Gloria Dea, Las Vegas Strip’s 1st Magician, Dies at 100

Glorea Dea, the number 1 conjuror to do on what would turn the Las Vegas Strip, died on Saturday, March 18, at eld 100.

Idea — who had been inwards hospice tutelage at a Las Vegas assisted-living installation — noted her centenarian natal day inward August 2022. The milepost was far-famed at the Westgate Las Vegas, her favourite casino, past MGM star David Copperfield, Edward Teller of Penn & Teller, and other magicians.

“Gloria was amazing,” Copperfield told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “She was charming, funny and engaging. And in Vegas, as a offspring magician, she started it all. It was an purity to cognise her.”

Youngest to Oldest

Dea was born Gloria Metzner on Aug 25, 1922 inward Oakland. Inspired by her father, Lion Metzner – an recreational conjuror who called himself “The Great Leo” – Dea began performing tricks at the eld of 4. Three years later, she was known as “the youngest working magician in the world,” according to the Oakland Tribune.

On May 14, 1941, at only when 19 years old, Dea performed inward the Roundup Room at the El Rancho Vegas. That made her the first-class honours degree prestidigitator to of all time do on Highway 91, which wouldn’t follow renamed Las Vegas Boulevard for 18 to a greater extent years. (At the time, only when the El Rancho Vegas and Last Frontier lined the road. The Flamingo was allay under construction.)

Dea performed ii shows that night. The crowds went natural state for her billiard-ball trick and a floating-card trick, both taught to her past her father.

“It felt good,” Dea told the R-J at her natal day do inwards August. “Anytime someone likes something that you do, you feel serious don’t you? Oh, yeah. I was received wonderfully. It was a outstanding room. You had the audience seated, and so floor-to-ceiling drinking glass inwards the back, and on the other face of that was the swimming pool.”

“Then you were onstage, veneer that. It was fancy. It was a playfulness place.”

Between magic acts, Dea performed the rumba to big-band tunes performed past the El Rancho house band.

Hollywood Beckoned

Later inward the ’40s, Dea moved to LA, adopted her leg name, and became an actress. She landed a declaration with capital of South Carolina Pictures, for whom she starred inwards movies until the later(a) ’50s. Her to the highest degree prominent role was as Princess Pha in the 1952 film, “King of the Congo,” inwards which she starred paired Buster Crabbe.

After leaving show business, Dea sold insurance, as intimately as cars for a Chevy dealership. By 1980, she moved to Las Vegas, where she lived inwards anonymity with her fourth husband, Sam Anazlone, a dude motorcar sales representative who died inward January 2022.

Dea’s story was rediscovered past Las Vegas conjuror AnnaRose Einarsen, who circulated it around the local magic community. Once Copperfield caught twist of the legend living in his midst, he struck up a friendship. In 2021, he invited Dea to his MGM demonstrate and introducing her from the stage.

Copperfield was localize to seat Dea into the UNLV College of Fine Arts Charles Martin Hall of Fame on Tuesday, Mar 25. The ceremony testament at present follow conducted in her memory.

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