Stardust Resort and Casino

Stardust Resort and Casino
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Address	3000 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas, NV 89109
Opening date	July 2, 1958
Closing date	November 1, 2006
Theme	Outer space
Number of rooms	1,552
Total gaming space	85,000 sq ft (7,900 m2)
Casino type	Land-based
Owner	Boyd Gaming Corporation
Renovated in	1964 1977 1991

The Stardust Resort and Casino was a casino resort located on 63 acres (25 ha) along the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada.

The Stardust opened in 1958, although most of the modern casino complex — including its main 32-story tower — was built in 1991. It was demolished on March 13, 2007, a short lifetime even by Las Vegas standards, where casinos are torn down and rebuilt on a regular basis. Shortly after the resort opened, the defunct nearby Royal Nevada hotel and casino (opened in 1955) was converted to become part of the Stardust.

The Stardust officially closed at 12:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) on November 1, 2006 after operating continuously for 48 years. It was imploded on March 13, 2007, around 2:33 a.m. In 2007, Boyd Gaming, which owned the property, began construction on Echelon Place, Stardust's intended replacement. Construction was halted in 2008, however, during the economic downturn. In 2013, Malaysia-based Genting Group bought the site from Boyd, with plans to open Resorts World, a Chinese-themed resort, by 2018.

Sign

Stardust sign as seen in 1990

The famed Stardust sign became a symbol of Las Vegas. Young Electric Sign Company was hired to fabricate the sign. Kermit Wayne's design was selected for both the façade and the roadside signs. Although Moe Dalitz, who took over from original developer Tony Cornero upon his death, said it was from his original plans, the sign was really part of Cornero's original concept.

The Stardust sign gave visitors a panoramic view of the solar system. At the sign's center sat a 16-foot (4.9 m) diameter plastic model of the Earth. Cosmic rays of neon and electric light bulbs beamed from behind the model Earth in all direction. Three-dimensional acrylic glass planets spun alongside 20 scintillating neon starbursts. Across the universe was a jagged galaxy of electric lettering spelling out "Stardust". The sign utilized 7,100 ft (2,200 m) of neon tubing with over 11,000 bulbs along its 216 ft (66 m) front. The "S" alone contained 975 lamps. At night the neon constellation was reportedly visible 60 miles (97 km) away.

The roadside sign was freestanding with a circle constraining an amorphous cloud of cosmic dust circled by an orbit ring and covered in dancing stars. The hotel's name was nestled in a galactic cloud.

In 1967, the old circular sign was replaced by a new $500,000 roadside sign. The new sign's form was blurred by a scatter of star shapes, a shower of stardust. At night, incorporating neon and incandescent bulbs in the animation sequence, light fell from the stars, sprinkling from the top of the 188-foot (57 m) tall sign down over the Stardust name.

In 1991, the Stardust sign's Googie lettering was replaced with a subdued Futura typeface.

History

The resort was conceived and built by Tony Cornero, who died in 1955 before construction was completed. The resort's assets were acquired and completed by John Factor (aka Jake the Barber), half-brother of cosmetics seller Max Factor, Sr.. John Factor leased the casino out to a company controlled by Moe Dalitz. When the hotel opened, it had the largest casino in Nevada, the largest swimming pool in Nevada and the largest hotel in the Las Vegas area.

The Stardust opened at noon on July 2, 1958. The attendees of the opening included governors, senators, city and county officials and Hollywood celebrities.

The entertainment registry started with the spectacular French production show Lido de Paris. Lido was conceived by Pierre-Louis Guerin and Rene Fraday, and staged by Donn Arden.

The opening night lounge lineup offered, from dusk to dawn, Billy Daniels, The Happy Jesters, The Vera Cruz Boys and the Jack Martin Quartet. Daniels became the first entertainer to sign a long-term residency contract in Metropolitan Las Vegas when he agreed to appear for 40 weeks per year for three years.

