| Born | September 29, 1958 |
|---|---|
| Died | January 24, 2008 (aged 49) |
| Occupation | entertainer |
Woman commits suicide inside Luxor Thursday, Sept. 26, 1996 11:59 a.m. The Clark County coroner's office has been unable to identify a woman who leapt to her death inside the Luxor hotel-casino.
- The final tower of the iconic Riviera Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas strip - home to Liberace, Dean Martin and several Hollywood mob movies - was levele.
- Directed by Matt Cimber. With Telly Savalas, Pia Zadora, Desi Arnaz Jr., Larry Storch. Gangster's girlfriend hangs out in a Las Vegas hotel with her cop protectors while she waits to testify.
- The final tower of the iconic Riviera Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas strip - home to Liberace, Dean Martin and several Hollywood mob movies - was levele.
Jahna Erica Steele (29 September 1958 — 24 January 2008[1]) was an Americantransgender entertainer and Las Vegas showgirl who was voted Las Vegas' 'Sexiest Showgirl on The Strip' in 1991,[2] 'Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year, 1992,' and 'Most Beautiful Showgirl, 1993.'[3] She was fired after being outed as a trans woman by a tabloid television show. Steele made numerous film and television appearances, including hosting a transgender beauty pageant featured in the film Trantasia.
Early life and career[edit]
Born in San Antonio, Texas, Steele was a Miss Gay USA pageant winner in the Texas finals under the name Jhoana Reis.[4] In her early twenties, Steele under went gender confirmation surgery, also known as sexual reassignment surgery.[5] She then left San Antonio and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada following her sex reassignment surgery. She later changed her name legally to Jahonau Erica Steele. She joined the cast of the Crazy Girls Revue at the Riviera in Las Vegas during the late 1980s. In 1991, Steele was voted 'the sexiest showgirl on The Strip'.[6]
Outing and its effects[edit]
Most people in Las Vegas, including the producer who hired her and her costars, 'knew she was transgender but didn't care.'[7] She was outed on a 1992 edition of the television program A Current Affair. Following her outing by A Current Affair people began questioning Jahna's womanhood and asking if she was a girl, to which she'd reply, 'Well last time I looked, for the past 25 years.'[6] The story of her outing and its negative effect on her showgirl career was featured in The National Enquirer.[8]
After being fired from Crazy Girls Revue, Steele was a frequent talk show guest and sang in nightclubs across the United States before moving to Hawaii. She also appeared as a guest star in a second-season episode of NYPD Blue ('Don We Now Our Gay Apparel'), playing the character Candace La Rue.[9] Steele was additionally on the Maury Povich Show in the early 90s. Following her outing as being a transgender woman, she received much publicity leading her to be on various talk shows such as the Maury Show. When asked about her experience on the show, Steele stated, '..[the show] it was much more based on education and kindness. Now it's about exploitation and freakism, and like, 'We fooled you. Hardy-har-har. This is a man.' Which is just so insulting to somebody who's lived such a distressful life, because it's not easy growing up with a gender-identity disorder.'[6]
Steele later returned to school, and 'learned how to do things other than entertaining' so that she'd have something to fall back on, studying computer courses and working for United Blood Services before she worked for a women's health facility and got certified in nonprofit management.[6] Prior to her death, she also began hosting Aleman's La Cage drag show at the Riv, and it was the last job she had before overdosing in January 2008.[6]
The Voodoo Magic video slot logo is a wild symbol. It replaces all the other icons in the winning combinations. If there is one such icon in a paid chain, the winnings are increased by 2 times, and if there are two such icons, the winnings are increases by 4 times. The combination of. Voodoo magic history. Voodoo Magic Slot Demo. Play for free, read the review and leave a rating or comment. Find the best online casino & bonus for real money play. Voodoo Magic Slot Is there anything more mysteriously scary than the art of Voodoo? But what if I told you that you could use Voodoo to your advantage to win you loads of prizes and bonus games – because now you can thanks to 'Voodoo Magic' the online slot game from Real Time Gaming. Voodoo Magic Slot Machine Voodoo Magic Demo Game. Free Demo PLAY NOW. Black Magic Slot Machine. Kaitlyn says: Black Magic US Player Slot Machine - secretcasinoclub.com The Black Magic slot machine feature is a unique Pick 6 prizes feature where players are guarantied 6 bonus prizes just by clicking on them. The Black Magic.
