On Sept. 12th, 1970 the Riviera hosted a historical event, the Friar's Club Roast in honor of comedian, Joe E. Lewis.  It was, even by Las Vegas standards, a bawdy, blue-aired, memorable night.  Dean Martin,  was the host.  Gen. George Jessel was the emcee.  Guests included:  Marty Allen, Jack Benny, George Burns, Jimmy Durante, Buddy Hackett, Fat Jack E. Leonard, Tony Martin, the Lemon Drop Kid, "Swifty" Morgan, Jan Murray, famed restaurateur Toots Shor, Phil Silvers, Ed Sullivan, Louis Armstrong, Pearl Bailey, Telly Savalas along with local and state dignitaries including Governor Paul Laxalt, hoteliers Nate Jacobson, Jay Sarno and  a packed house of Hollywood's and Broadway's finest.

Joe E. Lewis was a vaudeville legend.  Sinatra had portrayed him in the film "The Joker is Wild".  He had started his career on the South Side of Chicago and had a run-in with with Al Capone's gang..  The run-in had left him for dead, with his vocal chords cut.  Though Capone liked Lewis, he would not move against one of his own.  Instead, he provided Lewis with the necessary money to recover both physically and professionally.  He was one of the first to realize the potential of performing in Las Vegas.  Sinatra, a long-time fan, was always in the audience for Lewis' shows when he was in Las Vegas and thus, insured, that his friends and entourage were in the audience.

Lewis, according to lounge pioneer Freddie Bell, did not drink during the day. "He played gin. But he would make up for it at night.  I tried to drink like him and it damn near killed me."  Lewis was also an inveterate gambler known to lose hundreds at the tables. 

By 1970, Lewis had suffered a depilating stroke and was, according to author  Mike Weatherford, a ghost of his former self. 

Dean Martin introduced Lewis that evening as " The greatest saloon comic ever.  He taught me how to drink and I am beholden to him for that."

To which Lewis quipped "If I thought you were going to eulogize me, I would have done the decent thing and died first." 

Sinatra was supposed to co-host the event but due to a spat of bad press surrounding him, he opted to keep the focus on Lewis and stayed away. 

By the time it came for Lewis to address the 1,300 crowd of friends and family, there was not a dry eye in the house according to columnist Forrest Duke.  "He tried to complete his takeoff on My Way but not many of the funny lines ("I know I drank alot, threw up on every highway/I was a souse, but not a louse, I did it my way") were barely audible to the guests but when he proclaimed "It's Post Time!" the crowd went wild and gave him a standing ovation.

Afterwards, Lewis returned to New York City, went into diabetic coma and died within days. 

By 1972, Martin was unhappy with his partners at the Riviera.  They were all embroiled in a contract dispute and Martin was locked out of his usual suite.  Martin had suggested he would perform one show a night which would have set a precedent in a town where two shows a night were mandatory.  One official noted that since Martin had moved from the Sands to the Riviera, there had been an increase in high rollers at the Riviera.  Martin finally tired of the fighting and received a better offer.  He sold his interest in the Riviera and finished out his contract.  In the meantime, he signed a new contract with Kirk Kerkorian to play the new MGM Grand Hotel once his obligation to the Riviera was met.

In 1972, Conrad Hilton had contemplated buying the property but upon surveying the property and not seeing much room for expansion, he decided to keep looking. 

Meshulam Riklis, who would become better known as the husband of Hollywood starlet, Pia Zadora, was, in 1973 the majority stockholder of American International Travel Services (AITS).  He bought the Riviera for $56 million.  AITS had been losing money since 1960 and speculation was rampant about how Riklis planned to finance the buy.  In 1972, AITS had recorded a loss of $4.11 a share.  AITS had been forced to sell the Hawaiian Regent Hotel which was used for the company's Hawaii package tours. 

Shecky Greene wanted out of his contract.  At the heart of Greene's dispute with the hotel was money owed him from 1972.  Caesars Palace was rumored to want Greene.  He could perform once a night at Caesars.  Don Rickles was said to want out of his contract as well.

In July, the hotel released Dean Martin from his contract so that he could formally sign with Kirk Kerkorian to play the original MGM Grand Hotel once it was completed. 

By 1975, the Riviera added a 17-story tower called the Monte Carlo.  The tower cost $20 million and included 300 rooms, 60 suites and an elaborate penthouse.  The hotel also had a new sign designed by Marge Williams one of the few female neon sign designers in Las Vegas.  (That sign now sits on the back of the property and can be seen from Paradise Road). 

In 1977, they added the San Remo tower with an additional 200 rooms.  The tower was located on the south side of the resort.  They also opened the Ristorante Italiano, a gourmet Italian eatery that sat 100. 

Riklis' wife, Pia Zadora, made her Las Vegas debut at the hotel performing in the Versailles Room as the opening act for Bob Newhart.  Zadora would make a name for herself a few years later by being chosen "Best New Star of the Year " by the Hollywood Foreign Press Corp and given a Golden Globe award for taking off her clothes in "Butterfly".  Rumors flew that Riklis had enticed the Hollywood Foreign Press with lavish junkets to Las Vegas to secure their votes.

By 1984, the hotel had run out of luck again and filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  Arthur Waltzman, a CPA, was brought in to help right the listing hotel.  Waltzman, who understood tourists, began to target not only the high-rollers but the middle-class tourist as well.  He marketed the hotel as a "fun" place to gamble and to hang out at.  By 1985, the Riviera was back. 

