AN INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN MOLASKY
An Oral History Conducted by Barbara Tabach
The Southern Nevada Jewish Community Digital Heritage Project
Oral History Research Center at UNLV University Libraries ©Southern Nevada Jewish Community Digital Heritage Project
University of Nevada Las Vegas, 2014
Produced by: The Oral History Research Center at UNLV - University Libraries Director: Claytee D. White Project Manager: Barbara Tabach Transcriber: Kristin Hicks Interviewers: Barbara Tabach, Claytee D. White Editors and Project Assistants: Maggie Lopes, Stefani Evans
ii The recorded Interview and transcript have been made possible through the generosity of a
Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grant. The Oral History Research Center enables students and staff to work together with community members to generate this selection of first- person narratives. The participants in this project thank University of Nevada Las Vegas for the support given that allowed an idea the opportunity to flourish.
The transcript received minimal editing that includes the elimination of fragments, false starts, and repetitions in order to enhance the reader's understanding of the material. All measures have been taken to preserve the style and language of the narrator. In several cases photographic sources accompany the individual interviews with permission of the narrator.
The following interview is part of a series of interviews conducted under the auspices of the Southern Nevada Jewish Community Digital Heritage Project.
Claytee D. White Director, Oral History Research Center University Libraries University of Nevada Las Vegas
ii i PREFACE
Susan Molasky was born in Israel (what was then-Palestine) in mid-1930s, the daughter of Bukharian Jewish immigrants. With the end of World War II, at the age of nine Susan, her sister and mother were able to get visas to live with her father in London. It was in England where Susan learned English and began working, at a fabric shop on Regent Street. In 1957, Susan married her first husband, and the couple moved to Las Vegas on January 1, 1958. She knew immediately that the city would be her home.
Susan and her husband moved to Las Vegas to help her brother-in-law, Leo Frey, renovate and manage the Moulin Rouge; their primary business was long-term room rentals to casino employees, occasionally renting to tourists when the casino hotels were full. After two years, her husband changed careers paths and the couple moved to Europe. They had three sons before returning to Las Vegas in 1964.
In 1973, Susan married Irwin Molasky, whom she had met through her work with the Sisterhood at Temple Beth Sholom; both sat on the temple's board. Susan enjoyed the excitement and glamour that defined Las Vegas during the 1970s—attending show openings, visiting movie sets, and socializing with stars. But more than this, Susan devoted herself to helping others, most notably through the opening of Nathan Adelson Hospice. Her own battle with cancer, as well as serving as a caretaker for others, ignited her commitment to establish quality hospice care in her beloved city, and she has continuously led the organization's fundraising efforts. There are now two Nathan Adelson Hospice facilities serving the greater Las Vegas area.
iv TABLE OF CONTENTS
Interview with Susan Molasky on March 11, 2014 by Barbara Tabach in Las Vegas, Nevada
Preface iv
Talks about her background, parents' emigration from the Soviet Union due to oppression of Jewish people, to Afghanistan, then to Israel (then-Palestine), where parents met. Describes father's diamond business; family moving to London; starting to work as soon as possible, starting at a men's fabric store. Mentions meeting first husband; moving to Las Vegas; moving parents to New York. Shows interviewer family photos, from grandparents to her children 1-5
Continues sharing photos, including of UNLV basketball team when won the NCAA Championship; Halloween parties at Las Vegas Country Club; fundraiser events with Kirk Douglas, Muhammad Ali; theme parties. Talks about grandparents; learning English when moving to England; more about selling fabric. Mentions how got the name Susan 6-11
Discusses moving to Las Vegas, renovating and running the Moulin Rouge, owned by brother- in-law;. Describes the close-knit community in city during that time; going to show openings; returning to London to give birth. Returns to Las Vegas, living at Moulin Rouge; two years later husband changes careers and family moves to Europe; has two more children; moves back to Las Vegas; buy home near synagogue and children's school. Sons attend military high school...12-14
Talks about Temple Beth Sholom; serving as Sisterhood president; meeting friends within the local Jewish community through involvement. Discusses battle with ovarian cancer, recovery; surviving an aneurysm. Chats about motivation to start Nathan Adelson Hospice; meeting husband Irwin; Irwin's career as property developer. Mentions moving to Regency Towers. Shares her love for her city, joy for life; exciting times meeting and befriending stars 15-22
More about connections to entertainers; friendship with Totie Fields. Talks about going to Sliver Slipper with first husband when initially moving to city; getting comped; favorite restaurants back then. Discusses friendships made within the Jewish community; Israel bonds; leading women's organization with Edythe Katz and Jean Weinberger 23-26
Describes fundraising event for hospice at MGM, involving local community members in its big show. Shares more photos, including those with Coach Tarkanian, Governor Mike O'Callaghan, Kirk Douglas, Parry Thomas, Mohammed Ali; Totie Fields, Richard and Penny Crenna, Burt Reynolds, Elizabeth Taylor; photos with Irwin, dressing up at costume parties 27-30
Index 31-32
Photo appendix 33
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v i Today's date is March 11, 2014, and I am sitting in the den of the Molasky residence here in
Las Vegas.
Would you state your name and spell it so that the transcriber knows exactly how it's spelled?
Susan, S-U-S-A-N; Molasky, M-O-L-A-S-K-Y.
Great. Thank you. I appreciate you letting me come here today to talk to you and learn about your Vegas experiences. You've written down here that you came here in 1958.
I did.
That was a long time ago.
It was.
But let's go back even further. You also told me that your mother lives here in the same building.
Yes, she does.
Tell me about your background.
Both my parents were born in Bukhara, which is in Russia. I don't think it's Russia now, but in
Russia. My mother left when she was ten years old. There was oppression there with the Jews.
