"Tonight for Sure" - A Review of Sorts

If you've been keeping up with my research involving the El Rey Resort & Casino you are more than familiar with the discovery of the casino's use in a "nudie cutie" from the early 1960's, "Tonight for Sure". If you need a little refresher course, click HERE and HERE and HERE.

Click the Photo to See
Willie Martello in "Tonight for Sure"

I've watched the film and it is high time I tell you all about it. I've even prepared a few video clips for your viewing pleasure. Naturally, I "edited" them in my own special way. ;)

As you might expect, this film is not high art by any stretch of the imagination. It is however, really enjoyable to watch nonetheless. Bear in mind, you really do have to be watching it for the camp value or even the historic value, both as one of Francis Ford Coppola's first films & to see Searchlight, Nevada in all its glory.

The film is actually two separate films with nothing in common other than the presence of naked women for the sake of having naked women in a film. So, Coppola's challenge to create a story line capable of tying the two projects together was certainly matched, albeit rather comically.

Coppola's film, "The Peeper" is really about a pervert who likes to peek into store windows and through a telescope hoping to catch a glimpse of naked ladies, which he does successfully. Believe it or not, you can truly see some techniques and stylistic elements of his work that hints at his future greatness. For such a low, uh I mean NO budget short project, he does set up some scenes well and lights them nicely. There are some moments of excellence that do indeed tell you rather subtly that this is indeed a Francis Ford Coppola film.

What is surprising to the Coppola side of the work is not the presence of the titillating topless ladies. He was hoping to raise money for future works and having worked closely with Roger Corman, he knew a good way to go about it. No the most shocking thing about his work is the relatively good film work being accented by slapstick humor and cartoon sound effects. If you want to see a Coppola film full of vintage "boings" and "pops" then this is your film.

The connecting footage used to bridge the gap between "The Peeper" and Jerry Schafer's "Wide Open Spaces" is a silly plot line about two "puritanical" men (the peeper himself, and a cowboy who rides into Las Vegas on a donkey) who meet at a burlesque house to...

A) Blow up the establishment with a time bomb
B) Plot to stop the spreading smut throughout the land
C) See a lot of burlesque stars shaking their groove thing

See, they're REALLY very happy to be around naked ladies, but are overcompensating and covering their guilt by acting like someone hoping to stop pornography. Modern-day translation: They're Republicans. Ba-dum-BUMP!

In any event, they go there to discuss their grand plans and get really drunk along the way. The way they get into both stories is to tell the Peeper's tale and the story of a DIFFERENT

The burlesque acts angle was very common among nudie flicks of the day. They are certainly entertaining and do have some historic value if you are into the burlesque scene. However, there is nothing ground-breaking in the presentation.

What WAS significant was how Jerry Schafer's "Wide Open Spaces" brought the naked women into the mix. I know this will sound strange to look upon a film blatantly flaunting topless girls as "significant" or "historic" but in this case it is quite true.

With a few exceptions, most of the pussycat theatre features of this time were what I described above; burlesque acts displaying their talents. Other films of their day featured women in peril who happened to get naked for some odd reason or women who just couldn't keep those clothes on (My kind of gals).

Jerry's film, aside from trying to tell a story, was one of the first films to ever feature nude women doing every day tasks. In his film, the simple plot (a cowboy bumps his head and starts seeing naked women everywhere after he awakes) allows for the naked women to not be the fantasy in the traditional sense of being sex objects. Rather, the naked women are not expected and not being portrayed as the objects of our cowboy's desires. They are dressed, Blackjack dealers one minute and naked Blackjack dealers the next and it is disturbing to him. Later he hallucinates about naked women popping up everywhere and doing seductive things, but he is not cowboy in flashbacks. In between all of this we get footage of burlesque acts performing their acts."hot for them". In essence, by not making the women be the fantasies of the man in the traditional sense, they become the fantasies for the viewers of the film. Seeing them doing every day activities was not explored much as a form of titillation. I know it seems strange to discuss film nudity in this context, but it was a big deal at the time and I see why.

Getting past the very attractive group of topless and bottomless women in the film, there are two scenes inside the El Rey Casino, as well as some fantastic exteriors featuring Searchlight and Lake Mojave. Some beautiful desert landscapes and some rustic buildings found in Searchlight make for a fantastic representation of both the El Rey and the town.

Willie Martello is prominently featured in a non-speaking role as the pit boss and you can get a few glimpses of the interior of the casino. There is a bank of slot machines, at least one Craps table, a few Blackjack tables, and a shot of the bar found in the scenes. A fight scene at the club also gives you a nice view of the cool red carpeting. What you can see of the place, while not luxurious by today's standards, certainly looked like a great place to drop a few bucks in the tiny mining town of Searchlight.

Other than Willie Martello's presence, there's only one sure-fire way to peg this as the El Rey Casino. When the dealers at the club are wearing clothes, they all have bow ties on. You can barely make out the words, "El Rey Casino" on one side and "Searchlight, Nevada" on the other. These ties were worn by employees of the El Rey Club and came in at least two colors (black & brown). I could see this pretty well on my standard TV screen. I imagine that on a big screen, even with this untouched print of the film, you could see it even better. I've included a photo of what those bow ties actually look like. I'm hopeful that Bob Martello may have one tucked away in a box somewhere and that he'd be willing to part with it.

While I cannot dispute Jerry Schafer's assertion that the film is, "a FANTASTIC piece of shit film," I can say that his work in the project was also quite good. He admits that he was really new to the film business and wasn't quite sure what he was doing back then. He just knew that he had a project that could make some money and a great location to make that project happen. I wouldn't feel one bit embarrassed nor humble about this film if I were Jerry. Lord knows there are MANY piece of shit films released every year that are not anywhere near as fantastic as this one. Plus, this film has some rather significant history behind it and that's always a good thing. I don't know how the film was received back then, but I do know that years later, it is a hell of a fun 69 minutes of viewing.

