John Katsilometes on how donations are needed to help pay for the funeral of the great Mary Kaye, who died Saturday at age 83

Thursday, Feb. 22, 2007 | 6:58 a.m.

The woman widely credited with inventing the lounge scene in Las Vegas (and even the term "lounge") more than 50 years ago is to be laid to rest Saturday, and donations are needed to pay for her funeral.

Friends, fans or any generous souls are being asked to help pay for the $11,000 funeral tab for Mary Kaye, who died Saturday at age 83 of heart and respiratory failure at MountainView Hospital.

"She was in financial trouble when she died," said Joel Dane, himself a Vegas lounge performer who became close to Kaye in the final years of her life. Dane said that even as friends and family avoided exorbitant funeral costs - opting for the least-expensive coffin available at $2,000 - they are still about $8,000 short.

Donations can be made to Palm Mortuary, 7400 W. Cheyenne Ave., or by calling 464-4840. The service will be at the Palm Mortuary at 6701 N. Jones Blvd., with visitation beginning at 11 a.m., followed by the service at 1 p.m.

Arrangements are still being finalized, but it is likely the Sahara will serve as the site for a post-funeral reception/jam session. About 50 musicians and friends, including former Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt and her husband, Dennis Bono, and longtime Vegas lounge jazz pianist Gus Mancuso are expected to take part.

The Mary Kaye Trio were true Las Vegas originals, working an average of 36 weeks a year on the Strip - the Tropicana and Sahara joined the Last Frontier as familiar haunts - before the band split up in 1966. The group is also widely credited with turning Las Vegas into a 24/7 town, performing overnight, from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. at the Last Frontier.

"They really started the Las Vegas lounges," said Hunt, herself a former lounge singer who opened and closed the old Landmark Hotel. "They were the spark plug."

NoteMart

A nightclub/music venue that Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has called the first Strip-type club to hit downtown, Canyon Club, opens March 15 at the Four Queens. The venue features a 500-seat theater and the first band to perform is Los Lobos. The club will also feature weekly appearances by veteran Vegas retro acts the Boogie Knights and Spazmatics. ...

Top of the trot: The 29th annual meeting of the American Miniature Horse Association begins today at the Stable of the Strip, the Imperial Palace. To celebrate, on Wednesday hotel officials led a 31-inch-tall Tovero pinto colt named Magic Meadows All Eyes On Me around the casino floor. The horse, which is part of a collection of 76 horses (68 of them miniatures) owned by Casey Crisp of Pahrump, was photographed in the sports book and at a blackjack table. Using animals as photo props is something of a trend at the IP, which paraded Zorro the Steer through the Legends Theater in December when the National Finals Rodeo was in town (the hotel can probably ditch any plans it might have to host a PETA convention). ...

The UNLV film department has voted on the winners of this year's Oscars. "The Queen" was voted as best picture, Stephen Frears as best director, Peter O'Toole as best actor, Helen Mirren as best actress, Alan Arkin as best supporting actor, and Cate Blanchett and Rinko Kikuchi (in a tie that won't be repeated on Oscar night) as best supporting actress. The idea for the vote came from UNLV associate professor of film and TV producer/screenwriter Sean Clark (whose credits include "Coach," "Evening Shade," "Northern Exposure" and "Sirens") ...

Fans of David Hasselhoff are a particularly fervent (or, stricken) lot. Several fan club members have tracked down the cell phone numbers of "The Hoff's" PR reps in Las Vegas; recently one German fan club reached a publicist and asked for any leftover press kits from opening night of "The Producers." ...

Lookalikes, as noted by a table mate at the Keep Memory Alive "Power of Love" gala a couple of weeks ago: The suspiciously tanned Sen. John Ensign and similarly suspiciously tanned George Hamilton ...

But no Lone Ranger in sight: Reader reports a plate on a Toyota Previa, KMOSABE.