"Sands Casino" redirects here. For the defunct casino in Atlantic City, see Sands Atlantic CityThe Sands Casino Hotel was a casino that operated from August 31, 1980 until November 11, 2006 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It was formerly known as the Brighton Hotel & Casino...
.
The
Sands Hotel was a historic
Las Vegas StripThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada. A small portion of the Strip lies in Las Vegas, but most of it is in the unincorporated areas of Paradise and Winchester...
hotel/casino that operated from December 15, 1952 to June 30, 1996. Designed by architect
Wayne McAllisterWayne McAllister was a Los Angeles-based architect who was a leader in the Googie style of architecture that embraced the automobile. Inspired by tail fins and gleaming chrome, he elevated the drive-in restaurant and the theme hotel to futuristic works of art...
, the Sands was the seventh resort that opened on the Strip.
During its heyday, the Sands was the center of entertainment and "
coolCool is an aesthetic of attitude, behavior, comportment, appearance and style, influenced by and a product of the Zeitgeist. Because of the varied and changing connotations of cool, as well its subjective nature, the word has no single meaning. It has associations of composure and self-control Cool...
" on the Strip, and hosted many famous entertainers of the day. Regulars were able to mingle with the stars in the lounge after their late-night shows. In its time, the Sands was located next door to the
Desert InnThe Desert Inn was a Las Vegas, Nevada, hotel/casino that operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. Designed by noted New York architect Jac Lessman, it was the fifth resort to open on the Las Vegas Strip. The property included an 18-hole golf course. Locals nicknamed the resort "The D.I."...
. The two adjacent properties were once owned by reclusive billionaire
Howard HughesHoward Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American aviator, engineer, industrialist, film producer, film director, philanthropist, and one of the wealthiest people in the world. He gained fame in the late 1920s as a maverick film producer, making big budget and often controversial films like Hell's Angels,...
in the mid-1960s. Today, The Venetian stands where the Sands once stood.
History
The hotel first began as just a casino with a few hundred rooms. The hotel was designed by architect
Wayne McAllisterWayne McAllister was a Los Angeles-based architect who was a leader in the Googie style of architecture that embraced the automobile. Inspired by tail fins and gleaming chrome, he elevated the drive-in restaurant and the theme hotel to futuristic works of art...
. It was founded by Jakie Freedman of
Houston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States and the largest city within the state of Texas. As of the 2008 U.S. Census estimate, the city has a population of 2.2 million within an area of 600 square miles . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of...
, grandfather of Houston socialite
Carolyn FarbCarolyn Farb, often referred to as "The First Lady of Philanthropy", is known for raising more than 35 million dollars for numerous charitable causes. She is a resident of River Oaks, a neighborhood in Houston, Texas, U.S.A....
. In the late 1950s, Senator
John F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
was occasionally a guest of Frank Sinatra at the Sands.
Its most famous claim to fame was a 3-week period in 1960 when, during the filming of
Ocean's ElevenOcean's 11 is a 1960 heist film directed by Lewis Milestone and starring five Rat Packers: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford....
, they organized an event in the
Copa RoomThe Copa Room was an entertainment nightclub showroom at the now-defunct Sands Hotel on The Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada.It was noteworthy for the large numbers of popular entertainers who performed there, including members of The Rat Pack, Count Basie, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Jimmy...
called the "Summit at the Sands", where for the first time
Frank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers." His professional career had stalled by the...
,
Dean MartinDean Martin was an American singer, film actor and comedian. He was one of the best known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "Mambo Italiano", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That A Kick In The...
,
Sammy Davis, Jr.Samuel George Davis, Jr. was an American entertainer.Primarily a dancer and singer, Davis was a childhood vaudevillian, and became internationally famous for his performances on Broadway and Las Vegas, as a recording artist, television and film star, and the only black member of Frank Sinatra's...
,
Joey BishopJoey Bishop was an American entertainer who was perhaps best known for being a member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin...
, and
Peter LawfordPeter Sydney Vaughn Aylen , better known as Peter Lawford, was an English actor, member of the "Rat Pack," and brother-in-law to President John F. Kennedy, perhaps more noted in later years for his off-screen activities as a celebrity than for his acting...
performed on stage together. They would forever be known after that as the
Rat PackThe Rat Pack was a group of popular entertainers originally centered on Humphrey Bogart. In the mid-1960s it was the name used by the press and the general public to refer to a group that called itself "the summit" or "the clan," featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter...
. Sinatra would also own a stake in the Sands for a time.
In the 1950s, (limited)
integrationRacial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
came to heavily
segregatedRacial segregation is the separation of different racial groups in daily life, such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a washroom, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home. Segregation may be mandated by law or exist through social...
