- Home
- >>Entertainment
- >>
Work begins on restoring Hollywood legend's hotel sign
The sign from the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel is moved at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas Wednesday, July 24, 2024. The sign will be restored by YESCO sign company and returned to the Neon Museum for lighting in the fall. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @KMCannonPhoto
Todd Fisher, donor and son of Debbie Reynolds, his wife Catherine Fisher, and Neon Museum Executive Director Aaron Berger mingle as workers prepare to move the cursive sign from the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas Wednesday, July 24, 2024. The sign will be restored by YESCO and returned to the Neon Museum for lighting in the fall. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @KMCannonPhoto
A YESCO sign company worker prepares to move the cursive sign from the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas Wednesday, July 24, 2024. The sign will be restored by YESCO and returned to the Neon Museum for lighting in the fall. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @KMCannonPhoto
A YESCO sign company worker prepares to move the cursive sign from the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas Wednesday, July 24, 2024. The sign will be restored by YESCO and returned to the Neon Museum for lighting in the fall. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @KMCannonPhoto
Todd Fisher, donor and son of Debbie Reynolds, from left, Neon Museum Executive Director Aaron Berger and YESCO sign company Executive Vice President Jeff Young mingle as workers prepare to move the cursive sign from the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas Wednesday, July 24, 2024. The sign will be restored by YESCO and returned to the Neon Museum for lighting in the fall. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @KMCannonPhoto
YESCO sign company Executive Vice President Jeff Young, from left, Neon Museum Executive Director Aaron Berger, Todd Fisher, donor and son of Debbie Reynolds, his wife Catherine Fisher, and donor and family friend Jonathan James Haas mingle as workers prepare to move the cursive sign from the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas Wednesday, July 24, 2024. The sign will be restored by YESCO and returned to the Neon Museum for lighting in the fall. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @KMCannonPhoto
YESCO sign company workers move the cursive sign from the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas Wednesday, July 24, 2024. The sign will be restored by YESCO and returned to the Neon Museum for lighting in the fall. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @KMCannonPhoto
YESCO sign company workers prepare to move the cursive sign from the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas Wednesday, July 24, 2024. The sign will be restored by YESCO and returned to the Neon Museum for lighting in the fall. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @KMCannonPhoto
The Neon Museum is shown in downtown Las Vegas Wednesday, July 24, 2024. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @KMCannonPhoto
The sign from the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel is moved at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas Wednesday, July 24, 2024. The sign will be restored by YESCO sign company and returned to the Neon Museum for lighting in the fall. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @KMCannonPhoto
The sign from the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Hotel is moved at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas Wednesday, July 24, 2024. The sign will be restored by YESCO sign company and returned to the Neon Museum for lighting in the fall. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @KMCannonPhoto
More Stories
ByMcKenna Ross/Las Vegas Review-Journal
July 24, 2024 - 1:27 pm
Updated July 25, 2024 - 9:00 am
Debbie Reynolds, a trailblazing entertainer and businesswoman, often said her off-Strip hotel-casino that operated in the 1990s was “her little place” — and she had the massive neon signs to prove it.
Almost three decades later, her massive neon signature will be restored and redisplayed at the Neon Museum, thanks to a restoration project run by the museum and the YESCO sign company. On Wednesday, the organizations lifted the 24-foot-long, fading pink “Debbie” neon sign from its spot tucked behind the Stardust signage, in the museum’s Neon Boneyard.
“This is actually her autograph that they scanned, then enlarged and made into metal and neon,” said Todd Fisher, Reynolds’ son and brother to the late actress Carrie Fisher. “The idea that it can come back to life in its former glory was something that inspired us.”
Fisher and others fundraised to get the sign restored, along with the support of YESCO’s recently established conservation fund. Jeff Young, the company’s executive vice president, said the fund will allow them to do a handful of restorations annually, depending on the sign’s size.
For the “Debbie” sign, YESCO first lifted the sign out of the museum backyard with a crane. It then loaded it into a trailer to take it to the company’s factory on West Tropicana Avenue, where the restoration team will focus on repainting it, refurbishing the structure of the sign, installing new neon and new transformers.
“The trick for us is to try to figure out exactly what the neon is,” Young said. “Until we get it to the factory, we’re not able to test it to know what color it is. So to match that is going to be a part of the excitement for us.”
For Fisher, the sign’s renovation is a chance to relive some vintage Vegas memories and highlight his mother’s impact on the town. Reynolds was the first entertainer to receive a $1 million contract when she started a residency at the Riviera in 1962.