Transsexual beauty contest hostess[edit]
Steele made her comeback in 2004 when she hosted The World's Most Beautiful Transsexual Contest at the Riviera.[10] A documentary feature film based on the pageant, Trantasia, recognized Steele's pioneering place in the history of the transsexual community. Steele was also featured on several segments of Entertainment Tonight in connection with Trantasia. Following the success of the film, Steele continued her singing career and was the spokesperson for Tingari Skin Care System. Steele was working on her 'kiss-and-tell' autobiography, Always a Lady[11] when she died in Las Vegas.[12] The cause of death was accidental overdose of cocaine, morphine and hydromorphone.[13]
Controversy[edit]
There is some controversy over Steele's career, particularly regarding the Riviera. Jahna was hired by show producer Norbert Aleman, and she quickly became the star of Crazy Girls Revue. Aleman, as well as Steele's co-show girl performers knew that she was transgender, however when Steele's trans identity was outed, Aleman fired her because Crazy Girls was an 'über-straight topless revue'[5] and that did not include transwomen. Several years later due to the public attention towards the transgender community, Aleman brought Steele back to host The World's Most Beautiful Transexual at the Riviera. The show went on to be documented and star Steele in Trantasia filmed by Jeremy Stanford.
References[edit]
- ^Clarke, Norm (January 26, 2008). Jahna Steele R.I.P.Las Vegas Review-Journal
- ^Anderson-Minshall, Jacob (March 1, 2007). Las Vegas Showgirl.San Francisco Bay Times
- ^Archerd, Army (November 14, 1994). Caron dances back in time.Variety
- ^Roberts, Pudgy (1979). The Great Female Mimics, Volume 5, Issue 3, p. 39. Mark Lithographers
- ^ ab'Death of a Showgirl'. www.advocate.com. 2008-03-05. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
- ^ abcdeStein, Martin (July 22, 2004). 'Was She or Wasn't She? Transsexual beauty pageant marks the return of Vegas' most notorious showgirl'. Archived from the original on October 11, 2004. Retrieved 2006-07-31.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link). The Las Vegas Weekly
- ^Broverman, Neal (March 25, 2008). Death of a showgirl.The Advocate
- ^Staff report (1992). 'Sexiest show girl' in Vegas fired because she used to be a MAN! National Enquirer
- ^'NYPD Blue episode guide via MSN'. Archived from the original on 2006-05-12. Retrieved 2006-07-31.
- ^Clarke, Norm (May 15, 2004). Transgender star plans comeback. Las Vegas Review-Journal
- ^Pratt, Paul E. (May 16, 2007). Transsexual Former Vegas Showgirl Working on Tell-All Book.Outlook Magazine
- ^Davis, Andrew (February 6, 2008). Passages: Jahna Steele.Windy City Times
- ^Clarke, Norm (February 20, 2008). 'Jahna Steele Overdosed'. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
External links[edit]
- Jahna Steele on IMDb
I showed up about 10 a.m. that morning, which was later than I wanted to arrive. Breakfast was too important to skip before heading over.
I parked in the ramp once again and noticed several people lined up to check out. I guess some people still do that.
It appeared that the main restaurant(s) in the casino were serving that morning. I was quite surprised, however, to find that the table games were all closed. I wanted to play a little blackjack that morning, but it wasn't in the cards. As a result, the automated craps machine was seeing more action than any weekday morning in years.
My first order of business was to connect with Sam. Sam stayed at the Riv during its final night. He does not live in Nevada, but he visits Vegas regularly, more so than I realized. I had only known him through his photos and, more recently, writing. He has shared a variety of great photos over the years, and now pens a few stories for Vegas Chatter. I had corresponded with him a bit prior to May 4, and he suggested contacting him when I arrived that morning.
