Entries from November 15, 2009 - November 21, 2009
Berkley Square is officially a Historic Place
It's official! Berkley Square, designed by mid-century modern architect, Paul Revere Williams, was the first subdivision to be built in Nevada by and for African-American residents of Las Vegas. It is now on the National Registry of Historic Places!
The historic Berkley Square Neighborhood, located in West Las Vegas, has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Register, a National Park Service Program, is the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of recognition and preservation. The city of Las Vegas Planning & Development Department nominated the neighborhood on behalf of the Berkley Square residents after a consultant’s report found that the neighborhood met the National Register criteria for historic district designation.
“I am thrilled that the National Park Service has recognized this important and historic neighborhood. This is truly an incredible honor for our community,” Ward 5 Councilman Ricki Y. Barlow said.
The Berkley Square Historic District is located about one and one-half miles from downtown Las Vegas near Owens Avenue and D Street, and is bound by Byrnes and Leonard avenues on the north and south, respectively, and G and D Streets on the west and east, respectively.
The district includes 148 homes constructed in 1954-55 in the Contemporary Ranch style with two models that varied by roof type, porch overhang and façade finishes and fenestration. The neighborhood was designed according to Federal Housing Administration standards of the day, showing concern for traffic and pedestrian safety with limited access points and sidewalks separated from the streets by a grass strip.
Berkley Square is the first subdivision to be built in Nevada by and for African-American residents of Las Vegas. It was designed in 1949 by Paul R. Williams, an internationally-known African-American architect from Los Angeles who made great strides for his race in the profession.
The developers and builders comprise an A-list of prominent African-American community activists and civic leaders, including financier Thomas L. Berkley, an attorney, media owner, developer and civil rights advocate from Oakland, Calif. It was also financed by Edward A. Freeman and J. J. Byrnes of Los Angeles. The developer was Leonard A. Wilson of Las Vegas. Construction was supervised by Harry L. Wyatt of the Las Vegas firm Burke and Wyatt. Massie L. Kennard, a Las Vegas civil rights leader, was the real estate agent.
Berkley Square contributed to improving living conditions for the city’s African-American community, and represented the advances that were being made as a result of local activism in the community in the late 1940s and early 1950s. It is additionally representative of the massive building boom that took place in Las Vegas and across the country in the post-war era, and retains good integrity as a residential suburb of that time.
LasVegasLynn
in Cultural Tourism, Current Day, Historic Homes, Historical, Las Vegas History, Las Vegas Neighborhoods, Mid-Century Modern, Preservation Issues, Westside Las Vegas
|
2 Comments
Thanksgiving in Las Vegas? Here's some ideas
Don't want to cook this Thansgiving? No problem we've got some places that will do the cooking for you. All you have to do is pick it up and take it home:
Hash House A Go Go
Hash House A Go Go will offer its Turkey Dinner A Go Go for Thanksgiving. The meal includes a 10-pound turkey with stuffing; garlic mashed potatoes and pumpkin mashed potatoes; fresh green beans and carrots; homemade biscuits and strawberry jam; chutney; and homemade Snickers chocolate bread pudding. Turkey Dinner A Go Go orders must be placed by noon on Monday, Nov. 23 and picked up no later than 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25. Orders can be placed by calling 702-804-4646.
In addition, beginning on Monday, Nov. 9 and through the holidays, Hash House A Go Go is offering a baker's dozen of its popular homemade buttermilk biscuits to go for only $12.95. The baker's dozen features 13 of the fluffy biscuits and homemade jam prepared daily in the restaurant.
Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas
The Ritz-Carlton will offer "turkey-to-go" for Thanksgiving. The fully cooked meal includes a traditional fresh turkey and stuffing or honey-glazed ham with cranberries, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, fresh vegetables and a choice of pumpkin or apple pie. Cost is $185 for up to 8 people, $235 for up to 12 people. Must reserve by noon on Nov. 24. Dinners can be picked up at the hotel's front valet between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day (702-567-4700).
Other happenings include:
Bonkerz Comedy Club Food Drive
When: 8 p.m. Nov. 26
Where: Bonkerz Comedy Club, Palace Station
Bonkerz Comedy Club is hosting a special Thanksgiving food drive where guests can receive free admission to see Adam Hunter perform just by donating a minimum of $10 worth of non-perishable food items. Each food donation of $10 or more will earn one complimentary ticket to the 8 p.m. Nov. 26 show and all donations benefit Three Square, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending hunger in the Las Vegas community. Regular ticket prices apply otherwise. Tickets are $29.95 each. Palace Station hotel guests and locals with a valid Nevada ID receive a $10 discount (702-547-5300).