She and her then-husband Richard Hamlett purchased the former Paddlewheel Hotel in 1992 and converted it to the Debbie Reynolds Hotel and Casino, opening a year later. They later added a Hollywood museum. The property struggled to be profitable and ultimately closed in 1998.
Fisher said he had positive memories of his mother’s time as a hotel-runner. She performed to crowded showrooms and lounges, bringing back some of the old Vegas-era that began to disappear during the megaresort boom of the ’90s.
“When she bought the hotel, we all thought she had lost her mind,” Fisher said. “The idea that buying a property off the Strip was kind of an oddball thing to do. And many people thought that was a bad idea. But you know, all she was trying to do was market to her people.”
Neon Museum officials said they expect the renovation to take a few months and to put the sign back on display — across from Liberace and other entertainer artifacts — in the fall.
Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.
MOST READ
'; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += ''; html += 'READ MORE'; html += 'LIVE WELL'; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += 'STORIES LIKE THIS'; html += 'CLICK HERE FOR MORE'; html += ''; html += ''; html += '
'; html += '
'; $('.nlsm-small').addClass('livewell').html(html); return; } if ($('.rj-story-sponsored-full').length>0) { return; } if ($('.rj-story-full').hasClass('tag-what-are-they-hiding')) { html = ''; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += 'WHAT ARE THEY HIDING?'; html += 'Exposing officials and agencies keeping public records from the public.'; html += 'CLICK HERE TO READ MORE'; html += ''; html += '
'; $('.nlsm-small').addClass('2023-year-in-review').html(html); return; } if ($('.rj-story-full').hasClass('tag-2023-year-in-review')) { html = ''; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += '2023 YEAR IN REVIEW'; html += 'CLICK HERE FOR MORE'; html += ''; html += '
'; $('.nlsm-small').addClass('2023-year-in-review').html(html); return; } if ($('.rj-story-full').hasClass('tag-msg-sphere')) { html = ''; html += '
'; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += '
'; $('.nlsm-small').addClass('tag-msg-sphere').html(html); return; } if ($('.rj-story-full').hasClass('tag-jeff-german-murder') || $('.rj-story-full').hasClass('tag-remembering-jeff-german')) { html = ''; html += '
'; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += '
'; $('.nlsm-small').addClass('jeff_german').html(html); return; } if ($('.rj-story-full').hasClass('tag-911-anniversary')) { html = ''; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += 'REMEMBERING 9/11: 20 YEARS LATER'; html += 'Looking back at the 2001 terror attacks and how they affected Las Vegas and the world.'; html += 'Read more'; html += ''; html += '
'; $('.nlsm-small').addClass('anniversary-911').html(html); return; } if ($('.rj-story-full').hasClass('tag-class-of-2021')) { html = ''; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += 'MEET THE UNFORGETTABLE CLASS'; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += '2021'; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += '
'; $('.nlsm-small').addClass('class-2021').html(html); return; } if ($('.rj-story-full').hasClass('tag-2022-election')) { html = ''; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += 'ELECTION 2022'; html += 'Read more'; html += ''; html += '
'; html += ''; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += 'ELECTION RESULTS'; html += 'Click here'; html += ''; html += '
'; html += '
'; $('.nlsm-small').addClass('election-2022').html(html); return; } if ($('.rj-story-full').hasClass('tag-harry-reid-1939-2021')) { html = ''; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += ''; html += 'Harry Reid(1939-2021)'; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += 'Senate leader and Nevada political titan'; html += 'Read more'; html += ''; html += ''; html += '
'; $('.nlsm-small').addClass('harry-reid').html(html); return; } if ($('.rj-story-full').hasClass('tag-henry-ruggs')) { html = ''; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += ''; html += 'HENRY RUGGSDEADLY CRASH'; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += 'CLICK FOR MORE'; html += ''; html += ''; html += '
