Date with the Greats

Friday, Aug. 20, 1999 | 5:53 a.m.

The scene might be ...

"Lincoln, party of two, your table is ready. Sorry, sir, you'll have to remove your hat."

Or maybe ...

"Here's our check. Shall we go Dutch treat?"

Jesus Christ, let me pay."

Charles Lindberg or Charles Dickens? Thomas Jefferson or Jefferson Davis? The Roosevelt of your choice or your pick of the Kennedys? The father of our country or the king of rock 'n' roll?

Hitler or Churchill?

Maybe an eccentric genius, a Salvador Dali or Frank Zappa? Or perhaps a figure of biblical proportions -- Adam or Job or even Christ himself.

It's your chance -- hypothetical, of course -- to have dinner with any figure throughout history.

More than a dozen prominent celebrities and political figures (some more famous than others) linked to Las Vegas were posed with that question over the last several days. The rules were loose: The person or persons selected must be of historical significance (a few respondents initially opted for parents or some other relative), and an explanation must be offered with every choice.

Following is the kaleidoscope of responses:

Mayor Oscar Goodman

One would hope for an honest response from da mayor, who responded in kind.

"The only person who would entertain me a little bit would be Abraham Lincoln," he said. "We would be talking about how a man in a high place is able to represent the common folks, and make sure they are always taken care of."

("Taken care of" in this case, is a good thing.)

Wayne Newton

The man so closely aligned with Las Vegas for more than four decades chose a former icon of the city -- Howard Hughes.

"Having met him, not only was he an aeronautical genius, but a show business genius as well," said Newton, who never actually dined with the eccentric billionaire whose holdings included the Desert Inn, Sands, Frontier and Castaway hotels. "Forget dinner. I would have taken a year out of my life just to hang around him and learn from his genius."

Danny Gans

The Rio headliner (until he moves to Mirage in April) is as religious as he is talented. The entertainer dubbed "The Man of Many Voices" chose, with a touch of his characteristic humor, Jesus Christ.

"I'd want to have dinner with Jesus, but with Jesus alone, not his entourage," Gans said. "Not with the disciples, because that could be a little confusing. First, I would want to thank him not only for dying for me and the world, but more personally for providing a wonderful life for myself and my family. The question I would ask him would be: Is believing in him and accepting him in our hearts enough to get into heaven, and when God sneezes, what does he say?"

Johnson & Tofte

The hosts of the popular and enduring "Johnson & Tofte Show," in its 10th year on KKLZ 96.3-FM, were alternately cerebral and comical in their responses.

Said Ken Johnson: "I would have dinner with Mahatma Gandhi for two reasons. One, I'd be able to discuss the escalation of violence in the world today and see if he had any ideas on how to curb it, and for two, he didn't eat much, so he'd probably let me have seconds, right off his plate!"

Said Jim Tofte: "I want to meet Jesus Christ, 'cause I want to ask him what he yells when he stubs his toe."

(Turns out that Christ is pretty popular gag fodder.)

Chris Giunchigliani

The Democratic state assemblywoman and school teacher from Las Vegas has been inspired by trail-blazing female pioneers. Her pick was not a surprise.

"Eleanor Roosevelt, mainly because she was a person of vision beyond and ahead of her time, would be my first choice," Giunchigliani said. "She was worried about social concerns that affected people's quality of life, and that's one of the things government should be active in assisting with."

Bob Stupak

The casino visionary decided on a visionary of a different sort.

"The immediate name that comes to mind is Nelson Mandela," the father of the Stratosphere and the Christmas tune namesake "Jake the Flake" said. "I admire him because of how he stood up for his rights and the rights of his people. He spent 28 years in jail and refused to join the system and succeeded in changing the system. I just find him an interesting character and I'm fascinated by his courage and stamina."

Ron Flud

Perhaps the Clark County coroner is not a celebrity in the realm of Newton, Goodman or Gans, but he does boast an impressive body of work.

For dinner, Flud likes Ike.

"Dwight Eisenhower, primarily for being a general during World War II, is my pick," Flud said. "I'd be fascinated by his experiences in trying to manage and supervise the egos, personalities and logistics of the D-Day invasion. During that period, when he was in charge of the Allied troops, the gravity of the situation and what was at stake had to be extremely stressful. ... No wonder the man was bald."

Bob Miller

The former governor of Nevada would like to pick the brain, if not the plate, of Thomas Jefferson.

"I would ask him how he would define democracy in the modern world," Miller said. "In the 200-plus years of our democracy, have we done a good job of fulfilling his intent? Topical at the moment is the right to bear arms, and I would be asking him about that and any number of other issues in the civil liberties area. I'd talk to him about the countless interpretations of the Constitution by Congress and the courts that have been made throughout the years."

Carol Harter

The venerable president of UNLV would require a banquet table for her dinner with history.

"I would like to have dinner with great writers because I think they have the best insight into human nature," she said. "Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, Edith Wharton, William Faulkner, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, George Eliot, Sylvia Plath, Flannery O'Connor, Toni Morrison, Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, and for great fun, Mark Twain."

John Robinson

One of Harter's more recognizable employees, the UNLV (and former USC and Los Angeles Rams) football coach couldn't decide between two legendary figures. It was a tie between John F. Kennedy and Winston Churchill.

"Both were major figures in the 20th century. Both were great communicators who could create a vision, paint a picture of how things could be," Robinson said. "With my childhood being around the second World War, Winston Churchill was an almost daily presence. He is the one who kept England afloat until they could turn it around.

"John F. Kennedy captured my imagination as a young person. He was able to create an idealism about American politics. I was a student at the University of Oregon when he was on campus as a senator and he said hello to a small group of us. I really began following him after that."

Jan Jones

The former mayor of Las Vegas took a literary tack by choosing William Shakespeare.

"I'm a great fan of his work, and I don't think there's a greater writer or wordsmith than William Shakespeare," Jones said. "His work through time, his insights into the human condition and interpersonal relationships, is remarkable. If you really want to know what you're going to deal with in any walk of life, read William Shakespeare. He had such an intuitive knowledge of the human condition."

Teller

The silent half of the comedy-magic team of Penn & Teller picked an entertainment industry icon.

"Billy Wilder, one of the greatest directors in history, is alive and well in L.A. but I have yet to succeed in meeting him," Teller said. "The man made 'Some Like It Hot,' 'Double Idemnity,' 'Sunset Boulevard,' 'Stalag 17,' and so on. Classic, amazing, powerful movies. I firmly believe that if I share a meal with him, my brain will tingle forever."

Or at least until dessert.

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