Thanksgiving weekend at Stoney's
When: Nov. 26-29
More info: 702-435-2855
Stoney's kicks off Thanksgiving weekend with Ladies Night on Thanksgiving. Ladies get in for a buck and its just a buck a drink. Free dance lessons begin at 7:30 p.m. American country music band Restless Heart gives a free concert at 9 p.m. Nov. 27. Get there early and enjoy free well, wine and draft from 7 to 9 p.m. All-you-can-drink draft beer will be offered for $20 on Saturday and ladies drink free all night long on Sunday. Enjoy country music from 7-10 p.m. Sunday night and then its Stoney's Underground featuring a live broadcast with KLUC 98.5 playing Top 40 and dance music from 11 p.m.-3 a.m. 9151 Las Vegas Blvd South.
Songs and Stories of the Season on Nevada Public Radio
Nevada Public Radio will offer special programming on Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's on both its News 88.9 KNPR and Classical 89.7 KCNV stations.
Thanksgiving Day programming includes:
News 88.9 KNPR
• The Splendid Table's Turkey Confidential, Nov. 26 - 8-10 a.m.
Host Lynne Rossetto Kasper, the award-winning host of public radio's national food show the Splendid Table, will be fielding calls to aid listeners in the day's cooking conquests. Cook's Illustrated Christopher Kimball and road food warriors Jane and Michael Stern as well as wine entrepreneur Joshua Wesson will be joining the program.
• Giving Thanks with John Birge, Nov. 26 - 10-11 a.m. and 8 to 10 p.m. Host John Birge reflects on the meaning of the holiday, playing music and recounting stories.
Classical 89.7 KCNV
• Harvest Home: Thanksgiving with the Dale Warland Singers, Nov. 26 - 6 to 7 p.m.
Beautifully arranged favorites, Shaker tunes and rousing folk songs conclude Thanksgiving festivities.
MonteLago Village Resort, Lake Las Vegas
MonteLago Village at Lake Las Vegas is offering a special Thanksgiving package on Nov. 26. Package includes an overnight stay Thanksgiving night and two adult Thanksgiving dinners prepared by Portofino Steak House. Packages start at $149 (1-888-600-2688).
Nove Italiano, The Palms
Executive Chef Geno Bernardo will host a holiday cooking class from noon to 3 p.m. Nov. 21. The class will focus on the region of Emilia Romagna, where his grandmother is from. The class will be based on her favorite dishes growing up: stuffed artichokes, shaved brussel sprouts, boneless stuffed turkey breast, mashed squash and potatoes and pumpkin cheesecake. Cost is $110 per person. Space is limited (702-942-6856).
The Las Vegas Arts District gets a new name and a new sign!
After several years of anticipation the "18b" sign arrived in Las Vegas' Arts District this morning. 18b is the official name of the arts district.
The name represents the original 18 blocks that make up the district. The sign is part of a series of new and historic signs that are being placed along the Casino Center Rue in Downtown. Casino Center is being transformed into a major transportation hub and corridor that will connect the Las Vegas Strip with Fremont Street, Symphony Park and 18b.
In addition several local artists were commissioned to design bus shelters using historic signs from the Neon Museum such as the 5th Street Liquor Sign and the Landmark. The entire project is being anchored by a new transportation hub currently under construction on Casino Center and Bonneville. The new transportation center will replace the one directly behind the Historic Post Office and Court House on Stewart Avenue.
Thanks to Brian "Paco" Alvarez for letting us use the images!
LasVegasLynn
in Cultural Tourism, Current Day, Neon, Performing Arts Center, Preservation Issues
|
1 Comment
TCM Film Festival Coming to LA in April
Okay, it's not Las Vegas centric but long time readers know how much I love TCM. So, I wanted to pass this info along in case you are interested in going:
First-ever TCM Classic Film Festival, (April 22-25, 2010) to Feature Newly Restored Versions of A Star is Born (1954) and Metropolis (1927), Plus an Anniversary Screening of Breathless (1960)
Festival Passes for April 2010 Event Go On Sale Today at www.tcm.com/festival
When Turner Classic Movies (TCM) launches the first-ever TCM Classic Film Festival in April 2010 in Hollywood, the spectacular events will include the world premiere of a newly restored edition of George Cukor’s music-filled 1954 drama A Star is Born; the North American premiere of a restored version of Fritz Lang’s 1927 science-fiction silent masterpiece Metropolis; and a 50th anniversary screening of the influential French classic Breathless, the film that launched Jean-Luc Godard’s career. Passes go on sale starting today, with prices ranging from $499 to $1,199.
