Las Vegas Weekly

February 24, 2009 · 6:46 AM

Tony Sacca and Charo team up for PBS special about Las Vegas

By Robin Leach

Tony Sacca and Charo.

Photo: TVT

For years, hometown hero Tony Sacca has interviewed and filmed the Strip stars for his local TV show Entertainment Las Vegas Style. He guarded all the valuable footage and has now turned it into an amazing one-hour PBS special.

Tony turned to longtime friend Charo to co-host with him on a variety tour of our city’s top spots. In the special, Tony features interviews and performances with Tony Orlando, Bill Medley, Billy Ray Cyrus, Donna Summer, the Smothers Brothers, Mary Wilson, Frankie Avalon and Little Anthony and the Imperials.

I joined Tony and my longtime friend Charo when they premiered the final cut with a champagne screening at Josette’s Bistro near the Palms. The highlight was Charo’s performance on Andre Segovia’s classical flamenco guitar at the Bellagio while the fountains there were choreographed to her music.

Photo: Jackie Brett

Charo, Robin Leach and Tony Sacca.

It was fascinating to watch Tony’s black-and-white footage of the early days of Folies Bergere at the Tropicana intercut with this year’s color video shoot. Naturally, Charo and Tony danced with the topless beauties who covered up for the PBS special!

Tony, who also produced the special, told me the program will be used by PBS throughout the Southwest this April as part of the fundraising campaign for viewer-supported, commercial-free television -- and will then expand across PBS. While in town, Charo visited the local Univision studios and drew a cartoon of a Chihuahua for the VIP wall.

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