Hold the Roses (19 page)

I said, "I can't make it on the 24th."

"I just can't make it until Christmas is over."

Somehow they agreed and we opened December 28. I was to leave
the day before, but there was a rainstorm and the only plane to Vegas was canceled. Bobby said he didn't want me to drive, and he couldn't drive me
because he had all his shows to do. I could go the next day, which was the
opening night. I waited until the next day and took the morning flight.
Durante was on the plane; Cugat was on the plane. So I thought, We're all
here. They can't open without us.

Flamingo Hotel table card, Las Vegas

We stayed at the El Rancho because the Flamingo's rooms weren't
finished. They only had a dining room, the casino and lounge, and a coffee
shop. We rehearsed, and Jimmy and I planned the finale.

Here was what we decided the finale would be. While Jimmy was
doing his act, I would come out and say in a Durante voice imitation,
"Wait a minute, wait a minute. Stop the music!" Jimmy would say, "There's
an imposter here and I don't know which one it is." Jimmy would then
play the piano and he and I would sing, "Who Will Be with You When I'm
Far Away?" Jackson would do his strut and we would all walk off using the
"Durante walk-off." It would be a smash.

After rehearsal, we went to our hotel to get dressed. The show was
at eight o'clock. When we got to the Flamingo, it was the most beautiful
hotel I had ever seen. It looked like Broadway. The other two hotels on
the strip looked so drab compared with the Flamingo. Tommy Wonder, who was the opening act, and I went into the coffee shop for a bite to eat,
just to hold us until after the opening. Well, they started coming in: two
plane loads of stars, and I mean stars: Cary Grant, Lana Turner, Caesar
Romero, Joan Crawford... to name just a few. It was so exciting. Billy
Wilkerson from the Hollywood Reporter had an interest in the hotel; he had
promised Mr. Siegel that he would get the stars for the opening... and that
he did!

On stage at the Flamingo Hotel

The place was "Glitter Gulch!" The show went on. Cugat's band played
two or three numbers. Abby Lane was the band singer. Then Tommy Wonder came on and did his dance act. I followed Tommy and really did a great
show. Then Durante and then, of course, our big finale. We really broke it
up. Everyone was standing and yelling. It was one helluva night. Bobby came up the next night and said he never saw anything like this show. It
was such a smash-but only for two nights!

From the Las Vegas Review, December 27, 1946

The two planeloads of stars went back to Hollywood, and the third night
we had ten people in the audience! The locals were afraid to come in. I really
think Vegas's slogan "Come as you are" started because of the Flamingo. It was
so high-class. Not like the Last Frontier or the El Rancho. They looked like
country inns by comparison. So that's how the two weeks went-ten to twelve
people a night. It was such a shame, because the show was so great.

The end of the first week, Tommy and I were in the coffee shop
between shows when this man came around and started to hand out our
checks. I looked at mine and there was eleven dollars missing.

I called out to him. "Hey! I gotta talk to you. There's eleven dollars
missing from my check."

He said, "Did you draw any money?"

I said, "Are you kidding? Eleven dollars? Who's gonna draw eleven
dollars? No, I didn't draw any money. Look, if you need eleven dollars, I'll
give it to you, but don't take it out of my check."

He said, "Let me find out about this. I'll get back to you."

I went back to sit with Tommy. He said, "Do you know who that is?"

I said, "I don't care, they took eleven dollars out of my check and I
want to know why."

Tommy said, "Forget it. Please forget it. That was Bugsy Siegel!" After I heard that, I figured I would be picked up in an envelope.

I got my eleven dollars. It seems that Siegel found out what had happened. They had to guarantee the room at the El Rancho for the night I
didn't come in. The Flamingo paid for it and then took it out of my check.
Imagine, eleven dollars for a room! Mr. Siegel was very nice about it. When
he handed me the eleven dollars, he said, "I'm sorry about this."

I said, "Oh, forget it. I just wanted to know what happened."

He said, "I'm glad you did and I'm glad you brought it to my attention. You're all right, kid!"

"Whew," I said-to myself.

