Thursday, April 21, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

RIVIERA TIMELINE

April 20, 1955 -- Riviera opens. Liberace is opening act and Joan Crawford serves as hostess.

Sept. 28, 1955 -- Gus Greenbaum, Willie Alderman, Dave Berman, Sid Wyman, Elias Atoll and Joe Rosenbergand, previous investors of the Flamingo, along with two unidentified men, granted a lease on the Riviera.

1956 -- Orson Welles makes his stage appearance at the Riviera.

Dec. 2, 1958 -- Gus Greenbaum and his wife are killed in their home in Arizona.

1960 -- Riviera changes the Clover Room's name to the Versailles Theatre, showcasing the Andrews Sisters, Louis Armstrong, Tony Bennett, George Burns and others.

1967 -- Riviera adds a 200-room wing, an elevator penthouse, a 9,000-square foot lobby and 10,000 square feet of office and meeting space.

October 1968 -- Completion of a $5 million addition adds a 220-room south wing.

1969 -- Dean Martin becomes a 10 percent owner, with approximately 8,000 shares and Dino's Den is named after him.

1969 -- Riviera showcases Dean Martin Presents Englebert Humperdinck, marking Humperdinck's debut in Las Vegas.

1972 -- Four championship tennis courts added near the pool. They become the site of the Dewar's Celebrity-Pro Tennis Tournament, which draws top professional athletes from around the world.

February and March 1973 -- Meshulam Riklis, the majority stockholder of American International Travel Services of Boston buys the Riviera for $56 million.

June 15-17, 1973 -- Riviera hosts the Celeb Invitational Tennis Tournament with Gary Crosby, Edgar Bergen, Johnny Carson, Paul Anka and Dinah Shore.

1975 -- Riviera adds its 17-story Monte Carlo tower at a cost of $20 million. It consists of 300 rooms, 60 suites, and an elaborate penthouse, giving the resort a total of 1,000 guest rooms.

1977 -- the Riviera's San Remo tower adds 200 rooms to the south side of the resort.

June 21, 1985 -- Riviera unveils "Splash," starring Frank Gorshin, in the Versailles Theatre. The "aquacade of music and dance" takes place in and around a 20,000-gallon aquarium and features numerous performers and speciality acts.

Sept. 18, 1985 -- Riviera introduces Norbert Aleman's "An Evening at La Cage," in the Mardi Gras Showroom, a Parisian-style revue of female impersonators and cabaret dancers. The star of the show is a 20-year-old Frank Marino.

May 4, 1986 -- The Riviera introduces the comedy club that opens as An Evening At The Improv.

Sept. 21, 1987 -- "Crazy Girls -- Fantasie de Paris" opens.

1988 -- Riviera adds the 24-story Monaco Tower, costing $28 million and nearly doubling the resort's size to 2,100 rooms.

1990 -- Frank Sinatra performs twice at the resort in 1990, including New Year's Eve when he plays to more than 2,000 people in the Superstar Theatre. Room 2902 of the hotel's Monte Carlo Tower is redesigned to Sinatra's specifications so he could enjoy his stay.

1996 -- "Crazy Girls" comes under fire by city officials for their risque billboards.

May 10, 1997 -- Riviera reveals the largest lifecast bronze statue in the world. The statue of the Crazy Girls is to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the show. The sculpture, created by Michael Conine, is six-feet high, 11-feet long and weighs 1,540 pounds.

July 1, 2002 -- Donald Trump purchases a 9.8-percent stake in the Riviera's parent company.

April 20, 2005 -- Riviera celebrates 50th anniversary.