Good work, Jerry. Good work, Francis.

Jerry Schafer has had a most amazing career and he's still going strong. He's on his way to Bankok to make the direct to DVD film, "Devil Queen" I'll share more about this project later.

He's been a producer of countless films & live Las Vegas variety shows, a stunt man, a quick-draw world record holder, and more.

Click the Photo to see "Fight at the El Rey Casino"

You can learn all about this rather spectacular man by heading to LegalSpeakeasy.com. OK, that site promotes one of his shows. Head HERE to really learn about this very cool guy. I should send him a press kit for heck's sake!


NOTE: I sent a request to Something Weird Video, hoping to get official permission to post clips from the film. I know that everyone just posts whatever the hell they want these days on You Tube and so on without fear of repercussions. I chose to go about it the proper way. I've not heard back from them so I'm taking the chance and posting anyway. If they ask me to remove the clips I will do so happily (just don't sue the crap out of me!)

There's a BIG TIME ad for Something Weird included in my edited segment and I have no intentions of bootlegging copies for the masses. If you want to see this film in its entirety, PLEASE spend the super-cheap $15.00 and buy your own VHS or DVD-R copy. You won't be disappointed.

Read ALL El Rey Posts By Clicking HERE!

For Sale: Gallows, Two Owners. Condition: USED

I'll do a Ten Things list later this week when I'm feeling funny or motivated. Until then, please read this very Halloweenish story sent to me by my mother.


As an interesting side note, the people selling this authentic gallows are the same folks who are hiring me to open for the Neil Diamond tribute act in December & January. I'm very glad they'll have sold the gallows long before seeing my act.

Gig Ups & Downs

Today I am doing something relatively pointless and stupid (an audition) before I go and do something genuinely fun (a real paying gig).

I'm heading down to Navy Pier to audition for America's Got Talent 2. I am sure you remember my previous post about that show and others like it. Therefore you know that I've really no belief that I'll get on the show nor do I feel all that this program will be "the big one" if I did get on. I'm going because I was contacted by the producers and at least two talent coordinators directly asking me to go and I figure that it can't hurt to give it a try. It can only remind me of why I tend not to go to these things in the first place. Best case scenario: I get on, have Hasselhoff ridicule me, but I'd get a good video of me on national TV.

Besides, were it not for my gig later this evening, I'd have nothing to do other than clean the apartment or work on new marketing. I do have all those cool photos to go through, ya know.

Regardless of the outcome of today's auditions (I KNOW the outcome already...I won't get on...And don't give me any crap about positive attitudes and all that...You don't know this business, mmmmkay?) I can feel great about a gig I had on Friday.

I won't go into major specifics, but I was to perform for a group of kids & their families who truly NEEDED to have a good time more often than they get to in their daily lives. These kids all had a common blood disease among them and depending upon the severity of the disease, the relative "normal" lives that we all get to enjoy is anything but normal for them. One guy at the party found out THAT WEEK that in all likelihood he wouldn't be alive to celebrate Thanksgiving this year and it was my job to get him on his feet to laugh and dance. He, along with all of the kids and families danced their asses off, laughed out loud the whole night, and had a great time. I will go into the details at a later date.

For now, I will think about that show instead of the audition and national exposure promised by the folks at America's Got Talent 2. I'll also remind myself that I've made a living in this business for longer than most people have tried to get an act together. If I focus on the damned audition and the forthcoming rejection I just may start to focus on the fact that I have all but two damned bookings this November and get very, VERY down on myself. I'd much rather think about the good things.

Keeping with that thought, I'll post a link to one of my entertainment stories that always seems to connect with people and bring me to a happier place. If you've not read "Good Show" before, please enjoy it today. If you'd like a similar piece to read, please read "Out of the Mouths of Babes".

MAYBE I'll tell you about the audition tomorrow. Somehow I doubt I'll give much more than a second thought.

Excuse Me, Mr. Timberlake

Some of us never let sexy get away.

I Sure Hope You're Not Tired of My New Promo Photos.

Because I just can't get enough of them.

They just keep on making me happier & happier!

Oh Lord, What Have I Done?

Many people are finding my blog using the following search terms.

• hasidic jew halloween costume
• black suit costume ideas
• halloween suit bullet hole
• amish costumes for halloween
• retarded halloween costume ideas
• Office Halloween Costumes

I can only imagine the shock and horror when they end up reading this.

Even scarier...I bet many of them are finding that post most helpful.

I just can't believe nobody has found this site using the term, "Retarded Monkey". Well...Not yet, they haven't.

A Problem With Having New Promo Photos

I may never finish going through all the new photos. What's strange is that there are many that I feel are not usable at all. However I know that many of them just may seen unusable to me right now. Down the road there are many photos that I just may find a perfect place for.

I still haven't started work on the new press kit. I'm just tinkering with ideas and looking for that special angle that I can use to make a complete and concise statement. These photos need to steer me away from the kid shows, and get people to start taking a better look and considering me for the opening act spots, the cruises, the casinos, and even more corporate work. I'll ALWAYS be able to work the family crowds. If you juggle at all, people will always assume you're a birthday party clown. I just need to really push for the bigger and the better events, which also have the bigger & better paychecks.

I know that these new materials will also inspire new costumes, new bits to work into the show, a new look for my main website...Everything will develop based upon the artistic slant I'm trying to achieve with these photos.

However, I find myself with a new dilemma.

Having all these new photos and finding some great ways to use them so quickly makes me absolutely HATE all of my current promotional materials (Such as this photo on the left). It is truly night and day for me, a complete love/hate relationship with the entire lineup of marketing.

Sadly, I have about 1,000 of the current brochure and a website that is in dire need of updating. I've got some videos that I think still work well, but I must retool the presentation throughout.

What's funnier is that some of the photos I took in the earliest part of the day during this past shoot are almost too similar to the exact type of photos I wanted to steer away from. As an example, check out the photo on the right. I know I'll be using this one somewhere, but for now, this untouched photo smacks of the crap I've had all these years.

