Prima long overdue for primo Vegas real estate

By John Katsilometes

Published Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016 | 2 a.m.

Updated Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016 | 3:42 p.m.

Today we remember Louis Prima, in a most genuine sort of way.

Prima was the earliest king of the lounges in Las Vegas, taking over the Casbar Lounge at the Sahara in 1954 with his wife and partner, Keely Smith, and their backing band, the Witnesses. When you hear about Strip headliners, in particular the Rat Pack and Jerry Lewis, hitting a lounge after showroom gigs, the Casbar, with Prima playing, usually was the destination.

Prima’s son, Louis Jr., still performs occasionally in Las Vegas, most recently at the Lounge at the Palms. He keeps his father’s name and legacy vibrant with his own horn-powered act.

But another means to keep the Prima name front and center is to name a street in Las Vegas for Prima the elder.

Such an effort was made in 2010, the 100th anniversary of Prima’s birth in New Orleans.

I recently was reminded of that unrealized dream when it was revealed that Riviera Boulevard will be renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard. That stretch of asphalt runs from Las Vegas Boulevard to Paradise Road, just north of the closed Riviera. It commonly is used as a shortcut from Paradise to the Strip and is a busier street than you might realize.

There’s no timeline for renaming the street, but it is expected to coincide with the razing of the Riv next year to make way for a Las Vegas Convention Center expansion.

It seems so simple to rename a street for a famous person. We have seen it happen repeatedly in Las Vegas, with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin drives west of Las Vegas Boulevard on what once was Industrial Road, and Mel Torme Way leading from Dean Martin Drive to Spring Mountain Road. Jerry Lewis Way meets Dean Martin Drive, and Sammy Davis Jr. was honored last September with his own stretch of what once was Industrial Road. Current Strip performer Frank Marino of “Divas Las Vegas” has a street named for him on the city’s west side.

The campaign to name a street for Prima was started by Las Vegas entertainment manager Seth Yudof, founder of the UD Factory. Yudof represents Louis Prima Jr.’s band, and six years ago embarked on a mission to name a road in honor of the elder Prima.

Yudof’s conversations with Clark County officials, however, made it evident that this is something you can’t just do.

“It’s daunting,” Yudof said.

It isn’t as if Prima is not a worthy subject. With Keely, sax great Sam Butera and the Witnesses, Prima largely is credited with inventing the lounge vibe in casinos, where live entertainment can be enjoyed for free. Sending the horn section of a band on a parade through the audience, what we now call “immersive entertainment,” was brought to the Strip by Prima. He also was the first lounge performer to sign a $1 million-per-year contract, with the Sahara in 1962.

Don Rickles, Shecky Greene, Wayne and Jerry Newton, and Bobby Darin all say they were inspired by Prima’s rollicking stage show. Even today, Prima’s list of fans is impressive: Lewis, Steve Wynn and Tony Bennett among them.

But it was far easier to arrange and perform “Just a Gigolo” and “Jump Jive an’ Wail ” in the 1950s than it is to have a street renamed today.

First, applicants must work with nearby businesses and compensate business owners for renaming expenses such as new business cards and stationery, and the general headache a name change presents. The fee is flexible but can run several thousand dollars. (The application fee to rename a street is $300.) Step one alone could delay or derail an attempt.

Important in the process is public support, of course. Moreover, the Planning Commission is far more likely to approve renaming a road if constituents are fired up about it.

Prima certainly deserves such permanent tribute, given his historic significance in this city. And he’d fit well, hanging with the likes of Martin and Lewis. It would be just like the old days.