After a horrific blaze destroyed Willie Martello’s El Rey Club in 1962, nearly fifty years would pass before anyone knew of how that casino and one-time brothel provided a template for present-day gambling resorts, upset the Las Vegas mob, and inadvertently launched the career of Francis Ford Coppola. Were it not for the chance discovery of a single photo in a Las Vegas museum, the El Rey Club would be known only as the seedy brothel where Senator Harry Reid learned to swim. Using everything from prostitutes to plane rides, passenger pigeons to wild burros and transgendered celebrities to the DeCastro Sisters, Martello saved the near-ghost town of Searchlight from extinction. His outrageous exploits and accomplishments should place him among magnates like Howard Hughes or Steve Wynn, yet very few know his name. Lost for over sixty years and featuring over 140 rare or unseen photos, these vibrant stories are now brought to light! Bibliography 266 Pgs. 2013
