Two tales tell how Vegas used to be
Monday marks the 60th anniversary of the Kefauver hearings that took place in a courtroom that's now part of the Mob Museum.
What was intended to be a tough message for Las Vegas to clean up its act had a far different result: Thanks to the national exposure from the hearings, the entertainment capital of the world had an outlaw aura to boot.
Some historians say the nation's fascination with the mobtown image helped Las Vegas more than it hurt.
U.S. Sen. Estes Kefauver, D-Tenn., and his traveling show, the Senate Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce, met Nov. 15, 1950, in the federal courthouse and post office.
The plan was to haul in local organized crime figures and put 'em on the hot seat.
Las Vegas was the seventh stop on Kefauver's 14-city crimefighter tour that set TV ratings through the roof.
Six months earlier, the Desert Inn opened, and Kefauver wanted to talk to frontman Wilbur Clark and former Cleveland mobster Moe Dalitz, who controlled the D.I.
It was more show than substance. According to one report, the committee took a break after just two hours of interviews to visit Hoover Dam.
After a few more interviews, a news conference was called, and that was it for the hearing.
Kefauver later twice sought the Democratic nomination for president but came up short.
The Review-Journal story coverage began, "The United States Senate's crime investigating committee blew into town yesterday like a desert whirlwind, and after stirring up a lot of dust, it vanished, leaving only the rustling among prominent local citizens as evidence that it had paid its much publicized visit here."
Little came out of the Las Vegas hearings, and the mob wasn't weeded out until the 1970s.
The creators and visionaries of the Mob Museum are gathering Monday for a media event at what is officially titled the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement.
The group will include Mayor Oscar Goodman, who early in his career handled cases in the same courtroom where the hearings were held.
THAT'S SHOWBIZ
Local tap dancing twins Sean and John Scott found themselves performing in a competing show Friday night.
Normally they're regulars in "Vegas! The Show," the yesteryear revue at the Miracle Mile Shops inside Planet Hollywood Resort.
But a call came from Diana Ross' handlers Friday just hours before her concert at Caesars Palace.
The twins quickly received permission from "Vegas!" producer David Saxe.
"I think somebody in Diana's camp saw them. I wanted to be a good neighbor, and I thought it would be cool for them," Saxe said. "This is the way Vegas used to be, and that's what our show is about.
"That's just the way things were done back then," said Saxe, whose mother, Bonnie, was a dancer in "Les Folies Bergere" and father, Dick, a bandleader who played on the Strip for many of the biggest names.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
A bout with bronchitis has forced Barry Manilow to cancel his show at Paris Las Vegas until Friday. ...
Las Vegas rhythm and blues star Ne-Yo is a new dad. His girlfriend, Monyetta Shaw, gave birth to a girl Friday in Atlanta.
SIGHTINGS
Boston Red Sox teammates Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury, celebrating Papelbon's birthday at Blush Boutique Nightclub (Wynn) on Friday. Papelbon turns 30 on Nov. 23. ... Imperial Palace headliner Frank Marino, backstage with Ross after catching her eye during Friday's show by wearing a shirt bearing her likeness. He was invited to meet her, his first introduction to the Motown legend. ... Kelly Clarkson, partying at Moon Nightclub at Palms on Friday. She was celebrating her sister's birthday. ... "90210" actor Evan Ross, in town for mother Diana's weekend engagement, was spotted at Tao on Friday. ... Treasure Island owner Phil Ruffin and wife Oleksandra, visiting Whoopi Goldberg backstage Friday to wish her a happy birthday. She turned 55 Saturday.
THE PUNCH LINE
"Passengers on the stranded Carnival cruise ship had no power, no food and no working bathrooms. It was like spending a week with Randy Quaid." -- Craig Ferguson
Norm Clarke can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com.
