For more than a century, courageous adults of all calibers have been flocking to Las Vegas, also known as Sin City, to push the boundaries of their moral makeup. Vegas has more than enough options when it comes to fun for adults within the city limits, and many of these photos will prove just that. The phrase “Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” exists for a reason - let’s hope the photos in this story don’t get some of these people in trouble. Keep reading and judge for yourself.
Celebrity Life
If you’re a celebrity hoping to not be noticed, or photographed, then Las Vegas may not be the best location for you. In July of 1966, Bridgette Bardot, and her German fiance, Gunther Sachs, were photographed getting off their private jet in Las Vegas. Being that Vegas is known as the wedding capital of the world, they were there to get hitched.
Sachs had a unique way to win over “the most desirable woman in the world”. In a very clever move, Sachs commissioned a helicopter to fly over Bardot's South of France villa and very romantically scattered roses all over the property. Sadly in 1969, the two divorced. Luckily, that wasn’t the end for either of them in regards to future marriages.
Poolside Gambling
Gambling wasn’t always as prevalent in Vegas as it is today. In the 1960’s, Sin City wasn’t at all like the Las Vegas strip we know and love today. The strip we know today didn’t come into being until 1989. Photographed here was a publicity stunt where the hotel decided to drop gambling tables down poolside to give their guests an opportunity to win, or lose, their money.
In 1965, the Sands Hotel was the top spot in Vegas to be seen. Well known mobsters, Lansky and Costello, liked the idea of being a part of the Las Vegas life so they helped finance The Sands Hotel in 1947. The hotel was known for having some of the best entertainment in the area, the mob made sure of that. The Rat Pack were one of their leading acts and liked to call the Sands home.
Elvis Is In The Building
Vegas was such a hot spot for entertainment that even Elvis took notice. In 1975, Elvis wasn’t his youthful self yet he still made women take notice. How could they not, he was known as “the King” for a reason. On a nightly basis, before he could leave the stage, women would rush on-stage and thrown themselves at him in hopes of just getting to touch just a piece of the legend.
Being a Vegas entertainer wasn’t an easy job. He loved his fans and would endure some of their crazy requests. He even handed out the scarf he wore each night to one lucky lady. His health wasn’t great, and in a few short years Elvis would pass away, but in 1975 he gave it his all, night after night, while the crowd went wild.
Beautiful ladies are a Vegas staple
Las Vegas wasn’t originally created to be the glamorous city that it is today. However, thanks to mob money, it quickly evolved into an exciting vacation destination. As you can see here, in the mid-1950’s, even the blonde bombshell Jane Mansfield was attracted to The Dunes Hotel in Vegas for posing poolside. This was around the time she was a Playboy “Playmate of the Month.”
The mob had hoped their investment would bring celebrities and they would run rampant in Las Vegas. The city attracted all genres of actors and actresses to her poolsides. Not only did the rich and famous flock there but over 8 million tourists a year were starting to take notice of all Vegas had to offer.
Flight Is For The Birds
Entertainment was key in Vegas and it brought all sorts of entertainers. In 1967, daredevil Evil Knievel decided to schedule a jump over the fountains at Caesars Palace. Unfortunately for him, due to a power failure, his jump was cut short and he suffered some very serious injuries.
Evil Knievel wasn’t the only daredevil to perform. In 1980, Stuntman Gary Wells wanted to re-create and complete Knievel’s jump. He went so far as to copy everything he did, down to the whiskey he drank and even being escorted by showgirls. Re-create he did, the jump failed and he too was injured in the process.
Poker Pays
In the mid-1970’s, Doyle Brunson was a hard core poker player and quite the Vegas supporter. He had many back-to-back wins as The World Series of Poker player and the competition was starting to grow. As you can see in the photo below, he was winning big money in 1977.
Brunson won around $340,000 in cash and as we know, that was a lot of money back then. In 2018, the World Series Poker title winner, John Cynn, raked in $8.8 million in cash. Needless to say, Doyle Brunson is still considered to be one of the most influential Poker players.
