An Inside Look At The Dazzling Glitz And Glamour Of 1950s Las Vegas

They call it Sin City – and in many cases, that’s for good reason. But Las Vegas in the 1950s oozed with certain glitz and glamour that rivaled the Golden Age of Hollywood. And we think it’s high time that you see the city’s more, well, unique side. So, pour yourself an Old Fashioned, take a sip, and scroll as we transport you back to Vegas in its "prime" with these 40 rare photos.

40. A very subdued-looking strip

When you picture Las Vegas, you probably see the strip's blinding lights, right? Sixty-odd years ago, though, the place looked downright quaint – well, at least in comparison to what it’s like today. This is Fremont Street back in 1958, and those buildings seem astonishingly normal-sized. They do have light-lined billboards, mind you.

39. The biggest pool in 1950s Vegas

It’s hard to believe that the Tropicana once had the biggest pool in all of Nevada – let alone Las Vegas. Compare it to the biggest pool on the Strip today, and, well, it looks quite quaint! The title today goes to the Boulevard Pool – a guests-only swimming hole that’s part of The Cosmopolitan.

38. Where there’s smoke, there’s Noël Coward

Here, we see English playwright and performer Noël Coward in the Nevada desert. He’s posing ahead of his first ever appearance in the U.S. – in Vegas, of course. And as it turned out, this photoshoot – and the performance it preceded – proved to be a turning point in Coward’s stateside career. After the live recording of the Brit’s Sin City show became a huge hit, CBS hired him to write and star in a series of TV specials.

37. Eddie Fisher gets a lift

It apparently cost around $164 million in today’s money to build the Tropicana Las Vegas. And when the flashy new hotel embarked on its suitably ritzy opening night, Eddie Fisher rose to the occasion – quite literally! After the show, his supporting castmates hoisted him into the air, which could only signify a job well done.