Harrah’s showroom — a 50-year history
By John Packer
STATELINE — In 1955, budding casino magnate William F. Harrah took a chance on the then-sleepy, seasonal resort town of Stateline on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe. He bought the Gateway Club on the lake side of Highway 50 and opened his second gambling house in Nevada, nearly 18 years after opening the bingo parlor that became Harrah’s Reno.
Looking to expand, the next year he bought the former Stateline Country Club across the highway and, in 1958, added the adjacent Nevada Club to his holdings. These moves gave him the property needed to realize his vision for Harrah’s Lake Tahoe.
In 1959, Bill Harrah decided it was time to roll the dice and spend more than $3.5 million of borrowed money to expand Harrah’s Tahoe and build a state-of-the-art nightclub and dinner theater with “Vegas-type stars performing every night of the year.”
Built in just nine months, with construction crews often working around-the-clock, Harrah had insisted that his dream 850-seat theater (fairly large by the standards of the day) be ready in time to host the expected horde of visitors coming to the 1960 Winter Olympics in nearby Squaw Valley.
In December 1959, Harrah opened the South Shore Room with the one-and-only Red Skelton as the headliner.
The plan to attract the Olympic visitors, however, fell fairly flat: After spending their days watching the myriad events on the slopes, people were just too tired to trek to the South Shore for a show.
Despite a massive advertising and PR campaign, shows in the first quarter of 1960 — which included such contemporary stars as Patti Page, Fred Waring, Liberace, Victor Borge, Marlene Dietrich, Nat King Cole and Ray Bolger — drew disappointing numbers.
Undaunted, Harrah continued to insist on booking the top names in entertainment for two-week runs, two shows every night. Once again, his vision was vindicated. As April turned to May, vacationers and gamblers began to flock to the new entertainment Mecca.
The South Shore Room soon became “the place” outside of Las Vegas to see the biggest stars of the day.
For nearly 50 years, hundreds of the world’s most popular singers, comedians, Broadway shows, pop bands and rock bands have graced the maple boards of the legendary showroom, some on numerous occasions over several decades.
Superstars from today and yesterday, including Frank Sinatra, Jack Benny, Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Dylan, The Smothers Brothers, Jerry Lewis, Marlene Dietrich, Robin Williams, Willie Nelson, Tom Jones, Emmett Kelly, Huey Lewis & The News, Jonny Lang, Liberace, Johnny Mathis, Wayne Newton, Patti Page, Don Rickles, Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Lawrence Welk Show, George Burns, Donna Summer, Danny Thomas, Sarah Vaughan, Dionne Warwick, Bryan Adams, Andy Williams, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Loretta Lynn, Belafonte, Scott Hamilton & Dorothy Hamill, Tony Bennett, Sonny & Cher, Radio City Music Hall’s Rockettes, Carol Burnett, The Muppets, George Burns, Paul Anka, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, Sammy Hagar, Billy Crystal, David Letterman, Bill Cosby, John Denver, Liza Minnelli, and many others, have played the famed Harrah’s Lake Tahoe stage. The list goes on and on.
In 2006, the South Shore Room underwent a multi-million dollar renovation. The project included a $500,000 state-of-the-art sound system and a top to bottom renovation of the theater. The stage, which many performers have recognized for its efficient design, friendly feel and impeccable acoustics, was left relatively untouched — looking much like it did when the curtain first rose on Red Skelton on Dec. 21, 1959.
For more information about who is next to visit the South Shore Room, call 800.786.8208.
John Packer is regional director of entertainment for Harrah’s Northern Nevada.
Tawni is my favorite person on the show, Sonny with a chance is awesome! Thanks for your blog, I enjoyed this post!
Hi John. I was around at Tahoe during that time and remember the events you have taked about. I got to see many of the shows and even meet a few of them. Back in the 60s my mother worked the Show room. She would bring us these amazing green foil green colored butter mints that would be given to the guesses after the meals. I have never forgot those. Do you have any idea who made them for the show room
Hey John, lets step up the entertainment, and live up to the history :)
Not everyone is over 50, and not everyone over 50 listens to music that came out 30+ years ago.
Some younger bands would be much appreciated, and I hear those kids can be pretty foolish with their money ;)
Carefor, there still lots youths in there at Nero’s ,the biggest meat market at the lake,check it out.
If you can’t dance, “forget it”!
Nero’s hasn’t been Nero’s since 2005, just a FYI…it is now Blu (with Opal down below). Still the same thing though, along with Harrah’s Vex.
One thing I’ll never be able to put a grasp on is this: the clubs say they market to a certain age group (changes, but lets say its the 30-50 year old now). The entertainment or events never seem to match the target market. Step one in marketing class. Would love to understand that some day :).