That Old Black Magic: Louis Prima, Keely Smith, and the Golden Age of Las Vegas (30 page)

My next thanks go to Garry Boulard. He was the first writer to produce a book exclusively on Louis Prima, in 1986, titled
Just a Gigolo: The Life of Louis Prima.
He conducted interviews and did extensive research, and for those interested in knowing more about Prima’s career before and after his collaboration with Smith, I highly recommend Boulard’s updated edition,
Louis Prima,
published in 2002. Also very helpful to me was the 1999 documentary
Louis Prima: The Wildest!,
which can be found on DVD. It contains footage of and interviews with people no longer with us who were important in Prima’s life. For the quotes from the film that I would otherwise not have been able to include in this book I am grateful to the co-owner of Historic Films, Joe Lauro, who sure knows his music. His new visit to the Chief is titled
Louis Prima: In Person,
which had its debut at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in April 2010.

I am indebted to those who agreed to be interviewed for this book and contributed anecdotes, especially Pete Barbutti, Jack Carter, Michael Dastoli, Paul Ferrara, Shecky Greene, Lorraine Hunt-Bono, Debbie Reynolds, and Connie Stevens. Others whose recollections were useful include Tony Bennett, Tony Curtis, Eddie Fisher, Lena Horne, Shirley MacLaine, Tony Martin, Don Rickles, and Nancy Sinatra.

Among the research sources I found most helpful were the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (thanks especially to Su Kim Chung, Kelli Luchs, and Tony Davis), Elizabeth Sherwood and Greg Lambousy at the Louisiana State Museum, Ed Berger at the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University, Bruce Raeburn at the William Ransom Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University, the New York Public Library, the Louis Prima Archives in New Orleans (especially Ron Cannatella and Gia Maione Prima), the Sahara Hotel Collection, the New Orleans Jazz Museum, the New Orleans Public Library, the Earl K. Long Library at the University of New Orleans, the Las Vegas City Library, the Los Angeles Public Library, the Nevada Historical Society, and the friendly staffers at the East Hampton Library, who enjoyed finding material for me almost as much as I did.

There were people who were helpful to me in various ways during the writing of this book, and I am glad to have this opportunity to thank them: Joan and Fred Baum, John and Corinne Bonfiglio, Heather Buchanan, Judge Edward Burke, Lacey Chemsak, Rosemarie Cerminaro, Stephen Dale, Bob Drury and Denise McDonald, Michael and Shelly Gambino, Joan Geroch, Michael Griffith, Nancy Hamma-Clavin, Bruce Fessier, Valerie Hanley, John Kaye, Steve Kelly, Phil Keith, Andrew Leff, David List, Chris Mitchum, Ken Moran, Kelly Olsen, Danny Peary and Suzanne Rafer, Tina Piette, Mark Rupp, Tony and Patty Sales, Megan Saboura, Lynne Scanlon, Bob Schaeffer and Fred Smith, Val and Min-Myn Schaffner, Don Sharkey, Harold Shepherd and Arlene Friedman, Ruth Simring, Nat Sobel, Mike Weatherford, and Hugh Wyatt.

Gratitude goes to Yuval Taylor, Lisa Reardon, Mary Kravenas, and others at Chicago Review Press, and the people at RLR Associates who initially believed in this project: Scott Gould, Bob Rosen, and Jennifer Unter.

My final thanks go to Nancy Bartolotta, Gertrude Clavin, and James Clavin and, as always, to my children, Brendan Clavin and Kathryn Clavin, who brought magic into my life.

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Fisher, Eddie.
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Andre Previn.
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———.
Dean Martin: King of the Road.
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——
.
Rat Pack Confidential.
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The archives of dozens of daily, weekly, and monthly publications were scanned for relevant information. Most useful were:

Hey Boy! Hey Girl!.
The Video Beat, 1995

Louisprima.com

Lvstriphistory.com

Louis Prima—The Chief,
WYES-TV, New Orleans, 1983

Louis Prima: The Wildest!,
Blue Sea Productions, 1999

Thunder Road,
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2006

Twist All Night,
Keelou Corps., 1961

“You and Me”: Louis Prima & Keely Smith,
Cina-Music Ltd., 2000

A

albums, 123–24, 127, 134–35, 141–42, 149

Armstrong, Louis, 1, 15–18, 23–24, 26

atomic testing, 94

B

Barrett, Tracelene, 65–66, 72, 76

Beatles, 187–88, 201

Bennett, Earl, 56

Bennett, Tony, 75, 94, 211

Benny Goodman Orchestra.
see
Goodman, Benny

big bands, decline of, 65–67, 75
see also specific groups and leaders

Blount, Jimmy “Little Red,” 84

Bono, Sonny, 102, 190, 208, 209

Butera, Sam

albums and, 123–24

background of, 81–83

at Casbar Lounge, 99

on immigrants, 12

later career of, 195–97

musical style of, 82–83

performance of, 106

on Prima, 142, 144

Prima’s funeral and, 192

Smith and, 202

“The Wildest” and, 5–8, 97, 101

C

Calloway, Cab, 67, 80–81

Capitol Records, 103, 112, 124, 134, 141–42, 149

Carnegie Hall, 51–54

Carson, Johnny, 136, 166, 190, 200

Carter, Robert, 7, 163

Casbar Lounge, 79–81, 83–84, 97–104
passim,
108, 109, 159–61
see also
Sahara Hotel; “The Wildest” (stage act)

casinos, development of, 91–96

Cher, 102, 190, 208, 209

“Civilization,” 66, 82

Cole, Nat King, 116–17

Colt, Jack, 37–38, 43–44, 48

Crosby, Bing, 45, 51, 74, 86, 95, 119, 154

D

Dastoli, Michael, 73–74

Davis, Eddie, 35–36, 39

Davis, Sammy, Jr.

Butera and, 195

Giancana and, 148

Kennedy inauguration and, 176–77

in Las Vegas, 113

Rat Pack and, 131, 153