#Las Vegas Hilton

[vintagelasvegas]

SpaceQuest Casino at Las Vegas Hilton, 1998. The futuristic casino opened in tandem with the resort's attraction Star Trek: The Experience. Highlights in the design include three giant windows, 12 ft. x 25 ft. which simulated the view of the orbiting Earth, while offering scenes of spacecrafts docking at SpaceQuest. Spaceship arrivals and departures are announced over the PA system to further the illusion. 

Design by The Cuningham Group / Solberg+Lowe / TSL of Los Angeles. Martin Pegler "Entertainment Destinations" via CARI Stream. Photos by Greg Cava.

[retropopcult]

Sean Connery as James Bond and Lana Wood as Plenty O'Toole in Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

[elvis1970s]

Fairytale, a Pointer Sisters cover, was recorded by Elvis in early 1975 and featured as an album track on Today, released in May of that year. It would remain in the live set right up to the end. This joyous version was captured in a good quality audience recording during Elvis' dinner show in Las Vegas on August 20th, 1975. He's in such great form that it's actually quite hard to believe that following the second show that night, the engagement would be abruptly cancelled (just three nights in) and Elvis would be flown back to Memphis and admitted to hospital.

United Press international (UPI) issued a syndicated report on the sudden cancellation;

“…He just got very tired and fatigued and we thought it would be best if he cut his show here short this time rather than run into complications," said Dr. Elias Ghanem, the singer's Las Vegas physician. "We can't find much wrong with him. One of the liver enzymes is elevated and what he needs is rest…”

Dr Ghanem (1939-2001) enjoyed an enviable lifestyle from his business activities and from billing a number of wealthy and undoubtedly generous Las Vegas entertainers for treatment of, amongst other things, ‘Vegas Throat’ – raspy soreness caused by a combination of the dry desert air and the air-conditioning (and passive smoking) within the hotels and casinos. He was also a proponent of the sleep diet; a regimen of weight loss that appeared to involve the patient being sedated for much of the time and consuming liquid nutrition during rare moments of consciousness. Elvis himself had availed himself of this regime on at least one occasion.

The Irish Times wrote an obituary for Dr Ghanem upon his death from renal cancer in 2001.

“…He was Elvis Presley's personal physician, as well as the doctor for Elvis's posthumous son-in-law Michael Jackson. Although his patient list also included Liberace, Bill Cosby, Ann-Margret, and Virginia Kelley (the mother of former President Bill Clinton), it was Ghanem's relationship with The King which first brought him under the spotlight of unwanted notoriety. When ABC's television programme '20-20' reported that he had supplied the drugs which essentially killed Presley, Dr Ghanem threatened to sue - but he never did…”

The article also noted that Ghanem had been the subject of an FBI investigation over billing, but never charged, and that Colonel Parker had a financial interest in Ghanem's clinic situated conveniently adjacent to the Las Vegas Hilton.

"...Ghanem expanded his practice to include a chain of clinics around Las Vegas, treating literally thousands of patients. He proposed innovative umbrella health-insurance schemes long before they came into vogue, and signed contracts with the Hotel and Casino Workers' Union, by far the largest group of workers in Nevada. The arrangement was obviously a profitable one for Ghanem, but union leader John Wilhelm, recalled that during a protracted six-year strike at the Frontier Casino, Ghanem treated every worker free of charge and delivered over a hundred babies for the striking workers..."

Following the cancellation, Elvis was flown back to Memphis where he was admitted to a private suite on the top floor of Baptist Memorial Hospital. His next professional engagement was back in Las Vegas in December making up for the cancelled shows.

[spockvarietyhour]

The Las Vegas Hilton (now the Westgate Las Vegas) doubling as the Whyte House in Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

[countesspetofi]

Star Trek The Experience | KLINGON ENCOUNTER (PRE-SHOW + RIDE) Las Vegas...

I was there in 2003. It was amazing. The video is great, but even it can;t convey how much cooler it was in person.

Our room at the Hilton came with passes to Klingon Encounter and Borg Invasion, plus a free meal at Quark’s Bar.