The more than 50 presentations during the festival will include introductions to provide context about each film. Among the first of many special guests scheduled to participate are filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich and film critic Leonard Maltin. The festival will also feature a special presentation of Stanley Kubrick’s landmark film 2001: A Space Odyssey, including a discussion with Oscar-winning visual effects artist Douglas Trumbull, who was responsible for contributing to Kubrick’s vision. In addition, TCM weekend-daytime host Ben Mankiewicz will take part in introducing films during the festival.
The premiere of A Star is Born will serve as the opening night event for the TCM Classic Film Festival on Thursday, April 22, 2010. This is the first major restoration of A Star is Born since 1983. TCM will screen a version that was digitally restored by scanning original negatives. The result is much better picture quality of all elements of the 1983 restoration, with deeper and richer color than ever before. A Star is Born, which earned Oscar® nominations for Judy Garland and James Mason, is part of the festival’s overall theme as a celebration of Hollywood history.
TCM’s screening of Metropolis will mark the first presentation of the new restoration of the film in North America. Due to the sensational 2008 discovery of a 16mm negative in Buenos Aires and its current restoration, Metropolis can now be shown with 30 minutes of additional footage that has been unseen since the 1927 Berlin premiere. This nearly complete copy of Lang’s 204-minute original now stands as the authoritative version of the film, according to the Murnau Foundation, which holds the copyrights on all of Lang’s films. The newly reconstructed Metropolis features extensive scenes that flesh out many of the supporting characters, fill in previously jarring gaps in the plot and provide additional back story. The music score will be provided live by the Alloy Orchestra, a three-man musical ensemble that will be celebrating its 20th year of writing and performing live accompaniment to classic silent films.
TCM, in partnership with Rialto Pictures, will present a beautiful new print of Jean-Luc Godard’s New Wave classic Breathless, which in 2010 celebrates the 50th anniversary of its American release. Breathless was a U.S. art-house sensation that strongly influenced filmmakers of its era. The movie paved the way for the “new” Hollywood of the late 1960s and ‘70s, revolutionizing American filmmaking and changing the direction of the industry.
“The TCM Classic Film Festival is shaping up to be a truly amazing event, with rare cinematic treats and many chances to hear from classic film stars and knowledgeable experts,” said TCM host and film historian Robert Osborne, who will serve as the official host for the festival. “This is the kind of celebration classic film fans have been dreaming about for years, and everyone at TCM is proud to bring that dream to life.”
As part of the festival, TCM is partnering with Vanity Fair magazine to commemorate the publication of Vanity Fair’s Tales of Hollywood, from Penguin Books and edited by Graydon Carter.
Special panels will feature writers from the magazine, along with actors and filmmakers who will tell behind-the-scenes stories of many of Hollywood’s greatest films. In addition, Vanity Fair will co-present a special opening-night party for top-tier passholders and Hollywood VIPs.
The TCM Classic Film Festival, which is set to take place in Hollywood April 22-25, 2010, will be a landmark celebration of the history of Hollywood and its movies, presented in a way that only TCM can, with major events, celebrity appearances, panel discussions and more. The four-day festival will also provide movie fans a rare opportunity to experience some of cinema’s greatest works as they were meant to be seen – on the big screen. TCM will announce additional special events, guests and programming in the weeks and months ahead.
The central hub for the festival will be Club TCM, located inside the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The Roosevelt, which served as the site of the first Academy Awards® ceremony, will be the official hotel for the festival.
All passholders will be allowed entry into Club TCM, which will include a festival lounge, panel discussions, social events, a boutique and poolside screenings. Event locations include Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the Egyptian Theatre.
Festival passes are now on sale at www.tcm.com/festival. The number of passes will be limited, especially for top-level “Spotlight” passes:
The “Classic” Festival Pass: $499 – Includes access to all film programs at festival venues; access to all Club TCM events, including festival headquarters, the festival lounge, panel discussions, social events, the festival boutique and poolside screenings at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; an opening-night welcome party; Friday and Saturday evening passholder gatherings; the closing-night event; and a commemorative festival program. On sale now for $399 until Dec. 18th.
