Every resort also had its own set of showgirls who opened and closed for the celebrities, and sometimes had revues of their own as well. But there was also Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Jimmy Durante, the Marx Brothers and countless others. They personified Las Vegas then - the kingdom of cool, the show everyone had to see. There was, of course, the Rat Pack, made up of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, who performed at the Sands. Las Vegas' influx of magicians seems to have been facilitated by the appearance of Hollywood stars and musicians on the scene. He was also historically significant for being one of the first magicians to use birds, making parakeets appear out of nowhere in an act called A Fantasy of Birds.
He was offered $1,500 a week (about $17,000 today) to do his act in a cabaret show at the El Rancho Hotel & Casino. But reading The Lightness of Hands caused me to wonder: How and when did magicians become a thing in Las Vegas?Īccording to, Jack Kodell was the first magician to perform in Las Vegas, in the summer of 1947 at the age of 20. The greatest touristy thrill for a non-native resident like me just trying to survive the Hell's-waiting-room summer heat was seeing the Amazing Johnathan's show at the Sahara. Mac King, the afternoon comedy magician at Harrah's, was always in any number of small Vegas magazines advertising every show and every kind of deal you could find there. David Copperfield's face was on that massive advertisement across the top of the MGM Grand. Magicians were always there, on and off the Las Vegas Strip.
This article relates to The Lightness of HandsĮven though I lived in Las Vegas for five years (2012-2017), I never gave it much thought.
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