Let Us Entertain You

The 25 Entertainers Who Define Las Vegas

When my wife and I relocated here in 2005, our top priorities included great weather, low taxes, a view of serene mountains (not too many in Chicago) with a beautiful home from which to see them, good food, and most importantly,  fun.

...and fun in my mind means a combination of a little gambling and...

Entertainment !

Over the years I would visit this city and like most tourists, enjoy three days of "partying" before I'd head home to "reality", and as I got closer and closer to retirement, I thought...

Why Not? 

Let's Live There !!!

And so...Sun City Anthem became an integral part of our lives.

During those years I had the pleasure of meeting one of my dearest friends, Rana Goodman, who allowed me to write a column entitled "As I See It" on her forum, www.anthemtoday.com for four years before I needed a break, only to run into an old fraternity brother, Allen Weintraub, who asked me to write articles for this publication.

Rana was my living history book of Las Vegas past, and often over the years, I would ask her, "What were the good old days really like?"

You see, Rana relocated from the United Kingdom when she was a young child and watched Las Vegas grow to what it is today.

She would tell me about Henderson; that it was the place to BUY BAIT on the way to fishing at Lake Mead...

...stories about her dad who helped found the first temple in Las Vegas...

...stories about the REAL Ralph Lamb, the sheriff who Dennis Quaid portrays on the current TV hit, "Vegas"...

...and the best, stories of actually witnessing THE RAT PACK guys, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, deal black jack after a show.

And so...when I saw an article in the Las Vegas Sun a couple of days ago, referencing a website entitled  "Las Vegas Weekly"

http://www.lasvegasweekly.com

...about the top celebrities who "made" Las Vegas The Entertainment Capital of the World, I thought of her and wondered if she would agree with the choices they made as to the Top 25 Celebrities Who Helped Define Las Vegas.

So Rana, if you're out there, here are their choices starting with #25, and counting down to #1.

But...before you look at them, have a bit of fun.

Grab a piece of paper and a pencil, and list those who YOU believe made the Top 25.

Now...don't cheat, and let us know how many were on your list that made the Top 25.

One more hint...this list includes not just the stars of yesterday, but  those of recent years, and TODAY.

Here we go !

#25

The Checkmates

#24

Carrot Top

#23

Charo

#22

Danny Gans

#21

David Copperfield

#20

Redd Foxx

#19

Lola Falana

#18

Phyllis Diller

#17

Tom Jones

#16

Frank Marino

(female impersonator not to be confused with Frankie Marino)

#15

Don Rickles

#14

Jerry Lewis

#13

Donnie & Marie Osmond

#12

Prince

#11

Penn & Teller

#10

Garth Brooks

#9

Louis Prima with Keely Smith

#8

Bobby Darin

#7

Paul Oakenfold

#6

Wayne Newton

#5

Siegfried & Roy

#4

Celine Dion

#3

Elvis Presley

#2

The Rat Pack

(Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. & Frank Sinatra)

#1

Liberace

As our Las Vegas "pioneer," Rana, do you agree, disagree, or has the list missed any that you've grown up with over the years ?

For full details as to these "history makers", here is a link to the article itself:

http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/dec/13/25-greatest-headliners-las-vegas-history/

And please, if we have any other "oldies but goodies" out there who have been here for years with stories of great entertainment of the past, tell us.