My folks used to take vacations in Las Vegas, and I got to go along. Personally, I haven’t been back since 1982, and I plan on keeping it that way. I prefer to remember the old-school Vegas, when the Dunes and the Sands and the original Tropicana still existed. Before it became kid-friendly. Mom & I would hang at the pool during the day while Dad went to girlie shows. In the evening, we’d all go see a headliner show. We saw Sammy Davis Jr (drunk, awful, should’ve gotten our money back), Liberace (fabulous, saw him multiple times), Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, Doug Henning (got to go on stage and check chains), Tom Jones, Don Rickles (LOVE him), Dolly Parton, Debbie Boone, Lou Rauls, Dean Martin, Wayne Newton, Charo.
And we saw Juliet Prowse. Sat in the front row. While singing a love song, she needed to pick out a male audience member to sing to. Dad was it. At the end she gave him a kiss, right in front of my mom, leaving a red kiss-mark on his cheek, which horrified my eight-year-old sensibilities. “DAD, you’re MARRIED!!!” I exclaimed, much to everyone’s amusement.
I loved her because she had ridiculously long legs and red hair.
Here she is on the Muppet Show:
She was also in a L’eggs commercial years ago. She is a very graceful dancer. I do remember the Vegas you are referring to. While in college I went to Salt Lake City with some friends and we cut through Vegas. I remember being mesmerized by the lights and the cowboy that either waved or tipped his hat (can’t remember which). Years later I returned and it didn’t look anything like that Vegas. I’m glad to have at least been able to see it back in it’s heyday.
I remember that L’eggs commercial!
We’re both about the same age, so you’d have seen my Vegas, too.