Columnist Joe Delaney: Some recollections of traditional Easter seasons past

Joe Delaney

Thursday, March 28, 2002 | 8:22 a.m.

Easter week: Growing up in various American-Irish Catholic households back East during the late 1920s and 1930s, the week before Easter was a solemn, serious, primarily religious observance ... We attended Mass every morning and actually kneeled in church for the hours between noon and 3 p.m. on Good Friday ... The observance continued until the 1 p.m. meal on Easter Sunday.

Cities such as Boston and Philadelphia, with large numbers of Catholics, actually closed nightclubs during the week before Easter ... We weren't allowed to go to the movies or attend parties during this period ... Whatever we had given up for the 40 days of Lent, usually sweets, continued until after the Sunday meal when the children were each given an Easter basket filled with goodies.

My favorite Easter Sundays were spent with Uncle Phil, Aunt Mary and their seven children ... The Easter baskets -- there was always one for me -- usually contained one chocolate-covered fruit-and-nut egg and a lot of jelly beans ... Immediately after the meal, the bargaining would start and I would keep trading jelly beans until I had gotten all the black ones.

Passover, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Freedom, began at sundown Wednesday ... It commemorates Israel's delivery from enslavement in Egypt more than 3,200 years ago ... The Seder, a combination feast and religious service, is held on the first evening, sometimes the second as well ... We have a fond memory of a Seder we attended at Caesars Palace in the late 1960s.

Theodore Bikel was starring as Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof" and the Seder was held onstage in the Circus Maximus following the midnight show ... Bikel served as the patriarch ... It remains a treasured occasion ... Comedian Marty Allen, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday, was among those present ... Happy, healthy and many more, Marty.

We hope the above reminiscences will serve to recall pleasant memories of your own ... Happy Easter, Happy Passover, happy whatever you observe ... Just take a moment to think of the reason for this observance, as well as the coming of spring and renewal of the earth.

Star-policy rundown

It's Gladys Knight (Flamingo Las Vegas); Tony Orlando, 8 p.m., Amazing Johnathan, 10 p.m. (Golden Nugget); Mac King, afternoons, Clint Holmes, evenings (Harrah's); The Commodores and Sheena Easton in different theaters (LV Hilton); Blue Man Group (Luxor); David Copperfield, plus Rick Springfield starring in "EFX Alive" (MGM Grand).

There's more: Siegfried & Roy and Danny Gans in separate theaters (Mirage); Lance Burton (Monte Carlo); Rita Rudner (New York-New York); Neil Sedaka (Orleans); Ronn Lucas, afternoons, The Scintas, evenings, plus Louie Anderson, Samba Theatre (Rio); Steve Wyrick (Sahara); Wayne Newton (Stardust) and Frankie Avalon (Suncoast).

And still more: Rick Thomas (Tropicana); and Melinda, First Lady of Magic, 7 p.m., and "Bravo" starring Charo, 9 p.m. (Venetian) ... "The Classic Mystery Tour," a Beatles tribute, is the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts attraction, Saturday only ... Recommended: Carl Lodico's Big Band, Thursday evenings (Italian-American Club); food's good, too.

The Passion Play of Las Vegas, "He's Alive," continues through Sunday at the Riviera with 7 p.m. performances plus a 3 p.m. matinee Sunday ... This is the fifth year; admission is free, first-come-first-served basis, in the Grande Ballroom ... There is a cast of more than 100 representing all creeds and ethnic backgrounds.

There will be staged readings today and Saturday of "Roulette," a new play by Douglas Hill ... Audience members are invited to stay on and meet the author, director and cast at Winchester Community Center ... In addition to the regular Friday Night Jazz at Pogo's, award-winning vibraphonist Tommy Vig will perform from 8-11 p.m. Saturday ... Rocky Gordon leads the Sunday Brunch Jazz Jam (Gordon Biersch Brewery).

Happy first anniversary, "The Second City" at Flamingo Las Vegas' Bugsy's Celebrity Theatre. It will also hold its second Celebrity Salute, with Burton as the honoree, Sunday ... It looks as though the improv troupe has settled in for a good long run.

Welcome back Ann-Margret, starring in "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," April 2-7 (Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts) ... It was a review of Ann-Margret's Riviera debut in 1967 that led to my joining the Sun as an entertainment columnist and critic nearly 35 years ago.

The Russ Morgan Orchestra, celebrating 67 years in the dance-band business, will perform Saturday in the Stardust Ballroom ... Singer-songwriter and trombone specialist Russ Morgan led the band, 1935-1969 ... Son Jack took over after his father's death in 1969 ... Russ, his wife, Shirley, and I were at Decca together, good friends since the late 1940s.

Congrats, Tony and Darlene Sacca, on 16 years of "Entertainment Las Vegas Style," seen nationally in more than 180 markets on Saturday and Sunday nights and locally, Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays on KTNV (Channel 13), KVWB (Channel 21 and Cox cable channel 12), KTUD (Channel 25 and Cox cable channel 14) and KRVM (Channel 41), doing a nice job of telling the Las Vegas story ... See you Friday.