Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LAS VEGAS NEWS BUREAU (DURANTE); BY AP PHOTO (BACALL) Music was Harry S. Truman's first passion (he claimed that if he'd been a better pianist, he never would have become president), and he played whenever he could, dueting in Las Vegas with beloved entertainer Jimmy Durante in 1962 (LEFT), 17 years after sharing the stage with sultry actress Lauren Bacall (BELOW). From Liberace to Elton John to John Legend, Las Vegas has welcomed all manner of famous piano men to its stages. But the most surprising keyboard- play ing pa ir to sha re t he spot light m ight be for mer President Ha r r y S. Tr uma n a nd mult it a lented enter t a iner Jimmy Dura nte, who t ick led t he ivories together at the Sands Hotel in October 1962. I n tow n for t he 4 4t h nat iona l convent ion of t he A mer ica n L eg ion, Truman—a World War I veteran—rallied the legionnaires around President Kennedy, urging their support of unilateral force against communist Cuba and cautioning the crowd, "Let us not lose our heads by being provoked into fits of hysteria, lest we lose sight of the real source of our peril." Truman's sojourn in Vegas would prove to be much more than an opportunity to back a foreign policy initiative, however, when he sat down next to Durante at the piano for an impromptu collaboration. It wasn't the first time the music-loving politician had performed at the keys with a star by his side. When Truman played during an appearance at the National Press Club in Washing ton as vice president in 1945, act ress Lauren Bacall made a surprise drop-in, picturesquely draping herself over the piano. Her stop at the club was intended to raise morale among the troops during World War II, and after some cajoling from her publicist, she and Truman posed for the photograph that would immortalize their meeting. Bacall and her husband, Humphrey Bogart, would become two of Truman's most ardent political supporters—and that famous piano would break under the strain of all the women climbing atop it to recreate the image. Still, not ever yone approved of the press-perfect stunt. Truman's wife, Bess, encouraged her husband to put his public piano-playing on ice until after his time in office—a request he mostly honored. Having left the presi- dency nine yea rs ea rlier, Tr uma n appa rent ly had t he g reen light for his spontaneous duet in Vegas with "The Schnoz." The musical matchup thrilled Las Vegans, as Durante was a beloved local character who often filmed episodes of his eponymous variety show on the Strip (there's now a boulevard named after him on the east side of town). In true Vegas style, the city commemorated that unforgettable eve- ning at the Sands with a collectible poker chip in 2005, part of the Las Vegas centennial celebration. V PIANO MEN HARRY S. TRUMAN AND JIMMY DURANTE ARE AN UNEXPECTED DUO AT THE SANDS IN 1962. BY TESS EYRICH 10 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM FRONT RUNNER