Page 93 - 2008 DT 12 issues

In This Issue !

Featured Articles
Nevada in the Movies......................1
Special
Photo Contest ................................3

Departments
News & Notes.................................2
December 2008 Programs & Hikes...........................4
Desk Schedule...............................6
Bulletin Board................................8

NEVADA IN THE MOVIES the ever-present sidekick, George
“Gabby” Hayes, in what was really
. . . Made and not made in the Silver State. a booster for Las Vegas’ annual cel-
ebration, “Helldorado Days.” It seems

PART II anyone could foresee it at the time, but absurd now, but Hollywood’s Puritan
fabulous resort hotels would be both censorship watchdog, the Hays Of-
by Chuck Kleber the setting and backdrop for major fice, had one “l” dropped from the
films. Filmed in Nevada or not (and title of the film. Mention of hell was
evada had more than its right- mostly not), the publicity captured akin to Rhett Butler’s telling Scarlett
ful share of movies in the ever-growing interest. O’Hara that he didn’t “give a damn.”
Ndays before World War II, It was still quite common to use stock
considering a population of only footage to establish a Nevada setting,
109,295 in 1940, hardly more than as in movies like 1957’s The Joker
a big football stadium. But great is Wild. Sometimes, the reverse was
changes were coming after the true. The Bells of San Angelo was set
war ended, and they lay with Las in Mexico, but shot in 1947 at the Bar
Vegas rather than Reno, though Nothing Ranch at what is now the
the latter still had more people. Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, ad-
Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel and his jacent to Red Rock Canyon. Sabre Jet
mobster pals bought and sold the from 1953 was about American fighter
El Cortez in downtown Las Vegas pilots in Korea (Robert Stack, in this
for a profit, and then Siegel’s vi- case), flying from bases in Japan. It
sionary project, the Flamingo, was was filmed at Nellis Air Force Base at
built. It opened on December 26, Las Vegas. Nevada figured in the plot
1946 with big-name entertainer, of the 1954 Spencer Tracey film, Bad
Jimmy Durante. Guests included Day at Black Rock, though it was actu-
Hollywood stars like George Raft ally shot near Lone Pine, California.
and George Sanders. The Hol- However, the 1950’s began to see real
lywood and entertainment world change. Meet Me in Las Vegas from
connection was established, and 1956 featured Dan Dailey and Cyd
from there it would balloon after Charisse with several big-name guest
the mob rubbed out Siegel in appearances like Frankie Lane and
1947 for, among other things, Peter Lorre. It was shot mainly at the
costly mismanagement of the Fla- The 1946 film, Heldorado, brought famous Sands Hotel where The Vene-
mingo. Early days resort hotels began publicity to Las Vegas along with the
to appear; the Last Frontier and the hype about the Flamingo. It featured
Thunderbird were two. It’s doubtful if Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, with Nevada, continued on page 6