Las Vegas Growth
As we mentioned earlier, Las Vegas wasn’t originally built to be Sin City as Mormons originated there. In 1905 the railroad made its way to the area and in 1910 gambling was illegal. Don’t think gambling wasn’t happening, it was just happening in underground casinos. Things changed in 1931 when the state of Nevada finally legalized gambling.
The first resorts started to take shape in 1941 from the help of funds from some of the shady mobster characters who were investing. The Las Vegas we know today started to take shape as corporations started to get involved in the 1980’s. Those giant lavish resorts that exist today are run by some of the largest corporations in America and oversees.
Love Me Tender
Most everyone knows someone who has gotten married in Vegas, it is afterall the wedding capital of the world. If you weren’t aware, on May 1, 1967 inside the Aladdin Hotel, a well known guy named Elvis Presley married his girlfriend, Priscilla, in front of 14 attendees. Women all around the world wept.
Weddings have been a huge part of the Las Vegas industry since 1931. Besides the fact that it’s affordable, laws in Nevada make it extremely easy to wed your longtime love or even a new one you just met that night. Whatever your fancy, weddings in Las Vegas can be fun or serious. Nowadays, you can even have an Elvis impersonator perform a ceremony for you and your “hunk-a-hunk-a-burnin-love”.
Sinatra Swooning
We all know the name Frank Sinatra, but did you know he had mafia ties? He was one of the first celebrities to really gravitate towards Las Vegas, which pleased all those mobster investors. Below you can see his presence causing a stir for a young woman in the audience. He was quite the swooner and ladies flocked to see him nightly.
1941 is when Sinatra first arrived on the Las Vegas scene. He quickly grew to be a huge part of Vegas life. Many musicians use Las Vegas to give them a boost when their careers start to slow down, including Sinatra. This has worked for Liberace, Elvis, Cher and Celine Dion. It still continues to work today.
Vegas Loves Kids
Vegas may not be a top destination spot for kids but that doesn’t mean they don’t support them in many endeavors. The city hosts many charity events and they do them the best way they know how, sexy ladies. Models, Audrey and Judy Landers, pose here for a celebrity charity softball event in 1982 hosted by Vegas Magazine.
The event raised money for the Nevada Special Olympics and drew quite a crowd for over 10 years. Vegas loves to raise money for kids and kids organization in some unique and clever ways. These two sisters became well known soon after for posing in a swimwear spread in Playboy.
Las Vegas and James Bond
Las Vegas is not only home to many famous celebrities but she is also used as a location for many films and TV shows. In 1971 the well known actor, Sean Connery, filmed Diamonds are Forever in Las Vegas. He had opted to quit the role in 1967 after wrapping You Only Live Twice. It seems he was unhappy with the role.
The Bond franchise nearly collapsed when Connery first backed out. Thankfully Sean Connery revised his role and Bond as we know it continued to grow. There may be more to his story as he had grown tired of being called James Bond when he was out in public and he divorced two years after wrapping the film but that is something we may never know.
Clothing Optional
Las Vegas offers some of the most spectacular shows in the world. Below you can see a picture from 1969 of the showgirl from the “Folies Bergere” show talking to the audience before going on stage. The show played at the Tropicana and was based off the show of the same name in Paris, which was a very risque show for the time.
For more than a decade the show ran at the Tropicana. It pushed the boundaries for that time as the girls wore very little. This particular show ran until 2009, but as you know, there are many shows there today that would put 1969 in shock. Scantilly clothed ladies are a staple of Sin City today.
The Summit vs The Rat Pack
Did you know that The Rat Pack as we know them today didn’t want to be called that? Apparently they preferred the name “The Summit.” “The Summit” they felt was more of a reference to a meeting of leaders. The Sands Casino billed them as “Summit at Sands” in the photo below. Actress Lauren Bacall came up with the name as we know them today.
At the time, this event almost didn’t happen due to the racial tension of the time. Sammy Davis Jr. had been denied a room at the hotel for being black. This did not sit well with Sinatra so he threatened to cancel the show unless his friend and bandmate was given the same treatment as the rest of them. Davis was given a suite and the show moved forward.
