Question of the Day - 14 August 2022

The story of the casinos' use of celebrity "greeters" consists of past sports and movie stars whose careers were on the outs and were desperate for the money and/or to cling to the vestiges of their waning fame. It was a practice that got going in earnest in the '50s and remained popular through the '70s, since from the casinos' point of view, it was an economical way of giving their clientele a memorable thrill.

Probably the most famous example, as your question indicates, is former heavyweight boxing champ Joe Louis, who'd fallen on hard time and in 1970 was hired by Caesars Palace. As a greeter, his job involved signing autographs, working as a shill and game starter,  and playing golf with special guests. The job apparently was a good fit for the then-troubled athlete, who'd struggled with drug addiction and mental issues, and the resort provided him with housing and a salary of $50,000 a year, but it was a sad end to an illustrious career. Still, the Brown Bomber lived and worked at Caesars until he died of a heart attack in 1981 at age 66. He's still commemorated by a statue in the casino (or he was the last time we checked).

Former casino executive Al Rosen is credited with signing sports stars to various Caesars' properties in the late '70s and early '80s. Other big names he recruited included two from the world of baseball: Willy Mays and Mickey Mantle. In 1983, the latter signed a $100,000-a-year contract with Bally's in Atlantic City to generally schmooze and play golf with VIPs, for which he was promptly told by the commissioner of baseball to sever any active links to the Yankees.

"It's nothing I'm ashamed of," responded Mantle at the time, referring to his new job. "It's not like I'm standing outside the hotel and trying to get people to come in and lose their money. It's primarily the same job I've had since I got out of baseball. But it will take a lot less time and I'll make a lot more money."

Other stars we're aware of who took similar gigs include Johnny Weissmuller of Tarzan fame, who was hired as a greeter by MGM Grand in 1973, where he worked until the following year, when he broke his hip.

Actor Johnny Mack Brown, a star from the era of silent westerns, was another casino greeter, as was '30s screen star Preston Foster (Doctor X, The Last Days of Pompeii), who was hired by New Frontier owner Warren "Doc" Bailey on account of his having played friendly roles in his 116 credited movies and was still recognized everywhere he went.

Jayne Mansfield had a stint at the Tropicana, where she performed a burlesque show, but was also expected to fraternize with the guests and provide some casino-celebrity eye candy.

This practice wasn't just limited to the United States. When Cuba's Hotel Capri casino opened in 1957, actor George Raft, who was nearing the end of his career and had a reputation for playing mobsters and gangsters, was hired to be a greeter. 

This practice has mostly died out. Now the casinos are more interested in social-media influencers.