On a lazy Friday afternoon in September, my husband and I had gone out for coffee at a neighborhood Café.

As part of the outing we stopped at our local Charity Shops to see what treasures we could discover.

As I looked for just another vintage scarf, I heard a loud Wow!

from a familiar voice.

As I looked in his direction, he held up a treasure, an album cover from a not so distant past.

The Vinyl record that made him gasp was:

“Gordon Jenkins conducts

Monte Proser’s “TROPICANA HOLIDAY”

There it was. Pure Las Vegas Glamour caught in a moment in time.

When Glamour was Modern.

Las Vegas Glamour at its best… moments before the show

The cover had a photo of Show Girls getting ready for their performance, a vision of 1950s beauty. When I saw the record, I was instantly taken to this moment backstage, to the best Las Vegas show in 1958.

This was the hey days of Las Vegas, when Tropicana Holiday was a show comparable to shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York, or Folies Bergères in Paris.

The record is pure Las Vegas Glamour

The Title Monte Proser’s Tropicana Holiday was promising. Tropicana Holiday productions was one of the longest running shows at the Tropicana Hotel, considered one of the most famous hotels of the time.

The songs written by Gordon Jenkins took us right into the world of these Show Girls. Just Stunning! That burst of excitement right before the show caught my emotion.

It almost felt as if I was a Voyeur, to intrude into that world at this moment. A last minute glance in the mirror to get the eye brow just so, apply a last glossy coat of lip stick…

The golden metallic Lame fabric of those dresses clings to every curve, as if it could burst at any moment. The long white gloves add mystery and elegance.

Marilyn Johnson oozes Hollywood sexyness

When I first saw the cover, I thought the girl on the Left was Jayne Mansfield, but even more attractive. It is Marilyn Johnson.

Before the tall blond beauty appeared on stage she was crowned Miss Hollywood. At Tropicana Holiday she sang and danced alongside singer Elaine Dunn. Later, they often appeared in musicals and live stage performances together.

The Brunette dancer checking her hair is Felicia Atkins. I could detect a faint resemblance with Joan Collins, or a young Liz Taylor. On the cover she adjusts her hair, her dark eyeliner, elongated just as Cleopatra, adds a mysterious depth to her eyes.

In the deep golden dress that drapes around her body, she oozes a certain sex appeal that is still as hot today.

Felicia Atkins was the main vocalist and dancer of Tropicana Holiday for countless performances.

When she sang “You Got To Be In Love… you walk past heaven’s door… every man in the audience must have felt she was singing those words just for him.

Her velvety voice can still be heard today on the record. She performed in many stage shows and TV Variety Shows. Her fame of “Play Mate of the month” in Playboy magazine made her a well-known name in America then.

The girl on the right, applying the lipstick, has an air of Marylin Monroe.

Or may be Marylin M. wanted to look like her?

Pat Sheehan gets her lipstick on just right

This “Marylin” is Patricia, “Pat” Sheehan, then considered one of the most beautiful women in America. She had that 1950s Bombshell Look, pure Hollywood Glamour.

She also had a long career on the stage, TV specials, she appeared in several films, she danced along side Fred Astair, and others, she sang and danced in a movie with Marlon Brando, shaking that blonde hair with a winning smile.

On the cover she applies her lipstick, her signature color, Tangerine. Many women in the early 1960s wanted to look just as sexy as Pat Sheehan.

The photo captures this moment, right before the Show Girls walk on stage, filled with electricity, nervousness, anticipation, until the bright lights shine. As soon as the first notes of the music hit, when it all goes well the adrenaline rush creates its own magic.

The costumes shimmer in the light, the music raises the tune, the girls sing and swirl around, I share the excitement.

Much later…

As the showgirls slowly remove their long gloves,

I could hear their voices …

“For this Moment Only… I love you… and I hope you feel the same…”

In my imagination, “For this Moment Only… “ for me the best song on the album,

I could feel the magic.

I am at the Tropicana Holiday, dreaming of the Show Girls and their golden dresses.

What a performance.

Best,

Jasmin