Sammy Davis Jr. was one of the first African American performers in Las Vegas to get equal treatment. Prior to that, these establishments wouldn’t even host their talent and would give them boarding facilities outside the hotel. Davis Jr. was able to break color divides largely because of his friendship with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack.
It wasn’t just a social benefit but an entry point into a world he had always aspired to and had eluded so many Black artists. Getting in was half the battle won. His audience was entirely white. The clubs he performed at still served people of color away from the main bar. Here he is pictured with Clint Eastwood in 1959 at the Sands Hotel.
Mara Lane by the Pool
One of the most iconic photographs of British-Austrian actor Mara Lane is one of her in a red and white striped bikini by the pool at the Sands hotel. Shot by renowned photographer, Slim Aarons, the image is the very definition of Las Vegas celebrity glam during the 1950s.
This picture here is a rare behind-the-scenes picture of a picture. Aarons went (literally) to any lengths and heights for the perfect shot. Thank goodness for extending ladders. Lane’s star rose during the 1950s and early 1960s when she appeared in over 30 German and English language films. It’s odd that nobody seems to remember her now.
Fisher Strikes Back
Eddie Fisher’s marriage to Debbie Reynolds fell apart in 1958 when their close friend Mike Todd died in a plane crash. Todd was married to Elizabeth Taylor at the time. Fisher was there for Taylor as she grieved, and they eventually began an affair. The scandal sent ripples through Hollywood. It was all anyone in the film industry could talk about!
In 1959, Eddie Fisher left his wife and married Taylor in Las Vegas, just hours after his divorce. The couple actually got married in the Las Vegas synagogue, such was the urgency! Was Fisher being deliberately defiant? Perhaps it was his answer to all the wagging tongues. The divorce was devastating for Reynolds as she and Taylor had been best friends for years, or so she thought.
Eddie Fisher and Elizabeth Taylor Leaving Their Wedding
Elizabeth Taylor lost her previous husband, Mile Todd to a plane crash. She turned to her best friend Eddie Fisher. He became her shoulder to cry on. Next thing you know, they were having a secret affair. The pair got married but not before causing a Hollywood storm and alienating Debbie Reynolds – Fisher’s wife and Taylor’s best friend.
Safe to say that many hearts were broken along the way. Even theirs as they, unfortunately, divorced in 1964. History famously repeated itself. Taylor ended up having an affair with Richard Burton while the two were filming “Cleopatra.” She married Burton the same year she divorced Fisher.
Showgirl Golf Tournament
One never knew what to expect in Las Vegas in the 1950s. A place where celebrities, dancers, mobsters, and newly-married couples mingled under the Nevada night sky. And of course, there were the showgirls – the pinnacle of wild and “exotic” Vegas entertainment.
This one’s a rare picture of the girls without their elaborate costumes and regalia. Joy Skylar (left) and Florence Walters (right) seem to be enjoying some downtime as they get some practice in for a special showgirl golf tournament. The 1953 tournament featured 14 showgirls from seven different resort hotels in Vegas who competed at the Desert Inn Country Club.