personified old-time Vegas
By Franz Douskey
Las Vegas Magazine
When Tony Consiglio joined entertainer Frank Sinatra as his
personal assistant, he came in for a whirlwind of
fun—especially when Vegas called. Here, Consiglio shares
firsthand remembrances of Sinatra with writer Franz Douskey
and the readers of Las Vegas Magazine.
Frank Sinatra and I became friends in 1935. When Frank left
Tommy Dorsey in 1942 to become a solo performer we traveled
together until his first retirement, in 1971. Some of the best
times we had were in Las Vegas.
Around 1953 or ’54, Frank began playing at the Sands. Jack
Entratter was president of the Sands at the time. Jack and I
were close from the early days when Jack was the manager at the
Copacabana in New York. Frank, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis and
Joey Bishop had performed at the Copa for years. When Jack went
to work at the Sands, he asked Frank to sing there, because
where Frank sang, all the other guys would follow. That’s how
the Sands got to be the most popular place in Vegas.
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