Customer Reviews

The Real Las Vegas - The Complete Story

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The History Channel will always be praised for it's outstanding and reavealing subjects no matter what the topic. They have brought us the definitive documentary on Las Vegas that will probably never be outdone.

Whether it is the Neon Oasis, The City of Sin, The City That Never Sleeps or whatever name has been attributed to it, Las Vegas is truly a magical and wondrous place that has grabbed the imagination and carefree attitudes of millions of people.

This DVD leaves almost nothing to the imagination and all the stops have been pulled out to give you the complete history of how it all came to be. You are treated with historical facts of how Indians first came to the Nevada ranges and tamed the land following with the Mormons who migrated in and set about to establish the early years in the area.

Without missing a beat, we then find out how the Mafia moved in and started to build casino's and created a dynasty to last for many years to come. As time goes on, you will be treated to interviews with many big name entertainers and entepreneurs who have shaped the city into what it is today. These would include but not limited to, Howard Hughes, Steve Wynn, Wayne Newton, Debbie Reynolds, Alan King and a host of others.

You will get to visit all the mega-resorts with all their glamour and hype and majesty and be amazed at just how much there really is to see and experience in this city without limits. This is a very satisfying 2 disc DVD documentary at an excellent price and is most likely the best look at Las Vegas you will ever see. Highly recommended to all.

Resort owner Steve Wynn probably put it best, "this is the city people love to criticize. But they keep coming back, and back...and back..." This two DVD set does a superb job of telling the WHOLE story of Las Vegas and why people keep coming back, from its beginnings as a spring for Paiute Indians, through settlement, to the Mega-resort atmosphere of the new century. By using the thread of the two attractions of Las Vegas-gambling and sex- the documentary tracks its evolution in the mid 20th century.

Las Vegas was not much more than a whistle-stop on the railway from Salt Lake/Denver to LA until the early 1930s when liberal divorce laws, and of course legalized gambling started bringing folks from elsewhere in the Southwest. Hoover Dam brought in an influx of people and money into the tow;, and the creation of what would become Nellis AFB in the NE corner of the valley also pumped Government dollars into the local economy -though one industry, prostitution, had to be made illegal before the Army Dept would allow "our boys" downtown. (BTW it STILL IS in Clark County-tourists beware.)

The real strength of the DVD is in fully explaining the "mob era" when Bugsy Siegel built the Flamingo on the Strip, until Howard Hughes bought them out in ca 1968. Interviews with entertainers, promoters and casino executives are well matched with the theme. The Rat Pack and Elvis, key components of Las Vegas in the 60s are explored as well. Finally, the series ends with the story of Steve Wynn and his mission to redefine Las Vegas, and outlines some of the problems looming ahead that all Las Vegans are aware of: lack of a rapid transit system, explosive unmanaged growth, and dwindling natural resources.

The only area I can see that the series did not adequately cover is the time from 1969-1984 or so when Las Vegas was considered un-hip by singles, and couples (those who by definition have the most disposable income). This may well be due to the very people partly responsible were those interviewed, and had a hand in the direction and production of the series. It was the tired borscht-belt shtick comics, Elvis' goofy productions, and the archetypal lounge acts that made the city un-cool for many years.

That said, this series is the best documentary to date on Las Vegas. If you are interested at all in that city that you glimpse from your hotel room on the Strip, or you happen to be one of the 5000 folks a month moving here, you will be impressed with these DVDs.

This is not only a beautiful product, but an informative, dynamic and entertaining look at the greatest city on earth. This program covers the history of Vegas, from the early pioneers, to Bugsy Siegel, the "famed and feared" Mob, the Rat Pack, (Kings of Cool), and the reclusive Howard Hughes. Interviews with Vegas legends, both past and present(Steve Wynn) give a truly comprehensive look at a most magical city. Also interviews with today's contemporary Vegans put the city in true perspective. Buy it! It's good!!!!!

This is the best documentary on Las Vegas I've ever seen! Incredible interviews mixed with wonderful footage of Las VEgas new and old. It's worth it just for Debbie Reynold's comment that "No one got killed in Las Vegas who didn't deserve it."
Highly recommended!!

All you want to know on the history of vegas is right here in this 2 disc special. I love vegas and love the history even more so. Vegas has been threw alot and you can find all of it here. A great buy!

Anyone who loves Las Vegas would love this collection. It is a well produced, entertaining and complete history of VEGAS! Once you finish watching this you want to catch the next plane to Nevada!

This is a great DVD set to own. If you are really into the history of Las Vegas, which I am, it's wonderful. It is a very thorough history of the town and events which had an impact on it. It is a 2 dics set, with two episodes on each disc. The episodes tend to overlap each other in terms of information, so you will see the same thing more than once on different episodes. The DVD was made around 1996, so it's now outdated, but still well worth the money.

I loved it, but I love Vegas. It was a great review of life in the early Vegas, I just wish it had been made 10 years later, so much has been added in the last ten years.

I lived in Las Vegas for more than 30 years and this brought back the Vegas that I knew. A great DVD.

Although this Special aired 13 years ago, it is still the definitive DVD on the history of Las Vegas. Despite starting show its age on the history of current Las Vegas, the 2 DVD set covers the complete history of Vegas current and past, up until the mid-90's. If you want to learn almost everything there is to know about Vegas, this 3+ hour Special is still the best history lesson.