Frank Sinatra

Las Vegas, 1950s-1980s

Born: 1915, Hoboken, New Jersey (birthday December 12)
Died: May 14, 1998, at his home in California, aged 82
Las Vegas debut: September 4, 1951, Painted Desert Room at the Desert Inn
Sands debut: October 1953, in the Copa Room
Sands ownership: Held a 2 percent interest that rose to 9 percent before he had to sell it
Summit at the Sands: January-February 1960, with Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop
Gaming license: Surrendered his Nevada license in 1963 after regulators acted over Sam Giancana's visit to the Cal-Neva Lodge
Later venues: Caesars Palace, Golden Nugget, Bally's, the Riviera, the Desert Inn and the MGM Grand
Last Las Vegas show: May 29, 1994, at the MGM Grand
Where to see his legacy today: Sinatra, the family-sanctioned Italian restaurant at Encore Las Vegas

About

Frank Sinatra's Las Vegas story began at a low point. When he opened at the Desert Inn on September 4, 1951, his records had stopped selling and his affair with Ava Gardner was tabloid news. He was in Nevada partly to obtain a quick divorce. He later joked that "for six bucks you got a filet mignon dinner and me." By the time he debuted at the Sands in October 1953, his Oscar-winning role in "From Here to Eternity" had revived his career.

The Sands and its Copa Room became, as Review-Journal writer Mike Weatherford put it, his personal playground. He held a stake in the hotel that rose from 2 to 9 percent. From January to February 1960, while filming "Ocean's 11", he led the "Summit at the Sands" with Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, two shows a night that became the hottest ticket in town and drew visitors including Senator John F. Kennedy. In 1966 he recorded "Sinatra at the Sands" with Count Basie in the Copa Room.

His temper and associations caused trouble too. In 1963 he surrendered his Nevada gaming license after regulators moved against him for hosting Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana, who was on the state's Black Book, at the Cal-Neva Lodge. After Howard Hughes bought the Sands in 1967, Sinatra's casino credit was cut off, and a confrontation ended with casino executive Carl Cohen punching him. He moved across the street to Caesars Palace.

Sinatra announced his retirement in 1971 but returned to Caesars in 1974, later moving to Steve Wynn's Golden Nugget, Bally's, the Riviera, the Desert Inn and finally the MGM Grand, where he played his last Las Vegas show on May 29, 1994. He raised large sums for UNLV, which gave him an honorary doctorate in 1976, and helped open the Thomas & Mack Center in 1983. When he died on May 14, 1998, Strip hotels dimmed their lights in his honor.

What to expect

The Sands and its Copa Room are gone; the Venetian and Palazzo stand on the site. Sinatra, the Italian restaurant at Encore Las Vegas, describes itself as the only restaurant sanctioned by the Sinatra family to carry his name, with photographs and memorabilia and dishes he favored, cooked by a chef who prepared meals for him.

UNLV historian Michael Green notes that his name is also on a Las Vegas street; the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority identifies it as Frank Sinatra Drive, just west of the Strip.

More people who shaped Las Vegas

Las Vegas history

Las Vegas history, era by era

Good to know

The Summit at the Sands run was the only set of ticketed shows the five Rat Pack members ever performed together in Las Vegas, according to the Review-Journal.
Sinatra pressed the Sands to let Sammy Davis Jr. stay at the hotel as a guest; historians debate how much credit he deserves for the wider desegregation of Las Vegas.
He married Mia Farrow in a short ceremony at the Sands, in the apartment of Sands president Jack Entratter, on July 19, 1966.
In 1981 the Nevada Gaming Commission approved him as an entertainment consultant for Caesars Palace, nearly two decades after he gave up his license.
On December 16, 1983, he opened UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center with a benefit concert alongside Dean Martin and Diana Ross.

Questions about Frank Sinatra

Where did Frank Sinatra perform in Las Vegas?

Sinatra debuted at the Desert Inn in 1951 and made the Sands his home from 1953 until the late 1960s. He then moved to Caesars Palace, and later played the Golden Nugget, Bally's, the Riviera, the Desert Inn again and the MGM Grand, where he gave his final Las Vegas show on May 29, 1994.

What was the Summit at the Sands?

It was a run of shows in the Sands' Copa Room in January and February 1960, while Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop were filming "Ocean's 11" in Las Vegas. Billed as a summit of entertainment's biggest names, the loose, seemingly improvised shows ran twice nightly and drew Hollywood stars and Senator John F. Kennedy.

Did Frank Sinatra own part of a Las Vegas casino?

Yes. According to the Online Nevada Encyclopedia, Sinatra held a 2 percent interest in the Sands that rose to 9 percent before he had to sell it. He also owned part of the Cal-Neva Lodge at Lake Tahoe. In 1963 he surrendered his Nevada gaming license after regulators acted over his hosting of Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana at Cal-Neva.

Why did Sinatra leave the Sands?

After Howard Hughes bought the Sands in 1967, the hotel cut off Sinatra's casino credit. He confronted casino executive Carl Cohen, and the argument ended with Cohen punching him and knocking out the caps on two front teeth. Sinatra signed with Caesars Palace across the street and never returned to the Sands.

Is there anything named after Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas?

Yes. Sinatra, an Italian restaurant at Encore Las Vegas, is described by the resort as the only restaurant the Sinatra family has sanctioned to bear his name, and it displays photographs and memorabilia. Las Vegas also has a Frank Sinatra Drive west of the Strip. The Sands, where he performed for years, was demolished; the Venetian stands there now.

When did Frank Sinatra last perform in Las Vegas?

His final Las Vegas show was at the MGM Grand on May 29, 1994. He never returned to the city before his death on May 14, 1998, at his home in California. In his honor, Las Vegas Strip hotels dimmed their lights.