The New York Times did a wonderful piece on the Neon Museum and the Stardust sign and included in the story is a link to our history of the Stardust Hotel!

Check it out:

We may be made of star stuff, as the astronomer Carl Sagan once said, but our imaginations contain a strong dose of “Stardust” — at least as the word appears here. The capital S, its 17-foot-tall body peppered with bulbs, is shaped like a coy lightning bolt. Its jagged strokes change thickness and meet at unexpected angles, like the stylized clothes of “The Jetsons.” The T’s are like toon sketches of rays shooting from stars.

For the rest of the article (and the link to us is in the next paragraph):

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/02/arts/design/the-neon-museum-in-las-vegas.html

Thanks, New York Times!!!!

Masquerade episode 1.9

Where Ralph and Katherine share a moment, Dixon has a fear of spiders and Benny Binion gets a shout-out!

Got your drinks? Let's review!

It was a typical episode of Vegas with the crime of the week centered on the murder of a showgirl. We see the showgirls on stage at the Stargazer (it’s a lame name). Almost as lame as the drummer who accompanies the music. But, fakeout! It’s just a rehearsal and the director, Max, begins berating the lead dancer. He tells her to  basically get her act together or he’ll have to drop her "cute little bottom" from the show. Ah, the 1960s.

Meanwhile we get a look at the exterior set of Downtown/TheStrip with Vegas Vic, the neon cowboy, makes a cameo appearance as well as a long, vintage caddy. In a walk and talk, we learn from Vince that the Missus and the kids are on holiday and from Mia we learn that Daddy Rizzo is in Los Angeles on business. Seems Daddy Rizzo’s union friends have arranged a screen test or two for Diane (the singer from the last episode two weeks ago).

Much more interesting than the walk and talk is the set design of the interior of the Savoy and vintage slot machines. While the count is down 12%, Vince isn’t worried because he has stolen a whale away “the Dunes and into our house”.

Out on Fremont Street/The Strip, the new Mayor Grady is getting his picture taken ala Oscar Goodman with some comely showgirls. Ralph watches, amused. Seems Grady wants to start a tourism campaign and needs a slogan. “Did you really ask me out here about tourism?” Ralph asks. Seems the mayor won’t be inaugurated until next week. In the meantime, though, he has “a vision that I want every Las Vegan to share.” Drink if you know what that means.

As the new mayor is trying to sell his spiel to Ralph, Dennis Quaid does us a solid by smiling, widely. Drink! Ralph’s suggestion for a slogan, “Welcome to Las Vegas” (Shades of Betty Willis, though I think we will all be up in arms if the show makes it look like Ralph’s slogan inspired Betty’s sign). The new mayor is less than thrilled with the slogan but damn if we don’t hit the jackpot because Quaid doesn’t care and he smiles again!  Drink!

Vince approaches them, “Sheriff, did you come to kiss the ring?” he asks, to which Ralph replies, “No, what did you come to kiss?” and smiles again!  Drink! Quaid is much more relaxed and charming in the first five minutes of this opening than he has been all season long. Hopefully, this portends a trend.

Back at the Stargazer the lead showgirl is dancing alone and the music abruptly stops. To her credit, she grabs her things and tries to make good her escape. Drink if you knew her death was inevitable

When we return from commercial, we’re at the Sheriff’s Office where Jack is busting Dixon’s chops. Meanwhile, Miss Sanchez is searching for something, seems she’s misplaced “a personal item”.

The call about the dead showgirl comes in and they go to the scene. They meet Katherine there. Plus the dead showgirl has been re-dressed in her costume. Katherine notices that and Ralph comments that she “is a trophy”. Katherine believes the young girl has been raped.

The questioning of the usual suspects begins. The director is a jerk and continues to be a jerk. But he did give the young girl a $300 advance for reasons unknown.

Back at the Savoy, they are waiting for waiting for the whale, Clay Stinson, who is arriving by rail in his own private car (as if he is foretelling the arrival of Howard Hughes six years later). Vince ‘s crew is not impressed by Stinson and they haven’t even met him yet. First thing Clay (a big, tall Texan) eyes is Mia. Drink if you know what one of his first requests will be. That is one giant piece of turquoise on the bolo tie that Stinson is wearing. Making up for other shortcomings perhaps?

