by Norm Johnson Send Me E-mail

A wonderful friend is fighting for his life at Valley Hospital as I write this column. Freddie Bell, who for more years than I can really remember, was one of the top three lounge acts to ever play our little village: Freddie Bell & The Bellboys, Louie Prima & Keely Smith and Sam Butera were the top cats in the late '50s and into the '80s.

Bell first arrived in Las Vegas in late 1955, landing at the Sands Hotel to work the lounge for two weeks. He and his band had a moderate hit in their hometown of Philadelphia at the time, "Hound Dog," and were in a film to be released in 1956 called "Rock Around the Clock" starring Bill Haley. The song that became a big hit for Bell and the Bellboys from the film was, "Giddy Up Ding Dong." It climbed to No. 1 in Europe and remained in the top 10 for weeks.

Bell, who called Philly his hometown, eventually, moved lock, stock and clothing to his new home in Las Vegas, becoming a permanent resident and a leader in the still growing rock'n roll genre of the '60s.

I first met Freddie around 1955 in Los Angeles when I worked as a dancer and audience extra in the movie mentioned above. It was sorta like a "Hi... glad to meetcha" type of thing. In 1965 I moved here and that's when we got to know each other. He was at the Sahara (I believe) by that time - having left the Sands. Those were, as all us old timers say, the good ol' days: Entertainers would finish their main room gig and come by the lounges and sit in. Frank Sinatra was one of Freddie's biggest fans and, whenever he was in town, you would find Frank sitting in the audience and even getting on stage to rock with his pal.

There are so many stories about Freddie Bell. The big one he loves to tell is when Elvis Presley (he was just an opening act at the New Frontier Hotel) would hang out at the Sands Hotel and watch Bell and his band. One night, Freddie was performing his 1955 hit, "Hound Dog" and Elvis was really impressed. "Hound Dog" had previously been recorded by Big Mama Thorton, and Elvis was familiar with that record. Elvis liked the Freddie version much better and especially some of the words he had added. He asked Bell if he could do a cover recording of his version and of course the reply was "Sure, go ahead." The rest, as we say, is History!

So that is just part of the Freddie Bell story. There are hundreds, gang, believe me! Perhaps that's why it's so important that we remember those Icons of the past - we are losing them daily. Yet, certain people are getting stars on the Las Vegas Walk of Fame that are, in this writers opinion, not yet deserving. Would you believe that two new recipients of the honor, who raised the $15,000 to get their stars, are there before such Icons as Frank Sinatra, Robert Goulet, Juliet Prowse, The Rat Pack, The Ames or Mills Brothers, Louie Armstrong, Pearl Bailey or Joe Louis? The deserving list is endless. Right now they have 21 stars dedicated, plus the two new ones who will remain nameless, and of those I can agree on about 12 maybe 14 that deserve it. How many have been donated by the board? I have no idea. And, one other thought, how does one get on the board and should a board member be allowed to purchase a star? Some locals, who have been here for a long, long time are calling it "The Walk of Shame" and referring to it as a joke on the county commission and, of course, us the citizens of Clark County. Oh, well, who really cares?

And speaking of Joe Louis, there will be a very special showing of the HBO film, "Joe Louis: America's Hero... Betrayed" in the Rain Nightclub at the Palms Casino Resort on Sunday, Feb. 17, beginning at 3 p.m. The actual premier on HBO-HD will be Saturday, Feb. 23, at 8 p.m. The producers interviewed me for more than an hour (five days following my release from the hospital) about my time with the "Brown Bomber." I was a young public relations guy in Los Angeles when I got hired by Joe's wife, Martha, to be an assistant to the Publicist at that time - a former Los Angeles Times reporter - for the fights he was promoting in Los Angeles. More on this next week. Oh, yes, the public is invited to see the film, as long as there is room.

THIS AND THAT QUICKLY: Went to the Luxor the other evening to catch the "Three Redneck Tenors," and went away laughing my butt off. Not only is this a fun-filled show with great music, presented as never before, but the three guys who portray the Rednecks are actually very good tenors. It's an hour and 30 to 40 minutes (depending on how much ad-libbing goes on) of side-splitting jokes, whimsical songs, stupid costumes and just plain hokey - but it works. I am not sure how long they will be at the Luxor, but if you want to have a fun evening at a moderate price then see the "Three Redneck Tenors. They are a hoot... Well, gang, I'm only seven days away from my birthday (Valentine's Day) and one day away from the start of things happening in NASCAR - the Bud Shootout is this Saturday with qualifications, etc., leading up to the Great American Race - The Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 17th.

Gang, I'm outa here!

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