Las Vegas: The buff history
Seinfeld" star Jason Alexander onstage in a body stocking is not a legendary moment in the history of Las Vegas nudity. But the "Donny Clay Experience" got us thinking What would those moments be?
Since the late '50s, some form of nudity has played a pivotal role in Las Vegas entertainment -- and in shaping the world's perception of our city.
"We made a lot of money in the early years being the rogue culture -- not mainstream America, not something the Bible Belt would embrace," said Eugene Moehring, professor of history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "People would drink, gamble and go see a dirty show that would be banned in New York or another city.
"And that continues today, with some of the clubs in the hotels trying to take business away from the nudie clubs along Industrial Road."
Hey, they don't call it the Strip for nothing. Here are some classic moments:
1957: First topless Las Vegas revue opens
With its exorbitant entertainment budget, the Sands ruled the showgirl roost. So promoter Harold Minsky hatched an idea that not only cost no extra money, it might have even saved some (in wardrobe). Minsky blew the top off the struggling Dunes by taking the tops off the showgirls. "Minsky's Follies" -- which drew a record 16,000 people in its first week -- opened in the Arabian Room and featured comedian Lou Costello (thankfully, with top).
According to Moehring, the shattering of this taboo ushered in a "new morality" -- along with the films of Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren -- that swept the nation and led directly to the '60s sexual revolution.
1968: Valerie Perrine dances topless
Valerie Perrine opened a door through which only she could squeeze. No other topless performer in Las Vegas -- before or since -- has gone on to receive an Oscar nomination. Perrine -- nominated as Dustin Hoffman's leading lady in 1974's "Lenny" -- jiggled for about a year in "Lido de Paris" at the Stardust. (Oscar-winner Goldie Hawn danced at the Desert Inn a few years earlier, but only covered.)
"I was just incredibly lucky," Perrine said. "I never thought about the future back then."
1969: Valley's first full-frontal strip club opens
The Palomino's naked significance goes even further. As the only full-frontal club still standing in 1973, it was grandfathered in when the law changed to forbid simultaneous nudity and liquor licenses. That's why the Palomino remains the only valley club serving up both fully nude dancers and alcohol. (According to current owner Adam Gentile, it can continue doing so until 2020.)
1979: First (and last) full-frontal Strip show
Porn star Marilyn Chambers brought the first and only all-nude performance to Las Vegas Boulevard South when her one-woman play, "The Sex Surrogate," opened at the Jolly Trolley Casino (now Bonanza Gifts). Ignoring pleas from management to stop at her G-string, Chambers found her show promptly closed because of pressure from local officials who pointed out (rightly so) that full nudity is banned in casinos with unrestricted gaming licenses.
1991: Jenna Jameson begins career at Crazy Horse Too
A career in show-all business began here for the future porn star and her fake ID, according to Jameson's autobiography. Even this notorious den of inequity refused to hire the 17-year-old, however, until she removed her braces. (Her brother did it with a pair of pliers.)
1993-1996: Penn & Teller make clothes vanish
During their Bally's gig, the magic men appeared naked -- behind a sheet. "Lucky" audience members would be called upon to peek behind that sheet -- most of whom were gripped either by fear or the giggles -- and Penn & Teller pretended to pull flowers, coins and guns literally out of their enough said.
1995: "Showgirls" movie opens
This celluloid clunker simultaneously destroyed the Hollywood careers of writer Joe Eszterhas and actress Elizabeth Berkley. But it also successfully repackaged Las Vegas sin -- which had lost some serious edge by the early '90s -- for the "Saved By the Bell" generation. Scenes were shot at the Cheetah's strip club and the Stardust.
2001: "Crazy Horse PARIS" opens at MGM Grand
The MGM Grand eroticized the relatively tame topless showgirl archetype by importing the suggestive "Crazy Horse" revue from Paris, where it has been titillating audiences since 1951. (Originally called "La Femme," MGM changed the name to "Crazy Horse Paris" in 2007.) This is as close as any Vegas show currently broaches the law against nudity in a casino. (The topless actresses occasionally appear to be fully nude onstage, but lighting and blocking tricks prevent thorough scrutiny.) In 2009, Carmen Electra danced topless here in a six-night run.
2006: Oops, Britney Spears flashes again
According to news reports, crazy-period Brit dropped trou at the Wynn's club Tryst, dancing in only a blouse and fishnet stockings.
2009: "peepshow" DROPS PASTIES
"Peepshow" opened last April but was less open than some patrons desired. So, a month later, the Planet Hollywood show cut the pasties. Two months later, "Girls Next Door" star Holly Madison replaced Kelly Monaco and gave crowds something to really peep at.
2009: "Naked Boys Singing" opens
The off-Strip musical, imported from off-Broadway, features seven off-clothed men singing and dancing.
2009: "The Hangover" star hangs out
In a scene nobody who saw "The Hangover" can forget -- no matter how hard he or she tries -- Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) pops out of the trunk of a 1969 Mercedes-Benz Cabriolet au naturel, beats the movie's confused protagonists silly and then streaks off toward the Strip.
Contact reporter Corey Levitan at clevitan@review journal.com or 702-383-0456.
