Fly on the Wall: Recollections of Las Vegas' Good Old, Bad Old Days

by Dick Odessky

     Imagine what it must have been like to be in Las Vegas during its most glamorous and eventful years: the 1950s, when you could rub elbows with powerful politicians, famous entertainers, and notorious gangsters; the 1960s, when Howard Hughes’ corporate invasion changed casinos forever; and the 1970s, which were immortalized by the movie Casino.

     Back then, “the boys” ran the town, dinner shows were a dollar, and vacant lots on what is now the Strip sold for $5 an acre. Tallulah played baccarat, Shecky shot dice, and Frank dealt blackjack.

     As a reporter for two of the city’s most respected newspapers and a publicist for two of its most infamous casinos, Dick Odessky was in the thick of it—the proverbial fly on the wall. His recollections of Las Vegas’ good old, bad old days put you in the thick of it, too.

 

238 pages • TRADE PAPER
10-Digit ISBN: 0-929712-62-5 • 13-Digit ISBN: 978-0-929712-62-8 • $14.95us