In 1985, Splash! starring Frank Gorshin debuted in the Versailles Room.  This aquacade of music and dance, according to the local critics of the day, took place in and around a 20,000 gallon aquarium and featured numerous performers and specialty acts.  The show racked up awards. 

In the Mardi Gras Showroom, a young female impersonator named Frank Marino opened as part of a new show called "An Evening at La Cage".  Marino was barely 20 years old.  "Boylesque" starring female impersonator Kenny Kerr was a smash hit at the Silver Slipper and the Riv saw the chance to cash in on not only that success but the Broadway musical "La Cage aux Folles" which was taking New York by storm.

In 1987, the Riviera installed a basement-style comedy club called The Improv in partnership with Budd Friedman who had clubs in both New York and Los Angeles with the same name.  They also opened another show "Crazy Girls" which became famous for its provocative billboard and taxi ads. 

In 1988, the Riviera was successful enough to  add the 24-story Monaco Tower to its property.  The $28 million tower nearly doubled the resort's rooms to 2,100. 

But the Las Vegas Strip was changing.  The automobile culture which the Strip had catered to from the beginning was giving way.  Steve Wynn was opening a new hotel The Mirage which would have a profound effect on the Strip and up the ante for years to come.

In the changing times of the Strip, the Riviera sought to hang on to its market.  In 1990, they expanded the casino out to the property line.  It brought the total square footage to 125,000 making it one of the largest casinos around.  They offered slots, video poker and other video gambling, table games, poker, keno, bingo and a complete sports book but it was not enough. 

Architect Nikita Zukov incorporated advertising signs and neon into what Alan Hess calls " a whip-curve facade with refractive glass".

The hotel approached Burger King about opening a franchise on the property.

Frank Sinatra performed at the resort on New Year's Eve, 1990.  He played to over 2,000 guests in the Superstar Theater.  The hotel was said to renovate one of their suites to Sinatra's specifications for the duration of his stay.  Sinatra returned in 1991 for a four day engagement.

Critics were basically mum on the fact that Sinatra was performing at a hotel that had a giant Burger King sign out front.  Considering where they had all started from in the 1950s, this must have seemed odd to more than just a few. 

During the 1990s, the hotel was back in Chapter 11 bankruptcy but managed to right the listing ship one more time.  The hotel began to concentrate on the adult-oriented market at a time when Las Vegas was trying to become a family vacation destination.  The adult marketing worked. 

Frank Marino had gone from one of the female impersonators in "La Cage" to the star.  His impersonation of Joan Rivers kept the showroom crowded every night. 

In 1994, Splash! underwent a $5 million renovation.  $1 million was spent on renovating the Versailles Room.  When the show re-opened, raincoats were offered to people who had certain seats.  This new production had the feel of a submarine and there were few reminders of the previous show.  There were more than 100 fountains, screens and waterfalls and a 100-foot U-shaped bridge that was equipped with the sound and laser technology.  An ice rink was built into the center of the stage.  There was smoke and pyrotechnic effects.  It took a year to build the show and the cost in costumes was said to be $80,000.  One of the segments included the "Globe of Death" which included a motorcycle segment and a teflon coating so that the motorcycle didn't stick to the ice. 

Crazy Girls was still going strong though county officials were getting complaints about the risqué billboards and taxi cab advertisements.  The hotel won the popularity contest in the media and had a bronze statue of the famous advertising installed in front of the hotel.  Rubbing the female back-sides for good luck became a tradition.

Director Martin Scorsese wanted to film his new movie "Casino" in Las Vegas.  Loosely based on real-life events that had occurred on the Strip in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the movie was the story of Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal and Tony "The Ant" Spilotro.  Based on the best-selling book by Nick Pelligi, Scorsese needed a hotel that still had that 1970s vibe.

The Riviera fit the bill.  Though they limited Scorsese to only filming interiors after hours (basically 10:00 pm to 6:00 am) so as not to interfere with their customers and their penchant for privacy, Scorsese  brought his cast including Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone, James Woods and Don Rickles along with his crew to film all night.

With the demolition of the Dunes Hotel in the early 1990s to make room for the Bellagio, the Riviera became the last lady standing. Of the three hotels that had opened in 1955, the Royal Nevada had folded within a short time of opening and the Dunes was the first implosion party.  The Riviera was still open for business.

As the 1990s gave way to the 21st Century, the Riviera continues to hang on.  It is one of the bastions of Classic Las Vegas .  Of the original hotels on the Strip, it is the one where you can chart the progression of the hotel through its architecture.  It's pool still sports the mosaic tile and original logo.  Standing at the pool and looking around, you can see the original tower and each addition. It's shopping mezzanine still holds ghosts of shops long gone. 

On April 20th, 2005 the Riviera celebrated its 50th anniversary with a four day party. 

Today, the Riviera still continues to hold on.  Its catering to the middle market tourist in an area that is going upscale by the moment, seems to be the guiding force and salvation of the hotel.  While it won't any awards for architecture these days, the fact that so much of the original hotel and the additions are still intact, makes the Riviera worth visiting and exploring.  While the few other original ladies of the Strip have been remodeled beyond recognition, the Riviera  seems to proudly show off each addition and they remain, for the most part, intact.

We encourage you to visit this mid-century modern hotel and chart its history for yourself.

The Marge Williams designed sign

The Crazy Girls Statue

The Riv today from the back of the property 

Special thanks to RoadsidePictures for letting us use these images.  Special Thanks as well to George Stamos and Mike Weatherford.

Up Next:

The History of the Dunes!  Minksy's Burlesque, Topless Showgirls and the Casino de Paris! 

Plus the tallest Neon Sign and the Dome of the Sea. 

YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS IT!!