[3liza]

ive been to chuck e cheese and disney world. quark's bar was the only theme restaurant/theme attraction that was actually good. it was an actual bar/retaurant in the Hilton on the Las Vegas strip. you could order Star Trek drinks at the bar, including the really big ones in the weird glasses. about half the employees were in BEAUTIFUL star trek cosplay, borderline screen accurate when accounting for the fact that classic star trek screen accuracy is a moving target because this was before HD television and they could really fudge a lot of stuff behind the low resolution fuzz we all filmed and watched television through.

so anyway we just went there on a whim. my first and only trip to vegas, drove there from LA with my lover at the time, he was just like "hey you ever been to Vegas? it's wild. let's go." i have no idea how we ended up at the Hilton. there was a Star Trek Nemesis(?) themed screen room ride about the Borg and Locutus etc that legitimately kicked ass. then we went to the bar and just hung out. when you hung out at Quark's Bar there were circulating DS9 civilians and staff who would come up to your table and do little improv interactions, like a Bajoran woman had a snippy little convo with a Klingon for you and asked you about your trip and everyone played their characters wonderfully. the themeing of DS9 is so good and so immersive in the show, and so grounded, it was really effortless to achieve that immersion both for us and for the staff.

not my photo but a great representation of the Vibes, which were impeccable. i always wanted to go back but they fucked all this up when the JJ Abrahms star treks started coming out. like yeah, i want to Go to There, to regurgitate a cheugy expression for a moment, we all understand that feeling, which is a feeling that most theme attractions just do not get. disney reaches for it but rarely achieves it because everything has to be safe and comfy for children. in Vegas this isnt a consideration, Star Trek drinking experience is not an all-ages proposition, so they could really just go whole hog.

i like how it's sort of janky and shitty because again, thats what star trek looks like on tv. and the conceit of ds9 also is that the station itself is halfassed, old, leaky, and falling apart.

i have no idea what the hilton is like now or how much of this remains and in what form. if i had a podcast i would look for former employees and try to interview them. i would love a job like this, i would be such a good klingon or bajoran.

in total i was probably only there for like 3 hours, which is the ideal amount of time to spend in Vegas. you drive down the strip, go "wow!", and then speed out of town as fast as possible because my god that city sucks

long term hostage situation in which I refuse to surrender until Quark's Bar is restored at the Las Vegas Hilton

[landinrris]

If there's one thing Paris Hilton is going to do, it's love her girls and gays (x)

[hooked-on-elvis]

ELVIS' SPIRITUALITY, STRONG FAITH, LOYALTY AND GENEROSITY.

"I don't want him to go. He needs the job." ⚡

— Elvis on September 3, 1973 during a concert at the Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada.

[2] Elvis and friend Mario in 1970 in Elvis' suite in Las Vegas. Mario was the Maitre D of the Hilton who served dinner in Elvis' suite every night. [1-3] Elvis in his hotel suite in Las Vegas on September 1, 1973 being presented by Henry Lewin (at right), Hilton senior vice president, with a long gold chain, a gift from Barron Hilton (son of Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton Hotels chain) for the incredible success of Elvis' residencies at The Hilton. The elongated, hexagonal-shaped bolo-style clasp is stylized bamboo shapes, with elaborate script initials “EP” on the cross bar. The chain was then used on stage by Elvis for all his shows until the end of the engagement on September 3, 1973. Also pictured with Elvis is his father Vernon and George Parkhill of RCA Records.

--------------------------------------------------------------

HERE'S ONE MORE STORY ON ELVIS' SPIRITUALITY, STRONG FAITH, LOYALTY AND GENEROSITY:

In August 1973, Mario, Maitre D on the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel, told Elvis his wife was dying of cancer. Elvis, who for all his life but specially since the mid-60s was deep into religion and spiritual learning, was a believer of the healing laying on of hands [Bible, New Testament, Luke 4:40 talks about this, which is associated with Jesus healing the sick]. Elvis did this laying on of hands while he prayed on many of his friends and the ones close to them whenever he had the opportunity, even on strangers - by the way he performed this faith act on one of his own backing singers, Sylvia Shemwell of the Sweet Inspirations, something she told the fans during the 1996 Elvis Week [you may listen to herself telling the story on Youtube].

So, back to the story, Elvis told Mario he wanted to see his wife [to pray on her]. The Hilton Hotel management heard about this a little time afterwards and they decided to fire Mario because he was considered to be taking advantage of his position in the hotel as a staff member and the closeness to the stars it granted him with.