She left; the family left, actually in a horse and cart. Kids were all in the car. My grandmother had thirteen children. God rest her soul. It took them like four or five years to get from where they were in Bukhara to Afghanistan because that's the route to go through. They lived there—my mother was a young girl, so she wasn't married then—until she was fifteen and a half. Then they immigrated to Israel; in those days it was Palestine. She met my father. They got married. My mother had a set of twins. Unfortunately, both died. One of my other sisters passed, also. So there's just my sister and I, and she also lives in Las Vegas. They went from Palestine. She had
1 gotten married there and we were born. My father was doing business—I don't know if you're
interested.
I am. This is great.
My father was in the diamond business. He left Palestine in 1930; it had to be '39, the beginning
of 1939, before the war started. I was already born. My sister Shirley was in—
In the belly.
—in the belly. My father left. War started. He couldn't come back to Palestine and we couldn't
leave until after the war was over. So in 1946, we got visas to go to London to be with my father
because by then he had established himself in business. We went to London. Couldn't speak a
word of English. My sister and I both went to school. I had a very tough time learning English,
and then being thrown in school.
How old were you by then?
I was nine-years-old. I went to school and studied as much as I could, but I wanted to—we had
very tough times in those days. As soon as I finished school I went to work. I wanted to get—you
know how it is with a young girl, wants pretty clothes.
Yes.
And being able. Up to then we only had a new outfit once a year on the Jewish holiday, on the
New Year. So I wanted to work and I did. I sold men's fabric, like men's wool fabric—alpaca and
worsted—on Regent Street in London, which I enjoyed very much.
How old were you when you started working?
Sixteen, fifteen and a half. I learned a lot about fabrics. Then one day I met the father of my
children. He was in London and I met him through a friend. I was eighteen-years-old at that time;
eighteen, nineteen. We got married within a year when I was twenty and we came to Las Vegas in
2 1958. January 1 of 1958 we were in Las Vegas
Celebrated the New Year day here, huh?
Yes.
Wow. Well, let's fill in some of that. So your father, he sold loose diamonds?
Yes.
Was that a good business? How did he get into that, do you know?
There wasn't too much else he could do. He wasn't trained to do anything. He was always in that business, either that or furs, raw furs, in Afghanistan. It wasn't that he had a store, a shop or anything. He had a very good name in Hatton Garden; that's where the jewelry center was for loose stuff. It's not a jewelry shop that you go to. You do deals; you deal with people. You're known by then. My father had a very good reputation as far as being an honest man. So people— he said I've got a client who might want this, this and that, and they were a diamond or pearls or whatever. They would give it to him and he would make a living that way; he would get a commission on what he sold. But he didn't sell it to the stores. He'd take the goods from one person and sell it to whoever was interested.
So when you moved to Las Vegas, your parents remained in London?
Yes, my parents and my sisters, my whole family.
What was it like to grow up in London? What are your memories of that experience?
I would say it was a wonderful time for me. I went to work every day. We went on the weekends only, of course, Saturday nights we used to go to a club. We couldn't drink at that time. I wasn't of age. It was just a club where you dance and you meet people. It's very nice.
The lifestyle, it changed a lot from living in Israel and Afghanistan. Were your grandparents alive during any of this?
3 Yes.
Did they move to London, as well?
No, everybody stayed in Israel. My mother's family, my father's family were all there. Eventually
my father's family immigrated to New York. And then after my—I lost a sister in London. After I
was here. They didn't deal too well with that. So I moved them to New York first because they
both had families there. My mother had brothers there. My father had a sister there, nephews and
nieces, and a brother. So they became a little community there. We are actually Bukharian Jews
from Bukhara.
Explain that.
You want to turn that off? I'm going to take you up...
[Pause in recording]
My parents, when they got married.
How lovely.
This is Bukharian...like ceremonial robes. My dad used to wear this like on Passover and other
Jewish holidays. I have this coat here at home.
So is it like a tapestry-type fabric?
No. I'll show it to you. Look at my mother there. Isn't she beautiful?
Oh, beautiful. Oh, yes. That's wonderful.
And this is my father's brother. There's one of my grandmother. That's his wife.
But this wouldn't be how they dressed every day, would it be?
Yes.
It would be. Wow. It looks so formal and pretty.
This, and this picture, is like our whole family in Israel.
4 That's a large family.
Yes. These are my grandparents, my mother's parents. That's my father's brother. This is my
mother here and here I am in the tummy.
Was this a family reunion or a gathering for a special occasion, like a bar mitzvah?
Yes. So they put one of these robes here.
[Pause in recording]
—going out and they were getting engaged. My boys would wear this, just to take pictures.
Yes, the family tradition of the clothing.
Tradition. And this is—
Here, I'll grab this. So that's the men's garment, okay.
Yes. They have pants and then these here, but they just wear that on top.
The colors are so vivid, not faded after all these—I mean these are how old? This
photograph was 1930 something?
Well, I wasn't born yet. I was born in '37.
Okay. So late 1930s.
No, but this has been—
With the family before that.
Right. These are the hats they used to—because when they ate—you had a hat. The head had to
be covered.
Look at the detail on that. You were a natural for getting into fabrics.
I guess. And this is a shawl. You see the way she is wearing? This scarf? This goes on the head.
Oh, that's beautiful, isn't it? Oh, my. I love the colors, gold and orange. Wow, beautiful. I
ask that question out loud.
5 Bukhara.
Bukhara; that would be the colors; they were bright colors generally?
Well, they had different colors.
I know we can't tell in the black and white photo. But looking at these garments, everything
is vivid.
This is more dressy. These are more dressy. Other than that it was simple cotton gowns, loose.
And were you very observant—
Yes.
—Jewish tradition?
Yes.
Did that continue for you every move? Did you stay...orthodox, is that what you were?
Yes. I'm not orthodox now, but I do keep kind of a kosher home and I brought my kids to—
answer the phone. I wanted my kids—but the boys don't—it depends who they marry—
Right. I know.
—to keep it up.
[Pause in recording]
I'm talking about UNLV. I really didn't know what this was about, so I went through some of the
albums. This is a picture of when we won the Final Four.
Oh, right. How exciting is that? There's you, okay.
This is me. That's Lovee Arum. This is Elaine Wynn. I used to go to every game with the team
and Jerry. That's it. When we had the winning team, everybody got involved. And that's Parvin
Modaber Jacobs. And these are all the kids.
Oh, that's great. What a fun time.
6 That's Bonnie Schreck.
I love college basketball.
Do you ever go here?
Oh, yes. We haven't gone to every game this year, but we try to go a lot. What other
pictures? When you pulled out pictures, what did you pull out?
I pulled this out. I used to get dressed on Halloween and go to the Las Vegas Country Club. That's
when we were living in Regency Towers.
Just so that the transcriber knows what I'm looking at, you are dressed as...tell us about your
costume.
My costume there is Diana Ross, and he's Elton John.
Very cool.
I'll show you the other pictures that I have here. This is Lillian Carter, Muhammad Ali. That's
Cliff Perlman. This was taken at the Caesars.
What was the occasion of this photo?
A fundraiser. That's Kirk Douglas.
Kirk Douglas, wow.
That's my mom holding me.
Oh, how cute.
Now I'm going out of content, but I got—after I met Irwin, we started the Nathan Adelson Hospice
here. So I'm in charge of fundraising. They do some, but I do the majority of it. We did one for a
movie, "The Cotton Club," and my team all got costumes and that's how we dressed.
Did you do that for every movie, or just "The Cotton Club?"
It was an opening for that. We used the proceeds for the hospice.
7 So it was for our charity. This is my mom, my sister and I. Here is my—when my
youngest son got married—was engaged, they're wearing—
Oh, wearing some of the robes that we just looked at.
Yes.
How wonderful is that? That's great.
This is one that Parvin and Ted, God rest his soul, Jacobs? They used to have a party every year
and you had to come—always a theme party. You had to dress up as something. I was the dirty
old man from—what's that?
From Laugh-In.
And Irwin was Totie Fields. We borrowed a dress from Totie.
[Laughing] Oh, that's too cute. You had lots of fun.
I did. That's my mother and my sister and my sons.
Your sons. Handsome.
There's my buddy Jerry Tarkanian.
Yes, I was glad he got into the Hall of Fame. He deserved that.
Of course he did. This was another one of the parties of Parvin that I was My Fair Lady. Irwin—
they had a movie studio at that time and they got this outfit from My Fair Lady.
That Audrey Hepburn actually wore?
Not actually. Not Audrey. But yes, somebody wore. That's my older son.
You had the really good wardrobe closet to go to.
To go to, yes. So I didn't know what you intend to do.
These are great because we were talking about how you decorate with photos; it shows your
life and your family history and all of that. That's just really great. If we can take these and
8 scan those that would be great.
Sure you can.
And I can bring those back. Because we've talked about those and that'll be a nice compliment.
Irwin is there, isn't he?
He's in some of them, yes.
Yes, this one.
He's Totie Fields. [Laughing]
Totie Fields. He's here, too.
I'll scan them and then we'll write identifications on each one.
I don't know if you want that.
Yes. Yes, I do.
That's me with my mom.
So you're probably less than—
I was a baby. I wasn't a year old yet.
Did you know your grandparents, what did they do? I know you said they were from Russia.
But what were their professions?
My grandfather on my mother's side—I don't know what the other did—I never met my grandfather from my father's side. The mother I knew. She was the real matriarch.
I really can't remember what my grandfather did. My mother's family was quite wealthy.
Of course, they didn't take anything out of that because, as I said, they ran away from there. But I don't remember what he was in. All I remember of my grandfather was during the war, nineteen four—before we came to England, because my father was already in England. He couldn't get
9 back, as I told you.
Right.
I remember being socially with my grandparents; we used to go visit them sometimes in Tel Aviv.
But when there was a shortage of food, he used to sneak in chickens to us so we could have
something to eat. It was very tough in those days.
I can only imagine.
Extremely tough.
Learning to speak English...you said earlier that you were just sort of thrown into that?
How quickly did you learn to speak English?
I still don't speak English. [Laughing] Nothing. You pick up by listening as you sit in a
classroom and you hear the language. My sister had a better education. I just wanted to go to
work. It's not like today; you're thinking of becoming a doctor or you're thinking of becoming a
scientist. That didn't enter [my mind]. My mind was I want to go to work, I want to give some
money to my parents—I was living at home, and buy myself pretty clothes.
What kind of clothes did you like to wear?
For work I was in a suit—never in pants—suits, dresses. I used to sell fabrics, men's fabrics on
Regent Street, and I learned about that business.
Tell me about that business.
It was sold by the yard. There was nothing ready-made. The shop was on Regent Street, between
Regent Street and Oxford Street in London. It's mostly all tourists. They came in for the fabrics,
and English people.
Did you sell to the tailors?
No. People came in from the street to buy three yards of this or to have a suit made or whatever.
10 We would tell them how many yards they would need.
And then they would take the fabric out with them to their tailor.
Yes, to their tailor.
I was curious. I'm a tailor's daughter.
Are you?
Custom tailor. I remember going to look at the fabrics even in London within the last twenty
years. It's still fun to go look at the fabrics. They're so beautiful there.
He taught me well. I did some office work, typing, because I did take a course in typing. And then
he let me sell. Then I just sold more than anything else because I was a good salesperson.
And the name Susan; that doesn't sound very Russian.
It's not Russian. My name is Shoshana, which is in Hebrew. I was born over there, anyway.
Shoshana, which means rose, but I don't like the name Rose. I didn't want to be Rosie. So I said to
my mother, I said, "I want to be called Susan." So that's how I became Susan.
It sounds more British, too.
Nothing to do with being British. I think what it really was I saw a movie with Susan Hayward and
I liked her.
That does influence us. So we fast forward and you moved to Las Vegas, as you said, in 1958
with your—
January. With my first husband.
The first husband. What brought you specifically to Vegas besides him? Was it his job or... ?
No. His brother owned the Moulin Rouge Hotel. I don't know if you know it.
Yes, I do know a lot.
You do? Okay. He owned it. Since my ex didn't have a job, he says, "Why don't you go there
11 with Susan and open it up, get it cleaned up, painted and whatever, and rent the rooms out like to
the cocktail waitresses, to the bartenders?" So we did.
What was your brother-in-law's name?
Leo Frey.
Leo Frey, okay. I didn't want to interrupt your story. So you're cleaning up the Moulin
Rouge to open it up?
Yes. It wasn't a casino. Not the casino part. Just get the rooms rented out. We used to have a lot
of cocktail waitresses and bartenders and people who worked on the Strip. They rented by the
month, of course. It wasn't one-nighters. I used to work the switchboard. So comes the weekend
there—the only time that we can rent to the tourists is when they were filled up on the Strip, all the
hotels and the motels that were there. There weren't that many. They would call the Moulin
Rouge. That's how we got some tourists there because the town was filled up; the rooms were all
filled up.
So the owners on the Strip would actually send people to the Moulin Rouge sometimes?
Yes, or they'd call and look and see what's open, and probably drove up and down to look for a
room.
When we came here, I loved it. I loved Vegas then so much. The people were friendlier.
They made you feel more welcome. My ex and I, we didn't have kids then, but I did get pregnant
right away. We used to go out to eat and we met a lot of the owners and they were so wonderful to
us. They were amazing, friendly, and hospitable. If we gambled it wasn't because—they comped
us everything, and not because we had money, but because they liked us. I loved Vegas in those
days. It was amazing. The openings when we used to go out, a man had to put a suit on; a woman
was in a cocktail dress. It was very glamorous and very beautiful.
12 What were some of the openings that you remember going to?
I went to all the openings then. There was Dean Martin. There was Frank Sinatra. When they had
Rat Pack on at the Sands that was amazing. It was really, really fun. Today I don't even want to go out. [Laughing] I don't even want to go out anymore. But it was a very exciting time then.
How long were you involved at the Moulin Rouge before you moved on to something else?
We were there—then I got pregnant and we weren't set up to have a child—I had an OB/GYN, but
I did go back to London. All my kids were born in London. oh, really?
Yes.
Why?
At that time—the first one especially because we weren't set up properly and he had to fix—he took like three, four rooms and made an apartment for us after he found out I was pregnant. And I wanted to go home. I was scared. I was twenty-years-old.
Three or four rooms where? Where were the rooms?
From the Moulin Rouge.
So you were actually living there, too. I didn't understand that.
Yes, we lived there and worked there. So I went back to London to have Michael, my oldest. I was gone for—I stayed until he was six weeks old and I came back to Vegas. Then we had a nice apartment. The baby had a room. We had a bedroom and a living room. We put in a kitchen because I used to have to go to the big kitchen to cook dinner from our room, a hotel kitchen, which wasn't open, of course, but it had a little area there that I used to go and cook.
How long did you live there?
When Michael was two years old, we made a change. My ex didn't want to do that anymore. He
13 went into business and got into the money market. We took a place in Geneva. So we lived in
Geneva for a year. I got pregnant with my second kid. Then we went to live in Brussels for a year.
Then I had three boys. And then after the third one, when he was a year old, he says, "Time to go back. We have to settle down. Where do you want to live?" I said, "I want to go back to Vegas."
So you came back. What year would that have been?
1964.
How had the city changed between '58 and '64?
There were more hotels built. I had fun looking for a house to live in. We went back to the Moulin
Rouge until I found a house. We found one where the Marshalls and Exbers used to live. It was a cul-de-sac right behind the Temple Beth Sholom, the old one on Oakey. It was nice. It was wonderful because they had the temple, especially with boys, bar mitzvah. So the temple and the schools were just down the roads. I didn't have to drive them. I looked all over and I didn't want to be sitting in a car and driving all day, doing pick up. So we bought the house. We loved it. My oldest son went to school locally and then I sent him to—he always wanted to be in a military school.
He wanted to be in a military school?
Yes. He chose to. He went to the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad, California. And then my second son, Gary, went there a couple of years later. He didn't like it, so he came back and I sent him to another school. He didn't like the regimentation, and he still doesn't like it today. Then
I had my little one, the youngest, Robert. I forgot what school he went to. He went to college, but he was in SC. Michael was at SC and so was Robert. I can't remember the prep school he went to, but I'm entitled.
Yes, you are. So they didn't go to the local high schools here?
14 No.
But they did go to the public elementary schools in the neighborhood?
Yes.
And then religious education was at Temple Beth Sholom.
Temple Beth Sholom.
Tell me about Temple Beth Sholom back then. How many members were there, do you
recall?
I was the Sisterhood president, actually. I don't know. But when he comes down, my husband,
remind me and I'll ask him. He'll know.
We can fill that in. So were all the people in the neighborhood around there Jewish?
No.
I mean it wasn't on purpose; it's just the way it...
No. We had non-Jews living on the same street. It was a cul-de-sac. So it wasn't a big street. The
Marshalls lived there and the Exbers. They were the only Jewish families that was there.
Talk about the friends that you have made in the community. I've met Mr. Marshall. He
seems like a really—
Art?
Yes. A really nice guy. What was the community like socially outside of the Strip?
I got involved in the temple. As I said, I was Sisterhood president. That's how I got to meet all the
people that I know today. In those days, Carl Cohen's wife, Fran Cohen—I couldn't find a picture
of her—they owned the Sands then. I started with—she was involved with the Israel bonds. I got
involved in all of these charities. I'm still involved in charities. Now I'm just involved where I
work, at the hospice.
15 Let's talk about the hospice, about starting that. How long has it been?
I had cancer about thirty years ago. I had stage three ovarian cancer, and I want you to know I
wasn't sick. I had a doctor—he passed since then—a gynecologist. I kept on going for checkups.
He says, "Let me do this test." It never hit my mind that I am sick because I didn't feel sick. I was
fine. Anyway, finally he told me, he said, "One last test." I said, "Okay." When he told me, I
couldn't believe it and he couldn't believe it. Oh, my God, his face was as white as this tissue.
I found myself an oncologist. I wasn't one of these persons that will go run all around the
country looking for a doctor. I live here; I want my doctors here. I had a wonderful gynecologist
who found out about it. I had Joe Cogliano as a doctor. That's him there.
okay. Happy guy.
Then he's also got cancer. He's doing okay. We both were at a function—he was being honored.
So we went to the dinner. I had a very tough year, very tough. But I was determined that I wasn't
going to die; I was going to make it. And I did. I'm basically a miracle case because I had stage
three ovarian, which metastasized all over my omentum. But I fought it and here I am. So really I
am [a miracle case]. I did go to MD Anderson to get a second opinion, to make sure the treatments
I was doing were right. I did have my second-look surgery at MD Anderson after, a year later.
Well, I'm glad you're here.
No more than I am. [Laughing]
So that led you to want a hospice here?
To open one, yes, because that changed my life at that time, too. After the chemo—they don't
even give the same medication today for ovarian cancer because most people couldn't take it. I was
deathly sick after the treatments, deathly during the treatments. But I said, "Do it, do it, do it."
But they don't even use one of the medications anymore because it was too tough on the body. We
16 went to MD Anderson and they concurred with everything. I still went back there for checkups, just to make sure. The doctors are fine here.
Yes, I agree.
Then a few years later—and everything I found was by accident—they found I had an aneurysm.
By the way, my younger sister; that's what she died of. Hers burst. But I had one. That was more
of a shock to me than my cancer. So we flew. Took me to two doctors—just to get an opinion as
to what to do—one in Houston and one in New York. But I liked the doctor in Houston better. He
was from Lebanon. He was very gentle and very kind and I liked him. He did my—it wasn't
surgery—well, it was a surgery. What they do is—say, this is the aneurysm. They put coils and
plug the hole up so the blood doesn't seep. Because once the blood seeps that's it; you're gone. So
I go every year and get a brain scan so they can just check and see that everything's closed up.
Good.
I'm not going to have anything else except—I hope not for years and years until I go, until it's time
to say adios.
I got you.
But life is good. I'm happy in my home, very happy in my home.
It's a lovely home.
I don't run around as much. He's too—he still goes to work, Irwin.
Good for him. It's not a good idea sometimes to retire, not to be busy.
I think a person, when they retire, I think they die. Then their life is cut shorter. Whatever it is
that you want to do, just do it, even a few hours a day. That'll keep you going. I believe in that.
Yes. My father-in-law retired and he said that was the worst thing he ever did.
Tell us who is Nathan Adelson?
17 Nathan Adelson—Irwin's partner here was Merv Adelson. He built a hospital, Irwin, Sunrise.
Merv said, "Who can we trust to run this hospital? I'll bring my father in." His picture is still
there. He was so beloved, this man. It was amazing. He ran the hospital, a wonderful human
being. He got cancer. He didn't want to be in the hospital, so we brought him home to his house.
[Pause in recording]
So we were talking about the hospital.
The hospice. Oh, the hospital. We brought Nate home. I think it was two weeks, two and a half
weeks. I sat with him from morning to night. They had a nurse there, but I wanted to be there. It's
like a member of the family. His son Merv, who was living in California, flew up from time to
time to see him, and Irwin popped in to see him. Watching him, when they were both there at the
same time, Merv and Irwin watching him, he was suffering so that I said, "There's got to be a
better way of dying than writhing in pain like that." So Merv went around to the hospices; he flew
to the hospice in Connecticut and went to the one in London. Irwin built the hospice the way we
wanted it. And I do the fundraising. I do a fashion show luncheon every year, and I raise quite a
bit of money.
It's very important. I have to tell you personally; when my father-in-law came to visit, my
daughter was getting married. He came here from Iowa, fell, broke his hip, and never made
it to the wedding and ended up at Nathan Adelson.
Oh, he was?
Yes. And they took such wonderful care of him.
They're angels in there.
Yes. It's a true blessing to have that available.
So we have two now. We have one on the west side and one on this side.
18 It's great. So that's your passion that you still work at.
Oh, absolutely.
That's wonderful. I thank you for it.
Absolutely.
What year was that that it opened?
Well, don't ask me dates.
Okay. That's fair.
I can find out for you.
We can find that out, too, I'm sure. That wasn't fair. I can't remember dates, either.
I think I have the beginning of dementia now.
No.
It's okay. You know what? It's fine. It is what it is and if I don't accept it, then I'm going to just lay down and die. And I'm not going to lay down and die. I'm a fighter; I'm a sabre. So you have to be tough in order to exist in this lifetime.
But no, that's my passion. I'd like to think that I contribute to that.
The other passion obviously is Irwin. We haven't talked about how you met him. I just met him.
I met Irwin when I was Sisterhood president. As a president of the Sisterhood, I was entitled me to sit on the temple board.
I don't believe in that by the way. That's the one thing I cannot stand. No, entitled me to sit on the temple board as a representative of the women's division. So that's how I met Irwin. We were friends for years before we started going out, for years.
What was he doing at that time?
19 Same as he's doing today.
Describe that for us.
He's a developer. He developed—well, isn't he being interviewed?
Yes.
I hope he'll make that appointment.
Yes, he just said maybe. I heard that.
He built all the homes down on Desert Inn where the Stardust Country Club—the golf club is, the
country club is. He built that, the homes around it, too.
After you two met and eventually married—what year did you marry? Can I ask that year?
[Laughing]
Wait a minute. I have it somewhere.
You've told me you've been married forty years.
Yes. So what does that make it?
Well, it's 2014. So 1970? 1974?
Let me get an exact date for you.
So in the seventies—all right. So you're raising your kids. You're active with the Sisterhood.
You've got a busy life going on. Then eventually you divorce your first husband or did he
pass away?
No. He's still alive. It was amicable.
What was it like living here in the seventies?
I don't remember a bad time in Las Vegas. I really don't. I can't image living anywhere else. I'm
sure you're not going to hear that from a lot of people, but that's the way I feel. I love it.
I do, too.
20 I love it.
I agree. I think there's a lot here.
I love the basketball team. I love our team. I used to travel with the team when Jerry was the
coach, all over the country. I very much loved that. But I'll find out the wedding date for you.
Where did you get married?
We got married at the home of Billy and Jean Weinberger on the DI, out back of their yard on the
golf course. That's where the Wynn is today. So everything has changed.
Yes, it does change a lot, doesn't it? Where did you live, what neighborhood? Did you stay
in that same neighborhood?
No. Regency Towers.
Okay, so you went from a house to Regency Towers.
Now I would never live in a house again.
Why is that?
Because I'm more secure in a building where you have to go through to the desk to get the car.
You just push an elevator button and come up. So if I'm alone when he's gone, I feel safer,
especially at my age now. I'm not worried about looking over my shoulder for someone following
me or anything. We live in a tough world today, unfortunately. It's not a safe world.
Did you feel safer when you were in London and Israel?
I never felt safe in Israel.
Okay, I was going to say...
No, I never felt safe there. And growing up in London you don't think about being safe. You're
young.
It's the age that we are in, yes. We become more concerned about our surroundings for sure.
21 What are some of your favorite memories of living in Las Vegas, the good times that you've had?
You see, I can't look at a particular—something that's good to me is being—I mean going through illnesses and realizing you're here, I'm just happy to be alive. So there's nothing specific that I would say. I enjoy being with my friends, going to meet my girlfriends for lunch sometimes. I like to go out to dinner sometimes. But I'm just happy with my life and I don't need excitement or anything. I'm happy looking at an album. I'm happy reading a good book. I don't rely on anyone to make me happy; let's put it that way. I'm content, very content. And I'm blessed to be here. So I appreciate every moment that I am alive. So I don't feel I'm missing out. If there's something I wanted to do, I would do. But I have a husband.
[Pause in recording]
Would you say you've had—everybody knows the Molasky name in Las Vegas. You've done great things in the community. People would think you've led a glamorous life. Wasn't he involved in—well, you talked about the movies and all.
The movies, yes. It was glamorous. It was exciting. It was very exciting and nice meeting these people. One of these actresses who was on Dallas—another network started Dallas now, of course without JR—she came to see me while I was doing chemotherapy. I thought that was so nice of her that she got on a plane to come and visit me in the hospital because I had to have my treatments in the hospital.
Maybe that's why I'm so content because I have had a very exciting life, done a lot of traveling and have wonderful friends. So I'm just happy to be here.
How involved were you in observing or watching the movies being made? Were you ever active in that?
22 One time Irwin says—the kids, I put them—he had The Waltons. He said take Robert and—not
Robert, my two oldest. "Take them down to the set." This was years ago. I said to him, "Okay."
I went to Burbank, got a hotel room. I had to be up at four thirty in the morning and take them to
the studio. If you think that was fun...? And sitting out there and watching—and they were only
walk-ons. But the others, like John-boy, all of those actors, to me, how could any parent want this
for their child? [Laughing] I did it one time; that was it, and wasn't interested. But we went to
some of the awards shows and that was nice. That was when Dallas was—JR was alive and that
show won a lot of awards. It was exciting.
I would imagine. You've seen lots of stars.
The ones I met were lovely. One of my favorites—I'll show you a picture of her—was Totie
Fields. We were very, very close with her. Have you ever heard of her?
I have heard of her and it's interesting how many different people bring her name up. She
must have been a very wonderful person.
She was this tall, big. She had a mouth on her. I'm a pussycat in comparison. We were very close
with her and Georgie. I miss her. We had a lot of fun with them. When she was on the stage, I just cracked up when I used to watch her. She was very well liked. Would you like some water?
I have one. I'm okay. Who are some of the other people you remember that people would
call celebrities from back then?
When they did the show with Sinatra and his cronies, Sinatra, Joey Bishop—we saw them all
individually and then one time the five of them went on. It was hilarious. But in those days, as I
said, when I was married to my former husband, we didn't have money. We were just two kids
that came out to Vegas. I think the Sahara was here. Silver Slipper; that's where—and the Dunes
came up afterwards. We used to go to the Silver Slipper all the time. There were two Italians in
23 charge of the casino. I don't know if they owned it or anything. But the name of Tony Canino and
his brother, they took a shine to my ex and I. They treated us like we were—I don't know why, but
they made us feel very much at home. I've never met people like that anywhere. Good old Italian
family. We used to go there and eat breakfast. We used to eat dinner there. They were just very
wonderful.
Did you have a favorite restaurant?
In those days, after we came back, there was wonderful restaurants here. At the Sahara they had
their gourmet restaurant. I think it's still there, but I haven't been there in years and years. Sands
had a wonderful restaurant. Both the hotels had gourmet restaurants. All the hotels did.
Because this is going to be part of the Jewish experience, that story, how would you describe
the Jewish community of Las Vegas? How was it when you first came here and how did it
change or didn't change? What was its value, importance? Talk about that a little bit.
That's where my friendships all started, from being a member of the Sisterhood. I met all my
friends from there. All the old names—Fran Cohen.
[Pause in recording]
No, there's no thoughts of it. We're talking about—they were the casino bosses, whether they be
the top boss or the boss that's running the casino, like Carl Cohen and Jack Entratter. They were
wonderful to the community, truly. Carl Cohen's wife, Fran Cohen, was the one that started the
Israel bond division here. There was—I'm trying to think of the—we're talking about the Jewish—
you should talk to Art Marshall about this.
Yes, we have talked to him about part of this. We need to talk to him again.
Yes.
Can you tell me what the Israel bond was or is?
24 Like the UJA, United Jewish Appeal, this is Israel bonds. You buy bonds; you're investing in
Israel. You hold onto the bond and then you can sell them. That's what kids used to get for bar
mitzvah gifts in those days.
That's good, yes.
There was a UJA dinner. There was an Israel bond dinner. There was also the other organization,
which is both. What's the other organization that—
Jewish Federation?
No. That's the UJA. The Jewish Federation is that. Edythe Katz, Jean Weinberger—Jean
Weinberger and I started the women's division. They put that on me, Jean and Edythe. I was in
that, too. We used to do the women's division luncheon. We actually started it. It was Edythe's
idea.
Was it easy to get those kinds of things going here?
They're very good, the Jewish women around here. They do support—they did in those days. I
mean, I don't do that today. But they did support us, absolutely.
That's good.
Absolutely. The women were very giving. That's how everybody—all these strangers that come
into this town, how do they get involved? Through the temple, through the women's organizations.
Have you stayed affiliated with Beth Sholom or have you changed?
No, always Beth Sholom.
[Pause in recording]
We can kind of wind this up for now. Are there any other stories that we haven't touched
upon here that we should make sure we get down? Lots of stories. You've had a great life.
I have. What kind of stories?
25 About living in Las Vegas. Why do people—people don't want to like Las Vegas. What am I trying to say?
You either like Las Vegas or you don't like Las Vegas.
Right.
I came here not knowing a soul and knew this was going to be my home. I made the best of it. I decided to like it and I did.
And you made it a great place. You've contributed to it.
I have.
What are some of the other contributions that you feel like you've helped with?
Well, my biggest was the hospice. That to me is the most—
That's significant, yes.
That to me is the most important thing I've done. I was the president of Sisterhood. Thank God I was because I met Irwin there. It was beh shayrt'. You know what that means?
No.
You don't know that?
Blessed?
It was meant to be. It was meant to be. I'm trying to think and I should make some notes. When are you doing all of this?
It's ongoing. We can get together again.
Let me think of some things.
Now that you've kind of got warmed up.
Let me think of some things. Then I actually should go through my pictures. Maybe that'll wake me up.
26 I appreciate it, your time. If I can take these photos and I'll scan them and bring them back
to you.
Sure.
[Pause in recording]
The first function that we did for the hospice was a nighttime event. Al Benedict was the president
of MGM and his wife died of cancer, also. He said, "How about doing this show? We'll take
some of our people out and put some of your people in?" Well, I was so overwhelmed by the
gesture and the offer. He said, "Well, come over and see the show, and we'll sit together and we'll
think about it." I went and saw the show and was imaging certain people being in the show. So he
took sixty people out of the show and I put sixty people in it. I have to look for the album because
it's amazing. I do have an album of it. Like Hank and Barbara Greenspun were in the show; they
did a number. All the bigwigs. All the women that were the ladies of Las Vegas were in the show;
I mean dressed as showgirls. You've never seen anything like it. When we opened, Steve Wynn
made the opening statement, "Well, these ladies, the cast lost in excess of five hundred pounds for
this show." He named all the girls that went. I have to find that for you.
That would be fun. Oh, yes.
I have to find it. But he was very instrumental with the hospice, too.
Did you perform in the show?
No. I was the producer and that.
Okay.
I had to keep myself busy. Here we are at the games.
Coach Tarkanian.
Yep. This is how I used to travel.
27 How much fun is that?
A lot of fun. That's the one picture I gave you, there.
Did you have an interest in basketball before you moved here or was that suddenly?
No. Now, this is the dinner. This is Governor Mike O'Callaghan. He was governor then. Kirk
Douglas. Parry Thomas. You know who Parry Thomas is?
Yes.
Irwin and I. He got a—it was a Jewish Federation or something. He got a medal there. Israel
bond, yes. When you see me in a picture like this that means I chaired, co-chaired the event.
This was the official photo for those?
Yes. He's dressed as Elton John and I was—oh, I gave you one of that.
Yes.
This dress was Totie Fields's dress and that's Irwin dressed.
Oh, is that really her dress?
Yes.
Goodness. How fun.
Yes, this was her dress, and I was the dirty old man from Laugh-In.
Laugh-In, right. And who are these people here?
This is Billy and Jean Weinberger. We got married in their home. Did you know Bess
Weinberger?
No, I don't.
She's in both—in some program.
Hopefully I'll get to meet her then.
This is Parvin. You know Parvin and Ted Jacobs.
28 I know those names, yes.
Okay. Every year they used to have—(Wanetto), it's a golf tournament; then at night you get
dressed up in whatever you want to, a costume party at their home. One year—this is (Lovee
Arum) and I was dressed as Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. Irwin was dressed as—I wouldn't
even put his picture up. I wouldn't walk in with him because he was dressed—don't put that on not
unless you think—
[Pause in recording]
Sheron, who just died. And Laya.
Was that in Israel or where was that at?
Here.
That was at your home?
No. This was here in Vegas. But we were involved with them, yes. Menachem Begin.
Wow. These are important people.
Yes. That one is Hillary. This is Rabin.
Oh, that's Rabin.
Rabin and he was the head of the air force. He's a dearest friend in Israel. Here, look at this one.
Wow. Look what happens to the wall there. Irwin, Sammy Davis, me, Howard Cannon. I forgot
his name; he was running for the senate; he didn't make it. Billy and Jean Weinberger, they were
being honored. This was (Semfa Denitz) who is—we've got Golda Meir. This is Totie, Frank, and
this is—her husband was the governor here. Mike O'Callaghan. Carol O'Callaghan. This was at a
dinner.
Wow. Great picture. Then your husband played golf with Bill Clinton here?
Yes. Reagan. Irwin and I, and Richard Crenna and Penny Crenna. That's me with—
29 Muhammad Ali.
Muhammad. Me with—what's his name?
Burt Reynolds.
Burt Reynolds. This, we had a dinner with—when Simcha was here with his wife. And there's
Elizabeth Taylor when she was married to Warner.
Warner, yes.
Yes. And Billy Weinberger, he was the president of Caesars Palace. We were at the Palace Court having dinner. We took them to dinner. Charles Durning. This is my Totie.
[Laughing] That's funny.
She sent it to eight guys.
Oh, my goodness.
"To my darling Irwin, remember?"
What a character.
Six of eight.
That's funny. You have to have a good sense of humor to do that. Is this her as well here?
Yes. That was for a TV show she did. She was a cleaning lady in one of the hospital shows that they had.
This is great. Well, thank you again.
You're welcome.
Very much. This is great.
[End of recorded interview]
30 INDEX
Geneva, Switzerland, 14 A Greenspun, Barbara, 27 Greenspun, Hank, 27 Adelson, Merv, 18 Adelson, Nathan, 7, 17, 18 I Afghanistan, 1, 3 Ali, Muhammad, 7, 30 Israel, 1, 3, 4, 15, 21, 24, 25, 28, 29 Anderson, MD, 16, 17 Arum, Lovee, 6, 29 J
B Jacobs, Parvin, 6, 7, 8, 28 Jacobs, Ted, 8, 28 Benedict, Al, 27 Jewish Federation, 25, 28 Bishop, Joey, 23 Brussels, Belgium, 14 K Bukhara, Uzbekistan (formerly Soviet Union), 1, 4, 6 Burbank, California, 23 Katz, Edythe, 25
C L
Caesars Palace, 7, 30 Las Vegas Country Club, 7 Canino, Tony, 24 London, England, 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 13, 18, 21 Carlsbad, California, 14 Carter, Lillian, 7 M Cogliano, Joe, 16 Cohen, Carl, 15, 24 Marshall, Art, 14, 15, 24 Cohen, Fran, 15, 24 Martin, Dean, 13 Crenna, Penny, 29 Meir, Golda, 29 Crenna, Richard, 29 MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, 27 Michael (son), 13, 14 D Molasky, Irwin, 7, 8, 9, 17, 18, 19, 23, 26, 28, 29, 30 Moulin Rouge Hotel, 11, 12, 13, 14 Dallas (TV show), 22, 23 My Fair Lady (movie), 8, 29 Douglas, Kirk, 7, 28 Dunes Hotel and Casino, 23 N Durning, Charles, 30 Nathan Adelson Hospice, 7 E New York, 4, 17
Entratter, Jack, 24 O
F O'Callaghan, Carol, 29 O'Callaghan, Governor Mike, 28, 29 Fields, Totie, 8, 9, 23, 28, 29, 30 Frey, Leo, 12 P
G Palace Court, 30 Palestine, 1, 2 Gary (son), 14 Perlman, Cliff, 7
31 R T
Rat Pack, 13 Tarkanian, Jerry, 8, 27 Regency Towers, 7, 21 Taylor, Elizabeth, 30 Regent Street, London, 2, 10 Temple Beth Sholom, 14, 15 Reynolds, Burt, 30 The Cotton Club (movie), 7 Robert (son), 14, 23 The Waltons (TV show), 23 Russia, 1, 9 Thomas, Parry, 28
S U
Sahara Hotel and Casino, 23, 24 United Jewish Appeal, 25 Sands Hotel and Casino, 13, 15, 24 University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 6 Schreck, Bonnie, 7 Silver Slipper, 23 W Sinatra, Frank, 13, 23 Sisterhood, Temple Beth Sholom, 15, 19, 20, 24, 26 Weinberger, Bess, 28 Stardust Country Club, 20 Weinberger, Billy, 21, 28, 29, 30 Weinberger, Jean, 21, 25, 28, 29 Wynn, Elaine, 6 Wynn, Steve, 27
32