husband came to settle in Las Vegas. She talks about her artistic pursuits in the forms of dance choreography and performing, scriptwriting, broadcasting, and publishing newsletters. Margie also discusses her employment at McCarran Airport and her political activism, canvassing, and committee work in the Philippines and the United States.
Archival Collection