Dick Odessky is the consummate Las Vegas insider. Odessky first began to work at the fledgling Las Vegas Sun in 1953 and later worked for several hotel/casinos, including the Stardust and Caesar's Palace. During the last 45 years, Odessky has talked with everyone who mattered in southern Nevada, and in this book, he tells us stories of what it was like in the formative years of Las Vegas.
A lot of topics are discussed here. Odessky gives us an overview of Las Vegas before his arrival, stories of his days at the Sun, his perspective on the growth of the valley, and the colorful personalities that made this town.
Of course, it's the latter that we're most interested in, and Odessky has seemingly rubbed elbows with them all. He talks about the entertainers that have played at Las Vegas over the years from the Rat Pack to local talent Wayne Newton. We hear about folks like Shecky Green and Don Rickels. Odessky tells us of the days of Las Vegas as entertainment capital of the world during the heyday of the Sands, Dunes, Stardust, and others.
As colorful as these folks were, they couldn't hold a candle to the personalities that ran the casinos themselves. We hear about the mob connection, from Siegel through the Kefauver hearings through Howard Hughes to the present mega-corporatization of Las Vegas. We learn about such folks as Benny Binion, Morris Lansburgh, Meyer Lansky, and many others. In a lot of ways, this book represents the bright side to the picture painted in The Green Felt Jungle. Odessky doesn't apologize for these folks, he seems to have accepted them as one would accept the weather, as inevitable. Still, one can't help but sense a little nostalgia for these colorful folks and the way they ran their town.
Overall, Fly on the Wall isn't a terribly substantive work. Most of the stories and characters have been documented elsewhere, and the nostalgia for mob run Las Vegas isn't new, but Odessky's stories have enough freshness due to his first hand perspective to make this book worthwhile for those who hunger for Las Vegas history.
Odessky gives us an insider's view of the glory days of Las Vegas from the early 50s until the present day. While his view seems to occasionally over-romanticize some of the seamier sides of Las Vegas history, his first hand perspective and quality narrative make this worth reading for those who are attracted to the subject matter. I recommend it, although I must admit that this recommendation is lukewarm.
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