The “Essential” Festival Pass: $599 – Includes all privileges available to “Classic” passholders, plus entry to the opening-night red carpet screening of A Star is Born at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and official TCM festival collectibles. On sale now for $499 until Dec. 18th.
The “Spotlight” Festival Pass: $1,199 – Includes all privileges available to “Classic” and “Essential” passholders, plus entry to an exclusive opening-night party following the red carpet screening of A Star is Born, hosted by Vanity Fair magazine; priority entry to all events; a meet-and-greet breakfast with Robert Osborne; and an official TCM Classic Film Festival poster signed by Osborne. On sale now for $1.099 until Dec. 18th.
Frequentily Asked Questions: http://www.tcm.com/festival/faq.jsp
Legendary Las Vegas Strip Performer Rusty Warren
There was a time that comedy on the Las Vegas Strip was mainly a boy's club.
But in the 1960s a group of funny ladies took the town by storm and proved once and for all that comedy wasn't just a guy thing. Comediennes Totie Fields, Nancy Austin and Rusty Warren all had tons of talent and their show dates filled the showrooms and the lounges from one end of the Strip to the other.
Nothing could keep these ladies down. Totie Fields and Nancy Austin both passed away years ago but Rusty Warren (yes, she of the best selling comedy album "Knockers Up" ) is still with us.
From the R-J:
The "Golden Age of Las Vegas" embraced the late 1950s and '60s, filling it with gaudy lights, excitement, entertainment, booze, broads, and a sexual electricity and sense of danger that will never be repeated.
The Las Vegas Strip was "owned" by Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack -- Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford -- who ruled the night life.
The culture as a whole was changing, too, in ways that benefited Las Vegas. Nowhere was that more evident than in the increased sexual liberation of men and women.
Few people could appreciate the transformation as much as Rusty Warren, the flame-red-haired, stand-up comedienne whose early career spanned an age when sex was barely spoken about in polite society. Known primarily for her party records, it seems Rusty Warren and Las Vegas were made for each other.
"I was always on the fringe," Warren told me earlier this year. "I was called 'blue' in those days, because I was just thinking about sex."
She appeared at the Dunes in 1965. "That was the first one when I came to Las Vegas, and that was a one-shot," she recalled.
And the town welcomed her with open arms.
"There were usually three acts," Warren explained. "And I would come on at, like 10, 12 and 2. And then someone else would come on at 11, 1 and 3. That was usually a male band group or something.
"And then when I worked at the Sahara we were on our own time frame. I didn't have an opening act. It was just me. And we were only allowed 50 minutes so that the people could go out and gamble."
Warren broke house records at the Aladdin, and she became the "in" performer for sophisticated couples and swingers alike to see.
"Sex is funny to both sexes," Warren said. "Like on the woman's side -- like Phyllis (Diller) is doing or saying stuff about her husband and in her costumes. Funny lady. Joan (Rivers) is doing the bitch stuff. ... It's her character and she's still doing it, you know.
"Jerry Blaine said I was like Mrs. America, the backyard barbecue, the life of the party. That's what was selling my records. And it sold in stores, not under the table. (Seven of her dozen or so albums went gold.) They would play my records at backyard barbecues to break the ice."
Warren was born Ilene Goldman in New York City on March 17, 1931, and was adopted by a couple living in Milton, Mass.
When she was 19, she appeared at the annual Tanglewood Music Festival under the direction of the legendary conductor Arthur Fiedler, who conducted the Boston Pops Orchestra.
She graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music in 1952 and worked there briefly. "I was an assistant, an intern. I taught piano at home. But it wasn't a career for me. I wanted so much more excitement in my life.
"I didn't think my life was going to be show business," Warren added. "But because I loved music, my piano, and I did all my stuff -- and it was funny. I was a nice Jewish girl and I was going to meet a nice guy and get married. You know, Friday night dinners with the rabbi, and Sundays or whatever, all kinds of stuff. But in those days the war and things were rough."
One of the guys she knew suggested she play the piano at a local lounge. "It's fun. It would be a weekend thing, you know," she continued. "But one summer I sort of liked it. I had a chance to be myself instead of playing the classics."
Throughout the 1950s, Warren honed her craft in little burgs in New England, and later in such cities as Cleveland, Cincinnati, Akron and Columbus, Ohio, all the while dutifully sending her mother her notices and advertisements to paste in her scrapbooks.
"In 1958, I made my first tape," Warren said. "I was on my way to Hollywood to be a star. My manager was Stan Zucker for many years. He ran my whole career. He enjoyed what he saw and took me under his wing."