Elvis heard about this and, during a concert at the Hilton Hotel he did the best he could to help his friend. See, Elvis could have had a private meeting with the hotel's management but he decided making the matters public for the hotel's guests maybe in hope they could pressure the Hilton Hotel not to fire Mario right away, a person the frequent guests were also familiar with.

Elvis believed in people being treated as equals. Before telling the audience the hotel was planning on fire Mario, he actually mentioned the gold necklace piece he received from the Las Vegas Hilton president, Barron Hilton, just a couple of days before. How could they treat him, an already wealthy man, gifting him expensive jewelry while they would dare to fire a simple member of his staff for something he considered stupid? He couldn't have it.

LET'S SEE HOW ELVIS DID TRY TO HELP HIS FRIEND, MARIO? THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED IN THE CONCERT NIGHT AT THE HILTON IN 1973:

"In a Las Vegas night, Elvis was specially talkative onstage.

Lisa Marie was in the audience. Next to the closing of the concert, Elvis introduced her to the audience and then joked about little Lisa getting more applause than his own musicians did when he introduced them previously. Elvis immediately rushed in to praise on his talented musical group, telling the audience how good they really were, when he said: "I kid a lot, change songs and switch around… [but] they never miss a lick. They just catch on, and I think they're really fantastic. We can do at least fifty songs, and I don't have to turn around and tell them [which one we'll do next]. They can just hear it and pick it up. The guys [relying] on the sheet music have heart failure, but they always catch up with me [too]."

Then, Elvis dedicated "The First Time [Ever I Saw Your Face]" to his daughter, Lisa. After the song was finished, Presley joked around a little more. His mic had a minor electrical bug and Elvis joked about it saying, "I broke it! Just hang with me, folks, I used to be an electrician. You drove two thousand miles and paid all kinds of money to watch me screw this damn wire in."

Elvis continued the break between songs moving on to the guest introductions, the moment the King would recognize their presence among the audience and thank celebrated names from diverse strings of the industry of entertainment for attending the concert. That night among the guests was Bobbie Gentry, a young Grammy award winner songwriter and singer who's hit tune "Ode to Billie Joe", released in 1967, was appreciated by Elvis. Presley sang a few lines of the tune during a rehearsal/recording session in 1967 (we can hear it on the album "From Nashville To Memphis - Essential 60s Masters" Disc 3, track "Hi-Heel Sneakers"). It was now 1973, so people were familiar with Gentry's talent, yet Elvis introduced her with a compliment and a somewhat indirect message of support for herself when he said: "This young lady is a very fine singer. She's opening at the Frontier Hotel on Thursday, Bobbie Gentry. She's good, folks, so go over and see her act. She's a lot of woman, really."

SIDE NOTE: Normally, Charlie Hodge would have the names of those artists with him, previously written, sometimes with a little background info about them too (what they did, something they have been working on lately... basically anything Elvis could talk about so this moment would feel as genuine as possible). With that VIP names list in hand, Charlie would whisper the VIP guests names, sometimes a little info about them too, to Elvis - usually when the King was drinking water or off stage for a brief moment - and that's how he would not forget to mention anyone. That was one of Charlie's responsibilities as Elvis' stage manager aside from being one of his backing singers, providing water - or Gatorade - and the scarves for Elvis. Charlie Hodge helped keeping the show running smoothly.

Moving on with the concert, after introducing the VIP guests Elvis also introduced more member of his own family who were watching the concert with little Lisa Marie: his father, Vernon Presley, and his then girlfriend, Linda Thompson.

Right after this was when things got a little more serious, for a very noble cause. Elvis was in great mood that night but now he wasn't horsing around anymore. The King tried to use his influence to persuade [read "pressure on"] the Hilton Hotel management, his own employers, to not letting a man be fired from their staff that night. Those were Elvis' words:

Tiger Man vs. Hilton

"There's a guy here that works in the Italian restaurant, his name is Mario. And these people are gettin' ready to fire him as soon as I leave. And I don't want him to go. He needs the job. And I think the Hiltons are greater than that. No disrespect, I just wanna wake up Conrad [Hilton] and tell him about Mario's job. That's all. This next song [Tiger Man] is dedicated to hierarchy - the staff - of the Hilton Hotel. "I'm the king of the jungle. They call me the Tiger Man."

