Columnist Joe Delaney: Memorable Circus Maximus performances, people

Joe Delaney

Friday, Sept. 1, 2000 | 10:39 a.m.

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

Caesars Palace's Circus Maximus was always the class of the Las Vegas star-policy showrooms ... Frank Sinatra in the 1,200-seat Circus Maximus was Las Vegas' No. 1 attraction in the 1970s and into the 1980s ... The Las Vegas Hilton was a strong contender in the 1970s with Elvis Presley, until his death in 1977, Liberace and Bill Cosby filling a much larger (2,250-seat) showroom.

Presley filled the Hilton showroom and the hotel, but Sinatra had the most important edge -- in the casino ... Willie Nelson's first engagement in the Circus Maximus, circa mid-1980s, was the closest any Caesars performer came to equaling Sinatra's casino numbers.

Wayne Newton came of age in the 1970s at the Frontier, with 900 seats, and also playing the other Hughes hotels, the Desert Inn and Sands, each two-thirds that size, but Newton's effect on the casino drop was not a factor at that time ... Newton holds most of the showroom attendance records.

More Circus Maximus

It should be noted that in the 1980s Liberace, Newton and Cosby all headlined in the Circus Maximus ... My favorite personal Circus Maximus memory in the 1970s took place in the months of January and February 1971, when I emceed the "Late, Late Shows," starting at 2 a.m. ... The Duke Ellington and Woody Herman Orchestras were onstage the first three weeks and B.B. King followed for three stanzas.

On the first closing night we set the stage with both orchestras onstage in a "Battle of the Big Bands" format ... Each would play three numbers, then a series of threes, then join together for the finale.

Ellington played his first three selections and then learned that Herman, rather than playing his hits, made each selection a tribute to one of the Duke's soloists ... Ellington sat at the piano, touched, especially by 23-year old Alan Broadbent's piano solo a la Ellington.

And still more

In addition to being a superior star-policy showroom, the Circus Maximus was a successful room for Broadway musicals ... Juliet Prowse starred in "Sweet Charity," the first six months of 1967 ... Tony Randall and Mickey Rooney in "The Odd Couple," Aug. 24-Sept. 13, and Theo Bikel starred in "Fiddler On The Roof," Dec. 28-June 26, 1968.

Susan Hayward in "Mame" played Dec. 16, 1968-Feb. 19, 1969 ... Celeste Holm took over as "Mame" Feb. 20-April 2, 1969 ... That was about it until "Smokey Joe's Cafe," a winner, starring Gladys Knight, April 3-June 11, this year.

In Thursday's column we mentioned Caesars' first entertainment director, Dave Victorson ... Victorson was a visionary; he brought in Nelson and King as headliners and introduced the Checkmates and the Fifth Dimension ... The "Late, Late Shows" were Victorson's, as was the Nero's Nook concept with the Ritz Brothers, Xavier Cugat and Charo as headliners.

A final appreciation

The late Billy Weinberger, a champion; Harry Wald; Wingy Gruber and Ash Resnick; PR people such as the late George King and Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, Ron Amos, and still there, Debbie Munch; maitre' d Angelo and his staff, especially the late Mac Harris; Eddie Lynch and all the tech people, backstage and in the booth, the late Dave Rogers; the performers; and so many more; you made Caesars Palace much more than a hotel and the Circus Maximus a memory to be treasured.