Tony Cornero's dream became a $10 million 1,065 room reality, charging just $6.00 a day. The resort featured the 105-foot (32 m) long Big Dipper swimming pool, a 13,500-square-foot (1,250 m²) lobby, a 16,500-square-foot (1,530 m²) casino, and a decor featuring rich red and deep brown colors and indirect lighting.

The Stardust also held Las Vegas Strip's only first-run drive-in theater in the rear of the resort.

The Stardust took over the closed Royal Nevada hotel-casino, remodeled the showroom, and converted it into a convention center and high-roller suite. From 1959 to 1964, this wing was occupied by the Stardust's "high roller" guests and The Stardust showgirls.

In 1964, the Olympic-size pool area opened to the general public with the addition of the 9-story Stardust Tower that replaced half of the bungalow rooms.

In 1960, the resort added a new 4,800 sq ft (450 m²) screen surface to its drive-in theatre. The same year, the Aku Aku Polynesian Restaurant was opened, complete with a Tiki Bar, and a large stone Tiki head marking the entrance from the outside.

By 1961, Stardust's management included Credit Manager Hyman Goldbaum, a career criminal with seven known aliases, fourteen criminal convictions including an assault conviction, and a three-year prison sentence for income tax evasion. Casino Manager and 5% owner Johnny Drew, was a veteran associate of Al Capone and was once fined for running a crooked dice game at an Elks convention, and general manager Morris Kleinman had served three years for tax evasion.

In 1964, with the addition of the nine-story tower (later called the East Tower), the room count increased to 1,470. For the next five years The Stardust was the leader in rooms until 1969 when The International opened. In 1964 the landmark façade was updated, expanding out into the parking lot by the highway. The new façade raised the Stardust's name, still in electra-jag letters, onto a pole above the exploding universe.

From 1965 until 1970, the hotel operated the Stardust International Raceway in Spring Valley. The track drew the Can-Am and USAC Championship Car series, including drivers such as Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, Bruce McLaren, Mark Donohue, and Jackie Stewart.

In 1966, Howard Hughes attempted to buy the Stardust for $30.5 million, but was thwarted by government officials on the grounds that his acquisition of any more gambling resorts might violate the Sherman Antitrust Act.

In November 1969, Parvin-Dohrmann Corporation purchased the Stardust for an undisclosed amount. The resort was bought by Argent Corporation in 1974 using loans from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Central States Pension Fund. Argent was owned by Allen Glick, but the casino was believed to be controlled by various organized crime families from the Midwest.

In the 1970s Argent Corporation had siphoned off between $7 and $15 million using rigged scales. When exposed by the FBI, this skimming operation was the largest ever exposed. A number of organized crime figures were convicted as a result of the skimming. The story of the skimming was featured in the book Casino by Nicholas Pileggi.

In 1977, the Stardust went through another remodeling. The bombastic galactic theme was abandoned, though the roadside sign remained, and the façade was covered with animated neon tubing and trimmed with mirrored finish facets. The new porte cochere sparkled with 1,000 small incandescent bulbs. The encrustation of bulbs turned solid mass into ethereal form.

In 1980, the Aku Aku Polynesian Restaurant closed. The giant stone Tiki head that marked the entrance was later moved to an island in an artificial lake at Sunset Park in Winchester, Nevada.

After Argent Corporation was forced out of the gaming business in the late 1970s, the casino was sold to Al Sachs and Herb Tobman. However, the gaming authorities found that skimming was still going on. In 1984, the Nevada Gaming Commission levied a $3 million fine against the resort for skimming, the highest fine ever issued by the commission. Suspicions, accusations and controversy about the Stardust's hidden ownership over the years was finally squelched when Sam Boyd's locally based, squeaky-clean gaming company purchased the Stardust in March 1985.

