The 1950s were a defining era of Las Vegas. It's a decade that saw the rise of the Riviera, the Sands, and the Dunes, where the likes of Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop flocked to the Strip along with millions of other tourists. There were dancers, mobsters, weddings, and the glitz of post-war America.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Customers gamble at a Las Vegas casino pool in 1957.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Dean Martin performs at the Sands in 1957.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Frank Sinatra performs at the Sands in 1954.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Cars drive down Fremont Street in Las Vegas in 1955.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Hotel owner Jake Freedman rolls dice at a craps table at the Dunes in 1955.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Former heavyweight champion Joe Louis signs a contract purchasing part interest in Las Vegas's $3,000,000 Moulin Rouge Hotel in 1954.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Fremont street at night in 1955.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Showgirls perform Jackpot at a casino in 1955.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Frank Sinatra and Audrey Hepburn at the Sands in 1956.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Peter Lawford and Judy Holiday by the pool of the Sands in 1953.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Opera singer Marguerite Piazza watches guests play roulette at the Sands Hotel in 1955.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Actress Jayne Mansfield poses by the pool of the Dunes Hotel in 1955.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner at the opening of his nightclub in 1951.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Showgirls dance on stage in 1952.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Sammy Davis Jr. during his wedding to Lory White at the Sands Hotel in 1958.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Bert Lahr plays dice in 1952.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Liberace and Elvis Presley jam backstage at a night club in 1956.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra, and Kim Novak at the Sands Hotel on September 14, 1956.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Elvis Presley in front of a concert poster at the New Frontier Hotel on April 23, 1956.
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Bear Grylls//Digital Spy
Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. goof around in the dressing room in 1958.