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Silver Slipper

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Coordinates: 36°7′46″N 115°10′6″W / 36.12944°N 115.16833°W / 36.12944; -115.16833
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For the casino in Mississippi, see Silver Slipper Casino (Waveland). For the Texas and Pacific Railway train, see Silver Slipper (train).
The Silver Slipper
The Silver Slipper is located in Las Vegas Strip
The Silver Slipper
The Silver Slipper is located in Nevada
The Silver Slipper
Location Paradise, Nevada
Address Las Vegas Boulevard
Opening dateSeptember 1950
Closing dateNovember 28, 1988; 35 years ago (November 28, 1988)
Total gaming space35,000 sq ft (3,300 m2)
Casino typeLand
OwnerMargaret Elardi
ArchitectMartin Stern, Jr.
Previous namesGolden Slipper[1]
Coordinates36°7′46″N 115°10′6″W / 36.12944°N 115.16833°W / 36.12944; -115.16833

The Silver Slipper was a casino in Paradise, Nevada, that operated from September 1950 to November 29, 1988. The building was designed by architect Martin Stern, Jr.

History

Opened in 1950, the casino was built on the grounds of the Last Frontier Village[1] of the Hotel Last Frontier, and was originally named the Golden Slipper Saloon and Gambling Hall. The owner originally wanted to call it the Silver Slipper, but there already was an existing establishment with that name. The problem was solved when that small operation was purchased and closed, and the Golden Slipper became the Silver Slipper.

In April 1964, the casino became the first in Nevada to be shut down on cheating charges. Agents raided the Silver Slipper for using "flat" dice and for having other rigged games.[2]

On April 30, 1968, the Silver Slipper was purchased by businessman Howard Hughes for $5.4 million in his famous spending spree of buying Vegas properties, which included the Frontier next door.[1]

The casino was purchased for $70 million on June 23, 1988 by Margaret Elardi, who by this time owned the Frontier. It was demolished several months later and turned into a parking lot for the Frontier until its closing and demolition in 2007. There were plans to build an addition to the Frontier on its former grounds; however, they had to eventually be scrapped due to a costly union strike taking place, which put a severe financial strain on the resort.

Signage

The neon slipper after its 2009 restoration

The casino was known for having a large, rotating neon slipper, designed by Jack Larsen Sr. and manufactured by YESCO.[3] It is 12 feet high and includes 900 bulbs, with an additional 80 built into a bow that covers the toe area.[4]

The slipper was installed in 1954 or 1955, originally on the casino rooftop.[3] The casino is briefly featured in the 1957 film The Amazing Colossal Man, in which a man grows to gargantuan height and travels through Las Vegas, at one point dismantling the slipper.[5][6][7] In 1965, the slipper was moved to a sign directly alongside the Strip.[3]

Myths

In 1968, Hughes was living in a penthouse at his Desert Inn resort, located across the street. Persistent, false stories claim that Hughes took over the Silver Slipper specifically because of its neon slipper. These stories originated with a 1967 article by columnist Earl Wilson, who wrote:[8][9]

[Hughes] found the lights of the Silver Slipper, across the Strip, interfered with his sleep. Associates say he had them request the Silver Slipper to dim its lights. They refused. His emissaries say he has instructed them to negotiate for the purchase of the Slipper so it will no longer interfere with his sleep.

Another story is that the reclusive Hughes was paranoid about photographers hiding in the toe area of the slipper in order to snap photos of him in his penthouse. As such, he purportedly wanted the slipper's rotating mechanism disabled and had it filled with concrete. In reality, Hughes had kept his drapes closed at all times, which would have prevented any bright lights or photographers from bothering him.[8][9] Hughes himself never wrote of the neon slipper in his extensive archive of memos,[8] and concrete was never found in the rotating mechanism.[9]

Preservation

After the casino closed, the slipper was acquired by the city's Neon Museum for preservation. At some point during its years in storage, singer Wayne Newton posed with the slipper for a promotional shoot. One of his feet broke through the toe area of the slipper as he stepped onto it, a result of its age.[10]

In 2009, the slipper was installed on a median along North Las Vegas Boulevard, in front of the Neon Museum.[10] The slipper had undergone restoration, which included new wiring and paint, as well as repair work to the toe area.[11] In 2018, the museum changed the slipper's sole and insole paint from red to blue, matching the original color scheme according to early photographs.[12][13]

Another sign, a neon arch that read "free parking", was also preserved after the casino's closure. It was purchased by the Exchange Club casino in Beatty, Nevada, and was relocated there to mark its parking lot, before being toppled by strong wind in 2018.[14]

Other Silver Slipper signs at the Neon Museum, 2017; and the "free parking" sign in Beatty, 1989

Live entertainment

Comedian Hank Henry was a frequent entertainer at the Silver Slipper during the 1950s.[15][16] Transgender singer Christine Jorgensen also performed there in 1955.[17][18] Other entertainers included singers Fifi D'Orsay, Nellie Lutcher and Rusty Draper, and comedians Billy Gilbert and Buster Keaton.[19] A weekly boxing series, Strip Fight of the Week, took place at the Silver Slipper from the 1960s to 1982.[20]

