A Las Vegas ‘Magical’ Legend Passes Away
This past weekend, a Las Vegas “magical” legend passed away on Saturday at the age of 100! Her name was Gloria Dea and she was the first magician to perform on the Las Vegas Strip back in 1941. She starred at the El Rancho Hotel performing for thousands over the years, before going on to star in movies.
According to a recent story featured on Fox 5, Gloria started entertaining and doing magic at the age of 18 years old. This put her in the books as the first “magician” to ever perform on the famous Las Vegas Strip.
Moving from California back to Las Vegas in 1980, Gloria had noticed that the town had quite a growth spurt since she first performed. In fact, Gloria claimed there wasn’t even a “strip” the first time she performed in Las Vegas. Just a couple of places in the middle of the desert.
Last summer, this legendary woman celebrated her 100th birthday. To give you an idea of her status in the “magic” community, David Copperfield showed up to sing her praises. Penn & Teller showed up as well to honor this amazing woman. Gloria always seemed humbled by the attention given to her by today’s notables. Never realizing that she had opened the door for so many in the magic field.
Dea also went on to star in quite a few movies back in the 1940s and 50s. One movie Gloria Dea did was “King of the Congo” that also starred one-time Tarzan star Buster Crabbe. Crabbe was a former Gold Medal winning Olympic swimmer. She also starred in “Mexicana” and “Plan 9 From Outer Space”…which she claimed was the worst movie ever made!
UNLV was all set to honor Gloria this week with an Honorary Fine Arts Degree for her contributions to Las Vegas. Of course with her passing, they will still hold the ceremony and honor her with the degree posthumously.
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5 Las Vegas Shows You Have To See To Believe
What’s Las Vegas without its shows?
In a city that never sleeps, amusement is sure to abound. When it comes to providing unique, out-of-the-box experiences, the Las Vegas Strip always provides. This city has redefined the word “enchant” with a multitude of shows that will take your breath away.
Old and new alike, these performances show Vegas at its best. From the psychedelic, to the mystical, to the just plain weird, these shows give visitors a small taste of what this town is truly about. Have fun and make memories that you’ll never forget.
Travel back in time with the Beatles, catch some foot-stomping razzle dazzle with the Jabbawockeez or laugh until you cry with a variety show that is so big, it has its own theater! The assortment will astound you and the displays will delight your senses.
Dancing, singing, acrobatics — we have it all! Whether you want to fly high with award-winning aerialists or are looking for something a little more down to earth, The Neon City has you covered. No matter what you decide to do, there’s a little bit of something for the entire group to enjoy.
These stunning productions are a reminder of just why Las Vegas is known as the entertainment capital of the world. They combine the best of the best and put on a visual extravaganza that few others can come close to.
A collection of world-class performers and industry giants team up to provide you with awe-inspiring experiences that will have you and your entire crew buzzing for years to come. They’re well worth the time; you won’t get entertainment quite like this anywhere else in the world.
If you’re in town, come on down and check these lovely Las Vegas shows out! We’re sure you will have a grand time.
Mike O’Brian is the Program Director and Morning Show host on 96.3 KKLZ in Las Vegas, along with Carla Rea. He has been with the Beasley Media Group for almost 23 years. Mike was named one of the “Best Program Directors In America” by Radio Ink magazine. Over the years, “The Mike & Carla Morning Show” have been presented with a number of proclamations for their work in the community and numerous awards. Having lived in Las Vegas for over 35 years, he writes articles on living in Las Vegas, sports, and odd stories happening within the state of Nevada.
Mike is the host of the morning show and program director of 96.3 KKLZ/Las Vegas. He has been doing mornings in Las Vegas for the past 38 years. Over the years, he has hosted a numerous amount of community events and has been the P.A. announcer for a number of sports teams in Las Vegas. He has written on living in Las Vegas, the sports teams here, as well as odd & little-known facts about Las Vegas & Nevada.
