Welcome to “From The Vault”, a special series of episodes of Jeff Does Vegas!

Over the five years I ran this podcast, from 2019 to 2024, I released over 180 episodes and along the way, I talked to some very cool Vegas insiders, entertainers, and local experts. I also shared lots of tips & travel advice, and explored the fascinating history of the city.

I thought it might be fun to take a little trip back in time and re-share some of those episodes. So, whether you’re a long-time follower looking for a re-listen or you’re a Vegas fanatic who just happened to stumble across the show, welcome!

In 1991, Warren Beatty jumped onto the big screen to portray one the most feared and most famous mobsters of all time...Bugsy.

The film, directed by Barry Levinson and co-starring Annette Bening (as Bugsy's longtime girlfriend, Virginia Hill) tells the story of Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and his role in the creation of The Flamingo and the building of Las Vegas as an "oasis in the desert".

Bugsy was minor hit, grossing just over $49 Million at the box office, receiving high praise from critics, and garnering several Academy Award & Golden Globe nominations including a Golden Globe win for "Best Picture - Drama". But despite all these accolades, just how historically accurate was the film?

My guest for this episode of the podcast is here to tell us.

Making his FOURTH appearance on the podcast is Geoff Schumacher, the Vice President of Exhibits and Programs at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas. Geoff was kind enough to join me once again to help separate fact from fiction when it comes to the story of Bugsy Siegel.

Did Bugsy actually try to get into acting during his time in Hollywood? Who actually came up with the idea for The Flamingo? And was opening night at the casino really a total flop?

If you want to learn more about Bugsy & his associates and their place in Las Vegas history, plan a visit to the Mob Museum on your next Vegas vacation. You can also follow the Mob Museum on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Welcome to “From The Vault”, a special series of episodes of Jeff Does Vegas!

Over the five years I ran this podcast, from 2019 to 2024, I released over 180 episodes and along the way, I talked to some very cool Vegas insiders, entertainers, and local experts. I also shared lots of tips & travel advice, and explored the fascinating history of the city.

I thought it might be fun to take a little trip back in time and re-share some of those episodes. So, whether you’re a long-time follower looking for a re-listen or you’re a Vegas fanatic who just happened to stumble across the show, welcome!

Picture it...it's the late 1970's. You're a singer-songwriter working the bar scene in New York City. One night, after having enough of dealing with crowds that don't pay attention to you, you decide to mess around with the lyrics of a popular song and perform that on stage...and you manage to turn that into a career spanning almost 40 years.

That's exactly what Dennis Blair did.

Dennis is a Las Vegas-based comedian & musician who, over the course of the last 4 decades, has had the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in comedy & music. He co-wrote a feature film, he's worked on TV specials, he's appeared on The Tonight Show and he recently released a book chronicling his time on the road as an opening act.

Dennis and I chatted about what got him into comedy, the early days of working with Rodney Dangerfield & what led to their falling out, life on the road with Joan Rivers, and what it was like spending 18 years as the opening act for George Carlin.

Visit Dennis's website to find out where you can catch him performing in Vegas, pick up a copy of his book, "Touring With Legends" from your favorite online bookseller, and check out his music on Apple Music & Spotify.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This podcast episode was originally released as part of the Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime series

Nevada offers the same lax residency requirements to obtain divorce today as it did nearly 100 years ago; a person only has to live in the state for six weeks before being eligible to for a divorce.

But not too long after Nevada gained a reputation as the place to go for a quickie divorce, Las Vegas was the scene of a brutal public murder on the steps of a law office in a tale involving domestic violence, the death of a child, and a desperate insanity plea to avoid the gas chamber.

To learn more about other true crime tales from the darker side of Las Vegas history, visit Mayhem In The Desert.

 

Follow Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime on Facebook & Instagram

 

Follow Mayhem In The Desert on X (formerly Twitter) & Facebook

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This podcast episode was originally released as part of the Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime series

In the 1970's Las Vegas was the site of bombings & murders...but not ALL of this mayhem was linked to the mafia.

In the fall of 1975, a labor dispute between the Culinary Union and several off-strip restaurants escalated into violence. This ultimately resulted in the head of the Culinary Union, Al Bramlet, learning a very valuable lesson:

No matter what, ALWAYS pay your hitman.

To learn more about other true crime tales from the darker side of Las Vegas history, visit Mayhem In The Desert.

 

Follow Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime on Facebook & Instagram

 

Follow Mayhem In The Desert on X (formerly Twitter) & Facebook

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This podcast episode was originally released as part of the Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime series

Thousands of bombs have gone off across the United States over the course of the 20th & 21st centuries for every reason…from the personal, to the political, to the financial.

 

And through its short history, the city of Las Vegas has not been spared from the threat of criminal bombings.

To learn more about other true crime tales from the darker side of Las Vegas history, visit Mayhem In The Desert.

 

Follow Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime on Facebook & Instagram

 

Follow Mayhem In The Desert on X (formerly Twitter) & Facebook

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This podcast episode was originally released as part of the Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime series

Las Vegas teenager Kim Bryant went missing from in front of her high school on a winter's day in 1979.

Her abduction & murder would scar the Vegas community and remain unsolved for decades. But just as the case seemed to be going cold, new suspects in the disappearance would emerge - including a vicious serial killer known as "The Chameleon".

To learn more about other true crime tales from the darker side of Las Vegas history, visit Mayhem In The Desert.

 

Follow Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime on Facebook & Instagram

 

Follow Mayhem In The Desert on X (formerly Twitter) & Facebook

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This podcast episode was originally released as part of the Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime series

The 1979 daylight abduction of a teenager from a parking lot nearby her Las Vegas High School absolutely stunned the local community.

