Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Where I Stand — Brian Greenspun: An entertainer in need

BUDDY GRECO, Sonny King, Buddy Hackett, Shecky Greene, Joey Bishop and Jerry Lewis.

These and many others are the names of people who have made Las Vegas what it is today. Long before there was a Sieg- fried and Roy, Celine Dion and Wayne Newton, there was that other generation of entertainers -- saloon singers and comedians -- who put this town on the map and kept it there for the past 50 years.

With the passage of time, of course, the names change as one generation gives way to the next. Some manage to withstand life's challenges and maintain their names in the lights of the Las Vegas Strip. Frank Sinatra was one of those guys. Had he lived long enough, Elvis Presley would have been another. Tony Bennett, for sure, is one of those never-ending entertainment stories that inspire all the others.

And the rest of the gang? Well, the lucky ones manage to live and love their profession so the multitudes can enjoy their talents well past the normal retirement age of most Americans. And they do it with style and grace. This is where you refer to the short list at the top of this column.

I have been thinking about the people who helped make this city the exciting, must-see place on the planet ever since I returned from a short sojourn in Europe that will be the subject of another day's effort. That's because I read in the Sun about some bad times that have befallen a friend of mine, Buddy Greco.

It seems that Buddy, not unlike thousands of others who have been pressed up against it once or twice in their lives, filed for bankruptcy protection recently in Las Vegas. The filing alone had to be a terrible blow to a proud man like Buddy. Having to read about it in the paper didn't help.

And if I wasn't clear about that point, Buddy's many other friends made sure they told us just how they felt about having to read "all about it."

I don't know anyone who relishes the thought of declaring bankruptcy. I certainly read every day about people who use our bankruptcy laws as part of an ongoing scheme to defraud the rest of the world but, by and large, it is a last resort for people of good character and ethical bearing. It is the last thing on earth a person with pride would ever want to do.

It is, however, a fact of life. In Buddy's case, the facts that led up to his filing are particularly upsetting although not at all unusual in the telling.

Can you say, IRS?

Buddy and his wife, Lezlie, live a rather modest life in Las Vegas. Having lived the high life for much of his career, they have downsized, in part from necessity, in part by choice.

They pay their bills on time, work hard to contribute to this wonderful community and donate their time and service to the less fortunate. In short, they are just like most of the people who call Las Vegas home. They have, however, had one thing extra that many other people, fortunately, have not had to deal with -- the IRS.

It matters not how they got into the predicament in which they found themselves because, while the stories are all different, the results are the same.

Given the choice between the "compassionately conservative" collection agents of the United States government who would shut you down and throw you out as soon as look at you, or a bankruptcy filing in which your dearest financial secrets must be exposed, the answer was simple.

In boxing they say protect yourself at all times. In dealing with the IRS it is protect yourself at all costs. Even the temporary cost of embarrassment that comes to those who find themselves without choices.

In practically no time, this unpleasantness will be over for Buddy and he will be right back where he belongs: right alongside the others who have done so much to create so much that means so much to so many people.

Keep your chin up, Buddy. That's what got you to the top and that's what'll get you back.

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