Has the show gotten a new hair stylist? Both Ralph and Dixon seem to be sporting better ‘dos.

Vince is trying to keep Clay happy and in his cups. But we are about to get the highlight of the season, the mention of Benny Binion! For a show set in Las Vegas in 1960 and whose action is supposed to take place mainly downtown, there has been no mention of any of the colorful characters that ran downtown, especially the larger than life Texan who ran the Horseshoe and would take anyone’s bet. Clay reminds Vince of this and Vince’s reply, “Well, Benny can be a little crazy”. I guess we can only hope that the writers of this show will continue to populate their scripts with some of the historic larger than life characters that are part of the tapestry of Las Vegas history. It’s probably a long shot, but I guess we can always hope.

In the meantime, Vince lowers the limit that Clay can bet on a hand. Clay then surprises Vince and Mia by betting a cool half mil. He’s doing it to impress Mia. Drink if you saw that one coming even during the second swoon of mentioning Benny’s name. Vince covers the bet and Clay wins. Vince almost plotzes when Clay splits and the ante goes up to million. Clay wins and Vince looks short of breath.

Ralph and Katherine check out the dead showgirl’s apartment. There’s a Bob Fosse poster from Broadway on the wall (Hopefully for Redhead and not Sweet Charity). It’s the most Katherine has had to do in a few weeks. She reminds Ralph that “bad things happened in this town before the casinos”. And someone wrote in lipstick on the dead girl’s make-up mirror, You Shall Be Forgiven.

Back from commercial, Vince is paying Clay his cool million. And in addition to his winnings, Clay wants Mia, “a night with Miss Rizzo”. Vince refuses. “Everyone has their price.” Clay tells him.

Red isn’t happy because Clay’s entourage will drink free booze and trash their hotel rooms. But Vince says Clay will gamble again and big as long as they can keep him in the hotel. That’s Red’s job. Drink if know how easy that will be.

The Lamb brothers discuss the case and Quaid smiles again! Drink! Katherine joins the conversation and tells Ralph that the killer has done this before, especially in Kingman. We get a shout-out to Boulder Highway! Drink! Ralph won’t let Katherine go along but asks her to follow up on the Kingman lead by making phone calls. She’s not happy.

Clay is trying to leave the hotel and go to a well-known French restaurant on First Street. Vince convinces them to go to Savoy restaurant and he’ll have a private meal made special for Clay and his entourage.

Ralph and Jack check out a lead in an oil field. Yeah, oil and Las Vegas. You’ve heard of the rich oil fields of Southern Nevada, right? They break up a shoot with a couple of young chippies and a leering film director. The young chippies look like they were acting out a roman scene, girl on girl. But nothing that hot because it’s CBS.

Ralph threatens the leering director and shoots between his legs, telling him to get out town.

Over at the Savoy, Clay liked his dinner but he plans on leaving because “You gotta go before the thrill wears off”. Vince isn’t happy.

Katherine meets with the dead showgirl’s father who drove in from Cedar City (another shout out that is correct). Katherine tells him that his daughter was murdered. The father is upset. Drink if you figured that would happen. The father blames his daughter and tells Katherine not to contact him again. Katherine is upset.

Miss Sanchez is still trying to find whatever it is that she lost. Dixon offers to help until he discovers it’s a spider. Seems Dixon has a fear of spiders.

Katherine talks to Ralph. Seems Ralph doesn’t want to have to worry about Katherine putting herself in dangerous situations. Ah, he cares about her! She tells him “I refuse to stand over the body of another young girl”.

After the commercial, Clay is leaving and Mia becomes aware of what Clay wanted. Mia’s a big girl. In a strange cut, it begins to rain, the caddy and Clay come back. Vince made it impossible for his private train car to leave.

The Lambs are hot on the trail of another clue. Drink if you realize that there is another 15 minutes left and this clue won’t pay off. Besides, Chris Stengel is a young woman not a young man. And Chris and the dead showgirl were girlfriends (in the 21^st century diverse America meaning).