Debbie Harry Does Vegas
In 1979, more and more acts were coming to Vegas as the city grew and flourished. One of the hottest acts to take stage would have to be Debbie Harry as Blondie. Below you can see her from that first concert as she set the stage on fire, figuratively.
This first show was quite affordable at around $8 a ticket. Can you imagine seeing Blondie today for $8? Today that wouldn’t even buy you a beer. As for Harry today, in July 2019, she will be turning 74 years old and she’s still performing in Vegas. You can catch her show in August but it’ll cost you around $90 a ticket, that’s quite the inflation from $8.
Atomic City
Between 1951 to 1963 the US government set off around 100 nuclear bombs very near to Las Vegas. At less than 100 miles away you could be standing where the Las Vegas strip is today and see an actual mushroom cloud high in the sky. Las Vegas quickly got the nickname “Up and Atom City” due to the proximity and frequency of these clouds.
Pictured here are the troops from the 11th Airborne Division. On November 1, 1951 they had the misfortune of taking place in operation “Buster Dog.” The US government decided to run tests to see what effects testing atomic weapons would have on troops. They were the first men to be used in these testings and I am sure today many have suffered from these tests due to the exposure from the nuclear elements.
Fun in The Sun
This black and white photograph is quintessential to Vegas then and now, pretty girls wearing bathing suites. It doesn’t even matter that this photo was taken over 60 years ago. Beautiful women from all over have flocked to sunny Vegas to enjoy their pools while men have flocked to Vegas to enjoy looking at all the beautiful women.
The Tropicana had one of the top poolside scenes where beautiful ladies would lounge and relax in the sun. These Jayne Mansfield looking beauties are all smiles while they enjoy some iced beverages. The pool scene in Las Vegas was and is still the place to be seen.
Play A Few Hands
Speaking of fun in the sun, The Sands Hotel opted to add slot machines to their pool sides to give guests more enjoyment. This not only attracted relaxed sunbathers but also those who loved to gamble. For Sin City, this was a win win.
In May 1965, swim up gambling was a new novelty for guests of Vegas resorts. While it had a good run, it was eventually removed from the pool areas and mainly focused inside the casinos. However, head on over to the Fortuna at Caesars Palace, they have created a swim-up bar featuring Blackjack tables for their guests to try their luck.
The Fire of 1980
Las Vegas has some of the driest and hottest weather in the nation, it is a desert after all. In November of 1980, the popular MGM Grand Hotel and Casino brought more heat to the area when it caught on fire. The entire building was engulfed in flames in only six minutes.
Apparently the fire started in the MGM restaurant and quickly spread throughout the building faster then it could be contained. We are sad to report that 85 people died in the fire. The original location of the MGM was rebuilt but that location became Bally’s and is supposedly haunted by the ghosts of those lost in the fire.
New Vegas Birth
In 1975, three of the top generating hotels in Vegas were the Stardust, Riviera, and Frontier. This was also the first year that Nevada celebrated their success of grossing over $1 billion in revenue. This was quite a big deal at the time. Today, Las Vegas is bringing in over $12 billion in revenue a year.
You can still visit these three hotels today but they in no way compare to the resorts and casinos that now grace the Las Vegas strip. When the MGM Grand Hotel was originally built before the fire, a spark was planted in the minds of hoteliers all around. Steve Wyn’s Mirage arrived on the scene in the late 1980’s and many followed suit soon after, giving us the Las Vegas strip we have grown to love, or hate.
Break On Through To The Other Side
To become a true legend you almost need to have a Las Vegas mugshot, many celebrities do. On January 28, 1968 The Doors frontman, Jim Morrison, was arrested at a Las Vegas dance club, Pussycat a Go Go.
It appears his lit cigarette was mistaken for a joint so a bouncer started in on him to get rid of it. Bad boy Morrison opted to ignore him, which only angered the bouncer even more. Once the police arrived, Morrison lipped off and opted for name calling. This alone landed him in jail for the evening where he was charged with “public intoxication”. Needless to say, this wasn’t his last run in with the law during his life.
