The awesome casino robbery scene in 3000 Miles From Graceland was filmed there.
Posted on 08/16/2016 8:46:26 AM PDT by C19fan
It is the end of an era in Las Vegas as one of the most famed hotels and casinos on the Strip was demolished in the early morning hours of Tuesday. The final tower of the Riviera was reduced to little more than rubble a little over a year after the city's first high-end casino shut its doors in May of last year. Long known as a classic mob joint featured in films such as Oceans 11 and Diamonds are Forever, the Riviera also hosted the residences of famed Vegas performances including Liberace and Dean Martin during its heyday.
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Spent a week there a couple of years ago. It was the host hotel for a bridge tournament I went to. Seemed like a bad part of town, not safe after dark.
We used to stay at the Westward Ho downtown as well as the Four Queens - if those walls could talk. I think a room at the Four Queens can still be had for 29.00. What a dump. A walk through the Tropicana shows you what the work facade and fraud mean. I haven’t been to Vegas in 30 years and do not care to see it ever again. I remember it best in the late 60’s.
My wife and I have been to Vegas AT LEAST once a year, every year since 1986. In that first year, we stayed at the Stardust Motel!
Several years after that, we stayed at the Riveria.. they always sent us good package deals. The “Splash” show was always good... and, I liked the Casino. We also stayed often then at the Stardust.. Stayed at Flamingo once, the Oriental place that is now the Quad, at Luxor, at Bally’s. Heck we even stayed once in an apartment at Westward Ho.
We always laughed... we were “high rollers” at “the Ho!”. It was true too... I once won $600 playing blackjack there. The Cashier called the pit boss to make sure I really won it!
In later years, we migrated to the Venetian. When they first opened, they sent outstanding deals. We dallied a few times downtown, staying at the Nugget. We’ve stayed at Cosmopolitan and at Bellagio.
Basically, we stay where we get “free” rooms. In September, it’ll be at Ceasar’s.
But, I will always have a special place in my heart for the Stardust and the Riviera. We had SO MUCH FUN at those places back in the day. Breaks my heart to see them gone. The Riviera had a great snack bar! :-)
Time marches on I guess..
Oh... Imperial Palace... that’s the dump. Had a Hillary-type brain freeze!
I have stayed in many hotels in Las Vegas including the Venetian, Aria and the Mirage and believe it or not the most comfortable bed i had slept in by far was at the Golden Nugget.
Had some good times at the Riviera, sad to see it go.
I miss that dive O’Sheas as well, used to love sitting at that front bar during the day playing video poker,drinking free Guinness and people watching..
My bride and I went to Vegas on our honeymoon in ‘63. I was 23 and she was 19. I had a ‘due bill’ gift of $500 from an uncle on the books that could be spent for anything at the Riviera including the room.
We tried, but couldn’t spend it all, going to the shows, and eating and drinking at the restaurants. At a show one night I ordered a bottle of champagne I’d read about in a James Bond book, Tatinger Blanc d Blanc. It was the most expensive one on the wine list. The French Sommelier took the order and then returned and very discretely asked me if I had seen the cost. We drank two bottles and he very accomdodatingly brought me one to take back to the room. Then he dropped the French accent and in a broad Brooklyn accent quipped, “you know, that’s the first bottle of that s-— I’ve ever sold.”
Halcyon days and memories.
Imperial Palace had a smell that makes me want to hurl just thinking about it...
place looked pretty cool at night though.
Yea, Free nights are great.
spent almost a week at the Paris, 3 nights under my name then a few under my Girlfriends.
At the end of the trip the hotel bill came to $0.00.
I liked that :)
Many free nights at Harrahs and the Flamingo as well..
“It was real greaseball sh$t!”
The awesome casino robbery scene in 3000 Miles From Graceland was filmed there.
They found several bodies in the foundation......
"Here's an arm. Hey, here's a leg. Here's a wing. Hey, what do you like, the leg or the wing, Henry? Or do you still go for the old hearts and lungs?"
Hmm....I think that’s the one Bourne and his latest nemesis crashed into this year. Makes sense, if they weren’t going to build an elaborate set for one colossal wreck, they’d use a building scheduled for demo.
Thanks! I will definitely dine at those restaurants on my next trip there
IIRC, even in the good old days of American Movie Classics, they didn’t keep the correct aspect ratio. They were always second to TCM. Now, AMC does have fantastic original shows such as Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and Hell on Wheels.
Great show. Sarah Jones makes my pulse race.
You’re just full of pop culture references, or quotes, or . . . well, you’re full of something!
Outstanding film and yes it was based in reality. FYI, the LV politician character “Pat Web” who was such a sleaze bag and gave De Niro’s character Arnold Rothstein such a hard time is purportedly directly based on “Dingy Harry” the former Democrat speaker of the House. Interestingly he is one of the only characters in the film to be “fictitious” and to not have his actual name used.
Had a good time. She was pretty, I had been drafted, and we were both young and carefree.
My mistake, the sleazy “Senator” played by Dick Smothers who sat on the Nevada gaming commission that denied Rothstine a gaming license was directly based on Harry Reid. What can I say... it was late and I’m tired ;0)
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