Happy Thanksgiving & Holiday Wishes

Hope you all have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Remember, don't be time-wasting by needless turkey-basting. Seriously, basting? No need. Inject the bird with stock (we mix stock with various mustards), cover the breast with foil (uncover 45 minutes before "done" and enjoy the perfection.

Anyway, on to the gift-giving part of the season.

Again, I get asked about my preferences for Christmas presents. As I have made some mention in prior to this post about things I'm looking for I will do so again. This time the list is very small indeed.

First and foremost, CASH. Seriously. If you were even remotely thinking about sending me a present, even a cheap $5.00 trinket, send the cash equivalent. I'm saving money up so I can procure copies of ALL of the rare, unseen, unpublished photos of the El Rey Club for research purposes and for the upcoming book(s). This is really important to me and I feel that since I have no need for most anything else, send the cash if you wish to send anything at all. That way you KNOW it will go to something I truly want to own.

If you MUST send a tangible gift...

THIS would be most appreciated!

See, I'm finding that when I make the calls for the El Rey research, I cannot write as quickly as the information comes out. Plus, I get along so well with everyone I'm meeting we tend to get VERY conversational somewhere along the way and therefore, I forget to write some things down.

Having a good and reliable device for recording my conversations on my cell phone is the best solution. Here's another option form the same folks.

Otherwise, I need money to update my severely outdated, but still very beneficial, website. I may have some BIG NEWS to share from beautiful Las Vegas in 2010 and I'll want the site to be as big as the news!

So in order...

1. CASH for El Rey photos
2. Cell phone conversation recorder
3. CASH for website

Pretty easy, right? So pass this info to friends and family who always wonder what to get me. THIS is all I want or need.

And I realize that I'll be spending my own cash to get you presents, but I'm not going to shaft you so I can enjoy. Besides, many of you get presents from both me and April so that's a whole different thing in my book.

Clark County (Images of America) - A Book You Should Read

While conducting my research on the El Rey Club I have been fortunate enough to meet Crystal R. Van Dee. She recently published a wonderful book called "Clark County (Images of America)". She works at the museum where I am currently in the process of conducting a ton of research and procuring photographs for use in my own book(s).

Among the pages of her most excellent book are some images and mentions of the El Rey. I've posted them here (Don't sue me, these are screen shots from the Google Preview of the book, available readily online.), but I STRONGLY recommend you pick up your own copy from Amazon, or any of your favorite retailers. Better yet, stop by the Nevada State Museum and pick up a copy there. Enjoy the museum, say HI to me if I'm there, and enjoy something other than a casino in Las Vegas. I'm grabbing a copy upon my next visit. If I'm very nice maybe Crystal will sign it for me. :)

In these photos you see some great (and RARE) views inside the El Rey. Check out the amazing gun collection sitting behind the bar! I'm busy getting identifications of all the people in the photos, but I certainly can recognize Willie right away.

I'm hopeful to be able to share these and other great images with all of you when my book is finished. Until then, please do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Crystal's wonderful book. The holidays are approaching, ya know!

Read all El Rey posts by clicking here.

PLEASE help with the research!
If you have stories or memorabilia to
share, contact me immediately!
702-465-5604
andy@andymartello.com

WANTED TO BUY! Original Las Vegas Review Journal, October 17, 1957

I know there are newspaper collectors out there. Sadly, they aren't much for online fun and those that are, seem only to care about newspapers that are 100 years old or older.

That being said, I'm certainly interested in ANY newspaper that features stories about Willie Martello and the El Rey Club. The main reasons I want to get my hands upon the October 17th, 1957 issue in specific are that most microfilm copies I can find are absolute crap. I can't get good prints or digital copies at all (See the best of them in this post). The other big reason is that there were TWO, FULL PAGE ADS promoting the grand opening of the NEW El Rey Lodge (Also the El Rey Motor Lodge), which truly showed the El Rey coming into its peak.

This showed the motel, the swimming pool, all the renovations that made the El Rey the truly swinging place it was. It also hinted at what Searchlight and the El Rey could have been if not for the fire and the decision to place U.S. Route 66 where it ultimately ended up. Had that road gone through Searchlight, the entire landscape of Southern Nevada would be different and Willie would have been at the foreground of the new age.



