Comedian Jackie Mason opened the Bagdad Theater with the other shows "The Jet Set Revue" choreographed by local Dorothy Dorben and a musical-comedy show featuring the Three Cheers and the Petit Rockette Girls. 
 
Prell was the largest stockholder in the new resort and on September 21st, 1966 the Nevada Gaming Commission granted his daughter, Sheila, permission to buy a 5% interest in the hotel.  Prell had set up a trust fund for her when he opened the resort.

Gaming included slots, Racehorse Keno and Pan Baccarat.  The gourmet restaurant was the Sabre Room and the Gold Room was the coffee shop.  The Aladdin had an Olympic-size pool (didn't they all?) surrounded by 30 apartment size villas left over from the Tally-Ho days. The hotel also had an 18-hole, par 3 golf course designed by golf course architect Bert Stamps.  It was billed as "the most challenging and finest par-3 golf course west of the Mississippi." (writer, George Stamos, 1979)

The other innovation was an escalator that moved patrons from the parking area to the casino.  The Aladdin was the first hotel in the state to have it.  The casino, for the moment the biggest in the state, was blue, gold and purple hued.  But people were fascinated by the escalator and it helped convey a modern feeling of convenience for the property.

A little more than a year later, the Aladdin would play host to one of the biggest events of the decade.  It was supposed to be a secret but UPI bureau chief, Myram Borders, who had grown up in Las Vegas and had returned as a well-known and respected journalist, received a call in the middle of the night. 

"This guy is saying 'I have a big story for you but I need money' and I told him the UPI doesn't pay for stories.  I suggested he call some fairly large newspapers in the East which I knew would be closed anyway.   Well, he called back awhile later saying 'no one's answering'.  I said well, what's the story and he said 'Elvis Presley is gonna get married a the Aladdin Hotel.'" (Interview with Myram Borders, 2003)

"So I went out to the Aladdin and started wandering around the hallways, kind of seeing any indication of a wedding, which I couldn't and the security guards thought I was a hooker, trying to go from room to room or something.  They were trying to chase me out of the hotel all the time and all I was doing was walking up and down hallways.  Finally, about 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning I saw one of the Nevada Supreme Court Justices, David Zenoff, walk into the hotel and I thought 'it's true'.  I asked him why he was there and he said 'I'm gonna marry Elvis Presley'." (Interview with Myram Border, 2003).

How had Elvis come to choose the Aladdin as the spot for his nuptials?  He could have been married at any hotel any town or even the Little Church of the West which was famous for its celebrity clientele.  Well, Presley and Prell, according to George Stamos, had a long-time friendship that dated back to the 1950s.  Though Presley never appeared at a Prell hotel, he was often seen in the Casbah Lounge at the Sahara during the years it played host to Louis Prima and his band, Freddie Bell and the Bellboys and many others.

According to Paula Clark, no expense was spared on the Presley wedding.  "Colonel Parker gave us instructions to use 'unlimited funds' in preparing the wedding and reception.  To miss the crowds, Prell had arranged for them to get their license down at the County Courthouse at 2:00 am.  Just before the wedding, Clark realized that there were no provisions for the press and a ballroom was quickly converted complete with donuts and coffee.

As  100 friends, family and a bevy of writers and photographers gathered to watch the King of Rock and Roll marry Priscilla, Myram Borders' story of the impending wedding hit the wire.  She had scooped them all.

Jackie Mason was keeping the Bagdad Theater filled but Prell wanted something more for the early morning hours.  Hotel publicist Dick Kanellis found Rusty Warren, a female comedienne who specialized in risqué humor.  Management was worried at the reaction audiences might have to her material.  Her opening night success put all their worries to rest.

Her name went up on the revolving marquee and the crowds poured in.

Another comedian that Prell signed was Redd Foxx.  Up to this point, Foxx had not yet played the Strip which would become his home in later years.  He also coaxed rock and roll legend Little Richard out of retirement and he packed the house and danced on the tables. 

Prell had big plans for the Aladdin that included a 36-story tower that would contain 700 new rooms and VIP Suites.  He planned a 750-seat convention area that was to be located on the top floor.  But, according to Stamos, funding for this ambitious project was not forthcoming and the additions never materialized.

Then fate intervened.  Prell was felled by a stroke in 1968 which forced him into retirement for good.  The hotel was put up for sale and it, like others before it, was bought by Parvin-Dohrmann, the Los Angeles based interior furnishings company. 

The deal was complex according to George Stamos.  It included a transfer of stock between Parvin-Dohrmann,  who owned the Fremont Hotel downtown and who would later purchase the Stardust Hotel,  and the Prell Hotel Company.  Over 70,000 shares of Parvin-Dohrmann stock were exchanged for all the outstanding Aladdin stock.  While there were no major personnel changes, Ed Levinson was brought in from the Fremont to manage the hotel.

Parvin-Dohrmann did not own the property for long.  On December 30, 1971 the hotel was once again sold to a group of investors that included local businessman Sam Diamond and other partners who would come into conflict with the Nevada Gaming Board.

But as the 1960s came to an end, the future was looking bright for the Aladdin Hotel.

The Wedding Party

The Ice Cream Chair Sign

Special Thanks to RoadsidePictures, Carey Burke, Myram Borders and Brian Leming 

UP NEXT:

DARK DAYS AT THE ALADDIN

THE TEAMSTERS AND THE MOB INVOLVEMENT

THE THEATER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

AND MORE!