Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 2

prn tv- 1 RZXO ETEyiNG GAZETTE Jamrary II, 1356 Will Golden Bubble Burst? Crest Has Lana Turner "Diane," now playing at the George Raft, never one to throw his money around, is putting up 565,000 for a mere two per cent of the Flamingo Hotel, one of the old established gold mines. But for the new spots, the out-lock isn't easy. The Moulin Rouge, first experiment in an interracial hotel here, is padlocked eloquent pink-stuccoed testimony to the hard fact that this ii no Utopia in the desert. The Royal Nevada needed a $685,000 transfusion to help it stay in business over the holidays. The Dunes has been taken over by the management of the healthy Sands, but has yet to build ud a steady patronage.

The Royal Nevada's casino was panicked to a close on New Year's Eve when sheriff's deputies, armed with a writ of attachment from the culinary and bartenders union, moved in to seize assets. and high salaries cut the margin of profit. Milton Prell at the Sahara claims the profit on gambling is less than 10 per cent- The Sahara and the Sands, like the Desert Inn, are operations. The big three each emoloys from 600 to 800 persons, quite sizeable payrolls when matched against the fact none has more than 440 rooms. The Sahara plans to expand to 600 this year.

All three are in the big-time entertainment whirl, particularly the Sahara and Sands. The former claims to have pioneered the vogue for high-priced acts with Marlene Dietrich's initial appearance here in 1933. Prell and Manager Jack Entratter of the Sands say they spend $200,000 a month for all entertainment, including the small combos that make Las Vegas casinos a bouncy bedlam from 6 p. m. to 6 a.m.

ADVERTISING! PAYS The Sands has an advertising budget of $230,000 a year. Entratter says it has paid off to the point where easterners now constitute s. ifci j- i COUNT TIIREk AND PRAY" Van Heflin stars in "Count Three and Pray now at the Granada Theater in CinemaScope and color. liiiil "IT'S A DOG'S LFE Jarma Lewis and Jeff Chandler share' the spotlight with "Wildfire" in "It's a Dog's Life" in CinemaScope and color now at the Crest Theater. "Diane" is the other feature.

rr 4 1 1 (Editor's note: Is the golden bubble that is Las Vegas about to bust? Are more fancy hotels building than can be kept operating, even in the midst of millions in gambling money Here's a survey that goes behind the batteries of slot machines and into the offices of the managers who run the big bonanza). By BILL BECKER LAS VEGAS, Jan. 14. UP) To those who have never seen it before, the sight of plush hotels rising from the sand, after miles and miles of sagebrush and Joshua trees, has always had the unreal look of a miracle. But this was solid, postwar Las Vegas, a storied string of neon- lit, odd-angled structures, each built around a swimming pool.

These were houses' that jack built the kind of jack that keeps slot machines and roulette wheels spinning. EASY MONEY LAND This w-as the land of easy money for the men who owned the gambling halls. The lure of winning brought suckers by the thousands. They lost enough on the crap tables and the wheels, at blackjack and in the slots, to finance salaries well up in five fig ures a week for entertainers, and to keep the state of Nevada rela tively tax-iree. For those who are sentimental about money, it may be comfort ing to know that reports of the imminent demise of these pleasure palaces appear prema ture.

There is no crash in the offing, maybe not even a depression. But behind their gleaming facades, the operators of most of the lux ury casino-hotels are operating with new efficiency. They realize that the foldup of two casinos and the refinancing of two others in 1955 is a straw in the wind which whips across the surrounding sand dunes. Big stacks still are riding on the future of the town. But the chips are being placed with considerable care, and for the first time bets are hedged a bit.

FOUR MORE TO OPEN Four hotels opened last year: The Moulin Rouge, Riviera, Dunes and the Royal Nevada. None was a sensational success. Yet there are indications four more will open this year. Wilbur Clark, of the Desert Inn, generally conceded to be the sturdiest operation on the Strip that section of U. S.

91 south of town where most of the lavish layouts cluster weighs the fu ture with a sturdy optimism. "This town can absorb one new big casino-hotel a year for the next 100 years," says Clark. "We're nowhere near the satur ation point. There are 160 Ynil lion, people in the United States who want to come here, and so does the rest of the world." Some of the other operators find less reason for cheer. The consensus of a recent sur vey seems to be: Business is good for the established hotels, but newcomers are in for tough times unless they are solidly managed.