'; $('.nlsm-small').addClass('henry-ruggs').html(html); return; } if ($('.rj-story-full').hasClass('category-homicides')) { html = ''; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += ''; html += 'HOMICIDE'; html += 'A STORY BEHIND EVERY NAME'; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += 'TRACKER'; html += 'CLICK HERE FOR MORE'; html += ''; html += ''; html += '
'; html += '
'; $('.nlsm-small').addClass('homicides').html(html); return; } if ($('.rj-story-full').hasClass('tag-sheldon-adelson')) { html = ''; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += ''; html += 'Sheldon Adelson(1933-2021)'; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += 'Las Vegas visionary and Philanthropist.'; html += 'Read more'; html += ''; html += ''; html += '
'; $('.nlsm-small').addClass('sheldon-adelson').html(html); return; } if ($('.rj-story-full').hasClass('tag-tony-hsieh')) { html = ''; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += ''; html += 'Tony Hsieh(1973-2020)'; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += ''; html += 'Ex-Zappos and Downtown Project CEO left a lasting impression on Las Vegas.'; html += 'Read more'; html += ''; html += ''; html += '
'; $('.nlsm-small').addClass('tony-hsieh').html(html); return; } if ($('.rj-story-full').hasClass('tag-vegas-weekend')) { //vegas-reawakening html = ''; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += 'VEGAS REAWAKENING'; html += 'A year after the pandemic began, the first weekend of spring showed a perfect storm of promise for Las Vegas’ recovery and brought optimism that visitors would indeed return to the city'; html += 'Read more'; html += ''; html += '
'; $('.nlsm-small').addClass('vegas-reawakening').html(html); return; } //add newsletters embed var default_category_to_show = ['News', 'Local', 'Life', 'Crime']; var newsletter_1st_lv = []; newsletter_1st_lv['default'] = {'id':'starting_point,pm_update', 'track_name':'StartingPoint', 'title':'LOCAL NEWS YOUR WAY', 'subtitle':'Sign up for our free daily Morning and Afternoon Update newsletters.'}; newsletter_1st_lv['Sports'] = {'id':'sports', 'track_name':'Sports', 'title':'SPORTS NEWS YOUR WAY', 'subtitle':'Sign up for our free daily Sports Update newsletter.'}; newsletter_1st_lv['Business'] = {'id':'business', 'track_name':'Business', 'title':'BUSINESS NEWS YOUR WAY', 'subtitle':'Sign up for our free Business Update newsletter.'}; newsletter_1st_lv['Entertainment'] = {'id':'','alert_id':'entertainment', 'track_name':'Entertainment', 'title':'WANT THE LATEST ON LAS VEGAS ENTERTAINMENT?', 'subtitle':'Sign up for free entertainment email alerts'}; //newsletter_1st_lv['Nevada Preps'] = {'id':'nevada_preps', 'title':'HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS YOUR WAY', 'subtitle':'Stay up to date with our free Nevada Preps newsletter.'}; //newsletter_1st_lv['Investigations'] = {'id':'rj_investigates', 'title':'INVESTIGATIVE NEWS YOUR WAY', 'subtitle':'Sign up for our free RJ Investigates newsletter.'}; var cat_has_subcat = ['News','Business','Entertainment','Sports', 'Opinion']; var newsletter_2nd_lv = []; newsletter_2nd_lv['Politics and Government'] = {'id':'','alert_id':'political', 'track_name':'Political', 'title':'LOCAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL POLITICS COVERAGE', 'subtitle':'
Sign up for our free RJ politics email alerts.
'}; //newsletter_2nd_lv['Politics and Government'] = {'id':'political', 'title':'ELECTION 2020: BE INFORMED', 'subtitle':'
FULL COVERAGE | ELECTION RESULTS
Sign up for our free RJ Politics newsletter.
'}; //newsletter_2nd_lv['Debra J. Saunders'] = {'id':'44', 'title':'YOUR WEEKLY POLITICAL FIX', 'subtitle':'Sign up for our free DC-LV newsletter with political stories from the swamp to the Strip.'}; //newsletter_2nd_lv['CES 2021'] = {'id':'ces', 'title':'CES 2021: STAY IN THE KNOW', 'subtitle':'
The Review-Journal is a media partner with the CTA. Click here for full coverage and live video from CES 2021
