By Bruce Klauber
No one knows for sure just how many celebrities have graced the stages of Atlantic City’s hotel/casinos since the 1978 inception of legalized gambling. For talent buyers who worked in Atlantic City during the first several years of shore casinos, the main talent pool was comprised of performers who successfully played Las Vegas, so it would be natural to assume that almost every big star who played Vegas eventually made it to Atlantic City. But that is simply not true, as a number of showbiz giants who worked regularly in Sin City never made it to the Jersey Shore.
There are several reasons for this, including money and the fact that a headliner who might have been big in Vegas might not necessarily wow audiences in Atlantic City. Some performers just felt there was no need to “work the shore.”
In the singular instance of Elvis Presley, the reason why The King never appeared in Atlantic City had to do with poor decision-making, plain and simple. Although Steel Pier owner George Hamid had the foresight to book rockers Bill Haley and his Comets as early as 1955, he reportedly dropped the ball when it came to Elvis. The oft-told story was that in 1957, the first year of certifiable “Elvis Fever,” Presley manager Colonel Tom Parker wanted $3,000 more than George Hamid was willing to pay and Hamid refused to budge. Hence, there was no King at the Queen of Resorts and there never would be.
Filmmaker and comedian Woody Allen, believe it or not, played Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 1966. Allen, at the time, had quite the following as a stand-up comic via many club dates, best-selling comedy albums and appearances on “The Tonight Show.” In an interview with writer Richard Zoglin, Allen said the Vegas offer was difficult to refuse.
“It was an achievement,” he told Zoglin. “Because I’d started out in the Village and people thought, ‘Oh, this guy will never get out of the Village.’ Then when I was playing uptown places like the Blue Angel, they said he’d never get out of New York. So it was an achievement for me to go into places like Caesars in Las Vegas’.”
While he got good reviews and did decent business, Allen was disappointed that he didn’t sell out and offered to give back part of his salary. “I felt guilty taking their money,” he told Zoglin. No, Woody Allen never made it to Atlantic City stages.
Nor did television star Carol Burnett, who appeared in Las Vegas during the summer of 1962. She had just come off winning an Emmy for her work in Garry Moore’s CBS variety show, which was enough to get her a booking at the Sands. The show, highlighted by Burnett’s famed sketches, her underrated singing and some of the characters she played on television, actually set an advance-sale record at the Sands.
Sad to say, “The First Lady of Song,” Ella Fitzgerald, never appeared on an Atlantic City casino stage. She did appear at the Flamingo and Caesars in Las Vegas, but other than an appearance at the Warner Theatre in the mid-1950s and 1989 when she was awarded the key to the city, she never made it to a shore casino stage.
Actor, dancer and comic Danny Kaye performed at Las Vegas’ Desert Inn in 1967 and the International Hotel two years later. Kaye did appear at the Steel Pier in 1953 and was a part of the Miss America Pageant in 1958, but he never appeared in an Atlantic City casino.
Singers Patti Page and Eartha Kitt, as well as television star and comic monologist Danny Thomas, all played at Paul “Skinny” D’Amato’s 500 Club in the 1950s and were frequent headliners in Vegas. Although all three were active long after casinos were legalized in Atlantic City, none were ever booked on a casino main stage here.
Legendary songstress Peggy Lee was a hit in Las Vegas for years at venues like Caesars, the International, the Frontier and the Riviera, but for whatever reason she only made it to Atlantic City once, and that appearance wasn’t on a main stage. Lee came to Resorts International’s Superstar Lounge on Aug. 9, 1984, specifically to shoot a video which is almost impossible to find today. She was great that night, but she never again appeared in Atlantic City.
Crooner Perry Como performed in Las Vegas from time to time. He recorded a live album at the International Hotel in 1970, and in 1976, broadcast a live television special from the Las Vegas Hilton. But other than a Steel Pier appearance in 1944, Como never set foot – professionally at least – in Atlantic City.
Then there were those who, for whatever reason, were deemed unsuitable for casino bookings in Atlantic City. Perhaps they asked for too much money or the talent buyers believed they wouldn’t attract a substantial audience, but singer Eartha Kitt and pianist/comedian Victor Borge were never booked into a casino. Kitt did work at the 500 Club in the 1950s and Borge appeared at the Warner Theatre in 1956, but that was the extent of their AC appearances.
In the late 1970s, Doris Day was reportedly made a one-of-a-kind offer by several casino owners. If Day would agree to do a one-hour show – remember, she was a terrific singer – she could name her price and dictate the time and the venue. There was also talk about a Frank Sinatra/Doris Day booking. It’s been said that Day almost agreed, but got cold feet at the last moment. Believe it or not, she was afraid that no one would be interested enough to come to see her.
There is one performer who would have, without a doubt, been a blockbuster act in an Atlantic City casino. He was renowned and beloved throughout the world and was a proven attraction in Las Vegas at the Tropicana, the International and other venues along the strip. In Atlantic City, he packed them in at the Steel Pier in the summers of 1965 and 1967. Sadly, he left us in 1971, seven years before Resorts International opened as the city’s first hotel/casino. His name was Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong and experiencing his artistry and charisma on a hotel/casino stage would have been something.
