Joe Delaney remembers 1966: Andy Williams at Caesars Palace

Friday, Oct. 27, 2000 | 9:57 a.m.

Andy Williams was Caesars' first star headliner, opening the Circus Maximus on Aug. 5, 1966. Williams' Columbia Records albums were long-lived on the best-selling charts. He continued playing to capacity crowds, bolstered on subsequent dates by the Osmonds, discovered by Williams' father. For the past 10 years Williams has appeared in his own Branson, Mo., theater and is a major property owner there. Elaine Dunn, a Broadway musical star, retired a few years later and devoted herself to community service. "Rome Swings" was an original song-and-dance revue used as the showroom's opening act, but not for long.

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