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Bright Light City : Las Vegas in Popular Culture by Larry Gragg (2013, Hardcover)

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Bright Light City : Las Vegas in Popular Culture, Hardcover by Gragg, Larry Dale, ISBN 0700619038, ISBN-13 9780700619030, Brand New, Free shipping in the US Examines how the city of Las Vegas has been depicted in film, television and other American pop culture.

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When Elvis crooned "Bright light city . . . gonna set my soul on fire," he voiced and embraced the siren call of a glittering urban utopia that continues to mesmerize millions. Call it Sin City or Lost Wages, Las Vegas definitely deserves its rapturous "Viva " Larry Gragg, however, invites readers to view Las Vegas in an entirely new way. While countless other authors have focused on its history or gaming industry or entertainment ties, Gragg considers how popular culture has depicted the city and its powerful allure over its first century. Drawing on hundreds of films, television programs, novels, and articles, Gragg identifies changing trends in the city's portraits. Until the 1940s, boosters promoted it as the "last frontier town," a place where prospectors and cowboys enjoyed liquor, women, and wide-open gambling. Then in the early 1950s commentators increasingly characterized Las Vegas as a sophisticated resort city in the desert, and ever since then journalists, filmmakers, and novelists have depicted a city largely built by organized crime and featuring non-stop entertainment, gambling, luxury, and, of course, beautiful--and available--women. In Gragg's narrative, these images form a kaleidoscope of lights, sounds, characters, and ultimately amazement about this neon oasis. In these pages, readers will meet gangsters like Bugsy Siegel, Tony Spilotro, and Lefty Rosenthal, as well as Las Vegas's most popular entertainers: Elvis Presley, Sinatra's Rat Pack, Liberace, and Wayne Newton, not to mention the Folies Bergere showgirls. And Gragg's skillful interweaving of fictional and journalistic accounts of organized crime shows just how mutually reinforcing they have become over the years. Vegas will always make people's eyes light up as bright as the Strip, witness the new TV show Vegas or the recent film The Hangover. For everyone entranced by its glitter and glamour, Bright Light City is a must read boasting color photos and bursting with insider details: an eclectic blend of stories, people, sights, and sounds that together make up this desert city's extraordinary appeal.

Product Identifiers

Publisher
University Press of Kansas
ISBN-10
0700619038
ISBN-13
9780700619030
eBay Product ID (ePID)
159969452

Product Key Features

Book Title
Bright Light City : Las Vegas in Popular Culture
Author
Larry Gragg
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Topic
United States / State & Local / West (Ak, CA, Co, Hi, Id, Mt, Nv, Ut, WY), Customs & Traditions
Publication Year
2013
Genre
History, Social Science
Number of Pages
336 Pages

Dimensions

Item Length
9in
Item Width
6in
Item Weight
12.3 Oz

Additional Product Features

Lc Classification Number
F849.L35g275 2013
Reviews
"The book is packed with information and makes a valuable contribution to the growing literature on Las Vegas. Gragg's research is impressive and his writing is lively. In short, this volume provides the best survey yet of how the Strip and the city have been depicted in American pop culture and how the iconic figures who appeared in its showrooms reinforced Las Vegas's self-proclaimed status as the "entertainment capital of the world."- Pacific Historical Review, Bright Light City brims with insights into the enduring appeal of an ever-changing Las Vegas. Perhaps even more impressive than the breadth of his research is Larry Graggs flair for grounding popular imagery in the historical and cultural context necessary to fully comprehend its origin and impact.Alicia Barber , author of Renos Big Gamble: Image and Reputation in the Biggest Little City Everything you ever wanted to know about Las Vegas. A meticulously researched tribute to Americas most Idiosyncratic city.Vincent Brook , author of Land of Smoke and Mirrors: A Cultural History of Los Angeles, " Bright Light City brims with insights into the enduring appeal of an ever-changing Las Vegas. Perhaps even more impressive than the breadth of his research is Larry Gragg's flair for grounding popular imagery in the historical and cultural context necessary to fully comprehend its origin and impact."- Alicia Barber , author of Reno's Big Gamble: Image and Reputation in the Biggest Little City "Everything you ever wanted to know about Las Vegas. A meticulously researched tribute to America's most Idiosyncratic city."- Vincent Brook , author of Land of Smoke and Mirrors: A Cultural History of Los Angeles, "The book is packed with information and makes a valuable contribution to the growing literature on Las Vegas. Gragg's research is impressive and his writing is lively. In short, this volume provides the best survey yet of how the Strip and the city have been depicted in American pop culture and how the iconic figures who appeared in its showrooms reinforced Las Vegas's self-proclaimed status as the "entertainment capital of the world."-- Pacific Historical Review, "Engaging, well researched, and a significant contribution to the field."-- Western Historical Quarterly, "The book is packed with information and makes a valuable contribution to the growing literature on Las Vegas. Graggs research is impressive and his writing is lively. In short, this volume provides the best survey yet of how the Strip and the city have been depicted in American pop culture and how the iconic figures who appeared in its showrooms reinforced Las Vegass self-proclaimed status as the "entertainment capital of the world."Pacific Historical Review, " Bright Light City brims with insights into the enduring appeal of an ever-changing Las Vegas. Perhaps even more impressive than the breadth of his research is Larry Gragg's flair for grounding popular imagery in the historical and cultural context necessary to fully comprehend its origin and impact."-- Alicia Barber , author of Reno's Big Gamble: Image and Reputation in the Biggest Little City "Everything you ever wanted to know about Las Vegas. A meticulously researched tribute to America's most Idiosyncratic city."-- Vincent Brook , author of Land of Smoke and Mirrors: A Cultural History of Los Angeles, "Engaging, well researched, and a significant contribution to the field."- Western Historical Quarterly, Bright Light City brims with insights into the enduring appeal of an ever-changing Las Vegas. Perhaps even more impressive than the breadth of his research is Larry Gragg's flair for grounding popular imagery in the historical and cultural context necessary to fully comprehend its origin and impact.-- Alicia Barber , author of Reno's Big Gamble: Image and Reputation in the Biggest Little City Everything you ever wanted to know about Las Vegas. A meticulously researched tribute to America's most Idiosyncratic city.-- Vincent Brook , author of Land of Smoke and Mirrors: A Cultural History of Los Angeles
Table of Content
Preface Introduction 1. "Bright Light City": The Introduction to Las Vegas 2. Las Vegas: The Last Frontier Town 3. Bugsy Siegel and the Founding of Las Vegas 4. Organized Crime in Las Vegas 5. Images of Gambling in Las Vegas 6. The Entertainment Capital of the World 7. "Beautiful Women Were as Commonplace in Las Vegas as Poker Chips": Images of Las Vegas Women in Popular Culture 8. "So Much Luxury in the Middle of the Desert": Images of Luxury and Amenities in Las Vegas 9. "An Awful Place": The Negative Images of Las Vegas Conclusion: The Ultimate Attraction of Las Vegas Afterword: The Intellectuals' Image of Las Vegas Notes Bibliographical Essay Index
Copyright Date
2013
Lccn
2012-044370
Dewey Decimal
979.3135
Dewey Edition
23
Illustrated
Yes

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Bright Light City : Las Vegas in Popular Culture by Larry Gragg (2013, Hardcover)

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