Wow, people used to actually get dressed up to visit the casinos in Las Vegas! This scene from the mid-’50’s may have been staged, but there were many more people going to a nice dinner and a show back then.
Back then, dinner shows to see stars like Rose Marie, Jimmy Durante, or Joe Brown cost under $ 10. A couple of bucks to the maître d’ could secure a nice seat, making entertainment feel accessible and special for everyone.
During the Rat Pack era in the 50s and early 60s, you could see Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin for a reasonable price, often hanging out with other stars after shows for cigarettes and shots. That was the Vegas and Mob era, when the city’s entertainment scene was intertwined with its underground connections.
When the Moulin Rouge casino opened in 1955 with stars like Count Basie, Pearl Bailey, Harry Belafonte, and Louis Armstrong performing, their small showroom filled up for the end of the second show with other stars like Marlene Dietrich, George Burns, Judy Garland, and Jack Benny, who were playing at other clubs in town. Nobody wanted to miss out on the Class A entertainment, and the casino management went so far as to add a third show at 2:30 am, because as Chickie Berman used to say, “Nobody important gets up before noon anyway.”
Life Magazine featured the Moulin Rouge on its cover and highlighted it as the first racially integrated casino in Las Vegas, marking a pivotal moment in the city’s entertainment history. However, the casino’s success also led to its downfall: profits were siphoned from the count room, bills went unpaid, and casinos like the Sands increased their entertainment budgets, paying stars over $100,000 a week.
The Sands gradually allowed African American entertainers to enter through the front door and stay in some bungalows. This quick, dramatic change made the impact of the Moulin Rouge’s integration clear, inspiring pride in Las Vegas’s progress toward full racial inclusion.
Today, enjoying top stars at venues like the Mirage, MGM, or Luxor no longer requires a coat and tie, but ticket prices have risen to around $100 for a big-name act. While dinner isn’t included anymore, the variety of entertainment options in town has vastly expanded compared to 50 years ago. Enjoy!
Thanks for reading – Al W Moe
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