9 thoughts on “Five Hundy by Midnight #349: No Sustainability Lectures Here”

1. I know you know this and forgot it during the show, so let me be the first dick-weed to remind you: A division of Goldman Sachs bought the Stratosphere and other casinos from Carl Ichan in about 2006. Goldman is the lender on the LVH property and is trying to forclose on it currently from the defaulted operator Colony Capital. They are going back and forth in court at this date. It is assumed that Goldman wants to have their casino operator dvision take over operations at the LVH after the foreclosure is completed, and that operator uses the street address of the Strat on their business correspondence.

2. I may have known that at one time, but I lose track of ownership of off-Strip properties. Good info.

3. +1 dickweed!

4. I need more dickweeds in my life.

5. Regarding Rich Little: I was born in 1958, and when I was young my connection to Las Vegas might have been a “Dusk to Dawn” show at the Twilight Garden Drive Inn that would be Frank as Tony Rome, Dean as Matt Helm, Sammy & Peter Lawford as Salt & Pepper, closed out with Ocean’s 11. As I got older and could stay up late on weekends and in the summer, I would also see Shecky, Liberace, Buddy Hackett, or Rich Little on Carson. Other outlets would be Merv, or The Dean Martin Variety Show, and later, Celebrity Roasts. Rich Little was a regular, as well as a steady performer. His impressions were great then and the subjects always approved.
   I have many of the Celebrity Roast DVD’s and watch them every couple months. I always laugh and notice how funny and un-PC they are. As well as how almost all of the guests are dead. I also notice how good the stage presence and timing was for those aging performers back then. Even when they were on the way out (and knew it) they still “had it”.
   I had the honor of being in Las Vegas a couple years ago when an “Italian Earthquake Benefit Show” was staged at the Orleans Showroom. I drug my 15 years younger wife with me to see it. Most of the performers were old men with Ill fitting toupees, dust on their tuxedo shoulder and routines that featured Sonny Liston (no kidding). People I think I saw on the Ed Sullivan Show, along with Topo-Gigo. The big Stars were Rich Little, Charlie Callas and Shecky Greene. Little performed very early in the show and did a tight 10 minutes. Callas (who has since died) did an incoherent 15 minutes that seemed like an hour, and Shecky did a rambling 15 minutes that seemed very bitter and calculating.
   I’m not saying Rich Little is my kind of guy, but it seems like he has become irrelevant very quickly. His political jokes are way too republican for me, but his impressions are still solid and funny. I think it is heartbreaking that his younger wife took her own life last year (I fear pain & painkillers were a factor) and wonder why his shows at the Golden Nugget last year sold so poorly that they closed after a week, or so?
   He might not matter to the younger set, but for those of us over 50, Rich Little might be the best link to the “Classic Vegas” of our youth.

6. Rich Little may have become irrelevant very quickly, but it happened about 25 years ago. His impression may be solid, but they’re all of dead people, which is probably a big reason for said irrelevance.

7. Hi Jeff,

   I considered going to the IEB show at the ‘Orleans, Sounds like it was a bit of a disaster. Yet, I really was curious about some of the older performers, so thanks for sharing your take on the night. Rickles still plays the ‘Orleans regularly, and as of this writing, I can assure you his act is still excellent. I would reccomend seeing him, and I think we can agree he’s a bona-fide link to old Vegas.

8. Al

   Please don’t let me give you the wrong impression, I thought the IEB show was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in Las Vegas, warts and all. I’m at the age where I realize the road doesn’t go on forever and I want to see the old performers while I still can. The IEB performers were mainly lounge acts, rather than showroom acts. Just happy to be able to perform for an audience one last time.

   I agree with you regarding Don Rickles. We saw him within the last couple years at the Orleans and he still provides a highly entertaining show. We saw Frank Sinatra Jr. there recently and it was almost as if a professor was telling us about, and aharing the nuance of, big band music. He was a guy who loved every note each member of the 20 piece orchestra was playing and wanted to make sure the audience got their best effort. Professional entertainers in action.

   When I was young I used to hate it when “the old folks” would start telling tha same stories thay had been telling since before I was born. Made me roll my eyes and want to leave the room. Now their voices are still and I wish I coud hear them just one more time.

9. O’Sheas has closed. I got a green O’Sheas shot glass as a souvenir hand out. I posted a few photos on my blog and sooner or later may get to uploading video content from O’Sheas closing.

   At 2AM, 10 hours from now, the old Flamingo garage is to be imploded.

   Also of minor note, yesterday the old (long defunct) Holy Cow casino at the corner of LAs Vegas Blvd and Sahara was knocked down. That is the building which at one time was going to be the Ivana Trump building.