After moving to California, she heard from Zucker about a good job offer in Phoenix.
"So I got in my little car and drove there. I think I made $250 a week, and one night off. And it was a little place called The Pomp Room."
After six months, she continued packing the house. It was at The Pomp Room that her first LP, "Songs for Sinners," was recorded in 1959 for Jubilee Records.
I asked her if she ever used four-letter words in her act. "No! Of course not," she replied. "But I got mixed in with the two ladies that did: Belle Barth and Pearl Williams. Their jokes were raunchy. Belle was a friend of mine. She was a dear lady to me. She would say to an agent: 'Would you book her? She's funny!' You know, she would really get on his case."
Strongly influenced by the likes of Ruth Wallis and Sophie Tucker, whom Warren preferred to be compared to, she soon developed a large and loyal following.
"Sophie was titillating," Warren said. "And I felt I was titillating, because if you saw my pictures (from her Web site or off the LPs) I could always look as lovely as I could be, because I have a rough New York accent, mainly New England. But I didn't talk rough, I never did. I always talked like fun, like you're having a party with me, and I'm being funny."
During her time at The Pomp Room, Warren met her idol Tucker at a Sunday brunch.
"I was doing 'Life Begins at 40' in my act," Warren told me. "And don't forget I was 20-something at this stage in 1955. ... I met Sophie Tucker that Sunday, and she told me: 'You've got to be honest to your audience. Don't lie to them. They'll see right through you.' She was trying to tell me that I'm in my 20s singing 'Life Begins at 40,' which was one of her numbers because she was up there, probably 40 or 50 at that time, you know. So I mean, I really remembered a lot of things."
In 1959, Warren developed her famous "Knockers Up" routine where she called for women to lose their sexual inhibitions.
By the time she appeared in Las Vegas, Warren had become known as "The Knockers Up Gal" and the "Mother of the Sexual Revolution," her most famous contribution to the movement being her song "Bounce Your Boobies."
She exposed sex through comedy from a woman's perspective. When the "Knockers Up" album was released in 1960, by word of mouth its sales soared into the millions, reaching the Top 10 and remaining on the charts for three years. It won awards from the National Association of Record Merchandisers.
Warren also was known as the "Queen of the Party Records." In 1961, her follow-up LPs, "Sin-Sational" and "Rusty Warren Bounces Back," hit the Top 40, and her cult following began to develop.
Her breaks compounded in the early 1960s when she began appearing in popular clubs in the Los Angeles area, such as Gene Norman's Crescendo Club in 1963 with the Ink Spots, Anaheim's Chariot Room, and The Bahama Inn in Pasadena. She was then called "The Darling of the Double Entendre." (Crescendo's Web site still sells her CDs.)
Her career in Las Vegas continued when Warren opened at Milton Prell's Aladdin July 23, 1966. Her latest LP, "Rusty Rides Again," had just been released and the hotel did turn-away business.
Over the next couple of years she appeared at the Aladdin frequently, with Godfrey Cambridge, Jimmy Makulis and Jackie Gayle at various times appearing on the opening bill. And by 1968, and throughout the 1970s, Warren played at the Flamingo, with such opening acts as The Treniers, The Raiders, Wayne Cochran and Judy Lynn.
Warren is philosophical about her career on the Strip. "Las Vegas was like family," she recalled fondly. "Whether we were lounge or the big acts, the big acts were just as nice to us as we were thrilled to be in their company. We couldn't buy a drink. The hotel was run by 'the guys.' Like Milton Prell when I broke the house record -- they didn't know what to do for me. They bought my piano guy a TV. And for me they bought me the most gorgeous solid gold purse with 'RUSTY WARREN' on it written out in diamonds and emeralds. When I retired I gave it to my jewelers, and they made me a ring out of it."
Now living comfortably in Hawaii with her golden retriever Buddy, Warren told me: "Right now they're putting together a musical about me called 'The Life of the Party -- The Story of Rusty Warren,' taking every word I ever spoke on the albums.
"I did the Rusty character," she added. "That's what worked for me. In Las Vegas my audiences came to see me from Ohio and Illinois and Michigan. They rooted for me the whole time. They knew what they were getting. And at that time I was the star. ... I remember keeping my diamonds in the light to reflect."
Shine on, Rusty, shine on!
LasVegasLynn
in Current Day, Las Vegas History, Las Vegas Strip
|
Post a Comment