Seems she was working on her own act with someone from the Stargazer show. Ralph returns to his office to find the new mayor there.  The new mayor is feeling a lack of respect. He tries to convince Ralph that he’s not Savino’s dog. Ralph pulls out three cases, all dead, that were friends of Vince. “I’d hate for you to become one of those friends.” He tells the new mayor.

Grady leaves and Katherine comes in. They have a heart to heart. Katherine tells Ralph the story of her cousin Joan who visited when she was 15. Her cousin was raped by a ranch hand. “That’s the shame of it” she says. Seems the ranch hand quit and then “a year later I saw in the papers he raped a girl in Henderson. I should have done something when I had the chance.” Ralph assures her they’ll get that chance for the dead showgirl. Quaid is not only quite good in the scene, he smiles!  Drink!

Over at the Savoy, Mia reports that Daddy Rizzo is returning from Los Angeles because Diane’s screen test didn’t go well. They have two hours to win back all the money from Clay.

Katherine gets a lead on the jerk director, Max. Katherine offers to go to the showroom and talk to the showgirls. Ralph and Jack discover the director didn’t do the crime. Oh no, the killer is still out there!  Drink if you knew that.

Katherine talks to the piano player/drummer.  Da, Da, Dum!!!! While the piano man is talking, Katherine realizes he is the killer. She starts to leave and piano man grabs her by the throat. Throttling her, she stabs in the leg with a letter opener.

She tries to make good an escape. But piano man grabs a knife and talking to Katherine he confesses the crime. Katherine throws a cut glass bowl to distract him and Ralph shows up and drops the guy with a well placed bullet that doesn’t kill the piano man. He embraces Katherine.

Over at the Savoy on Fremont St/the Strip, Clay is packing up and leaving but not before playing a hand of poker with Mia. Each put up a cool mill. She didn’t tell Vince she was drawing the money from the cage. Mia has a pair of eights and Clay only has a busted straight. Mia wins. Before he and his entourage leave he promises Mia he’ll be back. Seems the chips were show, the real bet was for something else. Either way, Clay lost a mill and still didn’t get Mia.

Over at the Sheriff’s Office, the spider is walking across the floor. Quaid smiles again!!!! Drink! Miss Sanchez rescues the spider, Dixon gets busted for being afraid of spiders and the episode ends.

While it was a typical episode, some good things happened. Especially the character development between Ralph and Katherine.  This show isn’t anywhere close to Justified or Mad Men territory in terms of story telling and acting but Dennis Quaid is either getting comfortable with the character or the director has realized that Quaid is more than a one note actor.

And the historical shout-outs are much appreciated and we hope they continue!

There will be a holiday episode next week that looks like it includes some steamy moments or at least a few romantic ones.

So, we’ll be back to bring you the recap/review!

In the meantime, hit the comments and let us know what you think!

Exposure  Episode 8

Like last week, this was a strong episode. A bit more predictable than last week but some character development.

The episode opens with Dixon in bed with a stewardess while “Don’t Step on My Blue Suede Shoes” on the soundtrack. Some flirting, some kissing, then Dixon hits the door because he’s late for work.

Over at the Sheriff’s Office, Ralph is surprised to see Vincent in his office and Jack is surprised to see Mia. Some flirting, no kissing and Dixon comes in late but not before one of the girls in the office notices he’s both late and handsome.

Vincent brought Ralph a good bottle of scotch which, of course, Ralph doesn’t want. There’s some bantering and then the call comes in, “dead body on the Westside”. Vince says “it wasn’t me.”

At the scene, Ralph notices a big oil stain and a blood trail that’s pretty easy to follow. Why does the Westside of town look like Fremont Street? Dixon stops an African American man from getting away by hitting him with a car- or maybe the guy ran into the car- hard to tell.

Over at the Savoy (on Fremont Street/The Strip), Vince and Johnny Rizzo are talking. Vince is pointing out that killing in town is bad for business. Vince says loosening up the tables and slots will help bring business back. Rizzo says he has an idea but he ain’t telling Vince what it is.  Drink if you know where this is going.