Excerpt from "Elvis Word for Word" by Jerry Osborne (2000) — Source: Jerry transcripts of Elvis' words during this concert came from audiotapes from that night's performance at the Hilton. Those tapes were released on "Elvis Presley: Las Vegas Fever" [I suppose it's the Vol 3, released in 1990, but not sure].

Elvis on stage at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas on Lamar Fike’s back and with a toy monkey on his own back; September 3, 1973. Now, things got another depth, right? I think that's the main reason Elvis decided not to give a fuck about his employers and just have fun onstage. He knew they didn't care for him, for his well-being, only for the money. The best he could do for himself was to enjoy working, having fun the best he could while also respecting the fans and they desire to watch him giving his best with the songs performed live. Was he the greatest artist ever, and so human, so similar to us when it comes to the way he felt about life, or not? C'mon.

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS STORY:

People say EP was not happy working in Vegas for a while and things just got worse and worse concerning his enthusiasm in playing at this particular venue, but while the official records put the blame on Elvis himself getting "easily" bored and the known circumstances of medication abuse, I wonder if Elvis' issue with Las Vegas was also about the way the Hilton ran the business there. I don't know about you but I hate working for people who are not nice to everyone and I know about it.

What are your thoughts?

[emaadsidiki]

Classic Vegas 🏙️

[makeagif]

Lando Norris's Surprise Birthday Stay

[wtflife01]

Las Vegas gp ‘23 looks 2/4

[vintagelasvegas]

Ironworker on top of Las Vegas Hilton, 1994. The original penthouse aka "Elvis Presley Suite" and rooftop lounge were demolished and replaced with three suites called the Sky Villas.

We were on the top of the hotel tower adding high roller suites. We initially demolished the former Elvis suite and then added 2-3 floors of steel, it was a unique job. - JohnBar69234406

[alexi-01]

just paris hilton calling lando bro

[elvis1970s]

On December 12th, 1976, Elvis played his final ever Las Vegas show, ending a fifteen show engagement that had begun on December 2nd. The schedule was now a little easier than in previous years, with seven nights, including this one, consisting of one show instead of two. This is an audience recording, but the sound quality is very good. The position of the recording device also gives a great feel in terms of the audience's enthusiasm, excitement, and warmth.

Around five months later, The Nashville Banner, citing 'authoritative sources' in Nashville, Memphis and Los Angeles, claimed that Colonel Parker had decided to sell Elvis' contract for 'health and financial' reasons. The story claimed that Parker needed a fast million dollars to replace money lost gambling during the December '76 Las Vegas engagement.

Elvis biographer, Peter Guralnick, (Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley) points out that the paper's alleged sources were anonymous, and that the article contained factual inaccuracies, including the incorrect assertion that Elvis' Las Vegas Hilton contract had expired, leading to the reporter's conclusion that Parker would no longer be able to trade Elvis' services to pay off his debts, hence the sale. In reality, Elvis was booked to play his most significant engagement in Vegas since 1969 – the grand opening of the new 5 000 seat Hilton Pavilion showroom, scheduled for October, 1977.

When the story broke, Colonel Parker was on tour, one day ahead of Elvis and the band, in St Paul, Minnesota, and spoke to rival Nashville paper, The Nashville Tennessean, describing the Banner's story as a 'complete fabrication'. 'I'm here, I'm working with Elvis, I'm in good health, and I don’t have any debts – at least none that I can’t pay.'

Joe Esposito also weighed in, describing the relationship between Elvis and Colonel Parker as 'cordial' and stating that neither had any plans to break their long-standing agreement that had begun with a handshake. The 'consortium of West Coast businessmen' who were the alleged buyers never materialised, if they ever existed at all.

Having said this, Peter Guralnick concluded;

"… but it was apparent to anyone who knew anything about the recent history of their tangled relationship that the story was, in essence, true. Too many people had heard Colonel complaining that Elvis was more trouble than he was worth, that he was intractable and could no longer be effectively managed. And too many people were aware, as Elvis' Los Angeles lawyer Ed Hookstratten was inclined to put it, that Colonel was 'servicing a problem of his own.' Elvis had no doubt about the story in any case: he knew in his bones it was true. And while the consortium of 'West Coast businessmen' who were supposed to be buying his contract never surfaced, driven off presumably by the glare of publicity, Elvis had never felt more betrayed or more alone…"

[64sue]

boyfriend vibe <3

[tumbling-dyce]

Photo by Jane Hilton