It’s autumn, so let Robert Goulet’s melodic baritone resound on the Strip

If ever I would leave you,

It wouldn't be in summer ...

• • •

The last incarnation of the Frontier had just closed for good to make way for the latest edition of the New Las Vegas, and Robert Goulet was laughing about the many nights he spent packing the showroom of the iconic Strip property.

A Broadway star as a young man, he'd broken in on the Boulevard at the Flamingo and was a regular at the Desert Inn. He added the Frontier to his long list of credits that stretched all the way from "Camelot" by filling in for someone while he was ending a two-week run at the D.I. For a short time, the marquees of the Frontier and the Desert Inn across the street boldly announced, "ROBERT GOULET."

Goulet's amazing baritone was so powerful, his work ethic so prolific, that he could have filled a dozen showrooms in those days without breaking stride.

That's the thing about the great voices. You never believe they will fade and are always surprised when they do. Goulet died far too young at 73 of pulmonary fibrosis.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has requested Strip resorts honor Goulet's memory by putting his name up in lights one last time.

Goulet would have appreciated the honor, but he would have smiled at the irony.

Despite his incredible gifts as a singer and entertainer, there wasn't much room for him in the new Las Vegas, which brims with acrobatic expressionism, Broadway hits, and over-the-moon superstars with their own showrooms. Unless your name is Tony Bennett, you're about out of luck as a Las Vegas legend these days.

That's another thing that made Goulet laugh. Las Vegas casino bosses are locked in a never-ending search for a Broadway hit to bring to Las Vegas, but Robert Goulet was a Broadway hit who lived here and had jammed innumerable rooms, but had lately found himself on the outside looking in.

• • •

But if I'd ever leave you,

It couldn't be in autumn.

How I'd leave in autumn I never will know.

• • •

I've always dreamed of a Strip Hall-of-Fame series, which would bring together showroom greats who perhaps couldn't pack a Las Vegas showroom for two weeks by themselves, but still had plenty to offer those seeking an authentic entertainment experience. At the very least, it would be like watching members of the PGA Seniors tour play a round of golf.

They might not be at the top of their game, but they're still pretty incredible.

Those entertainers, so easy to cast aside with changing musical tastes, are an important part of our history. Trouble is, tributes to them often fall short. Great singers live to perform, live to be heard by and to wow a packed house.

It was great when Broadway lights were dimmed in Goulet's honor. It was sensational when Strip resorts agreed to put his name on their marquees.

But if it's not being too presumptuous, I think I know of a tribute that would surely please him.

Play his music. Let his baritone sound one last time up and down the Strip. It's a simple enough act to accomplish. You can download his music, patch it into the house broadcast system, and in short order remind hundreds of thousands of Las Vegas visitors just how great Robert Goulet really was.

Beginning in 1962, he recorded 15 albums with Columbia Records. His Broadway career began in the early 1960s and reached all the way to 2005 with his performance in "La Cage aux Folles." Add to that a long list of television and film credits and countless showroom performances, and the picture of Goulet's incredible career becomes clearer.

But there's a generation of young Las Vegas visitors who might only recognize his name from his hilarious Emerald Nuts commercial. Still others will know him more from his role in the comedy "The Naked Gun 21/2: The Smell of Fear" than as the star of "Camelot."

Musical tastes might have changed, but class always shows.

• • •

If ever I would leave you,

How could it be in spring-time?

Knowing how in spring I'm bewitched by you so?

Oh, no! not in spring-time!

Summer, winter or fall!

No, never could I leave you at all!

• • •

Honor Robert Goulet's memory by letting his voice echo throughout the Boulevard.

Have an item for the Bard of the Boulevard? E-mail comments and contributions to Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295.