$30 MILLION GROSS The 11 resort hotels on the Strip grossed 30 million dollars from gambling in the first months control board says this is a 25 per cent increase over the same period in 1954. This doesn't sound like the town is about to go under. Neither does the news that DANCING FRIDAY and SATURDAY Music By GENE'S MELODY THREE ELBOW ROOM 2002 ST. DANCING SAT. NIGHTS Music Provided by BOB'S WESTERNERS Bob Jenkins, Curly Duran, and Tom Rogio U.

S. 40 TAVERN Opon 34 Hours (Home of Western Music) 640 EAST FOURTH ST. SPARKS yumummammamtBri mmm i mm 1 Jn 1 ir Li ALL TILiT IIEAVEN Rock Hudson, Jane Wyman and Agnes Moorehead in "All That Heaven Allows" now playing at the Majestic Theater. Dealers, croupiers and other help who claimed they hadn't been paid that week scooped up all chips in sight and marched to the cashier's window. General Manager Bill Miller woefully admitted they drained the last of the Royal Nevada's re financing cushion.

It ran out in a little more than four months. The management is seeking new backers for a reopening, but the outlook with unpaid bills and salaries totaling about does not appear bright. The Dunes, meanwhile, is cut ting expenses by closing its theater restaurant and installing a new gimmick for Las Vegas- all-night dancing in an enlarged cocktail lounge. SPARSELY FILLED And the two biggest additions, the Riviera and the renovated New Frontier once the Last Frontier have been sparsely filled except for weekends and holidays in recent months. The nine-story Riviera, with a plant valued at nearly 10 million, has undergone the most drastic keel-hauling.

The group which formerly owned the Flamingo, with Benny Goffstein as executive vice president, has cut the staff and overhead roughly in half. "We may be in for a rough haul for awhile, but I have confidence in this town," says Goffstein. Needless to say, there won't be any more outlays like the $30,000 a week Liberace and his troupe were paid to open the hotel last April. Virtually all operators agree that if Las Vegas is to continue expanding, new markets above all, the free-spending convention trade must be tapped. They are pushing for a convention hall and will contribute- through increased taxes to the estimated 4 million dollar cost.

They hope, however, that the 50,000 citizens of Las Vegas will subscribe to a 20-year bond issue to defray most of the tab. What of 1956? More hustling for the eastern business, with increased budgets for national advertising and promotion, seems likely in most quarters. Less ex penditure for fancy talent in the big theater rooms, with some strip spots even hinting they might even close up their big rooms except for weekends. And, above all, more efficient operation of all departments, with special emphasis on the hotel and dining room phases. Getting accurate figures on casino operations is equivalent to getting data on the amount of gold at Fort Knox.

However, Bel- don Katleman, owner of El Rancho Vegas, expressing the general philosophy of the strip when he says: "The casino shouldn't be expected to pay for the whole operation, although it should be sufficient to offset the cost of big name entertainment. The hotel end should pay for itself." Clark says the Desert Inn casino brings in roughly 75 per cent of all revenue, but gambling taxes I'm rushing down to got on of Ihoso DELICIOUS CORNED BEEF SANDWICHES on Russian Rye Bread With a Slice of Kosher Dill Pickle Cftjk JIIIV uuw WINE HOUSE FXANCOVICH BROS. 1 8 East Commercial PHONE 3-5821 Row Crest Theater, is a story of a beautiful woman and of an eternal romance which survives political mtrlffue, the conflict of nations, and hatred of the world's most feared woman, Catherine de MedicL Lana Turner, Pedro Armen-dariz, Roger Moore, Marisa Pavan and Sir Cedric Hardwick. its stars, match the excitemtnt of the story, based on the manuscript of John Erskine and written for the screen by Christopher Isherwood. Forty-two sets, a specially created twenty acre farm, reproduction of five ereat chateau of France, a boar hunt, plus such detailed designs as Francis throne room and throne covered in white velvet embroidered with cold fleur-de-lia, made up the overall background of the film.