A 400-seat showroom, the Gaiety Theatre, opened on August 3, 1966. Another venue, the Red Garter Lounge, was also added.[21] The casino hosted several burlesque shows,[22] including Minsky's Burlesque (1965–1967),[23][24][25] and Wonderful World of Burlesque (1968–1973).[26][27][28]

Drag queen Kenny Kerr opened a show, titled Boy-lesque, at the theater in 1977.[29][30][31] It featured a variety of female impersonators, including Kerr,[32] who portrayed singers such as Barbra Streisand and Cher.[33] The show was a hit for the Silver Slipper, and continued running for the next 11 years, up until the casino's closure.[31][32]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Silver Slipper". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2009-08-08. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  2. ^ "LAS VEGAS CASINO SHUT FOR CHEATNG". 4 April 1964 – via www.nytimes.com.
  3. ^ a b c "Silver Slipper at Young Electric Sign Co, Las Vegas, c. 1954/1955". Vintage Las Vegas. January 26, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  4. ^ Toplikar, Dave (November 6, 2009). "Las Vegas Boulevard sign-lighting ceremony set for Monday". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  5. ^ Holabird, Robin (2017). Elvis, Marilyn, and the Space Aliens: Icons on Screen in Nevada. University of Nevada Press. ISBN 978-0-87417-465-6. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  6. ^ Carter, Geoff (June 10, 2021). "Hollywood keeps destroying Las Vegas on film. We've had enough". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  7. ^ Lawrence, Christopher (October 16, 2023). "How many of these 13 Las Vegas horror movies have you seen?". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c "Silver Slipper". Vintage Las Vegas. April 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Levitan, Corey (November 10, 2023). "Vegas Myths Re-busted: Howard Hughes Bought Silver Slipper Just to Dim its Sign". Casino.org. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Toplikar, Dave (November 9, 2009). "Refurbished signs a step forward in preserving Las Vegas' past". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  11. ^ Choate, Alan (August 31, 2009). "Vintage signs will soon light up Las Vegas Boulevard". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  12. ^ "Neon Museum Restores Silver Slipper Sign Paint Color To Original Silver, Gold, Blue". Neon Museum. August 2018. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022.
  13. ^ Seeman, Matthew (August 7, 2018). "Neon Museum restores Silver Slipper sign on Las Vegas Boulevard". KSNV. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  14. ^ Stephens, Richard (April 18, 2018). "Wind destroys piece of old Vegas in Beatty". Pahrump Valley Times. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  15. ^ "Comedian Hank Henry Is Las Vegas Fixture". Logansport Pharos-Tribune. May 19, 1956. Retrieved August 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Johnson, Erskine (October 26, 1957). "Comedian Hank Henry Finds Rainbow's End In Las Vegas". Redlands Daily Facts. Retrieved August 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Christine Jorgensen is Silver Slipper Hit". Las Vegas Review-Journal. December 2, 1955. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  18. ^ "Christine Jorgensen, the First Transgender Celebrity". Neon Museum. 21 June 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  19. ^ "Colorful hotel history". Las Vegas Sun. April 4, 1955. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  20. ^ Retrieved August 9, 2024:
  21. ^ "Slipper Opens New Theatre Revue Here". Las Vegas Review-Journal. August 5, 1966. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  22. ^ Hawley, Tom (November 27, 2019). "Video Vault | The Silver Slipper closes its doors forever". KSNV. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  23. ^ "Minsky Show Opens Silver Slipper". Las Vegas Review-Journal. October 20, 1965. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  24. ^ "Minsky Show Opens Again At 'Slipper". Las Vegas Review-Journal. September 11, 1967. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  25. ^ "Minsky's Burlesque Moves To Thunderbird". Las Vegas Review-Journal. January 12, 1968. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  26. ^ "Wonderful World Set for Silver Slipper". Las Vegas Review-Journal. December 16, 1967. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  27. ^ "Silver Slipper presents Barry Ashton's burlesque". Las Vegas Review-Journal. April 7, 1972. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  28. ^ "The Duke of Las Vegas". Needles Desert Star. March 22, 1973. Retrieved August 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "'Boy-Lesque' Big Hit at Silver Slipper". Las Vegas Review-Journal. May 20, 1977. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  30. ^ "Question of the Day". Las Vegas Advisor. January 4, 2010. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  31. ^ a b McKee, David (November 16, 2016). "Gone but not forgotten: More spectacles, performers and producers that left their mark on Las Vegas". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  32. ^ a b Hawley, Tom (March 14, 2018). "Video Vault: Classic Las Vegas commercial showcased big change in Strip entertainment". KSNV. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  33. ^ Weatherford, Mike (April 29, 2013). "Kerr, a drag queen star in Las Vegas, dies". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
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