A look at the storied past of the Tropicana Las Vegas

CLOSE FOR GOOD MAKING WAY FOR, A MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STADIUM FOR OUR VERY OWN A'S. THAT'S RIGHT. 3 DAYS FROM NOW. WOULD HAVE MARK 67 YEARS OF THE TROPICANA. IT'S A HOTEL, CASINO WITH A STORIED PAST., AND I SAT DOWN WITH 2 LOCAL, HISTORIANS TO TALK ABOUT THE. TROPICANA HAS TIES TO THE MOB. HOLLYWOOD LEGEND JAZZ GREATS. AND GLAMOROUS SHOWGIRLS OF WORKS. >> WHEN THEY OPENED, THEY REALLY WERE MORE LUXURIOUS. AND THE OTHER HOTELS., >> GAMING HISTORIAN DAVID SCHWARTZ SAYS THE TROPICANA. LAS VEGAS WAS ONCE CALLED THE. TIFFANY OF THIS TRIP. SOME OF. EARLIEST ACTS INCLUDED SINGER, EDDIE FISHER WHO WAS A REGULAR. HIS FIRST WIFE, LEGENDARY. STRIPPER. FORMER DEBBIE, REYNOLDS AND A STRIP TEASE REVIEW STARRING ACTRESS JAYNE, MANSFIELD. BUT ALL THAT SHINE DID COME WITH A LITTLE, TARNISHED. PRIME COSTELLO WHO. WAS NOTORIOUS IS ONE OF THE BIG MOBSTERS. NEW YORK WAS ONE, OF THE BIG EARLY INVESTORS AND. WAS CONNECTED TO THE PROPERTY.. I SAT DOWN WITH HISTORY., PROFESSOR MICHAEL GREEN FOR A, COLORFUL CONVERSATION., >> OF THIS STORIED PAST OF THIS LEGENDARY STRIP RESORT. CASINO. HE SAYS CASINO. OPERATIONS AT THE TROPICANA. WERE FROM THE START, A. REGIONALLY AT THE GUY NAMED ANDY PHIL CASTILLE.. >> AND IF YOU'RE NICKNAMES,, DANDY FILL, YOU PROBABLY HAVE, CONNECTIONS. AND HE DID. HE. WAS TIED TO FRANK COSTELLO IN NEW YORK. HE WAS TIED TO THE, NEW ORLEANS CRIME FAMILY. BUT. JAKE HILLHOUSE UL'S OWNER OF THE LOS VEGAS CLUB. >> WAS HIRED TO OPERATE THE, TROPICANA AND TURN THINGS.

AROUND AND IT TURNED OUT THE. MOB REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT. WAS DOING THERE AND WAS GOING. TO GO UNDER AND HOUSES CAME IN, TOOK IT OVER, CLEARED THEM OUT AND RAN THE FOLLOWED BY. HIS SON CAL JUNIOR INTO THE, LATE 60'S HOUSES. JUNIOR, TRAVELED TO PARIS, FRANCE TO, NEGOTIATE A DEAL THAT WOULD BRING WHAT WOULD BECOME THE. MOST NOTABLE ACT >> THE FALL FOR SURE, WHICH WAS INTRODUCED BY LEE WALTERS,. FATHER OF LEGENDARY JOURNALIST, BARBARA WALTERS AND FULLY, SPURS YEAR WAS THERE FOR MANY. YEARS.. >> FOLEY WAS THERE WAS THERE, FOR JUST UNDER 50 YEARS. THEY WENT WITH THE PRODUCTION SHOW. BECAUSE THE STARDUST AND. OPENED THE LIDO DE PERRI AND. THAT WAS BAD. THE OTHER THING, IS WITH A PRODUCTION SHOW LIKE, THAT, YOU DON'T HAVE ONE STAR., >> YOU DEPEND ALTHOUGH SOME FUTURE STARS WERE FEATURED IN. THE FALL FOR SURE, INCLUDING. THE DEBUT OF MAGICIANS SIEGFRIED AND ROY AND LANCE BURTON. ANOTHER ACT THEY HAD. THERE WAS A DANCE COUPLE NAMES. ONLY AND CLAIRE. CLARE WAS, NANCY CLAIRE WHO BECAME NANCY. HOUSE UL'S. YES. AND FROM THE. BALLET FROM THAT SHE WAS ONE. OF THE KEY PEOPLE.. >> IN CREATING OUR VALLEY. THEATERS. YOU IN A FUNNY SORT, OF WAY, THE SIDES OF THE, MEMORIES OF THE TROPICANA, WE, HAVE THOSE GREAT CULTURAL. INSTITUTION AND SHE AND HER, HUSBAND ARE ALSO IMPORTANT STARTING THE SMITH CENTER.. >> THEY ALSO HAVE ELEGANT, SHOWROOM CALLED THE BLUE ROOM WERE SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES, IN JAZZ PERFORMED LIKE BENNY. GOODMAN, LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND, COUNT BASIE. BUT IN THE 1970'S, AN FBI INVESTIGATION,

UNCOVERED MORE MOB CONNECTIONS. THE TROPICANA WAS, BEGUN BY THE MOB.. >> THEN IT WAS CLEANED OUT THAT THE MOB CAME BACK. AFTER THE HOUSE SOLD. AND IT WAS, CONNECTED TO THE KANSAS CITY, MOB LED BY MIX OF L A AND HIS. BROTHER CARL SABELLA. >> THE FBI EVENTUALLY, UNCOVERED A SKIMMING OPERATION, AT THE RESORT INVOLVING JOE, GAS. DO THE OWNER AT THE TIME OF THE FULLY SURE WHO WAS, WORKING TO SIPHON MONEY TO KANSAS CITY AND EVENTUALLY THROUGH WIRETAPS. THEY CAUGHT. ALL THIS STUFF. >> AND WAS PART OF A BIG OPERATION. THE TARGETED THE, HEADS OF THE CHICAGO KANSAS, CITY AND MILWAUKEE, PRIME. FAMILIES AND THE HEAD OF THE, TEAMSTERS UNION. EVENTUALLY, GREENE SAYS THE HOTEL CHAIN. RAMADA INN TAKING OVER THE. TROPICANA IN THE 1980'S WAS. CONSIDERED A MAJOR STEP TOWARD CLEANING OUT ORGANIZED CRIME,. MAKING CASINOS A CLEAN, INDUSTRY. DO YOU THINK LAS, VEGAS WILL MISS IT AS A HOTEL?. I THINK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN, AROUND LAS VEGAS FOR A WHILE. WE'LL MISS IT. THE UNFORTUNATE, THING IS WE WHO DO HISTORY AND. BELIEVE IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION WILL MISS IT. AND, WE DON'T LIKE TO SEE IT, HAPPEN. SO WE HAVE TO, UNDERSTAND PEOPLE DON'T COME, TO LAS VEGAS FOR THE EXPERIENCE OF GOING TO HOTEL, BUILT IN THE 1950'S. THAT'S, NOT WHY THEY'RE HERE. SO WHAT WE HAVE TO HOPE IS THE SIGNAGE GOES TO OTHER THINGS, GO TO. THE MOB MUSEUM OR THE STATE. MUSEUM OF THE COUNTY MUSEUM. >> THEY PRESERVE THE PAPERS AND THEY RECORD.