Casino (1995) Craig Vincent as Cowboy. Closeup of the Cowboy's white-socked feet with no shoes on a poker table.

1. Youtube Casino Cowboy Scene
2. Casino 1995 First Published
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Directed by Martin Scorsese. With Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods. A tale of greed, deception, money, power, and murder occur between two best friends: a mafia enforcer and a casino executive compete against each other over a gambling empire, and over a. This Cowboy Scene Casino fast-paced Cowboy Scene Casino and fun-fuelled casino serves up a healthy dose of your Cowboy Scene Casino favourite games along with a few surprises along the way to keep you interested! Get up to €300 and 120 Spins! The N1 Casino bonus package is exclusive to new depositing players. Casino (1995) Craig Vincent as Cowboy. Closeup of the Cowboy's white-socked feet with no shoes on a poker table. Up for bids is a unique 1 1/2'x 4' empty front striker matchbook from a 1940-50s Era EARLY casino in Las Vegas, Nevada- Colorful matchbook reads: 'Ladies Welcome. Frontier Club Cooled by Refrigeration 117 Fremont Las Vegas, Nev.' On front and features a colorful artist's painting of cowboys on horseback on back-Inside has some mounting stains obscuring the text but you can still make out parts.

The Electric Horseman is a 1979 American comedy-dramaromancewestern film starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda and directed by Sydney Pollack. The film is about a former rodeo champion who is hired by a cereal company to become its spokesperson, and then runs away on a $12 million electric-lit horse and costume he is given to promote it in Las Vegas.

Plot[edit]

Norman 'Sonny' Steele is a former championship rodeo rider who has sold out to a business conglomerate and is now reduced to making public appearances to sell a brand of breakfast cereal. Prior to making a Las Vegas promotional appearance to ride the $12 million champion thoroughbred race horse who responds to the name of Rising Star, Sonny discovers to his horror that the horse has been drugged and is injured.

Identifying with the plight of the horse and disillusioned with the present state of his life, Sonny decides to abscond with Rising Star and travel cross-country in order to release him in a remote canyon where herds of wild horses roam. Hallie Martin, a television reporter eager to be the first to break the Rising Star story, locates Sonny and follows him on his unusual quest through the countryside. While en route, the unlikely pair have a romance as they avoid the pursuing authorities.

Cast[edit]

• Robert Redford as Sonny
• Jane Fonda as Hallie
• Valerie Perrine as Charlotta
• Willie Nelson as Wendell
• John Saxon as Hunt Sears
• Nicolas Coster as Fitzgerald
• Allan Arbus as Danny
• Wilford Brimley as Farmer
• Will Hare as Gus
• Basil Hoffman as Toland
• Timothy Scott as Leroy
• James B. Sikking as Dietrich

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

Casting for The Electric Horseman either continued or led to many reoccurring collaborations between cast and crew members. On November 28, 1978, Robert Redford was announced to star in the film,^[3] becoming the fifth film in which Sydney Pollack directed Redford following This Property Is Condemned (1966), Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Way We Were (1973) and Three Days of the Condor (1975). This director-actor relationship would continue with two more films: Out of Africa (1985) and Havana (1990). Pollack had also previously directed Fonda in They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), whereas Redford and Fonda previously teamed on The Chase (1966) and Barefoot in the Park (1967).

The Electric Horseman is noted as being the debut acting performance of long-time country and western singer Willie Nelson, who plays the role of Wendell Hickson. According to Pollack, Nelson improvised most of his dialogue in the film. Pollack would later be executive producer for Nelson's 1980 starring vehicle Honeysuckle Rose. The film was also only the second film performance of character actorWilford Brimley, who would later team with Redford in The Natural (1984).

