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November 14, 2009

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Letter: Documentary didn’t do justice to Vegas

Saturday, Nov. 26, 2005 | 7:23 a.m.

I would like to endorse many of the remarks Hal Rothman made in his Nov. 20 column in which he reviewed the PBS program "Las Vegas: An Unconventional History."

While a part of the "outside world" he criticizes, I am, nonetheless, a historian engaged in a long-term study of America's perceptions of Las Vegas and the city's promotional efforts from its earliest years.

While there were occasional passages in the program helpful in understanding the 100-year history of Las Vegas, notably the importance of Steve Wynn in the past 20 years, there were far too many cliches presented as soundly researched conclusions.

Given the wonderful record of PBS productions, viewers certainly had a right to expect something better, something that revealed a more sophisticated analysis of this complex urban place.

Larry Gragg

Rolla, Mo. Editor's note: The writer is a history professor at the University of Missouri-Rolla.

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