Rizzo, of course, is more worried about the skim than anything else. He hasn’t seen any of the coin since he took over, just last week. Drink if Rizzo sounds like a stupid, whiny hood.

Mayor Bennett (who, remember has no control over these things) still has auditors going over the Savoy’s books with a fine tooth comb. Drink if you just don’t like Rizzo.

Vince has an idea for how to get the skim out of the building without tipping off the auditors.  Mia and one “waiter” and another dressed in a security uniform, perform a very quick slight of hand passing the money from the security cart to room service cart while the elevator is in motion and Mia counts the time down.

When the elevator doors open, it’s business as usual.

Over at the Sheriff’s Office, the young African American has regained consciousness and is being asked questions about what he was doing in the alley at the end of the blood trail. The young man tries to explain that the guy’s wallet was in the car. Ralph says he stole the car and that the young man shot the dead guy and left him to bleed out while he stole a dying man’s car.

The young man is, of course, surprised to hear all of this (are you surprised? I thought not. Me neither. Let’s take a drink to our mutual unsurprisedness). The young man says “I knew this was a set up” which, of course, catches Ralph by surprise. Seems the young man saw the car, saw the keys and saw a cop. Jack asks him “are you sure it was a cop”. Now, gentle readers, you and I both know where this going and at this rate, we’ll be in our cups before the thirty minute mark.

“A White guy on that block at 6 in the morning, had to be” the young man tells Jack. Which just confirms that where ever this crime took place, it didn’t take place on the Westside (across the tracks and beyond the underpass) which was the segregated part of town back in 1960. The young man copes to taking the car but not killing anyone.

The interrogation is interrupted by the arrival of Lt. Norman Kaplan with the Office of Special Investigations out at Nellis AFB. He thinks he knows who the dead man is. Dr. William Dozier, the main doctor on the base who had a weekend pass to come but he didn’t make it back. The Lieutenant is not happy that no one informed him even though the Sheriff’s office had Dozier’s drivers’ license and base id. “It’s been a very fast developing case”, Jack tells him. Kaplan makes a snide comment about nepotism and HOLY CRAP, Dennis Quaid SMILES AGAIN!!!!!! DRINK!!!!!!!

Of course, Ralph and Kaplan aren’t going to get along and the OSI has jurisdiction over the case because the doctor was on the Air Force payroll. Kaplan goes off to interrogate the young man.

Over at the Savoy, Johnny Rizzo is coaxing a young woman we haven’t seen before into trying on a sable coat in the coffee shop of the hotel. Now usually, women try on coats like that in a fur store (which if the Savoy was the uptown swanky Strip hotel it wants us to believe it is- the Fur Shop would be on the premises along with cold storage for storing furs out of season- but this isn’t the real Vegas so I digress).

She and Johnny flirt. The Savinos come into the Coffee Shop and Missus Savino is surprised to see the young chippy, Diane Desmond.  Vince does not look happy to see her at all. Drink, because as any self-respecting tv drama watcher knows, these two have an illicit shared history and we haven’t even gotten to the hellos and we know this.

Vince tries to pretend that he and Diane Desmond have never met. “My reputation must proceed me” he says. Nope, just bad writing.

Seems Diane Desmond has been filling the lounge over at the Stardust. Vince introduces her to the Missus who really likes Miss Desmond’s records. Miss Desmond suggests the Savinos catch her show later that night and afterwards, the four of them can grab a drink. Drink if you already know Vince doesn’t like this idea (or the idea of spending extra time with whiny Johnny Rizzo).

Miss Desmond, it seems, is going to become a regular at the Savoy. Johnny got her out of gig at the Stardust and she opens in the lounge at the Savoy next week. But tonight, she is singing in the piano bar at the Savoy. (Because when you’re singing in the lounge of a hotel on the Strip, you want to give that up to sing at another hotel.)

Rizzo reminds all of them that he is running the show now and who needs loose slots when “we have the best singer in town .”

