Stardust Hotel Fireworks Cap Dazzling Show

Ralph Pearl

Thursday, July 3, 1958 | 6 a.m.

A fabulous display of fireworks marked the grand finale of the Le Lido de Paris production of "C'est Magnifique" which opened last night in the plush Cafe Continental show room of the new multi-million-dollar Stardust Hotel.

Thirty voluptuous showgirls formed a living curtain of shimmering beauty about the revolving stage and were accentuated by the daringly attired male members of the troupe.

Girls appeared from the ceiling in elevators, and they dove into the on-stage swimming pool making their exit through special ducts at the bottom of the pool. The elaborate stage also contains a complete ice-skating ring.

Music and orchestration was under the direction of Johnny Augustine, and emceeing the gala affair was America's toastmaster general, George Jessel.

With an opening number designed to eclipse any witnessed on the Las Vegas Strip, Le Lido de Paris production of "C'est Magnifique" unveiled before a celebrity-studded crowd of 600-plus last night in the Cafe Continental of the Stardust Hotel, as the $9,000,000 plush establishment was officially welcomed to Las Vegas.

Included in the crowd were the Bob Hopes, John Bromfields, Harold Lloyd, Phil Regan, the McGuire Sisters, Gov. Charles Russell and Sen. George Malone.

Unfolded before the audience, which included 100 of the top newsmen in the nation, was one of the most spectacular productions ever assembled in Europe, presented on the Stardust's magic rotary stage.

It was exactly 12:01 yesterday afternoon when the Stardust, conceived four years ago by the late Tony Cornero but completed by John and Rella Factor and associates, opened all its doors and threw away the keys.

Then a steady stream of tourists, locals and Hollywood celebrities, among whom were the Jack Bennys, Milton Berles, Carol Channing, Ethel Merman, poured through the doors and into the casino.

Not too much later the dice began rattling, slot machines clanging and the roulette wheel whirling, as those old familiar sounds spread through the spacious resort.

Though the Stardust is the 13th major Strip resort to open the doors, there was nothing ill-favored about the crowd which swirled through the sprawling, lavish establishment.