If there are any "modern day" newspaper collectors out there (meaning, 20th Century) that have leads on places to buy or if you have this issue to sell (or others, just ask me about dates of interest to me), PLEASE contact me immediately!

Email: andy@andymartello.com
Phone: 702-465-5604

Read all the El Rey News I've shared thus far by clicking HERE!

Paging: Diane McBain, Cherie DeCastro, Virginia Gordon & Even Mr. Coppola

For reasons I can't quite explain right at this moment, I am hoping to find contact info for some Hollywood greats and starlets. These people are all in relation to my research on Willie Martello and the El Rey Casino.

Some of the names you've seen here before.

Virginia Gordon, aside from being a former Playboy Playmate, appeared in the cult classic, "Tonight for Sure", which is sort of (but not quite) directed by Mr. Francis Ford Coppola, another person who will likely never grant me an interview...but why not try, right? Speaking of "Tonight for Sure", I'd also love any info available that could help me track down the lovely Marli Renfro. I may have a good lead in that department soon. However any info anyone can provide would be most helpful.

New names on the list include...

I am also quite eager to locate the multi talented and eternally beautiful Diane McBain. I have found a website that MAY have current contact info, but once again, any information regarding contacting her for an interview would be appreciated. I know she spent some quality time at the El Rey back in the day and I'd love to speak with her about her time with Willie and his beloved casino.

Last, but certainly not least (I'm always uncovering new leads to follow), I am hoping to soon make contact with songstress Cherie DeCastro of the world famous, DeCastro Sisters. I know that they played the El Rey in May of 1961 and I can't tell you how much I'd enjoy meeting or speaking with this legend.

Lord knows there are more and more people I'm hoping to speak with, but I can be certain that speaking to Cherie or any of the aforementioned people will be quite an honor and extremely helpful in telling the tale of the El Rey Club.

Other folks on my list...

• Junior Girard Cree (who reportedly is still alive and living somewhere in the Las Vegas area. PLEASE, someone help me out!
• Anyone related to Ted Enoch of Enoch Chevrolet in South Gate, CA, including Ted if you're still around
• Senator Harry Reid. I've sent out a few requests and a more formal one will be going to his press office soon. Just save me the time, sir. I know you're going to take a few breaks for holidays and such.
• Lou Cooper, reportedly Willie's accountant in the later years.

If you have any information that can help me out, or can provide good sources for locating such people I would be extremely grateful. Please contact me at andy@andymartello.com or by phone at 702-465-5604.

If you'd like to learn more about the El Rey Club, Willie Martello, "Tonight for Sure" or just why I keep blathering on about such things, click HERE!

Book Andy Martello for your Holiday Events, NATIONWIDE!

Entertaining the WORLD for 25 years!

Andy Martello
A Comedian Who Happens to Juggle

www.andymartello.com

_______________________________

Comedy! Juggling!
Fire-Eating!
PLATE-SPINNING!
Close-Up Magic!
&
MORE!

License Woes for Willie (My 1400th Blog Post)

CLICK IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEWS

I can't believe I forgot this one yesterday.

I also have an article from the Las Vegas Review Journal, dating December 11, 1953 (at left) which discusses a list of various people who were denied gaming licenses for various reasons. Among them, a Junior Girard Cree who was applying for a license for the El Ray [sic] Club, "formerly operated by Willie Martello."

So who the heck was this guy?

I assume he was simply applying on behalf of Willie and here's why...

The Review Journal from August 6, 1953 shows an investigation into a "percentage changer" or "jumper" device in one of Willie's $1.00 slot machines. Three days later Willie was arraigned on those charges and represented by Harry Claiborne. A hearing was set for August 20th.

On September 1 of that year, the Reno Evening Gazette (right) reported Willie had his license revoked for that "plugged" slot machine. Willie denied any foreknowledge of the machine being tampered with in any way, but Nevada law stated, "all gamblers were responsible for the honesty of their equipment and their dealers," and so, Willie temporarily lost his gaming license.

The September 9th issue of the Nevada State Journal briefly covered Willie's attempt to show why his license shouldn't have been revoked, but the order stood.