As we were talking near the bar a few people he knew passed by and stopped to greet him, both local and out-of-towners, if I recall correctly. After a few minutes the group was ready to move on, as they planned to visit the 'secret pool' above the casino. It was my mission to visit this pool area, and I mentioned to Sam I was going to tag along with the group. He agreed not only to join us, but took us up by the elevator that dumps you out right on the pool deck.
The secret pool was a separate pool area designed in the 1980s, but never used as a pool, as it had a structural flaw that resulted in it leaking into the casino when they attempted to fill it. Why they were unable to correct this flaw is unclear, but Sam knows a lot about the pool's history, and he shared it not so long ago on Vegas Chatter.
We took pictures of each other in the empty pool and talked for 15-20 minutes while standing around in the pleasant Vegas air. A few of us picked up a loose pool tile from the empty pool to take home as a souvenir. I had to have one. It's an odd Riviera souvenir, and one not many people own, I suspect.
I wish I had taken pictures of the pool from different angles. Sam's article shows the pool from several angles. Why I didn't take similar pictures I can't explain.
Eventually our group disbanded and Sam headed back to his room to pack up. I went back to the casino floor and walked around, waiting far too long for a $2 bottle of whatever beer they had left at the bar.
The Riviera Casino Demolition
Outside the casino a crew was removing the 'Crazy Girls' bronze sculpture prior to the casino closing. A bunch of people, as well as local TV crews, took photos and video of its removal from the casino wall. It was said this bronze sculpture weighed hundreds of pounds. I don't doubt it, as it took several men to transfer the sculpture to a trailer.I watched TV reporters interview folks gathered outside the Riv that morning, or do live reports for their midday newscasts. I would have made a great interview, I'm sure, but nobody asked me for an interview. Their loss.
Inside the casino the food court was quiet. None of the restaurants were open that morning. I walked by the main pool and workers were putting up a fence around its perimeter. My theory is that they didn't want a group of protestors jumping in at noon when they were told the casino was closed. For some reason there were several $1 bills on the bottom of the pool in the 9-feet-deep end. Remember the glory days of hotel pools, when you could dive into a deep end. The old Frontier had a pool that was 12 feet deep on one end, if I recall correctly. There might still be one of those old, deep pools around, but I wouldn't know where.
A couple of the shops in the back of the Riv had merchandise on sale, but they weren't really trying to liquidate the inventory. I'm guessing the inventory was going to be packed up and sold elsewhere.
I'm not a very bold person, but I did venture up an escalator in the back of the property. The escalator was not running, and clearly it hadn't run in quite some time, as there was visible dust on the steps. Up at the top I found myself looking at the Riv's old buffet. I knew it had a buffet, and from what I had heard in recent years, it wasn't very good.
I stood at the front counter and surveyed the area. It looked like it had only been recently shut down. Chairs were sitting upside down on top of tables, the buffet stations looked clean and ready to be put to use and there were a few empty pans sitting in a stack. I'm pretty sure the buffet had been closed for a few years, but you'd think they had just shut it down a month before closing the casino. Had I been adventurous I would have walked back into the kitchen. I wouldn't have seen anything fascinating, I'm sure, I've been inside commercial kitchens. But I probably would have found a lot of kitchen equipment still inside. I'm guessing the pots, pans, plates, utensils, as well as stoves, blenders and refrigerators were all still sitting there. I'll never know for sure.
I wouldn't be surprised, either, if the phone at the front counter was still operational.
I returned to the main casino for the closing, and the first announcement that the casino would close came five minutes before noon. Then another came at noon. Some folks, clearly longtime and former employees, had gathered together. There were a few cheers and hugs at noon.
Since the table games were closed, people decided to stand inside the pit and pose for a picture, as if they were the dealer. The craps machine was full of players, and a few minutes after noon a casino manager told the players that they had to cash out when the game 'sevened out.' I didn't stick around to see the game end.
As I slowly made my way toward the back of the property I watched as maintenance personnel began shutting off slot and video poker machines, and I passed a few people still feeding credits into operating machines. It was 10 or 12 minutes past noon as I was finally exiting the casino area, and there were a handful of players who had not yet been chased off their machine. I get not wanting to give up a hot machine, or knowing that your machine is just about to finally pay off, but to sit there trying to feed the machines minutes after the casino is closing seems a bit ridiculous.