We got very friendly after that. I met Virginia Hill. She was in the
lounge one night and called me over. I sat down and she said, "I think
you're great. You do a helluva show. Too bad the locals don't come in. I
hope you don't mind me telling you this-your gowns are just beautiful and
you look great, but it would be so much better if you lost about ten pounds."

I said, "I intend to...as soon as I give birth to this baby. I'm pregnant."

She almost died. She said, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

I said, "Nobody knows except my husband and my doctor."

She laughed and said, "I'm going to Paris tomorrow. What would
you want me to bring the baby from Paris?"

I said, "I would love a christening dress and bonnet."

She said, "Okay. I'll get the nicest one I can find."

I said, "I'll pay you for it. I really want something special."

She said, "Don't be silly-it will be a gift from me and Benny." Benny was Bugsy's real name. She came back in a week and gave me the christening dress and bonnet. It was white lace and organdy, with white satin bows.
It was truly beautiful.

One night, while we were sitting around between shows, Mr. Siegel
came over to me and said, "Do you know how to play `Shimmy'?" (Meaning chemin de fer, a card game.)

I said, "Of course, I know all the gambling games."

"Good." Then he handed me $10,000 and said, "Go over there and
play. Maybe you can bring a -little excitement to the game."

"Mr. Siegel, I am a performer, not a shill!" I said.

He said, "Go ahead and play. You're not doing anything else but sitting here."

Well, he was right about that. I took the money and went over to
play. I won $25,000! Soon it was 11:45 P.M., and I had a show to do at
midnight. I asked the dealer, "Is Mr. Siegel around? I've got to do the
show." No one could find Mr. Siegel, so I went backstage, got dressed and
put the $25,000 in my girdle. I went on and did the show. The gown was
even tighter with $25,000 on my stomach!

After the show, I got dressed and went into the casino looking for
Mr. Siegel. He was in the lounge having a cup of coffee.

I walked over to him and said, "May I sit down?"

He said, "Sure, would you like some coffee?"

I said, "I'd love a cup of tea."

He called the waiter over and ordered. I sat next to him and, once the
waiter had gone away, said to him, "Here's your money. I won $25,000 but
couldn't find you when I had to do the show."

He said, "I know. I know everything that's going on. I wasn't worried
about you."

I said, "Thanks, but please don't ask me to do anything like that
again. I was never so scared in my life."

He said, "You don't have to worry about anything here. I'll look out
for you, and I won't ask you again, I promise." And that was that. I finished the two weeks and closing night I was called into Mr. Siegel's office.

He gave me my check and said, "You're all right. I like you and you
do a great show. I hope to have you back here soon. Thanks for everything." We shook hands and I left. The next day, I flew home. A month
later, I was saddened to read in the paper that Benny "Bugsy" Siegel had
been killed in his house!

Pe a tiq GeoJu1-aV.a Man« Guy

It was good to be home and just like a normal person again. My baby was
due on April 23, but it was now May 17 and nothing had happened. I had
planned a dinner party for Sunday, May 18. Alice Faye and Phil Harris
were invited, as well as Perry and Ginny Botkin. It was to be an Italian
dinner-what else?

Saturday night Bobby was doing a record date with Phil. I was home
making sauce and setting the table, when suddenly I felt these little feet all
across my stomach-no pain, just a little flutter. I sat down, got a clock
out and timed the flutters. They were coming every fifteen minutes. Bobby
came home around midnight. I told him about the little flutters and that
they were coming every thirteen minutes now.

He said, "Call the doctor."

I said, "What for? This isn't it-wouldn't I know?" (As if I had given
birth forty times before!)

He insisted I call the doctor.

I said, "Okay, but it's stupid. It's not pains, it's little flutters."

Again he said, "Call!"

I did call Dr. Krahulik, one of the best obstetricians in the world. We
had met him through Kermit Ryan, a pediatrician friend of Bobby's who
had said to use Dr. Krahulik. He was so right. I called and told him about
the flutters.

He said, "Did your water break?"

I said, "No."

He said, "Get to the hospital, I'll see you there." I hung up and thought the whole thing was dumb. I had no pains. I was feeling fine. We'll go to
the hospital and then come home-stupid!