FRONTIER
Casinos come and go leaving behind a rich history of showbusiness.
Casinos come and go leaving behind a rich history of showbusiness.
Originally a supper club located on the old, dusty Highway 91, The Last Frontier was opened as a hotel and casino in 1942. It was the second hotel-casino on what is now known as The Strip.
In 1944, the Last Frontier brought the first world renowned performer to appear at a Las Vegas resort, Sophie Tucker, star of Broadway, radio and screen. From then on the battle for marquis names on the Las Vegas strip began. Las Vegas has always welcomed the big names and it all began at The Frontier.
Some of the celebrities to perform at the resort during the 1940s & 50s included Sophie Tucker, Mandrake the Magician, Marx Brothers, Judy Garland, Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Eddie Albert & Margo accompanied by Jack Eastern, Jack Carter, Henny Youngman, Tommy Dorsey's band, and Josephine Baker.
1944, while performing at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal, Liberace received a phone call from Maxine Lewis, entertainment director at the Hotel Last Frontier asking him if he would be interested in playing Las Vegas. She asked how much he was currently making. "Seven hundred and fifty a week," he lied. His salary was $350, but Lewis agreed to $750 per week. Liberace sized up his first-night audience, and decided to delete several of the classical pieces, concentrating on boogie-woogie and popular tunes. The audience went wild, and Maxine Lewis tore up the $750-per-week contract and gave him a new one for $1,500.
The 50's also saw the launch of many careers at the New Frontier including Judy Garland's nightclub debut. The resort had the distinction of hosting Elvis Presley's first Vegas appearance in 1956, and the final performance of Diana Ross and The Supremes.
Colonel Parker booked Elvis, for a two week engagement at the New Frontier. The flyer for the Hotel advertised Freddy Martin and his orchestra, who were scheduled to do a stage show version of the Broadway musical Oklahoma! Also on the bill were comedian Shecky Greene and as an added attraction, the "Atomic Powered Singer," Elvis Presley. Since Nevada was the home of Atomic powered testing, Parker thought the name would be catchy. What Parker hadn't figured on was how an older, more sedate nightclub crowd would react to Elvis.
In 1970 a live album by Diana Ross & the Supremes was recorded over the course of the group's final engagement together at the Frontier Hotel, including the final night on January 14, 1970. The show marked Diana Ross' final performance with Supremes; Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong. At the conclusion of the show, new Supremes lead singer Jean Terrell was brought onstage and introduced to the audience.
Some of the celebrities to perform at the resort during the 1960s & 70s included Frank Sinatra, Jr., Eddie Fisher & Abbe Lane, Mickie Finn Show, Bobby Darin, Jimmy Durante with Sonny King and Eddie Jackson, Phil Harris, Barbara McNair, Wayne Newton with Jerry Newton, Teresa Brewer, John Byner, George Carlin, Frank Gorshin, Robert Goulet, Bob Newhart, Diana Ross with Sammy Shore, Ronnie Shell, The Supremes, and Flip Wilson.
Magicians Siegfried and Roy had taken the Lido show at the Stardust by storm, their 15 minute spot grew and grew until they where doing 30 minutes of the ninety minute show, effectively becoming more prominent than the show they where meant to be a mere specialty act within. It became very obvious that the pair needed their own show and so they moved to the Frontier for a seven-year run starting in 1981 ( and closing 1988 ) The show was named "Beyond Belief" and although impressive was relative childs play compared to their final and by far most spectacular incarnation at the Mirage. The show racked up 3,500 performances for more than 3 million show goers.
For the last few years of its existence, the showroom at New Frontier was converted to Gilley's Saloon and Dance Hall, which featured bikini bull riding three nights a week and live mud wrestling twice a week - progress?
The casino was sold and closed by Omaha businessman Phil Ruffin. Soon after the tired building was imploded. Today the Trump Towers sit on part of the old Frontier land.
If you have any information about the history of entertainment at this property please do contact us, we aim to update this section of the site as frequently as possible so that we can ensure as accurate as possible correct historic information.
| Hotel Name : | HOTEL NO LONGER STANDING |
