The Promise of Gangster Glamour: Sinatra, Vegas and the Allure of Excess

Authors

Laura Cook Kenna, George Washington UniversityFollow

Document Type

Podcast

Publication Date

5-27-2010

Publisher

UNLV Center for Gaming Research

Abstract

In the 1950s and 60s, both Vegas and Sinatra linked the conspicuous display of excess with a promise that tourists could be participants—not just onlookers—in their glamorous realm. The city and the star, however, also had something else in common: both were allegedly underwritten by the mob. This paper/talk examines how Rat Pack performances and Vegas spaces offered access to “the good life” even as innuendos of gangsterism tacitly associated that lavish lifestyle with ethnic difference.

Keywords

Gambling; Glamour; History; Lifestyles; Mafia; Nevada – Las Vegas; Rat Pack (Entertainers); Sinatra; Frank; 1915-1998

Disciplines

Cultural History | Gaming and Casino Operations Management | Social History

File Format

mp3

File Size

22.396 KB

Run Time

00:47:50

Language

English

Comments

mp3 Audio file size: 21.8 megabytes

Attached file: Flyer

Repository Citation

Kenna, L. C. (2010). The Promise of Gangster Glamour: Sinatra, Vegas and the Allure of Excess.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/gaming_podcasts/18