The history of Las Vegas entertainment can be discovered in a variety of formats in Special Collections from photographs and manuscript collections to periodicals and promotional material. From individual headliners in casino showrooms to lounge acts to the fabulous production shows that made the showgirl a Las Vegas icon, entertainment on the Las Vegas Strip has taken many forms.
The steady opening of hotels that followed such as the Last Frontier (1942), Flamingo (1946), Thunderbird (1948), Desert Inn (1950), and Sands (1952), among others, provided an opportunity for hundreds of performers to ply their trade on the stages of these hotels in the new desert oasis. Find images of Dean Martin and the Rat Pack at the Sands HotelĮntertainment has been a staple of Las Vegas since the opening of the El Rancho Hotel and Casino on Highway 91 in 1941.