Filming[edit]

—Sydney Pollack, describing script troubles.^[4]

Principal photography for The Electric Horseman took place during late 1978 and early 1979 throughout Nevada and Utah. While the film was prominently shot on location in Las Vegas and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area,^[5][6] additional filming took place in various locations across the state of Utah, including Grafton, St. George, and Zion National Park.^[7][8]

While filming generally went smoothly, Pollack struggled with revising the script while filming was underway.^[4] In addition, there was one particular day in which production was continuously delayed due to traveling thunderstorms that interrupted the 20-second kissing scene between Redford and Fonda. Ultimately, the scene ended up requiring 48 takes that pushed costs to $280,000.^[9] The film went over budget by $1.3 million, elevating it to $12.5 million.^[1]

Music[edit]

The musical score to The Electric Horseman was composed by Dave Grusin. In addition to co-starring, Willie Nelson contributed significantly to the film's soundtrack as well, singing five songs including 'My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys', 'Midnight Rider,' 'Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,' 'So You Think You're a Cowboy' and 'Hands on the Wheel.' Coinciding with the film's release, a soundtrack album was released featuring both Nelson's songs and Grusin's score.^[10]

Release and reception[edit]

The Electric Horseman was released theatrically in the United States on December 21, 1979. Even with the budget escalating to $12.5 million,^[1] the film was a box office success, becoming the eleventh highest grossing film of 1979^[11] after grossing a domestic total of nearly $62 million.^[2] While the film was co-produced by Columbia Pictures and Universal Pictures, and distributed by Columbia domestically and Universal internationally, the US film rights would later revert to Universal.^[12] It has since been released on CED (Capacitance Electronic Disc) Videodiscs, VHS, Betamax, LaserDisc and DVD by Universal Studios, although current home video releases have replaced 'My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys' with a generic instrumental sound-alike recording in the opening title sequence.

While the film was a commercial success, it received mixed reviews upon release. Film review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 64% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 22 reviews with a 'Fresh' rating, with an average score of 5.83/10.^[13] The film was also nominated for an Academy Award in 1980 for Best Sound (Arthur Piantadosi, Les Fresholtz, Michael Minkler and Al Overton Jr.).^[14]Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune called the film 'a nicely polished piece of entertainment from director Sydney Pollack, who regularly works with the biggest of stars and rarely lets his camera get in the way of those stars.' Siskel, who gave the film three stars, highlighted what he detected to be genuine chemistry between Redford and Fonda. He also lauded the movie's 'outstanding secondary cast,' including Saxon, Coster and Nelson.^[15]Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars and called it 'the kind of movie they used to make. It's an oddball love story about a guy and a girl and a prize racehorse, and it has a chase scene and some smooching and a happy ending. It could have starred Tracy and Hepburn, or Gable and Colbert, but it doesn't need to because this time it stars Robert Redford and Jane Fonda.'^[16]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcElectric Horseman: A movie charges into the box office.Lawrence Journal-World, Bob Thomas (21 Dec 1979). Retrieved May 23, 2014.
2. ^ ^ab'The Electric Horseman (1979)'. Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
3. ^'Redford joins cast'. The Beaver County Times. United Press International. November 26, 1978. p. 16. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
4. ^ ^abGallagher, John (Interviewer). The Director's Series (Videotape). New York City: TVDays.com. Event occurs at 0:11. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
5. ^Katsilometes, John (December 14, 2006). 'John Katsilometes gets Frank Gehry's succinct opinion of architecture in Las Vegas'. Las Vegas Sun. The Greenspun Corporation. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
6. ^Block, Marcelline (2012). World Film Locations: Las Vegas. Intellect Ltd. p. 47. ISBN978-1841505886.
7. ^Harmer, Katie (July 10, 2013). '50 movies filmed in Utah: 'The Sandlot,' 'Hulk' and more'. Deseret News. Deseret News Publishing Company. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
8. ^D'Arc, James (2010). When Hollywood Came to Town: A History of Movie Making in Utah. Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. p. 110. ISBN978-1423605874.
9. ^Schoell, William; Lawrence J. Quirk (2006). The Sundance Kid: A Biography of Robert Redford. Lanham, Maryland: Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 133. ISBN1589792971.
10. ^'Willie Nelson / Dave Grusin – The Electric Horseman (Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'. Discogs. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
11. ^Top Grossing Films of 1979. Listal. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
12. ^'Company credits for The Electric Horseman'. The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
13. ^'The Electric Horseman – Rotten Tomatoes'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
14. ^'The 52nd Academy Awards (1980) Nominees and Winners'. oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
15. ^Siskel, Gene (December 21, 1979). 'Romancing of Redford and Fonda supplies the highest voltage in Pollack's 'Electric Horseman''. Chicago Tribune. p. C1.
16. ^https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-electric-horseman-1979