Security personnel were locking the front doors at noon. They flushed everyone out the back of the building, where there was a long line waiting for cabs. I guess nobody planned for a mass exodus at noon, as there was a shortage of cabs to meet the demand.
Before I left I picked up some $1 and $5 casino chips from the cage. I needed just one $1 chip, but my friends wanted a $20 mix of chips, so I walked out with $21 of unredeemed chips.
I was a bit disappointed overall by the final morning at the Riv. I had been at the closing of O'Sheas three years earlier and it was quite a festive atmosphere. In discussing my observations with one of Sam's acquaintances a plausible theory emerged. When O'Sheas closed, it was with the intention of recreating it as part of the Linq development, and the casino was part of the Caesar's portfolio, a major, albeit debt-ridden, casino conglomerate. The Riv, conversely, wasn't part of a major chain, and its ownership was merely cashing out. Although it could have wrung several thousands of dollars out of the casino prior to closing, all that extra revenue was merely drops on the $190 million bucket, and therefore not worth a lot of effort.
Since the Riv was a bit isolated from the rest of the strip, it didn't have the same volume of traffic walking by its doors on closing day. O'Sheas, however, had plenty of foot traffic at center strip when it closed.
Although a bit disappointed by the overall party atmosphere, and the lack thereof, I still enjoyed my time, and am glad I planned a trip that allowed me to be there for the final hours of the Riv.
A few parting shots:
• The Riviera's once-active Twitter account is locked and dormant. Not really a surprise.
Riviera Hotel Casino
• About 10 days after it closed, a liquidator started selling off the contents of the Riv. Most reports are that the stuff is priced too high, although plenty of stuff has been sold. I wouldn't have expected the sale to last into June, but last I heard, it's still open.
I wish I had taken pictures of the pool from different angles. Sam's article shows the pool from several angles. Why I didn't take similar pictures I can't explain.
Eventually our group disbanded and Sam headed back to his room to pack up. I went back to the casino floor and walked around, waiting far too long for a $2 bottle of whatever beer they had left at the bar.
The Riviera Casino Demolition
Outside the casino a crew was removing the 'Crazy Girls' bronze sculpture prior to the casino closing. A bunch of people, as well as local TV crews, took photos and video of its removal from the casino wall. It was said this bronze sculpture weighed hundreds of pounds. I don't doubt it, as it took several men to transfer the sculpture to a trailer.I watched TV reporters interview folks gathered outside the Riv that morning, or do live reports for their midday newscasts. I would have made a great interview, I'm sure, but nobody asked me for an interview. Their loss.
Inside the casino the food court was quiet. None of the restaurants were open that morning. I walked by the main pool and workers were putting up a fence around its perimeter. My theory is that they didn't want a group of protestors jumping in at noon when they were told the casino was closed. For some reason there were several $1 bills on the bottom of the pool in the 9-feet-deep end. Remember the glory days of hotel pools, when you could dive into a deep end. The old Frontier had a pool that was 12 feet deep on one end, if I recall correctly. There might still be one of those old, deep pools around, but I wouldn't know where.
A couple of the shops in the back of the Riv had merchandise on sale, but they weren't really trying to liquidate the inventory. I'm guessing the inventory was going to be packed up and sold elsewhere.
I'm not a very bold person, but I did venture up an escalator in the back of the property. The escalator was not running, and clearly it hadn't run in quite some time, as there was visible dust on the steps. Up at the top I found myself looking at the Riv's old buffet. I knew it had a buffet, and from what I had heard in recent years, it wasn't very good.
I stood at the front counter and surveyed the area. It looked like it had only been recently shut down. Chairs were sitting upside down on top of tables, the buffet stations looked clean and ready to be put to use and there were a few empty pans sitting in a stack. I'm pretty sure the buffet had been closed for a few years, but you'd think they had just shut it down a month before closing the casino. Had I been adventurous I would have walked back into the kitchen. I wouldn't have seen anything fascinating, I'm sure, I've been inside commercial kitchens. But I probably would have found a lot of kitchen equipment still inside. I'm guessing the pots, pans, plates, utensils, as well as stoves, blenders and refrigerators were all still sitting there. I'll never know for sure.
