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 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
The Bill Moore Professional Papers are comprised of documents, designs, and promotional materials of show producer Bill Moore from 1950 to 2010. From the 1960s until the late 2000s, Moore and his partner George Arnold produced a variety of stage shows, from musicals and revues to his famous "on ice" productions like Nudes on Ice and Playgirls on Ice. Materials include three-dimensional set designs, photographic prints, financial records, promotional posters, and audio and video recordings of shows at casinos in Las Vegas, Laughlin, and Reno, Nevada, and Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Archival Collection
Collection is comprised of the papers of Las Vegas producer, manager, and agent Matt Gregory from 1959 to 1986. Included are contracts, costume sketches, press releases, videos, show reviews, and advertisements. Also included are correspondence, public relations material, business related material, costume and set design drawings and sketches, slides, negatives, photographs, transparencies, and videos, mostly from the 1960s through the 1980s.
Archival Collection
The Frederic Apcar Collection on the Casino de Paris Show (approximately 1963-1992) contains Casino de Paris programs, tent cards, and promotional information. There are also three
Archival Collection
The Virginia James Papers (1949-1982) consist of the correspondence and contracts of Las Vegas, Nevada performer Virginia James. The materials document James’ employment history at the Tropicana, Flamingo, and Sands hotels and her involvement in the famous "Les Folies Bergere" show, which debuted in Las Vegas in 1959.
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
The Valda and Esper Esau Photographs (approximately 1958-2006) depict the Lido de Paris show. The collection consists of forty-three images. The images depict of Bluebell girls, Las Vegas landmarks, behind the scenes of the Lido de Paris show at the Stardust Hotel, and personal photographs of Valda Boyne Esau.
Archival Collection