Poll : 11 September - 24 September 2013

Analysis

This was a fun survey that lots of you seemed to get into and before we go any further yes, yes, we know we missed Dean Martin who was, of course, the winner of the "Other" vote by a mile. Oops, sorry Deano! Here's some of your feedback:

• "Liberace was such an entertainer and seemed like a kindly soul. It was hard to choose someone, because so many were fascinating characters. The mob days were really interesting (Al Capone had a home just about six blocks from our house in St. Joseph, MI, but before we were around here. We heard lots of tales from people who knew him and family members had met him.) I'd love to hear more about the history of Las Vegas. Our early visits were lots more fun, but we knew enough to be honest and above-board and stay careful."
  
  
• "Siegfried and Roy, if they would let me in on how they did the magic tricks in their show."
  
  
• "Dean Martin. My all-time favorite. I came to Vegas every time he played here, mostly the Sahara, sometimes the Riviera. I would leave the show just before it ended & run to the lounge. Almost always Frank & Sammy after their shows would join Dean in the lounge at the Sahara, so I am one of the lucky ones that got to see the Rat Pack cavort. It was even better than their shows. (Interesting note: Frank & Sammy had their booze bottles and set-ups on the table, but Dean didn't drink.) I loved Vegas then and ever since and now I finally moved here. I've never been happier." [Ed: Awesome, and thanks for sharing.]
  
  
• "I know it said 'Vegas,' but I wish you'd asked about Nevada, in which case my first choice would be Bill Harrah. Would be great to sit and talk with him. I chose Benny Binion in your poll -- figure he was the 'Bill Harrah of Vegas.'"
  
  
• "I would like to meet Mr. Las Vegas Wayne Newton and ask how he stood out as so successful, among all the other headliners."
  
  
• "Ken Uston, as he was the Godfather of card counting. He also stood up to the casinos and eventually won in New Jersey, forcing them to allow him to play blackjack, albeit with the option to half-shoe him." [Ed: Another popular choice, and we can understand why. Plus, he was a wild man, who doubtless had many crazy stories to tell, if you could fade his enormous ego...]
  
  
• "I chose Elvis. I mean, hello, he's Elvis, the King of Rock & Roll. Maybe, have the chance to change history." [Ed: What, you mean warn him about modern cholesterol research and warn him off that sandwich?!]
  
  
• "Dean Martin. He seemed to be the real Rat Pack instigator of fun! I also want to know how he performed so well while drinking so much!" [Ed: Me too!]
  
  
• "I would want to spend time with Sammy Davis Jr. He was such a great singer/dancer/performer. I would ask for a singing and dancing lesson."
  
  
• "At first I though Tony the Ant would be really interesting, but I’d be scared of being whacked. [Ed: Ha! Surprised more didn't pick him, but that's probably due to following the same reasoning.] So I picked Benny Binion. If nothing else, I would just like to thank him for starting a quality joint. When I first started coming to Las Vegas, it was just after the Horseshoe had absorbed the Mint, and it quickly became one of my favorite casinos—great blackjack, a sea of crap tables with low minimums and high odds, dealers with last names only, and the great steak special. Traces of Benny’s way of doing business are still found once in a while, but he had it all under one roof. Too bad it all fell apart." [Ed: Amen to that. I was filming his daughter Becky Behnen at the beginning of the end, around the time of her brother's murder trial, and spent many hours behind-the-scenes in the upstairs offices. What a disaster area.]
  
  
• "My choice would be Peggy Lee, because I think she is the ultimate '60s cool Strip performer, and I think she would be a very interesting person to get to know." [Ed: Oh, me too, for sure. Very sassy lady. Just remember kids: "Don't smoke in bed!"]
  
  
• "Dean Martin. He's so handsome, I'd love to just look at him!!" [Ed: Ha!]
  
  
• "I selected Liberace. He was a great entertainer. He was gay, I am gay, so It would have been great to have known him and been a part of the LBGT community in Las Vegas when he was living..." [Ed: Except there was no "LGBT community" and he was only gay after he died LOL. Just kidding.]
  
  
• "Bobby Darrin, because of his incredible talent despite his physical limitations. It would be very interesting to hear his take on the other performers of his era, including The Rat Pack."
  
  
• "This may be the most interesting poll you have offered. It suggests the excitement and vitality we LVA readers feel about our second hometown. With the exception of D.C. and Hollywood, try to populate a list for any other city that would have such broad interest. Any name on the list would be exciting to hang out with. I began visiting Las Vegas in 1980 due to one person – Ken Uston. His name should have made the list, along with Dr. Edward Thorp. [Ed: I've had the pleasure of hanging out with the latter on more than one occasion and he's charming, although he's not much interested in Vegas -- or blackjack, for that matter! That's partly why we get along LOL.] They may not be 'from the past' just yet, but Arnold Snyder and Anthony Curtis will be on the next poll in a few years. Their writings have kept me coming back year after year." [Ed again: Why not try and catch 'em while they're still alive? Pick a bar with good video poker, or a strip club with nude oil wrestling, and you're pretty sure to run into one or the other 'em. Check out the Monday Night Football party at Hustler and you might just score a double whammy -- one there for the booze, the other for the boobs haha!!]