Thursday, Sept. 26, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
With a little determined threshing, you can shake from Caesars Palace's 30-year past a tidy pile of tidbits and trivia: It was originally to be named the Cabana Place. Founder Jay Sarno believed its oval shape held special properties. Andy Williams was the first headliner, "Rome Swings" the first production show. You probably don't remember, but Loretta Swit once played Agnes Gooch in "Mame" there. You probably do remember the fall of Evel.
You probably don't recall David Janssen in "Where It's At," although you probably do remember Robert Redford riding a horse through the casino in "Electric Horseman." You guessed it -- both filmed at Caesars. Eight Jerry Lewis telethons were taped there, as were eight "Circuses of the Stars" and numerous TV shows. Boxing! Auto racing! Tennis!
The trivia pursuit could go on endlessly -- Don't overlook Tony Randall! -- thanks to the resort's rich history. Everybody who's anybody has performed there and everyone else has come to watch. Still, while any venture that begins with a burst of song by Andy Williams is almost certain to succeed, it's unlikely that, back in 1966, the builders of Caesars Palace could foresee the degree to which their joint would come to embody Las Vegas.
"It's the most familiar name in Las Vegas," says veteran TV producer George Schlatter, who once booked entertainment acts in Las Vegas. "When you think of Las Vegas, you think of Caesars Palace."
Three decades, several changes of leadership and many expansions later, Rome still swings, so break out the noisemakers and party togas -- although Caesars' 30th anniversary was technically Aug. 5, it's celebrating Sunday with a celebrity-spackled wingding that'll be filmed for broadcast on ABC in November.
That's Schlatter's baby; he's producing the show and he's probably the right guy for the job. Not just because you could paper Caesars with his show-biz resume -- "Laugh In," "American Comedy Awards," a raft of TV specials -- but because he's an old Vegas hand, who remembers when the Sahara was the Bingo and once presented "Ronald Reagan in a saloon act" at the Frontier.
"Caesars has been there with the whole development of the magic of the town," he says. "We hope to reflect on that and show a few reasons why."
Why? Joe Delaney will tell you why. "It's always been a class operation," says the SUN entertainment guru. "The stars were the top of the line, the production shows were class, and they gave you a great meal."
Why? Perhaps because its detailed Roman fantasy was a new and intriguing development for its time. "The opening of Caesars Palace in 1966 marked a fifth era (of Las Vegas architecture), the era of the theme," writes critic Alan Hess in his book "Viva Las Vegas." Previous hotels had mere motifs at best, and while Caesars has been followed by even more vigorously themed properties, none have accrued its aura.
"People are in awe of it," says parking attendant Jim Dunbar, who's been there from Day 1. "It was very successful from the beginning. We had royalty from foreign countries come in and they couldn't get a room."
For his show, to be shot in the Circus Maximus showroom, Schlatter's conscripted the fabulous likes of Tony Danza, John Ritter and Dennis Hopper to introduce segments on, respectively, the resort's entertainment history, the new Magical Empire and the jumping Knievel family, Evel and Robbie. Penn and Teller will discuss the "Circus of Stars" specials filmed there. Various Andrettis and Unsers will be on hand to honor the four Grad Prix races staged there. Mention will be made of boxing. Howie Mandel will accost people in the Forum Shops at Caesars. Ray Charles will stroll through the casino. There will be boldface names aplenty.
The segments from Swank Central will be interspersed with footage of notable Caesars performers -- Jackie Gleason, Dolly Parton, Tom Jones, Sinatra on a camel. All by way of providing a glimpse not only of one hotel, but of Las Vegas itself. Because what is Caesars if not a prism through which to view the city?
"We'll go back to the beginning of Las Vegas, in 1906," Schlatter says, "and come up chronologically to Las Vegas as it is today, projecting Caesars into the future.
"It's our hope this will lead to a weekly variety show emanating from Las Vegas," he adds.
But while we're paying homage to the headliners, let's not forget to thank the little people who make it all possible.
Angelo Giouzelis has been maitre d' at the Circus Maximus for 20 years. Here's a man who loves his work.
"I work for Las Vegas," Angelo says in his Greek accent. "You can't say Las Vegas without saying Caesars Palace.
"It's very interesting," he continues. "I like to be with the public. Every day you meet all kinds of people."
Frank Sinatra, for instance. Angelo remembers when the Circus Maximus hosted a "40 Years of Frank Sinatra" special on The Chairman's 65th birthday. Man, that was something! Present: "The top of the cream of the entertainment world," Angelo says.
That much star power can be daunting even for you-know-who. "I notice Sinatra walking back and forth at the little entrance to the showroom," he says, "and I say to him, 'You look nervous. You're Frank Sinatra!'
"And he say, 'Angelo, with these people, in this room, even Frank Sinatra is getting a little nervous.'
"I don't think an event like this will ever be done again at any other hotel in the world."
Also tipping his fond-memory meter: Willie Nelson, in many ways the anti-Sinatra. Angelo had no idea who Nelson was. "At the rehearsal, everyone was wearing jeans, T-shirts and bandanas. And I say, 'Oh my God, what is going on here?' I'm used to people who are well-dressed, you know. Ladies with diamonds and so on."
But while he felt out of place in his tuxedo, he was charmed by the enthusiasm and bonhomie of Nelson's audience. Willie didn't pay much attention to the clock, Angelo says, and played until he felt like stopping. On the third night, he played a 2 1/2-hour set, then hung around signing autographs.
"I said to him, 'I'm going to need extra time to set up the room for the next show...'" That was fine by the easygoing star, who fished a Lone Star out of a nearby trash bucket filled with ice. "Have a beer," Angelo recalls him saying, "and when you're ready, let me know."
And while Tony Randall was debuting "The Odd Couple" or Sinatra was doing it his way inside Caesars, Dunbar was working the outside. "I used to park Jayne Mansfield's car," he says. Over the years he's been at the wheels of a lot of stars' wheels. "It's been one entertainer after another." Betty Grable, Harry James, Count Basie, Judy Garland, you name 'em.
But his fondest memories involve people you couldn't name. There was the guy who walked up to Dunbar with a powerful thirst. "Could you go in and get us a couple of drinks?" the man asked.
Inside, though, the bartender wouldn't cooperate, and while Dunbar prevailed on cocktail waitresses and a pit boss, he had to return to Mr. Thirsty empty-handed. Never mind, the guy said, going in to get his own. Ten minutes later, he emerged and tossed Dunbar two $1,000 chips.
"I went back to the bartender and said, 'This is what I got for those drinks!' I think the cocktail waitresses were gonna kill him."
Or the three women who wanted Dunbar to take their photo with the famous Roman figures out front on one very early morning. "One of 'em said, 'Just a minute, I have to get naked.' And off came her top. She was a pretty girl, too. I had to take several pictures."
He's got more stories, all right -- if you run into him, ask about impounding the guns of other casino bosses -- and, sure, those kinds of things go on at other resorts, but along with the glitzy stars they're also part of the texture and allure that's accrued around Caesars and kept Rome swinging all these years.
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