Comedy veteran exploring new digs

In California, he was often known as Pauly Shore's dad.

To those more in the know, he also was Mitzi Shore's ex-husband.

You see, comedian Sammy Shore and a partner opened The Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip in 1972. "Then I got divorced and gave it to my wife. She built it into a multibillion dollar business, and here I am going to the Suncoast."

But working as Tony Orlando's opening act this weekend is at least a short drive for the 75-year-old comedian, who moved to a Summerlin neighborhood two months ago.

Shore cites the usual California refugee reasons: "You can't even drive anywhere. It just got to be too much," he says of increasingly congested life around Marina Del Rey.

But you wonder if Shore wasn't encouraged to move to a place where a third identifier applies. "No matter where I go, everyone remembers me with Elvis."

In July of 1969, Shore was the opening act for Elvis Presley's famed comeback at the International (now the Las Vegas Hilton). He remembers shaking the King's hand on the side of the stage as the two prepared to trade places in the spotlight. "His hand was clammy. He was as nervous as I was."

The comedian had made some noise on the Strip a year earlier with his local debut as the opening act for "Lemon Tree" singer Trini Lopez. The positive reaction got him hired for the Las Vegas arrival of Tom Jones, a singer Presley closely studied to prepare for his own return to live performing.

Shore opened the Elvis shows until 1972, when a misunderstanding with Presley manager, Tom Parker, led to his replacement.

"There was something special here," Shore says of the era. "You can't reproduce it because it was a special time. You had to live it and you had to be part of it."

Shore and his wife were more interested in having a backyard for their two dogs than trying to make it big in modern Las Vegas. He could have lived anywhere and toured with Orlando -- a pairing likely to return in August -- or with son Pauly, as the two have done before and may do again soon.

But since he's in the neighborhood, expect more gigs such as a Sept. 15 show with Petula Clark at The Cannery. He has explored other possibilities, such as opening the Trent Carlini show at the Sahara -- which would be the first time he has worked with an Elvis impersonator -- or an afternoon show with other veteran comedians.

Wherever you end up seeing Shore, you will notice he takes a younger comedian's approach to his stand-up: Fewer generic one-liners, more specific material. "I talk about getting old. It's all about me and what I'm going through. Bad back, swollen ankles, arthritis. But thank God I got my health."

Mike Weatherford's entertainment column appears Thursdays and Sundays. Contact him at 383-0288 or e-mail him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com.