Poll : 01 June - 14 June 2016

Analysis

To those readers (you know who you are!) who suggested Oscar Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Danny Gans, Steve Wynn, Wayne Newton (a very popular choice!), Lance Burton or Elvis, we doubt any of the aforementioned would appreciate the title of "Ms" or "Mrs Las Vegas" and we might gently suggest a small investment in some new reading glasses; as to everyone else who obliged us by voting for, or suggesting, a female contender for this title, the results certainly were interesting and came as something of a surprise all-round although we, too, were cognizant of the dearth of possible candidates as we compiled the list. Full disclosure: the current writer is a female, but without banging on any drums this fact is certainly a reflection of what an exaggeratedly male-dominated environment Las Vegas (and the gaming industry in general) was for so many years (and in many ways, still is), though not without its unsung heroines! We'd be inclined to concur with the reader who wrote in to say that "each of the women is noteworthy, but not to the extent of overall recognition." Here are some of your other thoughts and observations:

• "I cast my vote for the original iconic 'Vegas Showgirl,' who in my opinion [Ed: and that of many others - see below] best defines 'Ms. Vegas'!"
  
  
• "Other...not so much Mrs. Las Vegas, but Ms. Las Vegas. My vote goes to "The Showgirl". True, that is not an individual person because there have been so many and none have been singly famous, but the topless showgirls of the major venues were a big part of what made Vegas stand out in all the early years."
  
  
• "I would vote for the 'Ms Atomic Bomb' chick with the cotton-ball bathing suit, but she's not well known, SO I think generic SHOWGIRLS would be a better choice. When you think women in Las Vegas, you think showgirl (even though there aren't any showgirl shows anymore." [Ed: Aye, there's the irony, eh? In fact, The City of Las Vegas just picked a showgirl for the requisite "iconic" home-page picture on their new $400,000 website, but this is perhaps an apt choice in light of Oscar Goodman valiant conservation efforts when he seemingly adopted a small herd of "rescue" showgirls to accompany his every move during his term in the mayor's office. We understand he may even released a few of them back into the wild during his trip to visit the Mayor of London.]
  
  
• "Alas, we do not even have a reigning King of Las Vegas either, since poor Wayne Newton's singing voice went South about at least a decade ago. For 'King' nominations, I could mention Frank Sinatra, Elvis, or Liberace. 'Queen'-wise Celine is too recent for a crown and Britney Spears will never be more than the Queen of Pop! Lance Burton was certainly The Magician of Las Vegas! What about that 'cheeky' showgirl from that timeless Bally's Jubilee! sign as a nominee? (There's a QofD question. Who was she and might there be a little story there?)"
  
  
• "Poor list!!!" [Ed: Don't shoot the messenger! Please, offer up your better suggestions, as we're all ears ;-)]
  
  
• "Before seeing the choices I asked myself, who would I pick? Lo and behold! Phyllis Diller would be my choice from the past and Celine Dion would be my present-day pick. Great question; perfect answers!" [Ed: See!! ;-) ]
  
  
• "Great choices (except for Pat Mulroy), but no love for Eydie Gorme? From 1957 on, she and her husband played the Sahara, the Sands, Desert Inn, and Caesars Palace. They also had the distinction of closing two iconic Vegas showrooms : Circus Maximus in 2000, and the Stardust in 2006. If that doesn't scream 'Mrs. Las Vegas,' I don't know what does." [Ed: Well, closing showrooms isn't usually the type of activity that scores a performer points around here... Just kidding!]
  
  
• My favorite representatives for Las Vegas would include most of the people you have listed, but from a gambling perspective I would include Jean Scott. She made the gambling part of Vegas easier to understand, learn, and manipulate. She also started as a low roller (like most of us). Makes the dream of hitting it big more real." [Ed: Yes, only after the poll had gone live did we note this glaring omission (and of our own author, to boot!), but we hastily dropped a line to The Queen of Comps and she confessed she hadn't yet seen the poll and wasn't remotely offended. Phew, bullet dodged!]
  
  
• "I would have been SOOOO disappointed if Frank Marino's name had been missing from the list. Thank goodness, SHE was there! ;) " [Ed: But of course! And see below...]
  
  
• "Joan Rivers. No explanation needed; her name says it all." [Ed: Well, we have seen an awesome photo of her racing an armadillo at the Riviera, which could only raise her stock in our book!]
  
  
• "Mrs Las Vegas? That is SO easy, and I'm shocked she wasn't included in your list: Helen Stewart." [Ed: If the name doesn't ring a bell, you can find a bio of this Southern Nevada pioneer in The First 100.]
  
  
• "If you have to explain who the people on your list are, are they really worthy of that title?"
  
  
• "Debbie Reynolds is 'Mrs. Vegas' to me. She performed in Vegas, had her name on properties there, and just always seemed to be in the spotlight, especially in the '90s. My 2nd place vote goes to chubby comedienne with the comic name who used to host the Crazy Girls show at the Riv."
  
  
• Fluff LeCoque gets my vote, simply because of her great name. God, how I hope it isn't pronounced "LeCOKE". [Ed: Well, it could have been even worse ... but in fact the recently deceased and sorely missed Fluff's last name is of French origin, hence the last three letters are silent ;-) But this writer, who had the pleasure of hanging out with Fluff on many occasions, once plucked up the courage to ask her if she was aware of the possible pornographic connotations of her name, for which we received a knowing, and characteristically withering look!)
  
  
• "My vote for Mrs. Las Vegas is Saipin Chutima, head chef and co-owner of Lotus of Siam who, from humble beginnings, has created the most renowned Thai restaurant in the country. With her grace, charm, and talent, she is the embodiment of the Las Vegas and American Dream." [Ed: We, too, adore the food at Lotus - our picture is on the wall to prove it! - but this would seem to be something of an obscure/niche choice for this particular category, no?]
  
  
• "Kelly Clinton Holmes ... unmatched entertainer with strong local following." [Ed: Obscurer and obscurer!]
  
  
• "Stephanie Agassi for her many contributions to youngsters in Las Vegas. Great sense of values."
  
  
• "The girls who work at the LVA. [Ed: NOW you're talking! But note that we're all of legal employment age and most have (grown-up) kids, so we'd kindly request a designation more along the lines of 'women,' 'ladies,' 'chicks,' or 'babes,' if you'd be so kind ;-)]