Fremont Street with just a sliver of the park that once was in front of the Train Depot

Fremont Street looking west towards the Train Depot

The wonderful Fox Theater in the original Charleston Plaza Mall.

It was a great theater, big, comfortable seats, big screen with a red curtain and air conditioning.

Fremont Street looking east towards the El Cortez

Glitter Gulch

Fremont Street looking west towards the Train Depot

Robbie the Robot plays blackjack

Ray Manzarek, who along with his college friend Jim Morrison, founded the seminal 1960s group, The Doors, has died of bile duct cancer at the age of 74.

courtesy of mildequator.com

If you grew up in Las Vegas back in the 1960s, it certainly felt like a magical time. While our parents were enjoying The Rat Pack, Tony Bennett, Broadway shows, Harry Belafonte, Lena Horne and more, we, the younger generation, were able to see The Beatles, Iron Butterfly, Led Zepplin and The Doors (and more) in the Rotunda of the old Convention Center.

The Doors played there on August 25, 1967 opening the 8:00 show with Soul Kitchen.

"I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today," Doors guitarist Robby Krieger said in a statement.  "I'm just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him." 

Manzarek grew up in Chicago, then moved to Los Angeles in 1962 to study film at UCLA. It was there he first met Doors singer Jim Morrison, though they didn't talk about forming a band until they bumped into each other on a beach in Venice, California, in the summer of 1965 and Morrison told Manzarek that he had been working on some music. "And there it was!" Manzarek wrote in his 1998 biography, Light My Fire. "It dropped quite simply, quite innocently from his lips, but it changed our collective destinies."

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ray-manzarek-doors-keyboardist-dead-at-74-20130520#ixzz2Tzl5GqfI

courtesy of mildequator.com

In January 1968, Jim Morrison was arrested for public drunkeness, vagrancy and insufficient identification at the Pussy Cat-A -Go-Go.

If you remember seeing The Doors at the old Convention Center in the summer of 1967, we would love to hear from you!

Sons of Nevada                                                Episode 21

Our drinking game comes to an end as CBS (expectedly??) cancels the show just hours before the season finale aired and became a series finale.

But before we get started, let’s get comfortable and because we know many of you were fond of the show, we’ll pass you some virtual Kleenex.

Let’s dig in!

At the beginning, Ralph goes out to check Kathryn’s car and sees an apparition of his dead wife. Is she jealous of Kathryn or does Ralph just feel guilty. Ralph is told that Kathryn is stable but not conscious. She tells the deputy he’s not the sheriff anymore.

Vince and Lady Heather, oops Mia’s mom, talk and she pushes Vince towards coming out on top.  Nice privacy screen on the balcony. I was more focused on that than the scene.

Porter Gainsley has gathered his troops in a scene that tries to pay homage to Michael  Corleone’s lake front property in Godfather II. If only the show was half as good as any scene in that film. Gainsley wants the Attorney General (the state AG, not Bobby Kennedy) to shut every hotel down and put the screws to the owners.

Jack shows up to Mia’s with an engagement ring. She’s in a talking mood and she calls Jack on the carpet for bugging Vince’s office. He tells her ‘everyone would go down except you”. They fight and once again she wants Jack out of her life. She tells him it’s over. This is what the 85^th time this season they’ve had a fight and broken up? Okay, at least the 10^th.

Ralph promises Kathryn that he’ll take care of the Gainsley business and he tries to tell her all the things he should have but the Feds interrupt and advises Ralph to keep a cool head.

Yeah, that will happen.

Ralph and Vince talk about killing Porter Gainsley. The tapes from the wire taps become Vince’s property if he helps and they are successful. Ralph is out for revenge because Gainsley killed his wife. Kathryn doesn’t come up in the conversation.

Jack wants the tapes and confronts Ralph about it. Ralph tells him that Vince has the tapes and explains to Jack that he needs Vince’s help in bringing down Gainsley. Ralph is taking the law into his own hands because to him, Gainsley is more of a problem than Savino and the guys from Chicago and New York.

Vince tells Mia he has the tapes and that he has made a deal with Ralph. At this point, if these guys don’t shut up everyone is going to know!

Vince and Ralph drive away leaving Red behind. Quaid smiles (DRINK!) after a manure joke.

Gainsley is selling all his cattle and Vince and Ralph decide to take him down as he comes out to inspect his cows. Ralph and Vince verbally spar and Quaid smiles again (DRINK!).

Jack tries to get Dixon on his side but Dixon wants Gainsley dead, too. Jack finally convinces him to help him. Dixon tells Miss Sanchez about Ralph and Vince and notices the ad for the cattle auction.

At the auction, Ralph and Vince are loaded for bear but Dixon tries to take Gainsley out himself and messes up, only wounding the guy but Gainsley realizes that Ralph was lying in wait for him.

“Cowboys and Mobsters teaming up” mutters Gainsley. In Bugs Bunny speak, this means war.

The Brothers Lamb argue. Jack tries to reason with Ralph reminding him that they are all involved. Miss Sanchez is not  happy with Dixon trying to kill Gainsley. She walks out on Dixon because she doesn’t want to watch him die.

To his credit, Dixon claims to have Gainsley in his sights but couldn’t pull the trigger. That’s because Jack raised him right.

Super FBI Agent tries to talk sense to the Attorney General but he’s not listening. The agent reminds the Attorney General not to get caught in Gainsley’s back pocket. Agents come to get Jack to supposedly take him into protective custody. A stand off ensues until Super Agent intervenes on orders of J. Edgar and takes Jack and Dixon into real protective custody.