I really didn't want the typical "juggler with props" poses you can see on EVERY OTHER juggler's site out there. I guess the progression from the beginning of the day to the end should follow the need to get from point A to point B.

I suppose this is a good problem to have. I know the growth and change is happening. I may not be able to keep up with it just yet, but I'm not resisting at all. In fact, I want it all ready to go much sooner than it may happen naturally. I'm just glad I got around to taking those new photos. Usable now or later, they're just what I needed.

Time for Some Links and Some Plugs

Check out the final installment of the "Weekend of Ill-Conceived Notions" podcast. There's a whole lot of funny happening there. In fact, you just may need to reread my Podcast Primer to get the full picture this time around. I know the mighty Golfwidow and I are gearing up for some new recordings soon.

You should most definitely buy a copy of her new book, "Getting My Think On." I was fortunate enough to receive an advance .pdf copy and what I've read has been outstanding. Of course it may take me years to finish reading the whole thing because I'm such a lousy reader. That's OK. She's such a great writer I know it will be worth all the effort.

Many thanks to Greg Burgas of the most excellent Delenda Est Carthago blog. He plugged my Halloween Costume list as well as my post about Evil Dead, The Musical. The traffic is always appreciated.

I didn't get to meet Pammy in Peoria the other night, which was most unfortunate. Not only did she miss a most excellent show, but she didn't get all the cool free stuff I was going to give her. Ah well. You can't plan a family emergency. Another time.

Mark Englebretson, of the Nevada Casino Ashtray Project, was kind enough to plug my El Rey section of this blog. I've had a few hundred folks clicking away via the link he put up at The Chip Board, a bulletin board for casino chip collectors and lovers of all things gaming. I'm hopeful some of these visitors will leave a comment or at least have some memorabilia to sell.

Ten Things Tuesday: Things You May Not Know About Willie Martello

• Willie was the seventh son of a seventh son.
• The first two license plates issued in the state of Nevada went to the Governor and Willie Martello. The Governor had "Nevada 1" and Willie had "Nevada 2".
• Willie Martello built the first swimming pool in the desert town of Searchlight, Nevada. Although it was originally installed for the working girls & the guests at the resort, it was open to the public at least one day a week and most every kid in Searchlight learned to swim in his pool (Especially if they could not get to Lake Mojave on their own).
• Before the phone system was installed in Searchlight, he used to converse with his family & friends in Las Vegas and elsewhere by using Passenger Pigeons. He may have been the man responsible for getting those phone lines (I'm looking into this).
  
• Willie served our country in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was at Pearl Harbor during the bombing.
• Willie was co-owner of a club, Marsal's, in Southern California and later would operate the Red Rooster in Las Vegas with Grace Hayes. The Red Rooster later became the location of the famous Silver Slipper Casino, owned by Howard Hughes.
• Willie & family commissioned the erection of the town's first baseball field in Searchlight.
• He drove a big white Lincoln that featured one of the first car phones. He called it his radio telephone.
• Willie built the airport in Searchlight, which featured a massive 6,600 foot long runway. The airport is still in use today and currently there are plans to create a "Fly-In Community" of homes around the airstrip.
  
• There is not a single street, school, nor library named after Willie Martello in Searchlight. There's not even a plaque honoring him nor mentioning his name.

What's that? You don't even know who Willie Martello was? Click Here to read all my posts about Willie and the El Rey Resort & Casino.

Haven't Quite Figured Out What I'll Be Doing With These Yet, But...

...I've no real ideas for a decent Monday post today so you get some "raw" new photos. They've been doctored a little bit, or at least cropped, but not much else. Enjoy.

Ahh, Sundays! Always Good Days for Some El Rey News

Alright, I'm actually writing this post on Saturday, but you get the idea. Please excuse the length of the post.

Today I'll have some El Rey Casino news, but it will all be on the personal side as opposed to the informative side. There will be a whole lot of new stories and information to share, but today it is all about ME! The first tale will be told with photos.

Saturday, October 21, 2006 1:15 PM

What's that? A package for me? It was sent Priority Mail and was insured. I wonder what it could be.



Why look. It's actually TWO boxes taped together.

Interesting.



Packing peanuts. I love packing peanuts. What's not to love, unless you're a vacuum cleaner or something.


Bubble wrap AND packing peanuts? Whatever is inside must be something very precious.

OOH! An amber-colored ashtray from the El Rey Resort and Casino! What beautiful condition it is in too. No visible chips and hardly a pinhole in the paint! How exciting!

AHH! A clear ashtray with blue & white paint and featuring a lovely caricature of Willie Martello! Also in spectacular condition (just the tiniest of chips and only a few pinholes in the paint.

TWO El Rey ashtrays in one - uh, two boxes!

For me?

Damn right...FOR ME!

This has been a very El Rey-centric week for me.

I started writing the preliminary introduction the my book, which may take me forever since I haven't' been "a writer" in a while now. Got to get back in the habit of regular, undisturbed writing.

I received my copy of "Tonight for Sure" from the fine folks at Something Weird Video. That place will get a lot of my business in the future as I am always in need of something weird. I'll have a complete review as well as some screen shots to share soon!

I won two eBay auction items, including a duplicate of a postcard I already own (this one without writing nor postage) and a WAY COOL El Rey brochure. I'm still smacking over the brochure because the same seller actually had two different brochures available and I got sniped by another bidder in the last seconds. I don't mind too much because I had already gone well over my limit for bids, but it still hurts to lose an item that significant to me to someone who doesn't care one bit about the casino and only wants to expand his collection of Nevada memorabilia (or sell it to someone else). Reminded me of the matchbook fiasco.