Las Vegas when the Sands allowed
Nat King ColeNathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat "King" Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz...
to stay at the hotel and gamble in the casino. In the 60s, Sammy Davis, Jr. convinced the Sands to hire more African-Americans, and to allow them into the casino.
When
Howard HughesHoward Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American aviator, engineer, industrialist, film producer, film director, philanthropist, and one of the wealthiest people in the world. He gained fame in the late 1920s as a maverick film producer, making big budget and often controversial films like Hell's Angels,...
purchased the hotel in the mid-1960s, a 500-room tower was added and the hotel became a Vegas landmark.
Kirk KerkorianKerkor "Kirk" Kerkorian is an Armenian-American billionaire, and president/CEO of Tracinda Corporation, his private holding company based in Beverly Hills, California. Kerkorian is known as one of the important figures in shaping the city of Las Vegas, Nevada and, with architect Martin Stern, Jr...
(MGM) bought the hotel in 1988, and seven months later in 1989 it was purchased by the owners of The Interface Group - Sheldon Adelson, Richard Katzeff, Ted Cutler, Irwin Chafetz, and Jordan Shapiro. The circular tower was added in 1967 by architect
Martin Stern, Jr.Martin Stern, Jr. was an American architect who was most widely known for his large scale designs and structures in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is credited with originating the concept of the structurally integrated casino resort complex in Las Vegas.The International Hotel and the first MGM Grand...
In its final years, the Sands became a shadow of its former self—a throwback to the old days, and it ultimately could not compete with the newer and more exciting megaresorts that were being built on the Strip. The decision was eventually made by its final owner,
Sheldon AdelsonSheldon Gary Adelson is an American billionaire businessman. He is a property developer and public company CEO based in Las Vegas, Nevada....
, to shut it down and to build a brand new resort. On November 26, 1996, it was imploded and demolished much to the dismay of longtime employees and sentimentalists. The Las Vegas scenes of
Con AirCon Air is a American action/thriller film by Touchstone Pictures that stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich. It was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of Crimson Tide and The Rock, and directed by Simon West...
were filmed at the Sands prior to its demolition.
With the Sands gone, its casino chips are now valuable collector's items due to the casino's legendary musical history, with the average $1.00 chip fetching around $30.00. Some rarer chips reach hundreds of dollars, and sometimes over $1,000.00.
Film history
The 1960 version of
Ocean's ElevenOcean's 11 is a 1960 heist film directed by Lewis Milestone and starring five Rat Packers: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford....
was filmed here. Footage of the demolition also appeared in the
closing creditsClosing credits or end credits are added at the end of a motion picture or television program to list the cast and crew involved in the production. They usually appear as a list of names in small type, which either flip very quickly from page to page, or move smoothly across the background or a...
of
The CoolerThe Cooler is a 2003 American drama film directed by Wayne Kramer. The original screenplay was written by Kramer and Frank Hannah. In gambling parlance, a "cooler" is an unlucky individual whose presence at the tables results in a streak of bad luck for the other players.-Plot:Unlucky Bernie Lootz...
. The climactic plane crash in 1997's
Con AirCon Air is a American action/thriller film by Touchstone Pictures that stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich. It was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of Crimson Tide and The Rock, and directed by Simon West...
wound up with the aircraft crashing into the soon-to-be-demolished Sands' lobby.
Musical legacy
Dean Martin ("Live At The Sands - An Evening of Music, Laughter and Hard Liquor") Frank Sinatra (
Sinatra at the SandsSinatra at the Sands is a 1966 live album by Frank Sinatra, accompanied by the Count Basie Band, conducted and arranged by Quincy Jones, recorded live at the Copa Room of the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas....
),
Sammy Davis, Jr.Samuel George Davis, Jr. was an American entertainer.Primarily a dancer and singer, Davis was a childhood vaudevillian, and became internationally famous for his performances on Broadway and Las Vegas, as a recording artist, television and film star, and the only black member of Frank Sinatra's...
(
The Sounds of '66The Sounds of '66 is a 1966 live album by Sammy Davis, Jr., accompanied by the Buddy Rich Big Band.-Track listing:# Introduction by Sammy Davis, Jr.# "Come Back to Me" – 4:12...
,
That's All!-Track listing:# "Ain't I" – 1:02# "With a Song in My Heart" – 2:45# "Another Spring" – 3:45# "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home" – 4:45...
),
Tommy SandsTommy Sands is an American pop music singer and actor.-Career:Born into a musical family in Chicago, his father was a pianist and his mother a big-band singer. While still young, he moved with his family to Shreveport, Louisiana...
,
Nat King ColeNathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat "King" Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz...
and
Count BasieWilliam "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Widely regarded as one of the most important jazz bandleaders of his time, Basie led his popular Count Basie Orchestra for almost 50 years...