“The Johnny Fed Trio” may be the best line of the whole show as Vince describes Super Agent, Jack and Dixon. Vince wants nothing to do with Ralph and his family because they are hot heads. Ralph reminds him that he, at least, is a man of his word.

Vince drives off and gets about as far as the end of the porte cochere and comes back spewing mad because he, too, is a man of his word and his word is gold. Good thing he did because ala Frank Rosenthal, Vince’s car blows up. Unlike Lefty, Vince wasn’t in it.

Mia and the Entertainment Director are coming back from lunch. She seems to have had one too many but somehow they missed Vince almost being blown up. The Entertainment Director wants to date. Their conversation is stopped by Mia noticing Vince’s blown up car.

Vince, Ralph and the posse go to see one of Vince’s friends. It’s Eyeglasses! Jack is not happy teaming up with a guy who killed one of their deputies. But Vince is confident that Eyeglasses can take out Gainsley quietly. And he bakes cookies!

Jack is not happy being in bed with Vince and his men. Ralph apologies for getting Jack and Dixon involved. Jack knows Dixon wouldn’t go and Jack ain’t leaving Ralph to do it alone. It’s all for one and one for all!

Vince drops Eyeglasses off on the road to Gainsley’s. Luckily it’s night time. The bad news is that for as much as I like Eyeglasses, I would have preferred to see him as Dewey Crowe on Justified this season. Eyeglasses walks up to Gainsley’s gate and announces he is for sale to the highest bidder. He is invited in.

Girl talk. Mia and Lady Heather, oops Mia’s mom, have a talk. Mia is still in love with Jack (are you surprised? I thought not). Mom advises forgetting Jack.

Vince, Red and the Lambs ready for the fight while Gainsley gives Eyeglasses ten seconds to explain himself. Eyeglasses tells Gainsley a plan, that Ralph and his brothers are on the property. Eyeglasses wants 20k and offers to go with Gainsley to kill the Lambs and Vince so he can get paid. (Do you smell a set up? I thought so.)

It’s, of course, a set-up and the Lambs and Vince spring the trap. Eyeglasses expects transportation to the border without any interference. Vince instructs his one of his men to give Eyeglasses the keys to a car. Ralph reminds Eyeglasses not to come north of the border ever again.

With the drop on Gainsley can Ralph kill him? Nope. Vince is not happy that Ralph is just taking him into to face justice. Jack is happy but Dixon isn’t sure. Vince tries to talk Ralph into letting him kill him. Super Agent shows up and takes Gainsley into custody.

Vince is not happy but was there anyone out there who thought Ralph would actually kill a man in cold blood. He goes to the hospital to be with Kathryn. Dixon finds him there and they have a father/son talk. Quaid kind of smiles one last time (DRINK!!!).

Father and son reconcile. Miss Sanchez is waiting for Dixon as he comes out of the hospital room. She tells him not to be so reckless ever again. Lots of nevers being bandied about. Miss Sanchez and Dixon are a team.

Jack goes to see Mia and shows her the ring. He wants to marry her.  The Entertainment Director, in a towel, comes out looking for wine. It’s not to be, Jack.

As Bobby Darin sings Mack the Knife, Vince and Ralph talk. The Tumbleweed will be opening in a few weeks. Vince asks Ralph to come work for him as head of security. But Ralph is back as Sheriff. Quaid smiles one last time (DRINK!!!!!) and they agree to be friendly adversaries.

The wonderful set of Fremont Street all lit up is the last thing we see of Vegas.

It was a solid episode but not enough solid ones or enough eyes on the show convinced CBS to cancel the show.

I will miss seeing the set.

How about you? What will you miss? And what was your favorite part of the series?

Hit the comments and tell us!

UPDATE:  Well, there's blood all over the floor as my favorite critic Tim Goodman likes to say! 

CBS announced late today, ahead of their upfront presentation in the week ahead, that it was cancelling Vegas. Along with the retro drama, CBS lowered the axe of CSI: NY, Rules of Engagement and Golden Boy. Las Vegas is still represented on the CBS schedule thanks to original recipe CSI, coming back for its 14th season this fall.

NBC also lowered the boom on a number of their comedy shows as well as 30 Rock with Brian Williams.

ABC lowered the boom on Happy Endings, Body of Proof and Malibu Country.

TNT cancelled critical darling and the best cop show on tv, Southland and the medical drama, Monday Mornings.

Dr. Lonnie Hammergren, collector of not only Las Vegas history but history's weird and arcane objects, will guest star on History Channel's American Restoration tomorrow (Tuesday) night.

Do you remember the Iron Lung? Well….Rick, the star of Las Vegas’ very own “American Restoration” television show will be restoring one tomorrow night on the History Channel.

Rick called Dr. Lonnie Hammargren for his advice and expertise regarding the iron lung because of his medical understanding of the machine and Lonnie just happened to have one in his backyard. For years Lonnie had his iron lung exhibited with a blowup doll of the iconic Superman inside of the thing wherein he was jokingly trying to resuscitate him.

It worked out well for Rick since Lonnie’s was in much better shape and Rick was able to borrow pieces and parts to restore his iron lung that you will see tomorrow tonight… as well as scenes from the “Hammargren Home of Nevada History”.

Check your local listings for the time in your area!

Perhaps Rick can use his restored iron lung to attempt a resuscitation of Wonder Woman.