Then, from out of the blue I received a phone call from Mark Englebretson of the Nevada Casino Ashtray Project. You may recall he sold me my first El Rey postcard as well as sent me a book about Searchlight. He is also one of the world's foremost experts on & collectors of casino ashtrays and is something of a historian with regard to Nevada gaming. By the way, his site is an AMAZING collection of photos, ashtrays, and most significantly, HISTORIC content on Nevada gaming. It is WELL WORTH taking a look and learning a little something if you're a history or gambling buff.

I'd agreed to purchase the two aforementioned ashtrays from him and have been slowly paying them off all year. Normally the condition of the item is not of paramount importance to me. I'm just interested in having ANYTHING that has survived the years for my collection and research. However, I figured that if I had the chance to get two such fine examples of memorabilia without having to get my heart broken during a bidding war I should go for it. Plus, Mark told me I could take as long as needed to pay the full amount and that sealed the deal. I was still a good $75.00 away from being paid in full when Mark gave me a call.

He told me that he was sending out the ashtrays the next day and I should consider our transaction completed. Why? Some time ago Mark asked if I'd consider writing up a brief history of the El Rey for his website. Apparently, El Rey collectibles are always very desirable among casino collectors, but very little is known about the place. I was happy to oblige.

I wrote up a nice piece and even got Bob Martello to review it and make sure I got all the facts right. I sent it off to Mark and figured that sooner or later, when he gets to his next update (the site is MASSIVE and updates can take a long time) I'd mention it here.

Mark was so appreciative of the work I've done in researching the El Rey that he considered the article and research more valuable than the money I owed. I was floored!

I'd no idea just how little about the place was actually known, even to astute historians of the subject like himself. We've shared a few conversations since then and it turns out that I really have been uncovering some great stories, significant history, and providing many hobbyists with some valuable insight & knowledge. We've even discussed the prospect of me speaking at a collector's convention next year as an "expert". Good lord! Me? An expert on something? God help us all.

Honestly, I'm just happy to have such a fun and interesting hobby to fill my time. The thought that someone out there finds a bit of value or importance to it outside from pure amusement value had never occurred to me.

The article I wrote is online now, along with some scans and such. You can find it under "Small Towns, Searchlight, El Rey Casino" or simply click the link to read the piece.

Allow me to publicly thank Mark for his generosity and his friendship. He was among the first to provide me with ANY information about the El Rey and without his contributions I may have never gotten this far along in the project. Please check out his website and contact him if you have information about any of the rich history of gaming in Nevada.

Learn About My Fascination with the El Rey Casino
from the Beginning. CLICK HERE!

Andy Martello: Well "Red"

Imagine what I could do with
better software and actual knowledge.

A Couple of "Traditional"
Juggling Pics...Andy Style!

Now that I've got your attention, please welcome
a new addition to my blogroll, Caves of Ice.

Thanks to e-pauly for reprinting my
Halloween Ten Things Tuesday list.

Thanks to MICHAEL MANNING for interviewing
my good friend, Glenn Bishop
and mentioning me a ZILLION times.

I'm working the 80th anniversary show at the historic
Arcada Theatre in St. Charles Saturday.

I'm working in Peoria on Sunday at the Scottish Rite Cathedral
(with the Peoria Barbershop Chorus)
and I'm hoping to meet fellow blogger, Pammy.

Now go get caught up on the
"Weekend of Ill-Conceived Notions" podcasts.
Golfwidow worked very hard on them
and you should be listening to them.

Hot Comedy. Cool Juggling.

Oh Yeah. Some Cool Photos.

I got a lot of good responses from yesterday's post so I thought I'd toss up another photo from my recent photo shoot and hint at how I hope to utilize it in some upcoming marketing.

Not all the photos from this shot were so ultra hip. There were some more "traditional" juggling shots with some hip Andy twists as well. I can't get enough of the martini bar photo part of the shoot. Of course I'll be sharing some of those other photos down the road.

Remember My Recent Photo Shoot?

The Photos Have Arrived!

I've received two disks of photos from my recent photo shoot.

I won't show you everything, or even the first six or seven shots I've started adapting to fit the future marketing schemes. I mean, with my recent Ten Things Tuesday post still in the cue, too many photo-laden posts could bring even those with high-speed access to a halt. I shudder to think how long it would take people on dial-up to access this week's blog posts.

However, I can't resist the chance to toss up at least one, maybe two photos. I've got limited software capabilities here so some of the effects I want to achieve with the new photos will take awhile to accomplish. Thankfully, the vast majority of the photos won't need much work at all outside of cropping and captions. Either way, I think this could be the start of some great new things in Andy Land.

Even More About "Tonight for Sure"

I received my copy of "Tonight for Sure" in the mail today! I'll have a full review, screen shots, and more after a viewing. I'm very excited! Speaking of "Tonight for Sure"...

I missed this earlier, but Golfwidow, star of the "Weekend of Ill-Conceived Notions" podcast (Third installment is up RIGHT NOW), uncovered some extra info about the film that was most interesting to me. If you're new to this subject, click here and here to get caught up.

She found a film buff website, ambudextrouspics.com, that featured an e-mail, reportedly FROM Francis Ford Coppola, regarding his involvement with the film. I'll reprint the transcript here.

"TONIGHT FOR SURE -- I made a short 12 minute film called THE PEEPER. We tried to sell it, and the only buyer had this b/w western about a cowboy who kept seeing cows as naked girls. It was un-watchable, so they bought our short, and gave me $500 to intercut it and some connecting footage to salvage their effort. When I had the titles made, I was so thrilled to see my name on a film, that I myself had it say Directed by FFC. In fact I was the editor and had made the original short about the man eavesdropping on the photo session....

"...Tonight For Sure was a job to combine the short film The Peeper into a film the distributors had but couldn't release (that I had nothing to do with) called The Wide Open Spaces. I used footage from both, and this became Tonight for Sure."

I love that he made $500.00 for editing and had that same giddy feeling most people get when they see their name in lights. There's a more in-depth look at the film, along with some questions about production at this site as well. I am trusting this e-mail to be genuine as the owner of the website is a MAJOR film fan and he's taken a lot of time to do painstaking research on the great directors of our time and the films they've made. Plus, this info corresponds with what I've learned from Jerry Schafer.