The Stardust was a gold mine to the Chicago Outfit, the skim being absolutely fabulous. When it was taken over by the reputable Boyd family, they were surprised by its huge profits, with every penny of income recorded. Ex-FBI agent William F. Roemer, Jr., longtime senior agent of the FBI's organized-crime squad in Chicago and an expert in Las Vegas doings, said, "The amount of skim had been so heavy that the profit and loss statement did not present a true picture of the gold mine that the Stardust was."

Stardust at night as seen in 2004

In 1991, a 32-story West Tower was added to the resort, overshadowing the older East Tower and bringing the total room count to 1,500. Two landscaped swimming pools, a golf course, and athletic facilities were also built. The renovation project totaled $300 million. The bungalow rooms had been demolished, leaving the room count at 1,500.

At its peak size, the Stardust contained 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m²) of gambling casino, including 73 gaming tables, and 1,950 slot, keno and video poker machines. The conference center was 25,000 sq ft (2,300 m²) and could accommodate meetings and banquets for groups of 25 to 2,000.

Lido de Paris was replaced in 1992 with Enter the Night,, which closed in 1999.

Siegfried & Roy got their Strip start at the Stardust with the help of mob associate Frank Rosenthal after he gave them Allen Glick's Rolls Royce.

Wayne Newton signed a ten-year deal, negotiated by Jack Wishna, with the Stardust in 1999, for a reported $25 million per year, the largest entertainment contract in the Las Vegas region at the time. After five and half years, Newton ended his run in late April 2005, and George Carlin moved into his theater. Magician Rick Thomas premiered at the hotel on March 25, 2005.

In 2002, comedian Andrew Dice Clay had a regular show at the Stardust.

During the Stardust Theater's last month of operation, legendary stars, including George Carlin, Tim Conway and Harvey Korman, gave performances; singer Lawrence Leritz performed for the Ex-Playboy Bunny Reunion. The last act to perform in The Stardust Theater was Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé; the theater formally closed on October 28, 2006.

The casino hosted an annual international pool tournament, the Jansco Brothers' Stardust Open, which attracted most of the top professional players of the era. For many years, its one-pocket division was the premier event in that discipline.

Since the implosion, Boyd Gaming has continued to use the Stardust trademark with its Stardust Suite, in gaming area signage at its Orleans hotel-casino in Las Vegas. The domain StardustCasino.com now redirects to Boyd Gaming's Web site.

Royal Nevada

The Royal Nevada was the previous hotel on part of the Stardust site.

The Royal Nevada opened north of the New Frontier on April 19, 1955, as the Showplace of Showtown, U.S.A. The resort's crowning glory was the crown that sat on top of the resort.

The night before the opening, "atomic soldiers" were treated to a pre-opening party.

The Royal Nevada was plagued with financial problems from the start.

While this resort seemed to "disappear completely", swallowed in 1959 by the Stardust and becoming the Stardust's Convention Center, portions of the two-story bungalow style Royal Nevada wing and pool remained in use up until 2006.

Final day

The Stardust permanently closed its doors to the public on November 1, 2006. The last dice thrown at a Stardust craps table were by tourist Jimmy Kumihiro of Hawaii. Slot machine betting was officially halted at 7:30 a.m. Just before the casino was officially closed at noon, the Bobbie Howard Band led the customers out the doors for the last time (in a conga line) to the tune of "When the Saints Go Marching In", and the hotel/casino complex closed after a 48-year run of continuous 24-hour operation. Outside, the loudspeakers were playing the John Lennon song "Nobody Told Me", which contains the line Nobody told me there'd be days like these / Strange days indeed.

At the time of its closing, the Stardust Showroom starred The Magic of Rick Thomas, the most successful daytime show in the Strip's history.

Implosion

Fireworks light up the Stardust hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada as demolition charges inside begin to take down the building.

External video
Video of the Stardust implosion

On Tuesday March 13, 2007 at 2:33 a.m. (Pacific Time), the Stardust Resort was imploded in a grand ceremony which included fireworks marking the 10-second countdown before the East and West Towers tumbled. 428 pounds of explosives brought down the hotel, which at the time was the tallest building demolished on the Strip. A planned laser light show was cancelled when strong winds blew dust toward the audience.

