Hackett and company pack ‘em in at Texas Station lounge

Joe Delaney

Friday, Aug. 11, 2000 | 9 a.m.

Sandy Hackett's Comedy Night is a regular Wednesday feature in the Texas Station Armadillo Lounge.

Shows are at 7:30 p.m and the tab is $9.95 plus tax. Hackett acted as host and did the first turn, introduced his first guest comic, Kelly McDonald, at the show caught, took McDonald off with 10 very strong impromptu minutes, introduced the second comic, Robert Allen, then closed the show at the 75-minute mark.

The Armadillo Lounge lends itself well to comedy; the sound is good despite an occasional, slight leakage from the casino. The lounge is a good size and every seat was occupied. Most important, the quantity and quality of the laughs throughout was outstanding. Hackett is peerless when it comes to this type of presentation.

We were doing a radio show at the Sahara in the mid-1970s when a very young Sandy Hackett was given the task of developing and hosting the city's first talent showcase, in the early morning hours. Hackett was one of the prize students in my hotel entertainment class at UNLV and later taught in the hotel school. He has starred in the Tropicana's "Folies Bergere" and opened for Della Reese, Lance Burton, the Righteous Brothers and toured with his father, Buddy Hackett.

Very much his own person throughout the years, Hackett, the son, is a thorough comedic professional with a potential, already manifested, for a career in television, hosting or in a sitcom. He has paid his dues and has come of age.

Kelly McDonald lives here and works the cruise ships regularly. Easy, affable, deceptively sharp, he is very likable and can get five very funny minutes discussing vacuum cleaners, to give you an idea of his approach.

Robert Allen was the house comic at Bob Stupak's Vegas World, now the Stratosphere. He works easily and is very glib with the ad-lib, never stumped, playing his audience like an instrument.

Hackett will be a constant each Wednesday. His guests on Sept. 16 will be Peter Anthony and Joannie Grassey; on Sept. 23, it's Steve Rossi and Doug White; with Bruce Michelson and Tom Walleck penciled in for Sept. 30.

Couldn't this be an equally big winner playing each Station hotel-casino on a different weeknight?