Of course, I felt it necessary to share this finding with Jerry Schafer to confirm the details and get any corrections. Jerry has been very kind to me and has provided me a lot of great information about his time in Searchlight. He came through yet again. Here's what Jerry had to say after checking out the website.

"Very interesting comments from FFC ... and honest too inasmuch as his memory is concerned. But then, that's what makes him such a wonderful and talented director. I am one of his biggest fans....always have been.

However, the film was released and it wasn't about a cowboy who saw cows as naked women. It was about a cowboy who got thrown off his horse and hit his head on a boulder. Thereafter, every time the cowboy saw a "Woman" she appeared to be naked!

Those scenes were shot inside the El Rey Casino and Willie played a Pit Boss....(silent bit).

There were no cows in the film. We were lucky to have enough money to pay for the horse!

Larry Chance played the Cowboy and, by the way, I wrote that thing in one week....and shot it in 6 days!

By the way, I had very little idea what the hell I was doing at that time.

The film got some publicity and a little attention because it was a first using topless women that way.

I remember that a newspaper writer named Paul Coats wrote an article about the film after
he saw it. The title of the article was: Billy the Kid sings; there's nothing like a Dame.

Jerry"

MOST EXCELLENT! I'm that much more eager to get my copy of the film and see a little bit of the El Rey and catch a glimpse of Willie Martello. I am also eager to see how the film, now known to be an amalgamation of two projects, looks on screen. Thanks to Golfwidow for pointing this out to me (Go buy her damn book, people. You deserve something better to read than my silly blog!)

Both Bob Martello and Jerry Schafer are interested in seeing the film and I plan on sending them copies as well. Jerry had mentioned to me that he's curious to see if or how it has been edited and re-edited over the years since he finished with the gig. I plan on forwarding my information to the ambidextrouspics.com site owner as well. Perhaps he'll find this post. Who knows?

Keep Up with the Saga & Read ALL El Rey Casino Posts HERE!

Ten Things Tuesday: Halloween Costume Ideas

Halloween is Coming!

What's that? You Only Have One, Maybe Two Suits in Your Closet?
Here are 10 Different Halloween Costumes
YOU CAN CREATE Using Your Old Suits.
____________________

Black Suit, Skinny Tie, Sunglasses, a Handgun
& Three or Four Friends Dressed the Same =

A Reservoir Dog

____________________

Same Outfit as Before, "Space Age" Handgun
& Only Two Guys (One Being Black) =

A Man in Black

____________________

Same Outfit, Black Hat, White Socks & No Handgun =

A Blues Brother
(This one works without a second person
but only if you have the hat.
Otherwise people think you're one of the
other characters with no friends)

____________________

Same Outfit, Slightly Different Hat,
Long Beard & Curls,
No Tie & No Sunglasses =

Hasidic Jews
(Really, don't use this one as a Halloween costume.
I've no doubt that someone will take offense.
No sense of humor regarding fashion or Pagan holidays.
In fact, I'm probably going to Hell just for
putting the idea into your head)

____________________

Same Outfit (Jacket Optional),
Straw Hat (if Preferred),
Blue, Gray, or White Shirt,
Vest & Suspenders, NO Curls =

Amish Farmer
(Go ahead and wear this one.
It's really unlikely you and some Amish farmer
will be attending the same party.
An upside to this one is that if you get
enough friends to wear the same costume,
you can build the barn where you'll have the party.)

____________________

Same Outfit,
Shorter Beard,
Formal Coat, Vest & Bowtie,
Tall Black Top Hat (Optional) =

Abe Lincoln
(If you're a real asshole, put a big red hole
on the front of your head with some blood dripping down.
It is, after all, Halloween.)

____________________

Modern Suit & Tie,
NO Beard,
Better Hair,
Same Public Office =

John F. Kennedy
(Sure, you can reuse the bullet hole joke with this one.
Wear the Lincoln Costume one year and the Kennedy one the next
and people will marvel at how similar your costumes are.
You can even add a pointing gesture
to look like you're campaigning!)

____________________

Same Suit,
Lighter hair (Same Style),
Same Public Office,
No Hole =


Bill Clinton
(Well, not the SAME hole.)

LOOK! He's got a point too!)

____________________

Same Suit,
Similar Hair,
Same Public Office,
Absolutely NO POINT WHATSOEVER =

A Retarded Monkey
(Although it is clear he HAS a hole in his head.)

____________________


And for the Ladies...

Here's a Suit You Can Wear.

I Couldn't Agree More

Here's an e-mail I received this weekend from Bob Martello.

To:	andy@andymartello.com
Subject:	good stuff
Date:	Sat, 14 Oct 2006 15:26:05 -0500

Andy...

people who are not reading your stuff on willy and searchlight,are missing good stuff.

I told you so...........................lot more to come I'm sure

bob m...............

Bob has been nothing but kind to me with my interest in Willie Martello and the El Rey Resort & Casino. I'm certain at first he was a bit hesitant to even read my blog, much less contact me with any information about the place. Let's face it...It has to be a bit off-putting to know that someone outside of your immediate family has decided to make a hobby of the business ventures in your family history.

Add in the fact that his family has suffered some amount of scorn thanks to the very BRIEF presence of the working girls at the resort (fewer than five years from what I've learned) and I wouldn't have blamed him if he wanted to tell me to take a flying leap. Heck, it is no secret that the working girls and the common last name were what gathered my interest in the first place. Thankfully, I learned that there was much more to the story and I was able to show Bob I had nothing but the most sincere of interests in learning about the El Rey.

What I never expected was the remarkable history of the club and the most spectacular cast of characters in this story. It seems EVERYONE who had contact with the club has a great story to tell. As it happens, Daisy Mae and Her Ladies are barely a blip on the radar screen when compared to the rich tapestry of events and antics of the likes of Willie, Buddy, Chef Luigi, Bob, and many others.

