Along with his pals, Frank, Dean, Sammy and Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop helped usher in the age of cool in Las Vegas.  Their Summit performances at the Sands Hotel during the making of the original Ocean's 11 are the stories that myths are made of.  Bishop had outlived his buddies but passed away last night at his home in Newport Beach.  He was 89.  He was often called "the glue that held the Rat Pack together".

Bishop originally came to Las Vegas in 1951, performing at Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn and at the El Rancho Vegas. 

Jack Entratter, who ran the Sands Hotel, "knew it would be chaotic. There was nothing to hold it together as an act. He wanted a comic," Las Vegas comedian Pete Barbutti recalled Thursday. "So he asked Joey if he would do it. He told Joey upfront: 'This is a big opportunity for you, but I'm not going to pay you a lot of money. I don't have any money left over.'

"Joey said, 'I don't care, I would do it for nothing.'"

According to author Mike Weatherford (Cult Vegas), Bishop provided the one-liners and ad-libs that the others tossed around on stage like bon mots.  The group worked so well together that the audience often thought there was no script.

Entratter, sensing that Bishop was responsible for more than he was getting credit for, made the comedian a twice-a-year headliner in the Copa Room.  Bishop also served as the Master of Ceremonies for President Elect, John F. Kennedy's inaugural gala.  The Rat Pack performed as well.

When the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series in 1963, Bishop was co-billed with them at the Sands during the week of Christmas.  The Las Vegas News Bureau filmed the show.

As his film and television career began to wind down, he did a pilot for a game show that was to origninate from the Tropicana Hotel.  It was called "Punch Line" but never got past the pilot stage.  That same year he was the spokeperson for Opportunity Village, a local charity group that helps disabled children and adults.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s there was a renewed interest in the Rat Pack.  Several shows around town were built  around the premise of the Summit at the Sands.  The Rat Pack is Back- The Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey & Dean is still playing at the Greek Isles.  Of all the characters, Bishop was the only one who authorized his name to be used, primarily as a favor to Producer Sandy Hackett's father, the late Buddy Hackett.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Joey Bishop, the stone-faced comedian who found success in nightclubs, television and movies but became most famous as a member of Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack, has died at 89.

He was the group's last surviving member. Peter Lawford died in 1984, Sammy Davis Jr. in 1990, Dean Martin in 1995, and Sinatra in 1998.

Bishop died Wednesday night of multiple causes at his home in Newport Beach, publicist and longtime friend Warren Cowen said.

The Rat Packers became a show business sensation in the late 1960s when they appeared together at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas in shows that combined music and comedy in a seemingly chaotic manner.

Reviewers often claimed that Bishop played a minor role, but Sinatra knew otherwise. He termed the comedian "the hub of the big wheel."

The quintet continued their hilarity whenever members were free of their own commitments. They appeared together in such films as "Ocean's Eleven" and "Sergeants 3" and even at a special performance for President Kennedy.

The late 1990s brought a renaissance of the Rat Pack, with the group depicted in an HBO movie and portrayed by imitators in Las Vegas and elsewhere. The movie "Ocean's Eleven" was even remade in 2003 with George Clooney and Brad Pittin the lead roles.

Before the renaissance, Bishop defended his fellow performers' rowdy reputations in a 1998 interview.

“Are we remembered as being drunk and chasing broads?" he asked. "I never saw Frank, Dean, Sammy or Peter drunk during performances. That was only a gag. And do you believe these guys had to chase broads? They had to chase 'em away."

Away from the Rat Pack, Bishop starred in two television series, both called "The Joey Bishop Show."

The first, an NBC sitcom, got off to a rocky start in 1961. Critical and audience response was generally negative, and the second season brought a change in format. The third season brought a change in network, with the show moving to ABC, but nothing seemed to help and it was canceled in 1965.

In the first series, Bishop played a TV talk show host.

In his next series, he really was a TV talk show host. The program, which aired on ABC, was launched in 1967 as a challenge to Johnny Carson's immensely popular "The Tonight Show."

Like Carson, Bishop sat behind a desk and bantered with a sidekick, TV newcomer Regis Philbin.

But despite an impressive guest list and outrageous stunts, Bishop couldn't dent Carson's ratings, and “The Joey Bishop Show" was canceled after two seasons.

He was often called "the glue that held the Rat Pack together". 

