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Transcript of interview with Alan Clancy by Su Kim Chung, by February 12, 2015

Date

2015-02-12

Description

Alan Clancy grew up in Sydney, Australia, the second son of famous ballroom-dancing parents. He recalls that he had incredible energy as a child, and, therefore, his parents enrolled him in the Shirley de Paul Studio to learn gymnastics, tap, ballet, and jazz. He also became a soprano singer. This training did well for him for as he went through high school he won trophies in sports and participated in musical productions. Eventually, because of a neighboring friend, Kay Dickerson, Alan moved to the Rudas Acrobatic Studio where he received further training and eventually contracted with Tibor Rudas to participate in an entertainment group called “The Las Vegas Dancers”. He was only seventeen when the group boarded a ship for Hong Kong in an enterprise which would eventually allow the dancers to entertain around the world for approximately two and a half years. When the group returned, Alan auditioned for the Tommy Leonetti television show and then for Les Girls in Sydney. Eventually Tibor Rudas appeared with a contract for Alan, when he had just turned twenty-one, to fly to Las Vegas to work in the Folies Bergere at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino. When he arrived in Las Vegas, he was surprised at the size of the city and the hotels but was overly impressed by the neon signs, the showrooms with their nude dancers, the costuming, magnificent sets, the choreography, and the dress of the patrons. He remembers his first night performing in the Folies and the amount of stars in the audience, for example, Elvis Presley, Liberace, and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Alan goes on to describe the many people that he met in Las Vegas, working in various shows, and the many friendships made over the years. However, he eventually became interested in opening his own vintage clothing store, Vintage Madness, near the Strip. He talks about his many customers, the stores around him, his creative ways of acquiring items to sell and the success that was made. Unfortunately, during the middle of one night the store burned to the ground which left Alan devastated. Eventually, however, he purchased three buildings on Fourth Street and opened an art gallery, a coffee shop, and a small stage. His mercantile interest allowed him to leave show business and briefly open a store in Laguna Beach, Southern California. It wasn’t long until Barclay Shaw asked him to work in “Splash” at the Riviera Hotel in Vegas and, therefore, he returned to show business. However, Shaw, his friend, died and so did his mother and he lost interest in his stores, renting them out. Consequently, he returned to live in California and began working with Aids patients. Alan returned to Las Vegas for the reunion of the cast of Folies Bergere and noticed the many changes made in Las Vegas from when he first arrived to perform at the Tropicana Hotel.

Text

Transcript of interview with Beverly J. Britton by Jeff Neher, February 26, 1979

Date

1979-02-26

Description

Jeff Neher interviews accountant Beverly J. Britton at her apartment in Las Vegas, Nevada. Born September 29th, 1949 in Vernon, Texas, Britton relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1995. During the interview Britton offers an overview of life in the Las Vegas area from 1955 to 1979.

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Cork Proctor Photograph Collection

Identifier

PH-00349

Abstract

The Cork Proctor Photograph Collection (1960s-1980s) primarily contains black-and-white photographic reproductions of early Las Vegas, Nevada; the Cal-Neva Lodge at Lake Tahoe, Nevada; and various celebrities. The collection also includes black-and-white photographic prints of the Helldorado Parade. Cork Proctor was a comedian who performed throughout Nevada and the United States.

Archival Collection

Michael S. Mack Papers

Identifier

MS-00736

Abstract

The Michael S. Mack papers (approximately 1940s-1950s, undated) consist of photographs and documents related to the early Jewish community of Las Vegas, Nevada. Group photographs depict the Mack family and the Las Vegas Jewish community at events during the 1940s and 1950s, when the Las Vegas Jewish Community Center was the main Jewish organization in town. Individuals in the photographs were identified by Michael Mack. The collection includes documents written by Michael Mack that describe the early Las Vegas Jewish community and the history of his father and uncles, Louis, Nathan, and Harry Mack. The documents also list the names of Jewish individuals and businesses in Las Vegas.