Vegas Has an Anthem
In 1964 Elvis Presley and Ann Margaret came together to film the wildly popular movie of it’s time, Viva Las Vegas. Ann Margaret had posed for Playboy the year before so many men were excited to see her featured in this movie with Elvis. She was a fan favorite and everyone loved Elvis.
In this picture, Elvis and Ann were in the midst of rehearsing for their duet in the film. The movie was originally about an Arabian but with Las Vegas being so popular they rewrote the whole script so they could shoot the film in Las Vegas and make her the third star in the film. Viva Las Vegas has since become a well known theme song for the city.
The Sands Hotel
One of the most popular hotels in Las Vegas was the Sands Hotel. Sadly for us, she closed in 1996 and took many of her memories with her. Below you can see the legendary Milton Berle surrounded by many of the showgirls from the Sands as they laugh and enjoy Vegas life in 1953.
If you’re not familiar with Berle, he was one of America’s first major TV stars. He managed to stay in the business for around 80 years until his death in 2002. Back in the day he was known as “Uncle Berle” and he loved visiting Las Vegas. Maybe he was there to gamble some of that $1 million paycheck. He was one of the first entertainers to get a TV contract that large.
A Vegas Style Graveyard
Vegas has changed so much over the years and most people don’t even think about what happens to all those neon signs of Vegas when clubs, hotels or restaurants close down. It seems that deep in the Nevada desert there lives a neon sign graveyard with signs dating back to the 1930’s.
After a while, the graveyard couldn’t contain all of the neon signs that were coming there to RIP. So, in 1996, the Neon Museum was created with the help of three local nonprofit organizations. Due to funding, only 15 signs can be lit at a time as it’s very expensive to light all 800 signs that reside at the museum. If you are interested in learning more about Vegas history, this would be a great stop to add to your itinerary.
El Rancho Hotel
In 1942, the El Rancho Hotel was the first hotel to be built in Las Vegas. The photo below was taken a year after it’s opening. Many lovely ladies enjoyed sunbathing at their pool and spending time at the hotel. It was the largest hotel in the area for about a year and then Vegas began to expand.
Mobsters, Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky, invested in the El Rancho which only helped it become such a hot spot of the time. However, in 1960 after a fire destroyed the whole building, the El Rancho closed for good. Thankfully no one perished in the fire, except quite possibly the dreams of the hotel owners, as they never rebuilt.
Today’s Las Vegas
Many celebrities frequent Las Vegas often but one of it’s most famous visitors would be the Hilton heiress, Paris Hilton. Back in 2005, she was spotted at the opening of the Jet Nightclub at The Mirage Hotel & Casino. You can find quite a lot of images of her in Sin City as she used to spend quite a lot of time visiting the strip and partying with her A list friends.
Vegas has been quite the playground for many hard partying adults. It’s very easy to find trouble if you are looking for it. Back in 2010, Paris Hilton was banned from two well known resorts after she was found to be in possession of cocaine. She played the line “that bag isn’t mine” with the police but her own Twitter account gave her away when the police saw a posting by her buying the handbag that carried the cocaine. Seems she didn’t plan that one out very well.
Weddings of all shapes and sizes
Las Vegas is not only home to casinos, hotels and strip clubs. You can also find some oddities in the area for almost anyone. If you happen to be into dogs and weddings then Vegas is the place for you. At one time, you could actually take your dogs to be married to one another at a dog wedding chapel.
On March 17, 1983 Jojo and Missi decided to get hitched in Vegas. Decided may not be the right word, but nonetheless, they had a marriage certificate claiming they are legally married. Apparently it wasn’t as popular as the owners of the chapel were hoping for so it no longer exists. You can buy “The Hound Dog Wedding” for yourself to get married and you’ll even get your very own Elvis impersonator to perform the ceremony. Sounds like a winner! If any of this appeals to you, Las Vegas is the place for you.