Las Vegas ‘legends’ reminisce about early days

Cathy Scott

Monday, Oct. 7, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

The dinner list read like a "Who's Who of Las Vegas." The admittance ticket was $30 and 30 years.

Longtime Las Vegas showgirls, comedians and singers on Sunday evening played to a full house of 500 people who have lived in Las Vegas for more than 30 years.

"Look around this room," said former city councilman and mayor Ron Lurie as he stood just inside the ballroom at Arizona Charlie's hotel-casino. "There's representation from everywhere."

Manny Cortez, president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, agreed.

"If you look around, you'll see people from gaming, the business community and politics," Cortez said, pointing out former sheriff Ralph Lamb, former mayor Oran K. Gragson, Sen. Richard Bryan, billionaire Kirk Kerkorian and 82-year resident Louise Lorenzi Fountain. "These are the people who have been here forever."

Sue Kim of the Kim Sisters was also there. And the McGuire Sisters were represented by Phyllis MacGuire, who moved to Las Vegas in 1964, and her sister Christine McGuire.

Dancing for the crowd were "The Stardust Legends," representing all the eras of showgirl history in Las Vegas.

The inaugural reunion, emceed by television and radio personality Jack Kogan and SUN entertainment columnist Joe Delaney, attracted entertainers, personalities and longtime residents who helped make Las Vegas famous.

"There were 35,000 people when I came here," said Kim Krantz, noting that she came to Las Vegas as an entertainer with the Latin Quarter Show from New York City.

"I thought I was going to meet a nice cowboy here," she said. "I met a nice Jewish boy from the Bronx."

Krantz and her four children from her marriage to her late husband, Danny, and their eight grandchildren also attended the reunion.

Fountain, who will turn 83 next week, said her parents came to Las Vegas from Arizona in 1911 to get married. They stayed and opened Lorenzi Park.

"There was a boardwalk on Fremont Street back then," she said. "And the only entertainment in Las Vegas in those days was at Lorenzi Park. We had a dance hall, a walking bridge over the water pond and boats."

Those days were also remembered by the entertainers.

"We are the collective memory of what was," said comedian Peter Anthony. "Don't ever let anyone forget just how great this town was, how great it is and how great it will always be."

Kay Starr, whose singing career began at the original El Rancho hotel-casino, said, "I think I grew up with everybody in this room. The Flamingo used to be the largest hotel on the Strip and the airline pilots used it for a beacon."

And comedian Cork Proctor, who started on the Strip in 1955, said: "There's a tremendous amount of history here tonight. We do remember the good ol' days when you could leave your keys in your car and walk down the Strip and not be bothered. Don't forget what this town is all about."