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.
Policy Changes
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.
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.
The Golden Nugget
The Golden Nugget on Freemont Street was one of the hottest spots in Sin City. Built in 1946 by Guy MacAfee, it was the best and biggest gambling house in town bar none! McAfee soon became the most recognizable and feared hotshot in Las Vegas. The man reportedly spent more than $1 million to open the Golden Nugget casino on August 30.
What’s more, McAfee (a former cop) earned a reputation for doing anything for business, including breaking bread with the same brothels, mobs, and bootleggers he was otherwise tasked with shutting down! Real estate mogul Steve Wynn bought a share in the Nugget, by 1973 he was the main stakeholder and the youngest casino owner in the city.
Water Polo in a Vegas Pool
We might be stating the obvious here. But it's clear that Las Vegas has historically been a popular location for bachelor (and bachelorette) parties. And that tradition is still the case until this very day. In this photo, we can see a group of friends in a middle of a bachelor weekend, and the hotel they were staying at.
But specifically, these guys were celebrating their friend's imminent wedding with a fun game of water polo in the hotel's pool. However, they decided to put a little twist on the game, using a giant beach ball. They stayed at the famous Hotel Flamingo.