The great tournaments of the times flash on the screen with kings of Europe crossing lances with one another. Fencing scenes feature Miss Turner and Moore, blanding laughs and love making with the flash of their oils. now TWO MAGNIFICENT STAIS IN A TENDER IOVI STOIT "ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS" In Color fliw: Short Cemedf Carlo on Newt VI J4 iT lt rZh! OHOMI -0 ContinvoiM from 1 m. liUII -ittlocry- Triumphs! Van Heflin "COUNT THREE flHD PRAY" In Color and Cinmacop 1:00, 4:30, 7:40, 11 p.m. 2ND FEATURE Farley Granger "Haked Slreel" O0, 4:1 3, 9:30 p.m.

Lmt Ttmtf Tonight "HIGH and MIGHTY" Scroon "THE LOOTERS' 4:04 STARTS SUNDAY "GUII FIGHTERS" With Randolph Scott "Gsnilemen Harry Kiddie Cartoon Matinee lK) PM. 2 BIG PICTURES "CFIITLEMEII MARRY DRUIIETTES" Starring Jan Russell Scroen tint 3:20 7:05 10:40 AND "VANISHING AMERICAN" 6 iv vJP vcauho Why Slave Cook? When Chicken In the Foil from the Grand Caf will pleasant relief from cooking and dirty dishes. Serred with Shoestrincs and Toasted Garlic Bread tl.5 Delivered warm to your door in orders of 4 or more. Phone 3 S8J1. SAVE BEER -WINE LIQUORS TREMENDOUS SAVINGS ON ALL PACKAGE LIQUORS WAGON WHEEL Open 'Round Th Clock 116 COMMERCIAL ROW ArwVN -'1 mni ii i hi I i I Is.

IN ADDITION TO "THE FINEST PIZZA" SERVED ANYWHERE rESTINAS 1 1 Note Serving SPAGHETTI ond RAVIOU 9 Cooked lo order the Way You Like Theml ORDERS TO TAKE OUT OF COURSEI OPEN EVERYDAY 12 noon 4 a.m. TUESDAYS 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. 2800 S. Virginia Ph.

3-7239 iiiui, ii.iiMii,iii.mni., n.n I'M Dial 3-4822 The Big, Buxom, Beautiful MutlcaU 4-i hr- coV f4 From Zon Grey's greatest nr. rr ester rvmunca. trf rri. wnmn Screen 3. -00, 6:30, CARTOON dm Jr BRITTOH viii- revue in Hotel Mapes Skyroom.

in Skyroom Ing for more- She began her career with band leader Joe Reichman, and later was signed by Benny Goodman. Her record ing of "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" has sold over one million copies. Sharing honors in the revue is Lenny Maxwell, comedian. Maxwell's blend of humor is carefully contrived with a mixture of gags and impressions that keeps the audience in laughter. Lenny also uses a trumpet and does a take-off on Louis Arm strong, as well as Harry James.

The Mapes Skylets, in a Jolene Lontere Production, again please the audience with their interpretive dance routines, plus var ious solo numbers of the line. The costuming is as usual, exception ally beautiful. The entire revue Is made complete by the music of Eddie Fitz- patrick and his famous orchestra. The 39-story Secretariat build-ing at the United Nations head quarters in New York provides offices for 3400 persons of 63 different nationalities. a a Jive With a Drive SUNDAY 5 PM TIL? I Western Jamboree I Melody Meadows 2 Mi.

out E. 2nd on Glendal Rf. PHONE 5-9997 FREE SNACKS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY Papular Dane Music feafuring EDYTHE GRIMM Busg Cotter Owner a BBS JAZZ TRIO FRI. SAT. SPORTSMAN cms 602 SPARKS ladies Wecom DANCE AT THE GRAND OPENING THE WESTERNAIRS MOANA STEAK HOUSE ALL AGES WELCOME LISTEN TO WESTERN ROUNDUP HEARD OVER KATO 5 DATS A WEEK I two-thirds of the hotel's clientele.

Along with Katelman, he firmly believes Las Vegas is more than just a playground for southern Californians even though their numbers are increasing steadily. Clark, who has the Desert Inn from a 4i to 12 million dollar valuation in five years, and Fred Saigh, former owner of the St. Loui Cardinals, have plans for a shopping center on one side of the strip. Prell and his associates are mapping out a similar project on the other side. More casinos, more employe's, more residents, continuing prosperity if not the fantastic boom of the first nine postwar years so runs the thinking of the successful operators.