October Events!  Scroll Down as we have many events this month that you won't want to miss! 

PLEASE NOTE NEW START TIME: 

The Pioneering Women of Southern Nevada Aviation

In Memory of Aviatrix, Florence Murphy

Women in Southern Nevada were at the forefront of aviation in those early days.  Florence Murphy learned to fly and fell in love with airplanes.  She and her husband, Red opened Sky Haven Airport on Dec. 7, 1941 and Florence went on train pilots at the old Gunnery School during WWII.  After the War, she became Vice-President of Bonanza Airlines.  She finally sold Sky Haven Airport to her good friend,  Howard Hughes, in the mid-1960s 

Peg Crockett and her husband George started Alamo Airways in the early 1940s which was located near where McCarren Airport is today.

Marie McMillan, former Test Site worker and widow of Civil Rights Activist, Dr. James McMillan, is the fastest woman alive.  She has the most aviation speed records  and has logged thousands and thousands of miles in the sky.

Billy Bates was a young woman living in Boulder City when she became the General Manager for the Boulder City Airport.

Come hear the stories and learn about this underappreciated part of the Las Vegas history.

Saturday, Oct. 20th

Clark County Museum

1850 S. Boulder Highway

Admission:  $1.50

Reception is at 1:00 pm.

Discussion is at 2:00 pm.

We look forward to seeing you there!

 This event made possible, in part, by the support of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors and Pinto Aviation!

Wednesday, Oct. 24th

Entertainers of Classic Las Vegas

Nevada State Museum

700 Twin Lakes Drive

Lorenzi Park

Admission $3.00 (Museum members no charge)

Reception is at 6:00 pm

Roundtable is at 7:00

Join the man of a 1,000 voices, Bill Acosta and the legendary Pete Barbutti along with some very special guests as they talk about playing Vegas from the 1950s to today.  Find out how things have changed and why they loved playing Vegas back in the day!

Sunday, Oct. 28th

Dr. Lonnie Hammergren's Nevada Day Celebration

4318 Ridgecrest (cross streets are Flamingo and Sandhill)

1:00 pm to 5:00 pm 

Dr. Lonnie opens up his home  to celebrate Nevada Day and offers tours of his home and his massive collection of Nevada History.

Tours will be given! 

 
Friends of Classic Las Vegas will have a room where you can come and learn more about the group.  Collector Carey Burke will have some of his epherma collection on display, Allen Sandquist will have some of his postcard collection on display and we will be there to answer any questions and hand out brochures on how you can become a Friend of Classic Las Vegas. 

We will also being have an hourly raffle of unique baskets of Las Vegas history as well as face painting and other fun activities so be sure to join us at Dr. Lonnie's on Oct. 28th.

Our good friends at the Atomic Age Alliance need your help in saving this mid-century beauty of a building.  Kristen Petersen, of the Las Vegas Sun, writes about it:

Speaking of Las Vegas' vanishing past, the Atomic Age Alliance, a mid-century modern preservation committee, has targeted its first "Urgent Action Issue": saving the old Federated Employees of Nevada building at 2301 E. Sahara Ave. The single story office building, a n example of Googie , or space-age, architecture built in 1962, is slated to become retail and restaurant space.

The owner and a representative were to go before Las Vegas planning commissioners Thursday night with requests to reduce the number of parking spaces and alter land buffers. A report states that owner Jay Dapper plans to demolish the building. Calls to John David Burke, project architect, were not returned.

Atomic Age Alliance, which has a local and national mailing list of 3,000 , has not contacted the owner, but plans to approach the city regarding the value it sees in the building.

"It is a very fine piece of architecture and we have very few remaining examples of mid-century modern architecture left in this city," says alliance founder Mary Margaret Stratton. "Our concern is that they tear it down and try to flip the land" for quick resale.

Stratton says the group would like to see the building saved on site or raise the money to move the building. Another option is that the owner could save part of the building's facade, she says.

In January , the group published a mid-century modern tour guide of Las Vegas and gave a formal tour in conjunction with a national conference. The book includes the Federated Employees of Nevada building.

For more infoon how you can help: please visit the Atomic Age Alliance website here

Our good friend, John Smith has been on an emotional roller coaster that I certainly relate to.  Today, he reminds us all of the things that are important.  Whether you weathering a medical crisis or not, his words hit home for many of us:

Read about it here