It makes me proud to know I've got Bob's interest and blessing with my research. He's been quite friendly to this juggling moron with the same last name. I hope to do his family proud if and when I get all my findings in a coherent form and can present the true story to the world.

In the interim, I still look to purchase more items for my personal collection. I'm hopeful that eBay vendors researching their item for sale will think of contacting me before listing their piece.

Of course I welcome any stories from family members, employees, and people who may have spent time at the El Rey. I've yet to hear from any employees or customers, but I trust they're out there somewhere.

My letter to Sharon Richardson came back. Wrong address. I've since found another address and I'm hopeful to hit pay dirt this time around. I know she's got a lot to say about Willie and how he's remembered.

I am still hopeful that Ed Darling will contact me by phone or by e-mail. Not only would I like to hear any stories he could share, but I hear he has some items I may be able to procure for my collection. Every time he's left a comment here at the blog it has been without any contact info or e-mail address. I am hopeful that one day he and I can chat.

I've no idea where this journey will ultimately take me. I'm just forever grateful to get the chance to enjoy the ride.

Links to All My El Rey Posts

Just for fun.

"You Provide the Audience,
He'll Do the Rest!"

Now I'm Excited!

The other day I met with a good friend of ours (a photographer) to take some new promo photos. I haven't taken any new pictures in at least 6 years and I'm long overdue.

Unfortunately I had a few things going against me. Hair issues, not getting the crucial first set up I wanted, not being able to fully explain the concepts I was aiming for - I feared the worst.

Things got pretty good towards the end, especially when we ended up at a very cool martini bar & restaurant, Blu Razz. By then, a little alcohol eased the tension and they are now only the second bar I've been to that serves Pyrat XO Reserve! Hell Yeah!

From what I heard from the photographer, there were many cool shots taken that day. Of course, that's what they're supposed to say. I thought we took about 150-175 photos and hoped I'd get a few decent takes.

I just got an e-mail from her and it turns out we took 291 freakin photos! I'll be surprised if there aren't at least a few good ones I can use. I'll have the disk here in a few days and some fresh photos to share soon. I'll also try to give you an idea of what I'm hoping to achieve with my new photos and the subsequent marketing creating from these pictures.

Until then, let me say a big thank you to Blu Razz for not only having killer food & mighty fine drinks, but for allowing us to shoot in their ultra-hip locale!

What Am I Selling On eBay This Time?

Here are three items that may or may not gather a bit of attention. Since today is Friday the 13th of October and I'd rather not talk about the wedding I have to attend today, I figure that my current eBay listings are much more interesting and certainly more appropriate.

Here goes...

From the Andy Archives of Oddities, three books dealing with magic & the occult. Two of these books are quite old and may be worth something. All I know is that they needn't be in my house any longer.

First, Herrmann's Wizards' Manual (Revised and Edited Edition). I've no idea what the actual publishing date is on this book. I do know the original printing was in 1916 and it is a very cool book. The Shrewsbury Publishing Company of Chicago put out this classic and it is a very entertaining read. Loads of magical secrets for the aspiring conjurer or just the curious spoiler.

Next, another book possibly from 1916 and ALSO from a Chicago-based publisher. Check out the beautiful block print found within the pages of...

A Course of Advanced Lessons in Clairvoyance and Occult Powers, By Swami Panchadasi

The print on the inside alone is worth the cost of the thing. This one has been revised and republished many times over the years. However the volume I'm offering up is one of the OLD ones. It may be a first edition, but I'm no book expert so I can't say for certain. Regardless, with Halloween coming up it certainly makes for big silly fun.

Last, The Amateur Magician's Handbook, By Henry Hay. This is a MUST OWN for anyone wanting to be a magician at any level. It is like the Bible for magicians, or at least that's what I was told by the magician that gave it to me years ago. It's not that rare, but this version is from 1974. It's been traveling from house to house since I was a teenager and now it is time to get this thing to someone more deserving of the secrets and powerful magic inside.

I'm hopeful these will attract some attention and find good homes. Maybe they'll even bring in a few bucks. Who knows?

Now Here's a Booking!

If this guy doesn't do "Delerious Love" from Neil's latest album
then I can't be nearly as happy about the gig. ;)

I'll be at Donley's Wild West Town
December 15th, January 5th, and January 12th.
Reserve your seats TODAY!

New Promo Ideas

I've been working on a one-sheet promo page for a show featuring myself and trampoline expert & comedian, Don Otto. We've worked on many different fairs and fests together and I got it into my head that we should try to book this as a featured attraction way more often.

I tried sending some jpegs to the agent that books us and for whatever reason his Mac computer can't seem to open something as relatively universal as a jpeg file. So...I'll upload them here and share with the class.

This is specifically for the agent. CLICK ON THE PICTURES FOR A LARGER VIEW. You can save them to your computer and view them with your own viewer if your prefer.

Page One Test
(A little cluttered in my opinion)

Page One Test (revised)
(Much neater, but could use a little extra something)

Back Page Test
(This one rocks. Could be a good front or back page)

Your comments are always welcome. Before you ask, Golfwidow, I'm certain I can send you some of the finished products for your collection.

Do I Want to Get Smacked?

So I'm rockin' this snazzy new blog template (Thanks again, Dawn!).

I do, upon occasion, have some good content.

I could use the traffic, even if it is from people who may think I suck.

So...Do I want to submit this blog for the fervent and potentially snarky (well, always snarky) review and commentary offered up by the self-appointed blog reviewers at italk2much.com?

I mean, I am a needy entertainer and I crave the love and affection of adoring fans. However, I'm also a fragile entertainer and clearly can't stand any criticism, positive, negative, or constructive.

You see my quandary.

I mean, if Gordon is confident enough in my abilities to proclaim me to be the NEXT "King of All Media" then perhaps there's no need to worry about what a few blog readers with attitudes (much like myself) think about my blog, which I often refer to as "craptacular". Really, do I care at all what people think about my blog or do I just hope people like it and use the thing to promote my various projects?