I'm not certain who held a license for the club between September and December, but I can logically assume that Junior Girard Cree was acting on Willie's behalf.

This sort of thing happens to casino owners to this day, just as it happened back then. Of course, these sorts of things didn't stop a crafty man like Willie. After all, it wasn't the first time someone took his gaming license away.

Back on February 28, 1950, Willie found himself in the same predicament, though this time is was a marked deck of cards that got his license taken form him.

The Nevada State Journal (left) covered the story, but more information can be found in the above right clipping.

Over a year later, on May 10, 1951 (below right), the Reno Evening Gazette reported that Harry Claiborne requested the Nevada Tax Commission reinstate Willie's license.

Interestingly enough, that same day, Mr. Claiborne was arguing for a new gaming license for legendary Las Vegas gambler Benny Binion, who wanted to open his even more legendary Horseshoe Club (formerly the Eldorado).


By May 30th of that same year, all the news in Searchlight switched from the license and the marked deck of Black Jack cards to the closing of the cat houses in Searchlight. Willie, having only recently gotten his gaming license back, didn't want to run the risk of losing it again and the ladies were formally removed. More on that some other time.

Until then, names like Junior Girard Cree, Harry Claiborne, and others remain something of a mystery, though some are easier to figure out than others. Regardless, the research continues.

If you have information about the aforementioned people in this post or the El Rey Club in Searchlight, Nevada, drop me a line.

Read more about the El Rey Casino and my upcoming book by clicking here.

More Names, More Questions

With the research through the archives of the Review Journal, comes many a great find. Sadly, all I have are microfilm copies to look through, and some of those are not exactly easy to read or print up.

However the information inside is something of great value indeed, if not for the sheer fun of finding some of the ads for shows, notices of lawsuits, & stories about silly nonsense, then certainly for the fact that I now have so many new leads and names to learn about. It all adds to the work and therefore adds to the wait for a book about the incredible El Rey Club.

Want examples? of course you do!
CLICK IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEWS)

Let us take a look at the very first mention of the El Rey Club, taken from the December 3, 1946 issue. Remember that all records thus far show the club opening some time in 1946.

In the legal notices section there is a notice of dissolution regarding the partnership of Albert Martello, Vincent (Buddy) Martello, and one Lloyd B. Allen and the "fictitious" El Rey Club (a legal term that some brainy lawyerly-type person will explain to me).

Who was Lloyd B. Allen? I hope to find out. I'd heard that Albert and Buddy were in Searchlight prior to Willie, trying to raise livestock (still trying to find out is even that is the right story). Willie was sent out to Searchlight to see what he could do with some property his family owned out there (What became the El Rey), but this news clipping brings about the first and ONLY mention (as it pertains to the El Rey) of Lloyd B. Allen.

Next up, some of the names featured in a full, two-page ad announcing the grand opening of the ALL NEW El Rey Lodge (Full scan available when I can get a better copy...any newspaper collectors out there want to share?). This ad ran in the R.J. on October 17, 1957.

The Lodge (also known as the El Rey Motor Lodge) was the El Rey Club, newly remodeled and made much more exciting with the addition of motel rooms and state-of-the-art (for 1950's Searchlight) amenities.

This marks the official debut of the El Rey at its most glorious and the time when the Club's hey-day was really in full swing. The best photos I have from this time (that I can share) are in the two post cards from the time, found in my collection (Click HERE to see those images, #'s 5 & 6). Check out the roster of fine people who waited to serve...

I certainly recognize some of those names on that list, but there are many others I'd love to hear more about. Some I can talk about right now. Some I can't. The calls and emails to Willie's family are being made shortly.

One curiosity among these names, where is Chef Luigi. I know he was certainly there. I've seen photos of him taken well past 1957. So why is he not listed as the chef?

Specific people from this list I'd like to know more about are Bud Bodell, Irish Danny McCoy, Bob Patterson, Glen Brockman, Sylvester Jackmore, John Bender, Ed Thompson, Maude Fulcher, Harold McQuay, Carle S. Meyer, Genevieve Lee, Thelma Nellis, and Dorothy Doty.

