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Donna L. Miller oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02444

Abstract

Oral history interview with Donna L. Miller conducted by Claytee D. White on July 15, 2015 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. Miller begins by describing her early upbringing on her family's potato farm in Oregon before moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. She discusses attending Las Vegas High School, joining the Rhythmettes, the school's female dance group, and her experiences in the Rhythmettes, including where she performed and the team's coach, Evelyn Stuckey. Miller also briefly discusses working as a secretary at the Sahara Hotel and Casino and real estate in Las Vegas.

Archival Collection

Susan P. Slade oral history interview

Identifier

OH-02447

Abstract

Oral history interview with Susan P. Slade conducted by Claytee D. White on July 31, 2015 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, Slade discusses attending Las Vegas High School in Las Vegas, Nevada and being in the Rhythmettes, the school's female dance group. Slade describes the team's operation and culture, and the different places they performed in Nevada and around the country. She talks about life in Las Vegas, the city's growth, and the communities in which she has lived throughout Las Vegas. Slade concludes the interview by presenting her scrapbook of Rhythmettes pictures and memorabilia.

Archival Collection

An Interview with Katherine M. Joseph

Identifier

OH-00979

Abstract

Oral history interview with Katherine M. Joseph conducted by Claytee D. White on October 25, 2004 and September 05, 2007 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. Joseph discusses dancing in Paris, France with Josephine Baker and working at the Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino during its heyday. Joseph also discusses race segregation in Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1950s and of the burgeoning and bustling African-American communities and neighborhoods.

Archival Collection

George Lee oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03437

Abstract

Oral history interview with George Lee conducted by Stefani Evans and Su Kim Chung on February 29, 2024 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Lee describes his four decades of experience as a Las Vegas blackjack dealer (36 at the Four Queens Casino), after leaving behind a career in dance. Lee was selected to originate the role of "Tea" in a 1954 New York City Ballet stage production of The Nutcracker. He also danced in South Pacific at the Thunderbird, and with Carol Channing's revue at The Riviera, and a traveling production of Disney on Parade. After dancing in Alcazar de Paris at the Desert Inn Hotel in 1980, he quit dancing and went to dealer school. He worked swing shift at the Four Queens Hotel, and attended ballet classes at UNLV during the day. Lee, now 89, still works five days a week at the Four Queens. In this interview, Lee talks about ballet, typecasting, discipline, and being "ten times better." He discusses becoming a U.S. citizen in 1959 and changing his surname from Li to Lee.

Archival Collection

Rich Rizzo oral history interview

Identifier

OH-01573

Abstract

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 Lido in Paris show in Paris, France and collaborating with the Bluebell Girls dancing troupe. He talks about working with Donn Arden, surviving the MGM Grand Hotel fire, and Las Vegas, Nevada entertainment during the 1980s. Later, Rich describes the evolution of shows in Las Vegas and working with smaller, community theaters.

Archival Collection

The French Connection event oral history roundtable

Identifier

OH-02619

Abstract

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

Janet Kravenko oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03591

Abstract

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

Louise Randall Lawler oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03797

Abstract

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

Bob Bailey oral history interview

Identifier

OH-00097

Abstract

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

Margie Llorente Gonzales oral history interview

Identifier

OH-03804

Abstract

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