The Moulin Rouge, owned in part by heavyweight-boxing champion Joe Louis, who acted as host for the property after it acquired a casino licence, became the Las Vegas home to famous African American celebrities of the day. Dinah Washington, Harry Belafonte and the Platters, plus future celebrities like Tom Bradley, who later became mayor of Los Angeles from 1973 to 1993, all made the motel home during their Las Vegas visits. This continued after segregation ended.
Most of the great entertainers who headlined at the Riviera frequented the Golden Steer, although [Liberace], who was a mainstay at the Riviera, had his own restaurant at the time. Hotel staff are fond of explaining how the Riviera swimming pool, still the original, was designed in the shape of a grand piano, in honour of its o...
..., and Stardust that drew gamblers to this desert city. Many of the early names have been eaten up b...Driving along Sahara Avenue, the massive, garish and typically Las Vega...