Here's hoping more results are forthcoming.

Finally, another curious name. Who was Ted W. Bernhardt and why was he listed as a co-owner of the El Rey Lodge?

I am aware that Willie always had money troubles. There are stories of multiple bank notes on the property and Willie was always trying to find cash from SOMEWHERE. While the place made a lot of cash, every dime, and I mean EVERY dime he made went back into the El Rey, his other business ventures, and the town of Searchlight. Bear in mind, making the money wasn't easy for Willie.

Being so far from Vegas it was very hard to get anyone out there to serve as dealers. Those who were there were not always the most qualified and certainly not the most trustworthy. In a recent email from Willie's niece, Sharon Richardson...

"He had to pay dealers almost double in salary to get them to come out there and when they did, many stole from him. On one occasion I saw a dealer cuff some chips. Willie was sitting in the middle of the pit. I asked Uncle Willie why he didn't say anything to that dealer (I knew he saw him, they were all blatant). He said, "Because I need him." When the dealer was about to leave the pit, Willie said to him very quietly, "Be sure to leave something for me"

He always had to pay exorbitant amounts for everything he needed brought into town. they had him over a barrel and he knew it. But he did whatever it took to just keep going until the dream was realized. Uncle Willie's story is heart-breakin', the truth be known."


An example of just how difficult it was to get something in the town also comes from Sharon.

Even being 50+ miles away from Las Vegas, certain folks in 1950's Las Vegas did NOT like the competition for dollars from Willie's casino. This made making these improvements nearly IMPOSSIBLE.

Sharon Richardson has told me stories about shipments of glass (That's "shipments". Plural. Meaning = Happened often.) for new windows and mirrors for the club being shattered right there on the delivery trucks prior to being sent to Willie.

Getting goods from anywhere to make improvements and increase revenue was simply not an option unless Willie could come to some sort of arrangement with the folks in Las Vegas. Sharon remembers Willie going to a meeting at the Stardust and seeing, "'MANY good looking Italian men in very good looking Italian suits' sitting around a table." Willie gave her some money and told her to, "go shopping or something," while he conducted his business. Details of the meeting remain a mystery to this day, but the improvements were eventually made.

So, was Ted W. Bernhardt just one of the people Willie owed money? Was he an actual partner and co-owner of the El Rey? Was he an associate of some of those good looking Italian men? I am hopeful to learn more!

If YOU know about any of the aforementioned people in this post, have some El Rey memorabilia for sale or trade, are a collector of the Las Vegas Review Journal and can get me an original copy of the October 17, 1957 issue, or simply have some stories to share PLEASE contact me immediately. I can be reached by phone at 702-465-5604 or by email at andy@andymartello.com.

Catch up on all El Rey research and fun by clicking HERE!

Harry Reid & the El Rey Club

I know the guy is busy, but a formal request to Sen. Harry "Pinky" Reid is soon to be sent (He's not responded to my more informal requests.). I'd love to speak with him as he was most definitely there during the hey-day of the El Rey Club and certainly was friendly with the likes of Willie and Buddy Martello.

As examples...

According to Donna Andress, a one-time landlord to Willie Martello, Reid's mother occasionally did the laundry for the El Rey.

In a piece from the Associated Press (June 14, 2008) summarizing Senate financial disclosure forms, Mr. Reid discloses a gift of property from Elthel Martello, Buddy's widow.

"Gifts: A four-acre property in his hometown of Searchlight, Nev., from Ethel Martello, widow of longtime friend Vincent "Buddy" Martello.

Narrative: The Senate Ethics Committee approved the property gift to Reid, valued at $14,000. Martello gave Reid partial ownership of the property in exchange for legal help before Reid won election to Congress in 1982. The gift made Reid the full owner. Reid reported the total current assessed value of the property at $27,474. Martello, who died in 1994, had told his wife he wanted to transfer the balance of the ownership interest to Reid after his death."

Harry Reid mentions learning to swim at the very pool Willie Martello installed originally for the working girls and guests of the El Rey, even though he very incorrectly describes the pool as "a whorehouse pool" and rather inaccurately describes the El Rey as a "bordello" & Willie as a "whoremonger" (which is misspelled, according to my spell-checker), mistakes he makes far too often in my opinion.