Archival Collection

Nanyu Tomiyasu interview, April 12, 1977: transcript

Date

1977-04-12

Description

On April 12, 1977, collector Mark French interviewed Nanyu Tomiyasu (born May 28th, 1918 in Las Vegas, Nevada) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In this interview, Nanyu Tomiyasu discusses growing up and working on his father’s (Bill Yonema Tomiyasu) farm in Las Vegas, Nevada. He also discusses how his father came to Las Vegas and being one of the few Japanese families in Las Vegas as a child.

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Transcript of interview with Betty Joyce Clark by Steven Knowles, February 16, 1978

Date

1978-02-16

Description

On February 16, 1978, Steven Knowles interviewed Betty Joyce Clark (born 1940 in Cartersville, Georgia) about her experiences living in Las Vegas, Nevada. Clark first talks about her early places of residence, the schools she attended, and some of the businesses she remembered from the time. She also discusses bus transportation, the first hospitals in town, and the early development of the Las Vegas Strip. Additional topics include the development of utility services for homes, early railroad activity, the development of North Las Vegas, and the first airport and airline services. The latter part of the interview includes discussion of the first department stores, the tourist population, the racial makeup of the city, the police department, and the extent of crime in Las Vegas. The interview finalizes with Clark’s thoughts on the growth of Las Vegas.

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Transcript of interview with Ethel S. Hatch by P. Kohlman, November 24, 1975

Date

1975-11-24

Description

On November 24, 1975, collector P. Kohlman interviewed housewife, Ethel S. Hatch (born April 11th, 1914 in Valentine, Texas) in her home in Las Vegas, Nevada. This interview covers the history of Las Vegas from 1939 to 1975. Mrs. Hatch also talks about ranching in Nevada, Rex Bell, development on the Strip, the first hotels, and early local shopping culture. She refers to Block Sixteen as Block Thirteen when discussing the Red Light District. The interview concludes with discussion surrounding tree-lined streets, the Helldorado Club, and Fremont Street.

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Howard Heckethorn interview, March 2, 1977: transcript

Date

1977-03-02

Description

On March 2, 1977, Neil C. Dalmas interviewed teacher Howard Heckethorn, (born on September 14th, 1922 in St. George, Utah) at Red Rock Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada. This interview offers an overview of early education in Nevada. Mr. Heckethorn also discusses Stewart Ranch, Howard Hughes and the Hughes Site, and the migration of the Mormons to the Las Vegas area.

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Transcript of interview with Louis Fisher by Samuel Barto, March 20, 1978

Date

1978-03-20

Description

On March 20, 1978, collector Samuel Barto interviewed paint and drywall contractor, Louis Fisher (born July 10, 1922, in Alva, Oklahoma) in North Las Vegas, Nevada. The interview took place at the collector’s home with the collector, Mr. Barto and Mr. and Mrs. Fisher present. Mr. Fisher relocated to Las Vegas in 1953 after having lived in Alva, Oklahoma, Portland, Oregon, and Walla Walla, Washington. During the interview, Mr. Fisher discusses the history of Las Vegas from 1953 and offers key insight into the rapid growth of Las Vegas with special focus on the Strip, banks, the steady influx of people moving to Las Vegas for the warm climate, and housing.

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Lake-Eglington Family Photograph Collection

Identifier

PH-00010

Abstract

The Lake-Eglington Family Photograph Collection contains photographs of the Lake-Eglington Family in and around Las Vegas, Nevada from 1900 to 1976. The materials include photographs of early Las Vegas resident Olive Lake-Eglington and her family shortly after they moved to Las Vegas in 1904, as well as her eventual husband Earle Eglington after he moved to Las Vegas in 1911. The materials also include photographs of Native American artifacts, schools in Clark County, Nevada, artesian wells, the Hoover (Boulder) Dam, the Colorado River, Mt. Charleston, the Mormon Fort, the Stewart (Kiel) Ranch, the Las Vegas Ranch, and many early residents of Las Vegas.

Archival Collection