Columnist Joe Delaney: Susan Anton gets her chance to stretch out at Desert Inn

Joe Delaney

Friday, Feb. 18, 2000 | 9:54 a.m.

Joe Delaney's column appears Thursdays and Fridays. Reach him at joe@vegas.com or 259-4066.

Susan Anton is appearing with her hand-picked nine-piece orchestra in the Starlight at the Desert Inn through March 5. ... Anton has been touring and co-starring with the world-renowned Rockettes at the Flamingo Hilton in "The Radio City Spectacular." ... This is her first opportunity here in six years to stretch out vocally, to improvise and interact with live musicians, onstage.

Born in Yucaipa, not far from Palm Springs, she had a typical small-town California childhood. ... The family was into big band music, an early influence, along with the dramatic stylings of Barbra Streisand.

Still a teenager, she was in Las Vegas for a 1968 New Year's Eve performance by Streisand, plus the Sammy Davis Jr. late show at the Sands. ... Little did she dream that, not quite a decade later, she would be co-headlining with Sammy in the Sands Copa Room.

Anton, continued

In the 1970s she was Miss California, and went on to Atlantic City where she tied for first runner-up in the Miss America contest. ... This led back to Las Vegas and a revue entitled "Turn It On" at the Hacienda. ... The show was canceled after two weeks but Anton stayed on as a headliner there for one year. ... Management insisted, prematurely, that she sing country music, exclusively. ... She went back to California.

A few years and many commercials later, she was chosen to replace Edie Adams, widow of comedian Ernie Kovacs, as spokeswoman for Muriel Cigars. ... This led to a series of NBC-TV specials and Las Vegas, where she co-starred with Don Rickles in the Riviera Versailles Room.

Despite her reason for leaving Las Vegas the first time, Anton's initial record release, "Killing Time," topped the country music charts before moving over to the pop Top 20 charts.

Anton, concluded

Other show business credits include two years as a regular on the hit syndicated series "Baywatch." ... She appeared with Bob Hope, David Copperfield and toured with Kenny Rogers, among others, plus did a "Live From Lincoln Center" TV special with Placido Domingo. ... Anton also has two series, "Sail Away" and "Las Vegas," filmed with her husband, Jeff Lester, for the Travel cable channel.

Prior to going on tour with "The Great Radio City Spectacular" in 1994, Anton starred on Broadway in Tommy Tune's "Will Rogers Follies." ... She made her legit theater debut in Mike Nichol's "Hurleyburley," in a cast that included Frank Langella, Danny Aiello and Ron Silver.

She also starred in the Neil Simon-Marvin Hamlisch musical hit, "They're Playing Our Song." ... Anton told me recently that singing to taped music was dull, very limiting. ... The total Susan Anton, with her nine-piece orchestra, can be found at the Starlight in the Desert Inn.

Weekend events

This is President's Day weekend, an ideal time to enjoy the impressionist master of political satire, Rich Little, Saturday and Sunday at 9 p.m. in the Riviera's Top of the Riv. ... Little has no peers when it comes to his presidential press conferences. ... Little should have a showroom here during the upcoming presidential campaigns.

David Brenner, at the Venetian through Sunday, will have his 7 p.m. performance Saturday telecast live via cable (to the East Coast) on HBO, working free-form, ad lib. ... It will be shown locally on tape on HBO, Cox cable channel 54, at 10 p.m. ... Brenner's showtime, Friday and Sunday, is 9 p.m.

Aisling, pronounced "Ash-ling," currently co-starring in Penny France's hot new revue, "Diamonds and Pearls," in Laughlin's River Palms Hotel, is the daughter of Brendan and Stella Boyer. ... Brendan is on tour with a show in Ireland and Great Britain.

Friday addenda

D.J. Curtin and most of Brendan's Irish Show Band will be performing as the Shamrocks, March 13-18 at the Sahara Hotel, part of the Sons of Erin's weeklong St. Patrick's Day celebration, March 17. The parade is scheduled for the morning of March 18, followed by the daylong block party and entertainment at the Sahara.

Please support the Sun Summer Camp Fund. ... All of the money goes to send needy children to camp this summer. ... No one is salaried and all of the fund's expenses are borne by the Sun. ... Your donation is tax-deductible. ... See you next Thursday.