Attractions

• 25,000 square feet (2,300 m²) Convention Center
• Car rental onsite
• Dining — 9 places from which to choose
• Fitness Center
• Pavilion/Exhibit Center—40,500 square feet (3,760 m²)
• Race and sportsbook
• Shopping
• Spa
• Swimming pools
• Wedding chapel

Cultural references

In literature

• The book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Larry Shandling, chronicles the days when The Stardust Hotel and Casino and two other casinos from the area were run by professional gambler and bookie, Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal and a soldier in the Chicago Outfit named Anthony "The Ant" Spilotro, on behalf of the Chicago and Kansas City Mafia during the 1970s and early 1980s. Rosenthal was denied a gaming license in 1981 and was placed in the Nevada Gaming Control Board's black book in December 1988, but Rosenthal appealed the ruling and his name was eventually removed in June 1990. Spilotro and his brother, while under federal indictment, were found beaten to death in an isolated corn field in rural Indiana.
• The book The Odds: One Season, Three Gamblers and the Death of Their Las Vegas, by Chad Millman, chronicled a year in the lives of Stardust race and sportsbook manager Joe Lupo and assistant manager Bob Scucci, as well as professional sports bettor Alan Boston and wannabe sports bettor Rodney Bosnich. The Stardust was chosen due to its status at the time as the "home of the opening line".
• The book, The Stardust of Yesterday: Reflections on a Las Vegas Legend written by Heidi Knapp Rinella, edited by Mike Weatherford and foreword by Siegfried & Roy, is a complete history of the hotel and casino. Rinella and Weatherford are both staff writers for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. In the book, Siegfried & Roy, who debuted at the Stardust in the 1970s, tell of their many memories.

Onscreen

• The Aflac television commercial was shown from 2003, when Wayne Newton was singing there.
• Both the neon sign and hotel tower can be seen during the plane crash scene in the film Con Air (1997)
• The large neon sign can be seen in the 1997 film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
• In Casino (1995), Martin Scorsese's film adaptation of Pileggi's book, Sam "Ace" Rothstein (portrayed by Robert De Niro) was largely based on Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal and Nicholas "Nicky" Santoro (portrayed by Joe Pesci) was based on Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro. The casino's name was changed for legal purposes, from the Stardust to the "Tangiers Hotel and Casino", and the site was portrayed as being across the street from the Dunes, several blocks away from the actual site of the Stardust. However, snippets of the Hoagy Carmichael song, Stardust, can be heard on the soundtrack, giving a subtle hint as to the casino's true identity.
• The sign is seen in several scenes in the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
• The sign can be seen in the 1996 film Mars Attacks!, wherein it is damaged by the Martians.
• In 1994, the film Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas was filmed at the Stardust Resort and Casino.
• The film Showgirls was partly filmed on location and set in the Stardust Resort and Casino. The film revolves around the battles to be the top Stardust showgirl.
• The film Swingers (1996) had scenes set in the Stardust Resort and Casino. Exterior shots were the actual Stardust, but interior casino scenes were shot at the Fremont Hotel and Casino.
• On the 70th episode of Pawn Stars (2010), Rick and Corey purchase a blackjack table that was used in the Stardust Resort and Casino.
• In the 2013 movie "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (and Anton Marvelton)" the Stardust Casino is home to Magician Rance Halloway and his magic show that inspires Mr. Wonderstone to become a magician and obtain his own daytime magic show at Doug Munny's Ballys Casino.

Further reading

• Neon Survey
• Las Vegas Sun newspaper
• Boyd Gaming Press Release Announcing Echelon Place

External links

• Original circular Stardust sign as seen in a vintage postcard
• Stardust Hotel photos at Xah's Las Vegas
• Footage of the interior of the Stardust, before its closing: 1 2 3
• Stardust Implosion Video