Some of you have been smacked by the it2m team. What say you?

Ten Things Tuesday: Post Columbus Day Activities

• Watch the Columbus Day episode of "The Sopranos"
• Get your wife liquored up & try to find "faster passage to India"
• Check your calendar. Search for other useless and antiquated holidays and HOPE they're ones where you get the day off.
• Call your Congressman. Lobby to get Amerigo Vespucci his own holiday. Make sure you get the day off on that day too.
  
• Listen to Week TWO of the "Weekend of Ill-Conceived Notions" podcast starring Golfwidow and featuring yours truly.
• Listen to Week ONE of the "Weekend of Ill-Conceived Notions" podcast starring Golfwidow and featuring yours truly. You know you didn't bother to listen last week.
  
• Reread last week's Ten Things Tuesday, The Podcast Primer. Get up to speed on this internet hilarity.
• Buy a copy or two (or more) of Golfwidow's most hysterical and well-written book, "Getting My Think On"
• Tell all of your e-mail contacts about the "Weekend of Ill-Conceived Notions" podcasts and the new book, "Getting My Think On"
  
• Reread the previous 5 things on this list, then follow the instructions to the letter.

Consider this horse to be dead and sufficiently beaten.

Willie Martello: The Gambler

I was checking my stats recently to see what people are reading. It seems, there's been quite a lot of activity around here regarding my recentl El Rey posts (Presumably Bob Martello and his son as well as a few others). Specifically, Jerry Schafer not only found my posts about his film , "Tonight for Sure", but he sent me an e-mail or two offering up SEVERAL great stories and memories about his time with Willie Martello. I'll be sharing those here with you. Down the road, if Bob Martello has anything to add or correct to the anecdotes, I'll be sure to share them as well.

Today, I've got a fantastic story about the first time Jerry went to Las Vegas with Willie Martello to do some gambling. Jerry has told me he believed Willie to be the luckiest man he'd ever met. This story more than backs up that claim. Here's the tale in Jerry Schafer's own words.

One day while I was visiting him at the El Rey he decided to drive to Las Vegas and gamble. He asked me to go with him and I did.

What a night to remember. Willie put ten thousand dollars in cash into his pocket. "This will be my bank," he said, "I'll try to run it up into a big win."

We went to the Hacienda Hotel. As soon as we walked through the front door Doc Baily, the owner, was shaking Willie's hand. He and Doc were buddies. (As a matter of fact after Willie passed away Doc's wife, Judy Baily bought the town of searchlight, or at least the casino and the motel).

Willie started to play roulette. He put ten dollars straight up on seven numbers each time he bet, seventy dollars per spin of the wheel. At first he didn't win at all, but then suddenly he hit five times in a row. Then he doubled his bets. He put 140 dollars on each spin of the wheel. Before long he had won 22 thousand dollars.

Doc Baily came over to the table and told Willie to get the hell out of his casino. They laughed and Doc invited us to have lunch.

After lunch Willie looked at me and smiled, "Lets go to the Desert Inn" he said, "I want to lose this money!" This was my first experience with Willie Martello the gambler. It was nothing short of amazing.

At the Desert Inn he won another 20 thousand dollars. Then we drove to the Thundrebird. Within thirty minutes he lost every cent he had in his pocket. Fifty grand to be exact. The owner of the Thunderbird gave him a thousand in cash to get home with. Willie laughed like it was just part of his day, but as far as I was concerned it was awful. Fifty grand was a fortune to me, expecially back in the 1950's.

We got into his white Lincoln Town Car. I thought we would head back to Searchlight but instead Willie drove to the Sands Hotel. He walked into the Casino and Carl Cohen the boss walked up to him and shook hands.

Willie took the thousand dollars out of his pocket and looked at Carl, "How about letting me bet this grand on one spin of the wheel?" Carl Cohen smiled,"It's your money Willie...Go ahead, make your bet". Willie put the thousand dollars on double O. "Money plays," he said. I couldn't believe my eyes when the little white ball fell on it. Willie won 35 thousand dollars just like that. He gave the dealer five hundred dollars, looked at Carl and said, "Nice seeing you Carl" They shook hands and we walked out of the hotel.

On the way back to Searchlight Willie began to laugh. He looked at me and said,"That was a kick in the ass wasn't it?" I didn't know what to say. I felt like a kid who just saw his first ball game, and his team won. But not Willie. That money didn't mean a thing to him. He said, "Well Jerry my boy, you win some, you lose some. We'll go back tomorrow and see if I can lose a few bucks."

So Andy, that may give you an insight into the real Willie Martello.

Indeed it does. It definitely reinforces the stories I've heard about what a character the guy was. Plus, I LOVE hearing about Willie's interactions with other casino bosses and owners in Las Vegas.

One thing that I found particularly amusing about this story was when the owner of the Thunderbird gave Willie $1,000.00 so Willie could get back home to Searchlight. I've been to Searchlight. Drove there from Vegas myself. I've got to figure that even with the crappy roads and the gas guzzling cars back in the 50's, a thousand dollars was MORE than enough to get you to Searchlight and back MANY TIMES! That money, that dollar amount was more than just a courtesy. It was a sign of respect.

Jerry has been kind enough to send me many great new stories about Willie. I know that you'll be getting to enjoy these stories and I'm hopeful that I'll be treated to even more from him soon. Many thanks again to Jerry Schafer!

Keep Up with the El Rey Saga By Reading ALL El Rey Casino Posts!

Sit Down! Shut Up! The Killer Has Something to Say!

Oh yeah! Do you want to hear one of the best new CDs to hit the world in several years? Might I suggest you take a listen to the latest and greatest by the legend himself, Jerry Lee Lewis.

Goddamn that's one fantastic album cover!

