Friday, March 8, 2002 | 10:26 a.m.
Dixie Dooley may be the most uncelebrated celebrity in Las Vegas.
The 47-year-old magician and Houdini-like escape artist has worked steadily in the valley for more than 20 years, earning a respectable living and a solid reputation.
But Dooley doesn't have the name recognition of many of his peers.
Dooley has never starred in a major showroom, but has performed in several small venues, such as Bourbon Street. At times he's performed on the streets and inside such casinos as Harrah's.
"He's a survivor," producer David Saxe, a longtime friend, said. "He has persevered through many properties.
"I'm not sure he wants to be big time. What he does is more like underground. His show isn't completely mainstream the seances, the Houdini escapes. He is more for the real magic enthusiasts."
Saxe, who produces "Melinda, First Lady of Magic" at The Venetian, said for Dooley to reach the next level he would have to do bigger illusions, such as those performed by Lance Burton and other magicians of Burton's stature.
"He does small tricks," Saxe said. "Until he does the bigger illusions he will perform@the smaller venues. But I think there may be enough (Steve) Wyricks and Siegfried & Roys I like what Dixie does."
And what Dixie does, depends on where he is.
At the Magic Star in Henderson, where he has been the entertainment director since the casino opened three years ago, Dooley performs close-up magic, sometimes with a heavy dose of comedy.
But what Dooley likes best are his death-defying escapes, taken from the pages of the great Houdini's book of illusions.
"I think (stardom) will come in time," Dooley said. "But it's not going to affect me if it doesn't. But in time people will start to recognize my accomplishments, what I've done with the magic over the years.
"Maybe one of my downfalls is that I'm not out there promoting myself, knocking on doors, trying to get onto shows. I've been more into performing and promoting my live show and creating new illusions. I love creating the magic."
There's no escaping the fact that Dooley is doing what he loves.
"I love doing magic and I love entertainment," Dooley said.
The magic of theater
Dooley spoke recently from the Theatre of Magic at the Greek Isles casino on Convention Center Drive. Beginning today he will perform his long-established "Houdini Lives Again" show at 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday at the venue, instead of at the Plaza, where he had been for the past two years.
The cozy 100-seat Theatre of Magic, with its cushy chairs and revamped stage (the property was formerly the Debbie Reynolds hotel-casino), appears to have been made for Dooley and his brand of magic.
But in fact, it was made for actress Reynolds as a place to show old films and display Hollywood memorabilia. Reynolds dreamed of owning a casino and hotel where she could create a museum and perform, and in 1992 she bought the former Paddlewheel Hotel.
By 1997 Reynolds' dream had become a financial nightmare and she filed for bankruptcy. The World Wrestling Federation bought the property, and in 2000 the WWF sold it to Mark IV Realty Group Inc. of Chicago.
Mark IV created Greek Isles, a 192-room hotel and 100 slot-machine casino, and is taking an aggressive approach to entertainment by leasing the small theater to Dooley, and the property's 500-seat showroom to two other productions, including "Le Dinner Cabaret" (a dinner- theater revue) and "Dr. Naughty: X-Rated Comedy Hypnotist."
A nightmare for Reynolds enabled Dooley to realize his own dream.
"This is the first time I've ever taken over a theater," he said. "It's a dream come true for me. This will be a venue where people will realize they can see some good magic."
Dooley is leasing the theater, and in addition to his "Houdini" show is producing "That's Magic," featuring Christian Augustine, also in the theater, at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.
Making magic
Dooley began performing magic tricks when he was 6 years old.
"I remember the looks on people's faces when I fooled them," he said. "It was then I realized the power in magic."
It was a hobby for Dooley until he was about 24, living in Augusta, Ga., and playing drums in a local band. He performed magic for the band and at parties.
Once, during a break in sets, Dooley performed an illusion for the band onstage: He inserted three silk scarfs into a tube, blew on it and the scarfs came out tied.
"I didn't know the audience was watching," Dooley said. "When everybody applauded, a light went off in my head. 'What am I doing sitting behind these drums?' "
Soon he was getting regular bookings as a magician and eventually ended up with his own local television program in Augusta, a magic show for children that lasted for eight years.
Dooley also worked with the USO in the early 1980s.
"I don't know of any other act, other than maybe Wayne Newton or Bob Hope, that toured more for the troops than me," Dooley said. "Each tour lasted two months, and I did about 15 of them. There's probably not a military base in the world I haven't been to."
The magic of Vegas
Dooley made his first trip to Las Vegas in 1978, performing at Sahara's Casbar Lounge.
"I fell in love with Las Vegas," Dooley said.
About the time he was making a living doing USO tours, Dooley decided to make Las Vegas his permanent base.
"The first night I actually moved to Vegas, it was three in the morning and I was sitting at a red light and this red limousine pulls up beside me," Dooley said. "I had all my stuff in my car. The window on the limousine's driver's side rolls down and it's Redd Foxx. He's driving the limo. He said, 'You moving?' and I said, 'I just moved all the way across the United States.' He said, 'I moved here 37 years ago, and I love it. Welcome to Las Vegas.'
"He drove away and I thought, 'How cool. My first night and I'm welcomed by Redd Foxx.' "
The welcome mat has been out for Dooley pretty much ever since. He has performed at a string of casinos, with some of the gigs lasting for several years.
His first job was at Bourbon Street, where he performed as Houdini in a tribute show to old-time stars such as Al Jolson and Abbott and Costello. From Bourbon Street, he went to Harrah's.
"I was there for six years as the resident magician, doing close-up magic down on the casino floor," Dooley said.
Then he performed at O'Sheas (where he also produced "That's Magic"), the Riviera (where he performed street-show acts inside the casino and on the streets in front of the property) and the Boardwalk.
He was at the Plaza until the casino's contract with David Wright, a local producer who produced Dooley's show at the Plaza, expired a few months ago.
For two months Dooley focused on his job at the Magic Star.
"I didn't have to work (as a magician)," he said. "I don't have to be doing this. Financially, I'm fine. I don't have to do this at all. But after sitting around for two months I said, 'I can't just sit here.' I wanted to be creating."
And so he moved Houdini to the Greek Isles.
Dooley says he was always fascinated by Houdini, and incorporated the late escape artist's routines into his own act.
Each year, around the anniversary of Houdini's death on Oct. 31, 1926, Dooley conducts a seance in an effort to contact his mentor's spirit.
"I don't want people to think I'm a Houdini impersonator," Dooley said. "I re-create some of his greatest escapes."
Dooley's finale is escaping from a large milk can filled with water, which he describes as a "death-defying feat."
It's an ending befitting the excitement of Las Vegas.
"I don't think there's anybody who loves Las Vegas better than me," Dooley said. "Friends say, 'Hey, let's take a shortcut down this way,' and I say, 'Nope, I want to drive down the Strip.'
"I didn't move to Las Vegas to drive down the back streets. I want to look at the lights. I want to see who's on the marquees. I love show business."
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