Coming back from commercial, Ralph is under the dead doctor’s car checking out the oil leak, no doubt. Well, guess what, “this has been way to easy. The oil line, it’s been cut. Whoever killed Dozier cut that oil line and left a good car running in a bad neighborhood.” Ralph and Jack discuss the evidence and deduce a frame job. Lt. Kaplan, of course, has his own ideas and tells the Lamb brothers he won’t be needing their help any further, he’s going to start his own investigation. Smart tv drama viewers should already suspect that the good lieutenant is up to no good. Ralph senses something is not right and reminds the good lieutenant that the body was found in Clark County and “jurisdiction cuts both ways.”

Back at the Savoy, Vinnie is having a drink and trying to figure out how to get rid, no doubt, of both Johnny Rizzo and Miss Desmond. But before he can, Miss Desmond comes flaunting in his office in her new sable coat. Guess what, Miss Desmond and Vince had an affair. Are you surprised? I hope not! Drink! Seems the affair was eight years ago in Havana when Vince and the Missus were going through a rough patch.

Seems Miss Desmond is carrying a torch for Vince. She takes off her coat and is naked underneath.  We cut to someone in the throes of happiness and Vince putting his watch on. But it ain’t Miss Desmond. He and the Missus are finishing up. Mrs. Savino is very happy but suspicious. It’s not like Vince to go in for a little afternoon delight.

Ralph breaks the news to a young woman who knew the doctor. Seems he was a regular at the Fremont Street Photo Shoppe. They were in the desert over the weekend taking pictures. They were supposed to go to the Lake but instead he took her to the desert. Kaplan says “we’re going to need to see those pictures”.  Jenny doesn’t have the photos, “it’s like they just vanished”.

Ralph realizes that shallow Lt. Kaplan is really shallow. Ralph recaps all he knows and wants to go to the base to ask questions of Dozier’s patients.

Mrs. Savino, meantime, is having coffee with Katherine. Katherine congrats Mrs. Savino on a job well done. “You turned a dry cleaner into mayor”.  Mrs. Savino acts modest. She also tells Katherine that she knows that she is the ADA.  No friendship between these two ladies anymore. Are you surprised? Nah, me neither.

Kaplan and Ralph head somewhere. We discover that Ralph was in Special Investigations in the Army after the war. The two spar and start to become friends. A truck tries to run them off the road. Two guys in masks tell them to get out of the ambulance.

After the break, Jack picks them up heading back to town. “Who the hell steals a body?” “They probably realized their two bit frame up job wasn’t going to work” Ralph replies. Luckily, Jack called ahead and got Dozier’s patient schedule for the Friday before he died. Most of the patients were with the 43^rd Airborne and were whisked away to Dover before anyone could talk to them. Drink if you smell Atomic Bomb/Radiation in this storyline.

Ralph actually shows some signs of humor. Drink if you like seeing this side of Quaid. I know I do.

Back at the Savoy, a young man approaches Mia. There’s a problem with Craps Table 4. The kid wants to call the Gaming commission. She goes to Vince and Daddy. Mia finally gives up the name of the kid saying she trusts the kid to keep his mouth shut. Daddy Rizzo says that’s enough for him. Yeah, right.

On the base, Ralph and Jack find a patient who saw Dr. Dozier. There was another patient who got mad at the doctor and got into a fight with him. There was a silver box involved. A Geiger counter!!

Ralph and Jack go looking for the missing papers. And Ralph finds them. Seems a patient died of radiation poisoning. There’s missing autopsy photos. Where’s the radiation coming from? Which MP did Dozier tell what he knew?

Over at the Savoy, Miss Desmond is singing. Daddy Rizzo seems to that Miss D is singing to him, but we know better, don’t we. Also, Daddy Rizzo wants to kill the young kid who found the problem with Craps Table 4. Vince tries to talk him out of it. Daddy will hear none of it.

After the commercial break, Ralph and Jack are talking to the patient. A defense company is testing a suit against radiation. Someone died and this guy didn’t do anything to investigate and “now Dozier is dead”. The defense company has a secret bunker on the base. Guess where those missing pics are!  Drink!