But the fact that, for the first time in a decade, there are now a few not-so-successful practitioners has already aroused official concern. The chairman of the state gaming control board, Robbins Cahill, recently said Las Vegas may be driven toward depression by "overdevelopment." lie blamed speculators who ignore economic facts and invest blindly on the appeal of the town's "fabulous reputation." Statistics bear out Clark's contention that there are still quite a few persons with more than a mild curiosity about the town. Traffic through Las Vegas hit an all-time high In 1953. Nearly a half-million air passengers cleared through McCarran field, an increase of about 60 per cent over 1954. Auto, bus and rail passengers were up about 15 per cent.

Eut while there were more spenders, it was generally noted they were spending less per head than in past years. The strip's purpose, obviously, is to make it up in volume. The operators are hopeful added flights by United, Trans-World, Western and Bonanza Airlines will keep 'em coming in 1956. But whether the influx will increase enough to support all of the major casino hotels is the question of the new year. TRIAL DATE SET PORTOLA Fred Owenby of Portola appeared in the Beck-wourth Judicial district court Wednesday morning where he pleaded not guilty to a charge of disturbing the peace made against him by his wife, Arlirte Owenby.

He demanded a trial by judge and Judge Lloyd Boone set the date for the trial as Jan. 18. Have You Been To The STIRRUP GUP LATELY? Sunday Buffet Suppers $1.00 Hi-Fi Music by K-ONE WORKING imi ATTENTION EVERY DAY FOOD SPECIALS Breaded Veal 70c Liver and Onions 70c Spaghetti, Meat Ball 85c Spaghetti, Italian Style. 75c Ham, Bacon, Sausage ggs, potatoes, toast 70c Hot Cakes 25c New York or Rib Steak. 60 potatoes, bread, butter ELITE CAFE 208 North Center GOOD FOOD GUARANTEED SLn ill In an Adult Story of Love and Desire! 'A KAREN GL4NDLER heads 'Kiss Me1 Girl Heading the Skvroom revue In Hotel Mapes is the "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" girl, Karen Chandler.

This little lady with the big voice sings the kind of songs, that nas me toKyroom audiences asK Voice, DIciion Classes Resume Classes in voice, diction and acting technique will open at the Reno Little Theater Monday, January 16. Mrs. Eve Loomis, who will instruct the classes again this year, said today that there are a few cpenings and that those interested should appear at Reno Little Theater Monday night to sign up for the course. Classes are held once a week for two hours, Mondays from 7 to 9 o'clock in the evening. 2 Top CinemaScope UGH Hits in Color HIT NO.

1 MOM MttCMT OkcmaScopE P9 COLOR I The Great Spectacular Romance! Vf? LanaHjrner RDM MSI MAftSA SID COTC jaiEKBAtgWOCRE-PAYJUI HARPWICKE HIT NO. 2 M-O-M 'IT'S A DOG'S LIFE' Bs4 mom tmi main iarding cxyis ory-T ti SmtsteTI JEFF RiCRAIDS-IARHJl LEWIS EDMUND CWINN DEAN JACGHJAflDFTO COLOR CINimaScoPE Karen Chandler. and lenny Maxwell A Fox Wtsl Coast Theafro m. y-VIss I Lawton Hot Springs BATHS NOW OPEN PRIVATE POOLS AND PLUNGE 5 MINUTES WEST ON HI WAY 43 PHONE 2-S488 li win in im i a ii.ij. iiJi iiii hlm mmm 1H El -A.

I Scontinuou from 1 -31 scon Yfl Nu kkAmy Vfl 7 ii a ii ii a ii i ii -yi a i i Tnrfl ALAN SCOTT a W3AJESTIC HOWIO Ljy rran i i rv i i i v-x I HiPK RU0Y fir I i To Introduce our new snack bar AND prove that our machines are as generous as the MOST GENEROUS IN TOWN, we are having a $2 000 CASH GIVEAWAY On January 22nd at 8:30 Come In to the PALACE CLUB and get your circular giving full details. Jlie f-aiace CiuL CENTER AT COMMERCIAL ROW Mi. Sf WHTERBJ with AGNES MXREHEA0 CONRAD KAGEL VIRGINIA GREY OflflTT Randolph uulll I Barbara tttttt tttal ruin ft tdtram iiciKiiTucxt.ctuinj unn WORLD NEWS Plus, "Shot In The Frontier' Cartoon and News FEATURE STARTS, 1:20, 3:40, 5:45, 7:55, 10:00.