"Last Man Standing", aside from being the single best title for an album I've heard in some time, is absolutely filled with some of the best rock & roll, blues, & country-influenced tunes you'll ever hear. Not a second of space is wasted and every song hits your ears, rapid-fire, one after another. Quite literally, "All Killer No Filler."

This is technically a duets album by Jerry Lee, but in reality, most all of the guest artists are there simply to record a track with the last of the great Sun Records pioneers of rock n' roll. That is to say, many of these songs are not your traditional "you sing a verse, I sing a verse" duets that so many artists have come to doing in their latter years. While you certainly do get songs that fit that description, most of these songs feature artists playing their style of music and adding harmonies and background vocals where needed. It is as if Jerry Lee Lewis called them all up to sing a duet o two and then told them the day of the recording, "That's OK, fellas. I got this one. Lemme show you how it's done."

Where there are vocals and traditional lyric-trading, the voices are matched extremely well. Where the artists are there simply to play their asses off, asses are most certainly played until they are gone. All tracks, many of which are traditional rock, blues, or country classics and covers, sound as though they were written by or for the great Jerry Lee Lewis.

Highlights on the CD for me include an amazing rendition of one of my all-time favorite blues songs, "Trouble in Mind", recorded with Eric Clapton. I'm also quite fond of the opening track with Jimmy Page, "Rock and Roll", as well as the great "Honky Tonk Woman" recorded with Kid Rock. Honestly, EVERY track is so good, it is impossible to pick a single favorite. Check out the list of artists on the CD and you'll see what I mean.


You can hear samples of the new CD at the official Jerry Lee Lewis website. Seriously, buy the damn CD. Don't give me any of crap about not liking rock music, thinking the blues are too depressing, or that country & spirituals are for redneck bastards. If you want to hear legitimately brilliant M-U-S-I-C played by one of the last surviving pioneering legends of rock n' roll and many of the world's most celebrated artists, this CD will blow you away.

Quite Possibly, the ONLY Four Words that Could Make Me Want to Go to New York City

Evil Dead The Musical

I shall add one additional word...

GROOVY!

Holy Crap! I Can Do this All Freakin' Day!

Many thanks to Gordon at Blog THIS, Pal for turning me on to
this new waste of time.

Go to this site and make your own McDonald's sign before their
lawyers get the thing taken off the internet.

If you do, you can entertain yourself for hours with this crap.
I know I can!

I Almost Forgot

(Pardon the early post, but I have limited access today and have to get Thursday's post up when I can)

Aside from much linky love via the mighty Gordon, I have added someone new to my blogroll.

Check out the sultry and always entertaining, Flirtatious Feline. I'm certain you'll not only enjoy her sense of humor and her writing, but her skin (her blog skin that is) is quite hot!

I am sure that I've forgotten quite a few folks who've been kind enough to link to me recently. If you do plug any of my posts or my websites, please let me know and I'll be certain to do some blog-whoring on your behalf.

Listen to Andy on week one of the

"A Weekend of Ill-Conceived Notions" podcast,

brought to you by Golfwidow!

Do I Even Need to Say It?

Fuckin' A, Right!

Tastes great with MUSTARD!

Listen to Andy on the weekly podcast,
"A Weekend of Ill-Conceived Notions",
brought to you by Golfwidow!

Ten Things Tuesday: Podcast Primer

If any of you have been reading Golfwidow's blog, it is likely that you have also been listening to her "Brain Confetti" podcast. If you have done neither than I can't imagine just how much "SUCK" is coarsing through your body right now. Should you feel the need to rectify your suck-filled situation and listen to her podcast, this would be a great time to start. Why? Because starting this week, and continuing indefinitely, I'll be a regular guest on her podcast.

We've started chatting via GoogleTalk and recording our riveting conversations. For whatever reason, she's decided they're interesting enough to share with the world in the form of a podcast. Who am I to argue? I'm one interesting muthafookah.

So, right now you can listen to the first installment of "A Weekend of Ill-Conceived Notions". This is the first portion of our most recent conversation and I'm quite sure you'll hear more from us week after week. I'm hopeful she'll actually edit out the not-so-funny stuff and just use the funny stuff, but it ain't my show so what the hell do I care, right?

In case you listen and enjoy each week's worth of brilliance, I've prepared ten links and photos to help enhance your listening experience. If you listen and don't see a photo or a link that matches this week's podcast, then you'll just have to tune in next week. BWAHAHAHAHA!

Golfwidow's NEW BOOK!
Click on the pic and buy a copy!



Dad flipping the bird

Michael Manning & Me

Flame Skechers. WAY COOL!

Me, rockin' the headset!

MMMmmm...vino.

Chuck Taylors. There is no substitute.

The Poky Little Puppy

Jeff Buckley, not to be confused with Bud Buckley.

And last, a link to a post of mine where I use the phrase,
"More fun than a handful of puppies."
I created this phrase at least 10-12 years ago, but have only used it in my blog once.

eBay Update

My first two eBay auctions were a success. While I cannot boast many bidders and massive profits, I can say that both items did in fact sell. Considering that both of these items are things I had NO money in, any money made to get them out of the house is good money in my humble opinion.

I'm certain that with a little bit of tweaking in my presentations and a little more know-how in the eBay world I may actually sell a few items for some high dollars. Regardless, I'm happy to be on a path that leads to an apartment with less clutter and a bank account with a little extra spending dough.

For those who are curious...

The coveralls sold for $4.99 plus shipping and handling. They're going to a lovely lady in Texas who's husband wears almost nothing but coveralls. I couldn't be happier.

The Playboys sold for $9.99 plus shipping & handling. I'd have hoped these would go for more, but shipping does make them a bit more of a difficult item to sell. I put them at an attractive starting price and have no problems with them selling for just that price. They'll be out of the house! Funny thing is they're going to a guy in Chicago. I could probably drive them to his front door.
I may try selling a few individual magazines and see how that goes.

Lord knows there'll be more going on the block. I'll be sure to keep you posted. Isn't this kind of minutiae what blogs are all about?