(a posthumous set, also recorded during the
Sinatra at the Sands stand) were among those who recorded live albums at the Sands. The albums feature credits to many of the legendary musicians who performed on the albums and at the Copa and to band leader, producer, and musical conductor
Antonio MorelliAntonio Morelli was a producer, arranger, bandleader, movie producer, and conductor most well-known for serving as orchestra leader for the infamous Sands Hotel Copa Room in its Rat Pack heyday from 1954 through 1971. He was music director, band leader, and friend to some of the biggest names in...
who appeared on hundreds of such albums by these artists throughout the 1950s and 60s.
MorrisseySteven Patrick Morrissey , known primarily as Morrissey, is a British singer-songwriter. After a short stint in the punk rock band The Nosebleeds in the late 1970s, he rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths...
's b-side track, "At Amber" (1990) takes place at the Sands Hotel, and recounts its by-then aging and somewhat seedy atmosphere.
Legends of the Copa Room
The greatest names in the entertainment industry graced the
Copa RoomThe Copa Room was an entertainment nightclub showroom at the now-defunct Sands Hotel on The Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada.It was noteworthy for the large numbers of popular entertainers who performed there, including members of The Rat Pack, Count Basie, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Jimmy...
Stage (the showroom at the Sands, named after the famed Copacabana Club in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
) including
Judy GarlandJudy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years, Garland attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on the concert stage. Respected for her versatility, she received a Juvenile Academy...
,
Lena HorneLena Mary Calhoun Horne is an American singer and actress. She has recorded and performed extensively, independently and with other jazz notables, including Artie Shaw, Teddy Wilson, Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington, Charlie Barnet, Benny Carter and Billy Eckstine...
, (she was billed at the Sands as "The Satin Doll")
Jimmy DuranteJames Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer and movie icon, pianist, comedian and actor, whose distinctive gravel delivery, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose – his frequent jokes about it included a frequent self-reference that became his nickname:...
,
Pat CooperPat Cooper is an American comedian. Cooper is primarily known for his stand-up routines, where he often makes reference to his Italian heritage from Mola di Bari, Italy...
,
Shirley MacLaineShirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, dancer, activist, and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a large number of autobiographical works, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career...
,
Marlene DietrichMarlene Dietrich was a German-born American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself. In 1920s Berlin, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
,
Tallulah BankheadTallulah Brockman Bankhead was an American actress, talk-show host and bon vivant.- Early life and family :...
,
Bobby DarinBobby Darin was an American singer and musician.Darin performed widely in a range of music genres, including pop, jazz, folk and country...
,
Dean MartinDean Martin was an American singer, film actor and comedian. He was one of the best known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "Mambo Italiano", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That A Kick In The...
and
Jerry LewisJerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, film producer, writer, film director, singer and humanitarian. He is best-known for his slapstick humor in stage, screen, television, radio, recording and is also known for his charity fund-raising telethons and position as national chairman for the...
, along with "The Copa Girls". These were only a few of the legendary entertainers to not only perform at the Sands, but in all the showrooms along the Strip, from the late 40's until the early 90's. The public could sit ringside in a showroom holding no more than five hundred, paying as little as three dollars in the 50s up to $25.50 in the early 90s for the likes of . Much of the musical success of the Copa Room is credited to the room's band leader and musical conductor
Antonio MorelliAntonio Morelli was a producer, arranger, bandleader, movie producer, and conductor most well-known for serving as orchestra leader for the infamous Sands Hotel Copa Room in its Rat Pack heyday from 1954 through 1971. He was music director, band leader, and friend to some of the biggest names in...
. Morelli not only acted as the band leader and musical conductor for the Copa Room during the Hotel's
Rat PackThe Rat Pack was a group of popular entertainers originally centered on Humphrey Bogart. In the mid-1960s it was the name used by the press and the general public to refer to a group that called itself "the summit" or "the clan," featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter...
heyday in the 1950s and 60s, he also played that role on hundreds of recorded albums by those same entertainers who graced the stage of the Copa including
Frank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers." His professional career had stalled by the...
, Sammy Davis Jr.,
Tony BennettTony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
,
Dean MartinDean Martin was an American singer, film actor and comedian. He was one of the best known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "Mambo Italiano", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That A Kick In The...
, and many others. Often times the festivities would carry over after hours to Morrelli's home in
Las VegasLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, fine dining, and entertainment. Las Vegas, which bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for the number of...
, nicknamed "The
Morelli HouseMorelli House at 861 East Bridger Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada is listed on both the city and state registers of Historic Places. Built in 1959, it is a classic example of mid-century modern construction.- History :...
, which was eventually relocated and sanctioned an historical landmark by the State of
NevadaNevada is a state located in the western region of the United States. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is Silver State, due to the large number of silver deposits that were discovered and mined there...
.
External links