External links[edit]

• The Electric Horseman on IMDb
• Analysis of The Electric Horseman at Transparencynow.com
• The Electric Horseman at Rotten Tomatoes

Vegas Vic is a neon sign portraying a cowboy which was erected on the exterior of The Pioneer Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA in 1951.^[1] The sign was a departure in graphic design from typeface based neon signs, to the friendly and welcoming human form of a cowboy. The sign's human-like abilities of talking and waving its arm received an immediate acceptance as the unofficial welcoming sign, reproduced thousands of times over the years and all over the world. The sign can still be found (in disrepair) at 25 E Fremont Street, where it has been since 1951 on the exterior of what used to be The Pioneer Club but is currently a souvenir shop. The trademark is currently owned by Pioneer Hotel, Inc., which owns and operates the Pioneer Hotel and Gambling Hall on the Colorado River in Laughlin, Nevada. Laughlin has a twin of the Vegas Vic image on another large sign referred to as River Rick.

History[edit]

Although the Pioneer Club no longer operates as a casino, the 40-foot (12 m)^[2] neon cowboy that was its mascot still exists. In 1947, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce hired a West-Marquis firm to draw visitors to Las Vegas. The company then created the first image of Vegas Vic and his friendly 'Howdy Podner' greeting.^[3] Due to the popularity of the cowboy, Young Electric Sign Company was commissioned to build a neon-sign version by the owners of the Pioneer Club. They then commissioned Pat Denner,^[4] who modeled it after the image in use by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. The neon version was complete with a waving arm, a moving cigarette, and a recording of 'HOWDY PODNER!!!!!' every 15 minutes. Vegas Vic was then erected on the exterior of the Pioneer club in 1951^[5] on the southwest corner of First Street and Fremont Street replacing the sign that simply said Pioneer Club with an image of a horse drawn covered wagon.

In 1966, Lee Marvin was filming The Professionals and staying at the Mint Hotel. Marvin complained that Vegas Vic was too loud, so casino executives silenced Vegas Vic and it was left that way for nearly two decades.^[2] The speaking was restored in the 1980s, but as of 2006 no longer works. The arm stopped waving in 1991.^[5]

When the Fremont Street Experience was under construction in 1994, several feet were cut off of the brim of Vegas Vic's hat to make him fit properly under the curve of the canopy of the Fremont Street Experience. After the Pioneer Club closed in 1995, Vegas Vic fell into disrepair. The Neon Museum at the Fremont Street Experience stepped in and offered to restore and maintain the sign if the building owner paid for the electric bill to operate it. Under the proposal, the building owner would retain ownership of the sign but has since acknowledged that the Federally Registered Trademark for Vegas Vic is owned by Pioneer Hotel, Inc.. If the building is sold, the sign would become the property of the Neon Museum who would then maintain it from that point on. The building owner ultimately declined the offer and eventually restored the sign themselves.^[5]

The red circle on his pocket is supposed to represent a Durham Tobacco tag that is dangling from a yellow string attached to the bag that is stowed away in his pocket (Vegas Vic represents a time when a cowboy rolled their own cigarettes from a bag of tobacco).

Vegas Vic was the first of what would become three neon cowboys at Nevada casinos. Wendover Will was erected a year later in 1952 at Stateline Casino and River Rick was erected in 1981 at the Pioneer Hotel & Gambling Hall in Laughlin. River Rick is virtually an identical copy of Vegas Vic, outfitted with a different color scheme.

