Liberace still packs ‘em in

Bob Shemeligian

Monday, Oct. 28, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

The crowds started gathering outside the Liberace Museum even before the doors opened.

During the first hour the museum was open Sunday more than 1,200 visitors -- most of them local residents -- had already viewed rows of opulent artifacts ranging from rhinestone-covered Rolls Royces to hand-carved grand pianos.

Las Vegas residents were invited free Sunday to the museum to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the creation of the Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts.

If there were any thoughts that locals would snub their noses at a free chance to join the throngs of tourists that visit the museum every day, they were quickly dispelled.

"They were literally lined up along the corner (of Spencer Street and Tropicana Avenue) before the employees arrived," said Myron Martin, executive director of the foundation.

Guests who were not local residents paid the admission fee of $6.50, and the proceeds help support the foundation and provide money for scholarships.

Since 1976, the foundation has provided more than $3 million in scholarship grants for the performing and creative arts.

Martin noted that Liberace, who died in 1988, attended the Wisconsin Conservatory on a scholarship.

"Liberace always believed in the value of education," said Martin, who added that among the 54 schools throughout the nation that received scholarship money from the foundation last year were UNLV, Nevada Dance Academy and Nevada School of the Arts.

More than 5,000 local residents who toured the museum Sunday also got an education.

They learned about the value and ornate designs of a variety of musical instruments ranging from Liberace's Bosendorfer grand piano, built in 1830 by Anton Pokorny, to his Steinway square grand piano constructed of rosewood during the Civil War.

They also marveled at his vertical piano with seven-octave keyboard built by the Kuhn Company of New York City in 1860. The upper sections of this instrument are in the form of a harp.

Also on display was much of Liberace's jewelry, his wardrobe, auto collection and a wall of photographs including the famous 1957 shot of Liberace and Elvis Presley at the Frontier Hotel (Elvis is on piano and Liberace is on guitar).

Included in the auto collection are Liberace's $1 million Rolls Royce Phantom complete with wet bar and adorned with mosaic tiles etched with designs of galloping horses, and the red, white and blue Rolls the showman purchased in 1976 -- the year of the Bicentennial.

"The cars are something else," said 45-year-old Barbara Check of Las Vegas, who said she remembers watching Liberace on television when she was 5 years old.

"One thing about him I admire is that he was a great showman," Check said. "He was always so happy -- always flashy."

Julie Nagy, a UNLV freshman, was born long after Liberace's popular television show. But she still enjoyed touring the museum.

"Where else can you find so much history in one place?" Nagy asked. "There's so much great stuff here. Look at these beautiful pianos, and they've been played by the likes of Gershwin and Chopin."

Her mother, Nancy Nagy, does remember Liberace, and she said her memories of the sequined star still outshine all his possessions.

"He was wonderful," Nagy said. "He was such a master. He could play anything from waltzes to polkas. I really enjoyed listening to his music."

Most of the guests Sunday were women -- which is not an unusual occurrence at the Liberace Museum.

"It's true that most of his fans were women," Martin said. "Liberace used to look right into the camera and wink, and many women thought he was winking at them. As a matter of fact, there was a hit song in the 1950s, sung by a woman, entitled 'Liberace Winks at Me.'"