Want to see something beautiful and awe inspiring?

The Soweto Gospel Choir posed as shoppers and store workers at Woolworths in Johannesburg to sing Asimbonanga [We have not seen him] in tribute of Nelson Mandela.

That Wonderful CBS Animated Christmas Greeting

That Wonderful CBS Animated Christmas Greeting from 1966 that aired into the 1970s

 

Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin - The Rat Pack Tour 1977

 In the summer of 77 Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra did something they had never done before - they went on tour together. This is a little known fact, I've never read about the experience in any of the books on the guys. If you want to read in detail about it check out my oral history of the time, Beyond Our Wildest Dreams wherein the Alberici Sisters and other former Golddiggers share stories working with Dean Martin (and Frank Sinatra on this tour).

Sinatra was on the road a great deal but Dean stayed put in Las Vegas, he had no desire to travel, he lived to play golf.

As a request from the owner of The Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, NJ Frank asked Dean to accompany him for a month of shows starting with 2 weeks at the Westchester Premier Theater in Tarrytown, New York on May 17, 1977. Next they performed a week at The Latin Casino and ended the tour at Chicago’s fabled Sabre Room.

Both entertainers were at the top of their game, though people complained that Sinatra had lost his voice at the time he sounds amazingly vigorous here. These selections were recorded from the table at the Latin Casino & Westchester Premier.

Dean from the 1977 Rat Pack tour: “Here’s a song that maybe six or seven of you might remember. And I hope I’m one of ’em.”

Here from the Westchester is Dean's opening comedy monologue:



Frank sings his favorite 'saloon song' Here's That Rainy Day - he never sounded better than he does here. This is an incredible performance from the Westchester Premier.


From The Latin Casino Dean clowns around, sings his signature tune - then Frank buts in.




Dialogue from the 1977 Rat Pack tour:
Frank: I want to ask you a question. What the hell were you doing drinking 7-Up? How dare you, you’re out of the club.
Dean: I wasn’t drinking 7-Up.
Frank: What were you cleaning with it? Your lighter?
Dean: No, I was pouring it for Rocky.
Frank: Oh, Rocky. I didn’t know he drank 7-Up either. You go out with him now?
Dean: Yeah, what the hell? I’m gettin’ tired of them girls.
(Dean was dating a girl named Rocky at the time.)

From The Latin Casino Dean & Frank do their Rat Pack schtick for the show's conclusion. Boy is Dean drunk here, they did 2 shows a night.



While Dean stuck to the same songs every night Frank switched things up a bit as the tour progressed. Sinatra began the engagement opening with a disco version of 'All Or Nothing At All,' a tune he introduced on Sinatra and Friends, his TV special from April of that year. He must have realized the song was a stiff because by the time you arrived at the Latin Casino he dropped 'All Or Nothing At All' and replaced it with a more traditionally arranged 'I've Got You Under My Skin' which was a real crowd pleaser.

The Westchester Premier Theater was where Frank Sinatra was photographed backstage with the area’s most notorious mafia figures. That picture, taken in 1976, would haunt him for the rest of his life after the FBI got a hold of it.

For more on classic Las Vegas Entertainment go to VegasLegends.net

Johnny Carson Christmas 1979 Toy Review

 Here's Johnny Carson's Christmas show from December 20, 1979 with David Letterman, Bruce Dern, and Johnny & Ed's toy review for the holiday season. Wow does the monologue bomb! Hilarious... with the original commercials.

Comedian Pat Cooper on Sinatra, Dean Martin & Las Vegas Today

This is the first part of a phone conversation I had in 2011 with legendary comedian Pat Cooper, one of the few links we have to the greatest era of entertainment Las Vegas - and the world - will ever know. He shares his thoughts about Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and how Las Vegas has changed since the 1960s & 1970s.

Famous for his hot-headedness it's no surprise that Pat Cooper is brutally honest in his assessment of his late performing partners. Coming soon I'm going to bring you some very rare recordings with Dean & Frank, stay tuned!



For more on classic Las Vegas Entertainment go to VegasLegends.net

Groucho's 1955 Christmas broadcast

Groucho Marx' You Bet Your Life wasn't just a hit on TV it was popular on radio at the same time. Here's the December 21 1955 broadcast - not really Holiday themed but it's what folks were listening to at home almost 60 Christmases ago.



TVparty! Retro Christmas Explosion!

The Carpenters Sublime Christmas Specials of the 70s

 In the late-1970s Karen & Richard Carpenter starred in two spectacular Christmas specials, and here they are in their entirety. These two hours surely rank as two of the greatest holiday specials of all time.

The first was 1977's The Carpenters at Christmas - Karen's sublime voice was never better, the group's versions of the carols we all love are pitch perfect.



Christmas 1978 saw the debut of A Christmas Portrait, coinciding with the release of the classic holiday recording of the same name.



Read all about these shows a watch a tour of the Carpenter's home.