• Vegas Vic (erected 1951), Las Vegas (photographed by Carol Highsmith)

• Vegas Vickie (erected 1980), Las Vegas (Highsmith)

In 1980 another neon sign, depicting a cowgirl in a fringed outfit seated with one leg kicking outward, was erected across Fremont Street. Standing over the Girls of Glitter Gulch strip club, she was known as Vegas Vickie (sometimes erroneously referred to as 'Sassy Sally', for the nearby casino).^[6][7] Vic and Vickie were 'married' in a 1994 ceremony during construction of the Fremont Street Experience.^[8] Vickie was removed in 2017 in preparation for the demolition of the strip club along with Mermaids Casino, La Bayou and the Las Vegas Club.^[9] Plans are for her to be returned to Fremont Street after the completion of a new resort on the site planned to open in 2020.^[10]

Youtube Casino Cowboy Scene

Vegas Vic has received new paint schemes through the years. Originally, from the '50s through the '60s, his shirt was white with yellow checkered stripes. Later during an early restoration in the '70s, his shirt was painted solid yellow. When he was restored in 1998 his shirt was painted a red and yellow checkered pattern.

In popular culture[edit]

• In the Obsidian Entertainment video game Fallout: New Vegas, a robot named Victor acts as an ally to the player and a servant of the owner of New Vegas, Mr. House. Victor is based on Vegas Vic, bearing a similar face and greeting the player with 'Howdy, partner!'
• The Belgian comics hero Lucky Luke strongly resembles Vegas Vic.
• A 1994 commercial for Miller Genuine Draft beer has a neon cowboy and cowgirl, similar to Vegas Vic and Vickie, 'coming to life' in downtown Vegas to the tune of JJ Cale's 'After Midnight'.^[11]
• During the Wonderful Wonderful tour, The Killers, who formed in Las Vegas and make frequent references to the city in their music and videos, included the image of Vegas Vic in the background on the song 'The Man'.^[12]
• Vegas Vic makes an appearance in The Simpsons episode 'I Married Marge'.
• Vegas Vic and Vickie both appear in Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, when the enlarged Adam Szalinski is treating Fremont Street like a playground for him. At one point, he nearly hits Vic while playing with a convertible carrying his big brother Nick and babysitter in it, and also damages Vickie's leg when he places the car on it, causing it to buckle under the strain and nearly drop Nick and the babysitter to the street below, before Adam saves them, while Vickie's leg somewhat recovers from the damage.
• Vegas Vic and Vickie make an appearance in the fictionalized rendition of Las Vegas in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.^[13]

Gallery[edit]

• The Pioneer Club 1950s (Yellow and white plaid shirt)

• The Pioneer Club 1980s (Solid yellow shirt), with Vegas Vickie in the background

• Post-1998 restoration (Red and yellow checkered shirt)

• Vegas Vic, the neon cowboy of Fremont Street

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Casino 1995 First Published

1. ^'Timeline'. Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
2. ^ ^ab'Vegas Vic Lives!'. Las Vegas Sun. 2000-06-25. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
3. ^Eugene P. Moehring, Michael S. Green (2005). Las Vegas - A Centennial History. University of Nevada Press. ISBN9780874176155. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
4. ^Moreno, Richard (2008). Nevada Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff. Globe Pequot. p. 15. ISBN978-0-7627-4682-8. Standing 40 feet tall, the illuminated buckaroo weighs about 6 tons and, at the time it was erected on top of the Pioneer Club in downtown Las Vegas, was the world's largest mechanical sign (his arm waved, his eye winked, and his cigarette moved and blew smoke rings.
5. ^ ^abc'Faded Glory'. Review Journal. 2000-01-16. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
6. ^'Landmark 'Vegas Vickie' neon cowgirl sign removed'. Associated Press. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
7. ^Fitzgerald, Michael (December 26, 2017). 'A sign of respect'. The Record. Stockton, CA. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
8. ^Moore, Thomas (8 June 2017). 'So long, Vickie: Iconic Fremont Street sign riding into the sunset'. Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
9. ^Cling, Carol (8 June 2017). 'Take a photo with Fremont's Vegas Vickie before she's gone'. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
10. ^'18 Fremont Update: Vegas Vickie, Mermaids, Las Vegas Club, Demolition'. Vital Vegas Blog. 2017-07-16. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
11. ^'Miller Genuine Draft Vegas Neon Cowboy'. YouTube. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
12. ^'The Killers Live in Newcastle 2017 - The Man'. YouTube. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
13. ^'Grand Theft Auto: Las Venturas'. Vegas Tripping. 15 North. Retrieved 14 November 2020.

Coordinates: 36°10′14″N115°08′37″W / 36.17056°N 115.14361°W

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