At the Savoy, the Savinos are having a drink with Miss Desmond. She mentions being in Havana. Missus Savino suspects. Vince tries to get Miss Desmond to take Rizzo home and put a mickey in his drink. She wants Missus Savino’s necklace in return. Missus Savino walks in and now she knows for sure.

Back at the base, Ralph, Kaplan and Jack are on the hunt for the missing paperwork, photos, etc. Flashlights blazing, they see the door marked Radiation Hazard. It’s where they did the testing.

MPs come with guns drawn. Kaplan pretends to take Ralph prisoner and sends the MPs chasing ghosts.  Dixon and Jack are still trying to find the missing clues. Jack comes up a winner. Missing Autopsy records and photos!  Drinks all around!!!!

After the commercial break, in the car with Vince, the kid and Daddy Rizzo. The kid is probably wishing he had kept his mouth shut and let the gaming board discover the missing original receipts. Vince is trying to keep the kid calm.  Vince, it seems, is sending the kid to Salt Lake in a meat truck and getting him out of town for his own good.

Back at home, he has to contend with the Missus. She wants Miss Desmond gone as much as Vince. But with Daddy Rizzo in charge, that’s not going to happen. He implores Missus to trust him. She’s not happy. Vince isn’t happy. Holding the necklace, we cut to the Sheriff’s office.

There, an almost criminally under-utilized Katherine is explaining that the Base is on federal land and they have no jurisdiction.  But Kaplan does. But Ralph doesn’t believe that anyone will get any justice. Ralph suggests a stampede. Jack goes for bolt cutters.

On the base, Ralph tells the defense guy he’s going to the papers. “We’re at war, sheriff”. Ralph, of course, is not happy and the defense guy threatens him. Ralph drives off with the suits in pursuit. Shooting ensues.

They get Ralph out of the truck. It all looks bad. But Ralph doesn’t have the real pictures or the files. Jack and Kaplan come to help Ralph.  Seems they aren’t on federal land. They are off the res and in Clark County. Someone is going to jail.

Back in town, Missus has asked Katherine to lunch. Seems Clark Gable is dead which pegs this episode as taking place the week of Nov. 16th, 1960 but the Missus didn't ask Katherine to coffee to cry over the loss of the King.  She wants Katherine's help. But while “I will do everything I can to protect my husband, who’s to say we can’t meet somewhere in the middle”. The Missus wants to take out Daddy Rizzo one way or another. And if it means, sending Daddy Rizzo to the pen, so be it. As long as Vince doesn't get his hands dirty.

Vince and Miss Desmond meet. She wants her necklace. Vince snarls, “some things don’t belong to you”. She didn’t drug Daddy Rizzo after all. But she knows that Vince wanted Daddy Rizzo out of the picture for another reason.

The episode ends with Miss Desmond singing, Jack and Mia flirting and Ralph tells his secretary, half smiling, to go paint the town red. The file for his dead wife catches his eye. He struggles with reading it. He drinks. We drink.

What does Ralph hope to discover.  No suspicion of foul play but she was found by Officer Smith.

Is this the season story arc, what really happened to Marilyn Lamb?  How does that relate to the story we are watching?

Hit the comments and let us know what you think!

A new episode of Vegas hits the airwaves tomorrow night. It's called Exposure and good news- we are done traveling and ready to review it while we watch it!

See you then!

Dr. Lonnie Hammargren is celebrating Nevada Day (a few days late, it was actually October 31) this weekend and you're invited.

From noon to 5:00 on Saturday, Nov. 3rd and Sunday, Nov 4, you can tour Dr. Lonnie's estate and see his collection up close and personal.

On Saturday entertainment will be provided by local bands The Dummkopfs (with Dr. Lonnie) and The Fremonts. On Sunday, several tribute artists are set to perform,

If you plan to go on Sunday, don't forget to set your clock back an hour before you go to bed Saturday night.

When: Saturday, Nov. 3 and Sunday, Nov. 4, noon to 5 p.m.

Where: Dr. Lonnie Hammargren's home at 4318 Ridgecrest Drive

Cost: Free but a donation of $10 is suggested. The donation goes to Living Graces Home, a home for unwed teens.