I wouldn't be surprised, either, if the phone at the front counter was still operational.
I returned to the main casino for the closing, and the first announcement that the casino would close came five minutes before noon. Then another came at noon. Some folks, clearly longtime and former employees, had gathered together. There were a few cheers and hugs at noon.
Since the table games were closed, people decided to stand inside the pit and pose for a picture, as if they were the dealer. The craps machine was full of players, and a few minutes after noon a casino manager told the players that they had to cash out when the game 'sevened out.' I didn't stick around to see the game end.
As I slowly made my way toward the back of the property I watched as maintenance personnel began shutting off slot and video poker machines, and I passed a few people still feeding credits into operating machines. It was 10 or 12 minutes past noon as I was finally exiting the casino area, and there were a handful of players who had not yet been chased off their machine. I get not wanting to give up a hot machine, or knowing that your machine is just about to finally pay off, but to sit there trying to feed the machines minutes after the casino is closing seems a bit ridiculous.
Security personnel were locking the front doors at noon. They flushed everyone out the back of the building, where there was a long line waiting for cabs. I guess nobody planned for a mass exodus at noon, as there was a shortage of cabs to meet the demand.
Before I left I picked up some $1 and $5 casino chips from the cage. I needed just one $1 chip, but my friends wanted a $20 mix of chips, so I walked out with $21 of unredeemed chips.
I was a bit disappointed overall by the final morning at the Riv. I had been at the closing of O'Sheas three years earlier and it was quite a festive atmosphere. In discussing my observations with one of Sam's acquaintances a plausible theory emerged. When O'Sheas closed, it was with the intention of recreating it as part of the Linq development, and the casino was part of the Caesar's portfolio, a major, albeit debt-ridden, casino conglomerate. The Riv, conversely, wasn't part of a major chain, and its ownership was merely cashing out. Although it could have wrung several thousands of dollars out of the casino prior to closing, all that extra revenue was merely drops on the $190 million bucket, and therefore not worth a lot of effort.
Since the Riv was a bit isolated from the rest of the strip, it didn't have the same volume of traffic walking by its doors on closing day. O'Sheas, however, had plenty of foot traffic at center strip when it closed.
Although a bit disappointed by the overall party atmosphere, and the lack thereof, I still enjoyed my time, and am glad I planned a trip that allowed me to be there for the final hours of the Riv.
A few parting shots:
• The Riviera's once-active Twitter account is locked and dormant. Not really a surprise.
Riviera Hotel Casino
• About 10 days after it closed, a liquidator started selling off the contents of the Riv. Most reports are that the stuff is priced too high, although plenty of stuff has been sold. I wouldn't have expected the sale to last into June, but last I heard, it's still open.
The sale has provided access to all sorts of areas the common man never sees, from penthouse rooms to behind-the-scenes areas. Photos posted online show all sorts of interesting areas of the casino. Some, such as offices, looked like they had been abandoned in haste. Stacks of old documentation appear to be left sitting anywhere and everywhere.
While it was fun to be there for the Riv's closing, at this point I think I'd trade the experience for a chance to walk the hallways of the old building today.
If you're interested in some great pics of the abandoned Riv, check out the Twitter feed of @_Lucky45.
Riviera Casino Closed
• As has been reported, a 48-year-old woman took advantage of the liquidation sale to commit suicide by jumping off of one of the towers. She landed near a pool, although it's not clear to me which pool it was. And it doesn't matter. It's always sad to hear stories like that, and it's an unfortunate footnote to the closing of the Riv.Riviera Casino Wiki
• I tweeted several pics that morning, and some day I'll upload them to some online platform. I wasn't sure how many people would notice, or care, but it was nice to know that my work was followed/appreciated by a few people, particularly @VertigoDragon, who retweeted many of my pics. Thanks for sharing my labor of love.