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Classic Las Vegas salutes Louis Prima, Keely Smith and Sam Butera
Louis Prima, Sam Butera and the Witnesses- photo courtesy of Louis Prima, Jr.
Louis Prima- renowned bandleader, musician and songwriter -Sing, Sing, Sing-became a Las Vegas icon.
He was born on Dec. 17th, 1907 to a musical family in New Orleans. His mother made sure that all of her children were musically inclined. Prima grew up playing a hand-me-down coronet from his older brother, Leon.
He dropped out of high school and hit the road trying to make a living as a musician. He had his first national hit in 1935 with The Lady in Red. He and comedienne Martha Raye- who hoped to also be a singer- became good friends and Prima made his national debut on The Fleischman Hour.
In 1936, he recorded Sing, Sing, Sing which became a boffo hit for Benny Goodman. When WWII broke out, Prima was unable to enlist because of a knee injury. Prima continued performing throughout the war years even playing for one of President Roosevelt's birthday parties.
He also was on his third wife by the end of the war. He had expensive tastes in clothes and food and loved to play the ponies. But big time success kept eluding Prima.
In 1948, a young 17-year old singer named Keely Smith auditioned as a replacement for singer Lily Ann Carol.
Read more at our new blog: http://classiclasvegasblog.com/
Don't forget our Special Sale on The Story of Classic Las Vegas is still going on! Details can be found here:
We are having a Special Sale!!!!!
We are offering a special sale to coincide with our debut on VegasPBS (Channel 10) and just in time for the holidays.
Buy two Story of Classic Las Vegas: An Overview DVDs and get the third one for less than half price.
Total would be $60 for all three and that includes Free Shipping, a savings of $15.
Use the Promo Code (in the Coupon section) - A Special Sale- when going through the check-out process.
We will also add a Classic Las Vegas beefy t-shirt (black with our logo) for free while they last.
Perfect as gifts or stocking stuffers for those Las Vegas fans in your life!
Here's the link:
http://classiclasvegasblog.com/shop/
Remember, you are helping to preserve history with your purchase!
The Story of Classic Las Vegas encores tonight on Channel 10
Happy Birthday, Nevada!!!!
Tonight, VegasPBS (Channel 10) encores our first person historical overview, The Story of Classic Las Vegas.
Hear from the men and women who grew up here, who helped carve a city out of a dusty railroad town and who helped turn that city into the Entertainment Capital of the World.
This is their story, the one that rarely gets told when people talk about Las Vegas.
We enjoyed talking with and interviewing all of the people who contributed their stories and their personal collections and we are thrilled that VegasPBS is sharing this story with all of Las Vegas!
Tune in tonight, Oct. 31st at 10:00 pm to see the encore with additional screenings throughout the month of November.
Here is the trailer:
Here is the broadcast schedule:
Here is the broadcast schedule:
Thursday, October 30 at 9 p.m.
On Nevada Day, Friday, October 31 at 10 p.m.
Sunday, November 2 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, November 22 at 5 p.m.
We also have a few overnight plays (so set those DVRs!!)
Friday, October 31 at 2 a.m.
Saturday, November 1 at 3 a.m.
Monday, November 3 at 4 a.m.
Please let us know what you think!
The Story of Classic Las Vegas coming to Vegas PBS this Thursday!
Our documentary, The Story of Classic Las Vegas, is coming to Vegas PBS, Channel 10, this Thursday, Oct. 30th.
The critically acclaimed film, a historic overview of the city's history, is told by the men and women who helped make that history aIt features a bevy of Las Vegas pioneers and their families. It also features some never before seen photographs and rare home movies.
We interviewed over 130 people as part of the overall preservation project and since we began the project back in 2003, we have lost over 40 participants.
We hope you will tune in and watch. It's a look at Las Vegas history that rarely gets told and we hope you enjoy it!
Here is the broadcast schedule:
Thursday, October 30 at 9 p.m.
On Nevada Day, Friday, October 31 at 10 p.m.
Sunday, November 2 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, November 22 at 5 p.m.
We also have a few overnight plays (so set those DVRs!!)
Friday, October 31 at 2 a.m.
Saturday, November 1 at 3 a.m.
Monday, November 3 at 4 a.m.
Here is the trailer:
If you would like to buy a DVD of the documentary, you can do so here:
