The Flamingo on Film

Portrayals of Las Vegas on film have varied greatly over time, changing in tandem with the different stylistic and cultural eras of the city itself. In the case of two of the most iconic Las Vegas-set films of the 1960s, Ocean’s 11 (1960) and Viva Las Vegas (1964), the city represents completely different sentiments: opportunity and romance, respectively. Both films not only shot on-location in Las Vegas, but even shot casino-set scenes during operating hours – an uncommon practice in studio filmmaking. In the case of Ocean’s 11, the casino sequences were shot during the slow hours between “1 and 5 a.m.,” and in the case of Viva Las Vegas, the production openly invited onlookers to watch the film being made. Notably, both films prominently feature the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino in their narratives.

Ocean’s Eleven depicts a cadre of former military comrades scheming to simultaneously rob five high-profile Las Vegas casinos: “the Sands, Flamingo, Sahara, Riviera and Desert Inn”. Shot over the course of 28 days in Las Vegas, Ocean’s 11 was filmed entirely in Technicolor, which beautifully captured the lush shades of pink that decorated much of the Flamingo’s interiors. Sequences were filmed at bars and lounges throughout the Flamingo property, and the casino’s marquee appears in a New Year’s Eve countdown sequence that cuts between the signs of the other properties targeted by the protagonists.

Viva Las Vegas takes a much more romantic approach to the Flamingo property, utilizing it as the setting for the first encounter between Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret. Their meet-cute is largely predicated on Presley’s Lucky serenading Margret’s Rusty while she prepares to teach a swimming lesson at the Flamingo’s pool. The sequence – which culminates in Lucky shoving Rusty off a light-pink diving board – seamlessly captures the property’s signature “Miami Beach, Art Deco style” which “[bucked] the trend of Old West-themed hotels” that were common in Las Vegas at the time.