Las Vegas, though originally an outpost away from Salt Lake City for the Mormon Church, did not become the resort and gambling destination we know today until just after World War II and surged in popularity in the 50s and 60s. Frank Sinatra was one of the first entertainers to put Vegas on the map. He often stayed at the now-demolished Sands hotel where he also had some of his most famous Vegas performances. Sinatra performed at the Sands’ Copa Room at least three times a year, often holding two-week long residencies.
It was at this hotel that integration first began to take hold of Las Vegas, when Sinatra found Nat King Cole eating his dinner in his dressing room, saying that African-Americans were not allowed in the dining room there. That night, Sinatra invited Cole to dinner with him and told the hotel management that if African-Americans were not allowed in the dining room, he would have the entire wait staff fired. He later became a corporate vice-president of the Sands. Future President John F. Kennedy was one of Sinatra’s guests there, in addition to performer Harry Belafonte, who often walked confidently into the casino rooms at a time shortly after the integration of the dining rooms.
It was in Las Vegas that the Rat Pack, the hang-out group of entertainers that Sinatra belonged to, first got its name. Actress Lauren Bacall saw them together once in a nightclub and remarked that they looked like a pack of rats. In 1960, the Rat Pack filmed the original Ocean’s Eleven film at the now-defunct Sahara hotel, notable for hosting the final performance of comedy duo Abbott and Costello and housing The Beatles during a tour stop in Vegas. Sinatra often spent time in the former Casbar Lounge at the hotel during his time filming. Unfortunately, the casino closed in 2011 and was replaced by the SLS Hotel and Casino. A music heritage remains, though; many suites were designed by rocker Lenny Kravitz.
Sinatra’s time in Vegas wasn’t always happy. When Howard Hughes bought out the Sands in 1967, his feud with Sinatra due to Hughes’ love of then-wife Ava Gardner, came to a head. A plan was drawn up to limit Sinatra’s spending at the casino; his gambler’s markers (a form of IOU of the time) were often torn up. Eventually, Sinatra’s credit at the casino was suspended after trying to win back money future wife Mia Farrow had lost, causing Sinatra to rage against the hotel’s management. A drunk Sinatra allegedly drove a golf cart through one of the Sands’ windows and began a fistfight with a casino manager. Sinatra never performed at the Sands again, and many of his Mafioso friends began to leave Vegas by the early 70s.
Leaving the Sands, however, gained Sinatra a new place to stay and perform. Caesars Palace and the Circus Maximus became Sinatra’s new go-to spot in 1968. Sinatra notably took over the baccarat pit in the casino for a birthday in the 1970s, inviting friends such as Milton Berle and Natalie Wood. Sinatra’s bet allowance was raised to $8,000 a hand that day. It would remain his favored performance space for the latter half of his career.
The city of Las Vegas paid tribute to Sinatra after his death. The Riviera hotel spearheaded the movement for the lights of the Las Vegas strip to dim in his honor in 1998. They also later named a suite after him, but it won't have any more occupants - the hotel closed earlier this year. An oft-photographed statue of him also sits outside the Lost Vegas antiques store. Finally, Frank Sinatra Drive runs adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip, near Caesar's Palace - a fitting memorial near one of his favorite places to stay.