Here's an excerpt from his latest book, "The Good Fight." (PLEASE don't sue me, Harry. I'm a registered Democrat and I'm certain this will sell a few extra books for you.)

"As a boy, I learned to swim at a whorehouse. Nobody in town had ever seen such a fancy in-ground tiled pool in their lives as the pool at the El Rey. Or any pool at all, for that matter. At least nobody that we knew. The El Rey was the main bordello when I was growing up in Searchlight. Every Thursday afternoon, the whoremonger in town, a kindly bear of a man by the name of Willie Martello, would ask the girls who worked the El Rey to clear out, and he'd invite the children in town, usually no more than a dozen of so at a time, to swim in his pool. And we would live the life of Riley for a couple of hours, splashing in the azure blue of that whorehouse pool."

(Reprinted from "The Good Fight" by Sen. Harry Reid (Putnam) Copyright © 2008 by Harry Reid.)

I, along with the relatives of Willie, find it so odd and upsetting that Senator Reid so frequently paints such an unflattering portrait of Willie and his resort. Perhaps it is to distance himself from the seedier side of life in small town Nevada back in the wilder days. Regardless, titles such as "The King of Prostitution" & "whoremonger" simply do an injustice to a man who not only allowed him and the children of Searchlight a chance to swim in a luxurious pool, but (according to Donna Andress), "made sure all the children of Searchlight had a present at Christmas."

Here's one such example. Again, reprinted from "The Good Fight" and cited in a Review-Journal article dated May 6, 2008.

"When I was a boy, we had a burly lawman in town, a deputy sheriff named John Silvera. He was known and feared for his toughness. He didn't worry about being nice. If you got out of line, Big John served as judge, jury, parole and probation officer all in one. But he was the object of more hero worship than fear. Every kid in Searchlight seemed to want to be like him.

But it wasn't Big John who made sure that my life of crime was brief. It was Willie Martello, the whoremonger. It went like this: When I was in high school, sophomore or junior year, a friend of mine named Ron McAllister and I came over from Henderson, and we were kicking around in Searchlight, with not much to do, when we noticed cases of redeemable bottles stacked up behind a casino. Well, we looked at them and we saw dollar signs.

We just stole them, as many as we could carry, a case of them, two cases. The perfect crime committed in broad daylight. The next time I saw Willie, he had a serious expression on his face that I wasn't used to seeing. He looked at me and said: "You know, I saw you steal those bottles, so I could have gotten you in big trouble. Pinky, you should never steal anything from anybody. I didn't get you in trouble because I think you could amount to something. Don't you do stuff like that."

And I remembered that always. It was a good, lasting lesson for me. It may sound unusual, but I didn't learn many of those kinds of lessons from my parents. They never taught me things about basic honesty -- maybe that's why I had to learn about it from the whoremonger. "

(Reprinted from "The Good Fight" by Sen. Harry Reid (Putnam) Copyright © 2008 by Harry Reid.)

Can such a man, whom obviously left such a positive personal impact on one's life be categorized in such a way? If Willie Martello was a "pimp" and nothing more, then so be it. I would report the truth either way. However, I have come to find that Willie was not a lowly pimp by any stretch of the imagination. He was no saint, but he was so much more than Reid so frequently suggests.

Was there a time where prostitutes were available at the El Rey? Yes. Was Willie Martello a pimp? No. Given what I have learned, I choose to view Willie not as a lowly pimp, but rather "an imperfect saint". Hey, that would make a great title for a book!

I hope that Senator Reid will seriously consider sharing memories, memorabilia, and stories with me. As you can see I have MANY questions.

And by the way, this is NOT an opportunity for political freaks to spread hatred about Harry Reid. Political views in general are NOT welcome at my blog, unless they're my own (LOL!) Any attempts to turn this post into a Rush Limbaugh/Glenn Beck/Michael Savage/Rusty Humphries/Sean Hannity/Mark Levin drivel-fest will be summarily removed in accordance with the rules of Andy Land!

Read more about what I have learned of the incredible Willie Martello and his El Rey Club by clicking HERE!