Although it closed for a couple of years in 2011, following the deaths of both of the original (husband-and-wife) owners within a few months of one another, this downtown veteran reopened earlier this year in the exact same location (917 Fremont Street) and with an only slightly altered name. Hence, it seems legitimate for The Atomic (formerly Atomic Liquors), which boasts Tavern Liquor License #00001, issued back in 1951, to maintain its claim to be the oldest bar in town.
For the benefit of the uninitiated, permit us a slight historic detour to relate how this venue's transformation from a café to a bar coincided with the first atom-bomb tests at the Nevada Test Site -- hence the name. While the core clientele was comprised of locals, including many industry workers, it was also a popular spot with tourists and celebrities -- in its original incarnation, Atomic Liquor's bar stools are said to have been graced by the behinds of Roy Rogers, Clint Eastwood, the Smothers Brothers, and members of the Rat Pack; Barbra Streisand even recalls playing pool there in her memoirs.
With its authentic "Old Vegas" look and charisma (so hard to find these days in Las Vegas!), it comes as little surprise that the venue has been a popular location for TV and movie crews over the years, with a resume including screen time in several westerns, plus The Gauntlet, Casino and, most recently, The Hangover. It also figured in an original episode of The Twilight Zone.
In response to your question, we called the bar, which was purchased from the original owners' son by a downtown attorney and remodeled with a big nod toward preserving its authentic vintage character. We're not sure if it was the owner, or a manager, with whom we spoke, but whoever it was confirmed that there's been a lot of TV and movie attention of late, including a recent visit from A&E's long-running "First 48" reality crime-solving series.
For those unfamiliar with "First 48," the show debuted in 2004 and is now in its thirteenth season. Its central premise is that for many reasons, the first 48 hours after the event are crucial in the potential solving of many crime (forensic evidence hasn't yet deteriorated, eye-witness memories are fresh, there's been little time for the perpetrators to flee too far from the scene, and so on.) While, perhaps surprisingly, Las Vegas has not been one of the key locations for the show over the years (Birmingham, Charlotte, Dallas, Memphis, and Miami have all been regular crime-scene venues), this city was featured in a prior so-called "Lost Episode," back in 2011, when a (historic) show titled "Bad Company" focused on the murder of a former doorman at the Palomino all-nude strip club in 2005.
We haven't seen the episode, so we don't know if The Atomic's appearance was incidental or integral to that particular plot, but we can confirm that in this recent return to the show, in an episode that has yet to air, the downtown bar is merely acting as a generic stand-in for the Palms, of all places. While the actual venue it's representing is not remotely implicated in the real-life story line, we can appreciate why, in this particular instance, the Palms may have been reluctant to host the show. For one thing, it's generally a pain in the butt having to accommodate a film crew, especially when you're a casino responsible for protecting the privacy, and maximizimg the smooth operational experience, of your guests and patrons; another factor in this specific instance, however, is possibly the fact that the real-life crime being investigated is the gruesome and shocking case of a local firefighter who's accused of hiring a homeless man to bludgeon his estranged wife to death with a hammer.
Hitman Noel Stevens has already confessed to everything in a plea bargain; he won't be sentenced until after the trial of George Tiaffay, the husband of the victim, who was a cocktail waitress at the Palms. Tiaffay has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including murder with use of a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit murder. His next scheduled court date is set for January 7, 2014, when the judge will determine if all is in place to continue with the scheduled trial date of January 14.
Both Tiaffay and Stevens currently remain in the Clark County Detention Center, where they're being held without bail.