It was only a few weeks before the body of Kim Bryant was discovered in the desert surrounding the city, but it would be decades before police would finally be able to figure out who was responsible for her tragic death.

To learn more about other true crime tales from the darker side of Las Vegas history, visit Mayhem In The Desert.

 

Follow Sin City Stories: Vegas True Crime on Facebook & Instagram

 

Follow Mayhem In The Desert on X (formerly Twitter) & Facebook

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Welcome to “From The Vault”, a special series of episodes of Jeff Does Vegas!

Over the five years I ran this podcast, from 2019 to 2024, I released over 180 episodes and along the way, I talked to some very cool Vegas insiders, entertainers, and local experts. I also shared lots of tips & travel advice, and explored the fascinating history of the city.

I thought it might be fun to take a little trip back in time and re-share some of those episodes. So, whether you’re a long-time follower looking for a re-listen or you’re a Vegas fanatic who just happened to stumble across the show, welcome!

I generally try to keep things pretty light on the podcast and stay away from topics that some might consider "serious" or "controversial", but if I spot an issue that I think my listeners need to know about, I go for it. So, heads up...this might not be the Jeff Does Vegas that you're used to.

Human Trafficking is a massive problem around the world, and especially in Las Vegas; it might not come as much of a surprise to some people that Vegas has the 4th-highest rate of trafficking in the United States ranking behind Orlando, Atlanta and Washington D.C..

I wanted to take a dive into the issue, get to the root of the problem, and find out what's behind this high rate of human trafficking as well as but some of the myths & misconceptions surrounding it - and I think you might be very shocked by what you're about to hear.

To help me out with this topic, I reached out to a Las Vegas organization called The Cupcake Girls and my guest for this episode of the podcast is Amy-Marie Merrell, their Executive Director.

Amy & I discussed the work that The Cupcake Girls does with victims of human trafficking & sex trafficking as well as those working in the sex industry who are consensual sex workers, Amy shared some shocking facts about who's being trafficked and by whom they are being trafficked, and we talked about some of the legal changes Amy would like to see happen to better support & protect victims of trafficking.

If you want to learn more about The Cupcake Girls, support the work they're doing, or find the resources needed to get assistance, visit their website at TheCupcakeGirls.org. You can also follow them Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Welcome to “From The Vault”, a special series of episodes of Jeff Does Vegas!

Over the five years I ran this podcast, from 2019 to 2024, I released over 180 episodes and along the way, I talked to some very cool Vegas insiders, entertainers, and local experts. I also shared lots of tips & travel advice, and explored the fascinating history of the city.

I thought it might be fun to take a little trip back in time and re-share some of those episodes. So, whether you’re a long-time follower looking for a re-listen or you’re a Vegas fanatic who just happened to stumble across the show, welcome!

As frequent listeners to the podcast know, one of my favorite parts of visiting Vegas is the food.

Over the last several years, Las Vegas has become a Foodie's paradise with dozens of new restaurants opening each year, featuring celebrity chefs and cuisine you can possibly imagine. But you know what? No matter how hard you try, you just can't beat a classic.

The Golden Steer, located just off the strip on Sahara Boulevard is Las Vegas's oldest continually operating steakhouse. They opened back in 1958 and over the course of it's almost-65 year history, they've become legendary not only for their amazing steaks but for the incredible service, old Vegas atmosphere, and their famous (and infamous) customers.

My guest for this episode of the podcast is Nick McMillan, Managing Partner of the Golden Steer. Nick and I talked about the early days of the Golden Steer, it's evolution from "western roadhouse" to "cool celebrity hangout", their place in Vegas Mob History, and what makes the Golden Steer different from other Las Vegas steakhouses.

If you want to learn more about the Golden Steer and make a reservation for your next Vegas trip, visit their website. And for drool-worthy pics of their awesome food, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Welcome to “From The Vault”, a special series of episodes of Jeff Does Vegas!

Over the five years I ran this podcast, from 2019 to 2024, I released over 180 episodes and along the way, I talked to some very cool Vegas insiders, entertainers, and local experts. I also shared lots of tips & travel advice, and explored the fascinating history of the city.

I thought it might be fun to take a little trip back in time and re-share some of those episodes. So, whether you’re a long-time follower looking for a re-listen or you’re a Vegas fanatic who just happened to stumble across the show, welcome!

"The only constant in life is change" - Heraclitus

There's nowhere else in the world where that statement is more accurate than Las Vegas.

It's constantly evolving, always trying to find new ways to bring new people - and revenue - to the city. And from the late 1980's through to the early 2000's, Las Vegas made the conscious decision to cater to a group of travellers whom they'd never attempted to attract before:

Families.

From castle-shaped hotels, to pirate battles in the desert, to full-blown amusement parks, Las Vegas made no secrets about who they wanted to come to the city during that time in history. But where did it all start? And how did it end up?

My guest for this episode of the podcast is UNLV professor and Las Vegas historian, David G. Schwartz. David & I discussed some of Las Vegas's early attempts at being family-friendly, what led to the push to try to attract families to the city, and the eventual shift away from that strategy.

Want to learn more about Las Vegas's family-friendly era of the 1990's? Visit these links:

- "Family Friendly Las Vegas: An Analysis of Space and Time" - Diana Tracy Cohn

- "Column One: Las Vegas Gambles on Families" - LA Times (Sept 23, 1994)

- "The Sun's List Of Shuttered Family Friendly Vegas Attractions" - Las Vegas Sun (Feb 23, 2012)

- "Family Friendly Las Vegas of the 90's" Panel Discussion (Video) - The Neon Museum (2016)

And as discussed, check out the "Treasure Island: The Adventure Begins" TV special that ran on NBC-TV in 1994 to promote the opening of the Treasure Island Resort.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/jeff-does-vegas/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy