| The Commercial Casino History
A hush fell over the opening night audience in the Lounge of the Commercial Hotel in Elko as plush curtains parted. Applause broke out when the tuxedo-clad orchestra leader raised his battered silk top hat and asked, "Is everybody Happy?"
Big name show business in Nevada started that night as Ted Lewis asked his famous question and gave his jazz band a downbeat. The date was April 26, 1941. The Commercial's showroom was simply "The Lounge". There was no cover charge and no food was served. 
Today, when people think of the Silver State, they see visions of exotic showgirls, dazzling lights, top-notch entertainment, and that unique magic of gambling.
Gaming in Nevada was legalized by the 1931 state legislature, but it wasn't until the 1940's that gambling and name entertainment joined hands in a winning combination that would grow into today's huge exciting industry. Built in 1869 as the Humboldt Lodging House, it was purchased in 1893 and renamed the Commercial Hotel in 1941, the hotel gave birth to big-name entertainment in Nevada when Ted Lewis, with his orchestra, opened in the Commercial Lounge. That successful merging began in 1937 when Newton Cromley opened the first lounge in the Commercial Hotel. Although the hotel bar had been open, even during periods of prohibition, the new addition was Elko's first sophisticated cocktail lounge. There was a small dance floor in front of an alcove where three or four musicians held forth entertain bar patrons and dancing couples. The popularity of the room led Newton Hunt Crubley, son of the hotel's owner, to the idea that made him the "Father" of big name hotel-casino show business. Through young Newt's activities big time entertainment thrived in Elko for more than two decades. In early 1941 remodeling was completed on a new show area just west of the old lounge. Young Cromley contracted the "High-hatted Tragedian of Jazz" along with his world famous orchestra and 21-member stage revue for an eight-day run. On April 26, Lewis began the parade of big name entertainers to Elko. The tab was $12,000 per week, a fabulous price for a modest-sized city like Elko. When local citizens heard that Ted Lewis was coming to Elko, it was too much for them to believe. A rumor circulated that Lewis would not appear and, if the band did come, the leader certainly  would not be the famed Lewis himself, but someone posing as him. After his appearance, someone was heard to remark, "If the former doubting Thomases of Elko heard that Eleanor Roosevelt was going to broadcast "My Day" under the Lounge auspices from the corner of Fourth and Railroad Streets, they'd be on hand to watch the proceedings."
(Continued in Part 2) |
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