Sign up for our free newsletter below.'}; //newsletter_2nd_lv['TV'] = {'id':'tv_briefing', 'title':'GET YOUR TV LISTINGS', 'subtitle':'Your Weekly TV Briefing.'}; //newsletter_2nd_lv['UNLV'] = {'id':'unlv_rebel_news', 'title':'UNLV SPORTS YOUR WAY', 'subtitle':'Stay up to date on the Rebels with our free newsletter.'}; newsletter_2nd_lv['Rodeo'] = {'id':'rodeo_nfr', 'track_name':'RodeoNFR', 'title':'RODEO NEWS YOUR WAY', 'subtitle':'Don\'t miss any of the action! Click here for full NFR coverage or Sign up for our free newsletter below'}; newsletter_2nd_lv['Raiders News'] = {'id':'vegasnation', 'track_name':'VegasNation', 'title':'WANT EVEN MORE RAIDERS NEWS?', 'subtitle':'Sign up for our free Vegas Nation newsletter.'}; newsletter_2nd_lv['Golden Knights'] = {'id':'','alert_id':'golden_knights', 'track_name':'GoldenKnights', 'title':'WANT MORE KNIGHTS IN YOUR DAY?', 'subtitle':'Sign up for free Golden Knights email alerts for all the latest updates'}; var main_cat = ''; var m_hierarchy = []; var m_cat = []; var m_hl_cat = ''; if (window.dataLayer[0].metrics) { main_cat = window.dataLayer[0].metrics.section; //National Finals Rodeo m_hierarchy = window.dataLayer[0].metrics.hierarchy.split(' | '); //"Sports | Rodeo | National Finals Rodeo" m_cat = window.dataLayer[0].metrics.categories; //["National Finals Rodeo","Rodeo","Sports"] m_hl_cat = window.dataLayer[0].metrics['hl-category']; //Sports } var i, k, found, newsletter; newsletter = false; found = false; if (default_category_to_show.includes(m_hl_cat)) { newsletter = newsletter_1st_lv['default']; } if (newsletter_1st_lv.hasOwnProperty(m_hl_cat)) { newsletter = newsletter_1st_lv[m_hl_cat]; } // check main category if (newsletter_2nd_lv.hasOwnProperty(main_cat)) { found = true; newsletter = newsletter_2nd_lv[main_cat]; } if (!found) { // check in hierarchy (main category hierarchy) i = m_hierarchy.length; while (!found && i >= 0) { i--; if (i > 0) { if (newsletter_2nd_lv.hasOwnProperty(m_hierarchy[i])) { found = true; newsletter = newsletter_2nd_lv[m_hierarchy[i]]; } } else { // i=0, check first level if (newsletter_1st_lv.hasOwnProperty(m_hierarchy[i])) { found = true; newsletter = newsletter_1st_lv[m_hierarchy[i]]; } } } } if (!found) { // check in category i = m_cat.length; while (!found && i > 0 && cat_has_subcat.includes(m_hl_cat)) { i--; if (newsletter_2nd_lv.hasOwnProperty(m_cat[i])) { found = true; newsletter = newsletter_2nd_lv[m_cat[i]]; } } } if (newsletter !== false && !$('.rj-story-full').hasClass('tag-hide-newsletter') && !$('.rj-story-full').hasClass(' rj-story-sponsored-full')) { var alert_id = ''; if (newsletter.alert_id) { alert_id = newsletter.alert_id; } html = ''; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += '
'+newsletter.title+'
'; html += '
'+newsletter.subtitle+'
'; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += 'By signing up you agree to our Privacy Policy and '; html += 'Terms of Service. Unsubscribe at any time.'; html += '
'; html += '
'; html += 'This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.'; html += '
'; html += '
'; $('.nlsm-small').html(html); } //});})(jQuery);
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Celine Dion, Lady Gaga reportedly to co-star at Paris Olympics
ByJohn Katsilometes/RJ
A French journalist has reported Celine Dion and Lady Gaga will team up on an Edith Piaf classic to open the Summer Olympics in Paris.
ByJohn Katsilometes/RJ
Penn & Teller performed together for the first time at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival on Aug. 19, 1975. Their 50th anniversary will be celebrated throughout 2025.
It’s a 6-pack: Sphere again extends EDM production
ByJohn Katsilometes/RJ
Anyma will follow such superstar headliners as U2 , Phish , Dead Company (whose series continues through Aug. 10) and the Eagles.
How Lady Gaga’s bandleader boosted Biden’s 2020 Nevada campaign
ByJohn Katsilometes/RJ
Brian Newman’s May 2019 performance at then-NoMad Restaurant was the catalyst for Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in Nevada.
Beatles’ master tapes were once hidden at The Mirage
ByJohn Katsilometes/RJ
The Beatles’ master tapes were delivered from Abbey Road studios as theater construction was being completed in late-2005 through early 2006.
A Las Vegas Strip rock residency that speaks our language
ByJohn Katsilometes/RJ
Los Bukis is Vegas’ first all-Spanish language residency, but the choreography is not specified.
Adele: After Las Vegas, ‘I want a big break’
ByJohn Katsilometes/RJ
While in Germany, Adele says her tank is “quite empty,” and has no plans for new music after closing at the Colosseum.
Lincoln County holds mystery for Nevada author
ByElla Thompson/RJ
The mystery writer embarked on a book tour this week for his new tale “Shades of Mercy” with his first stop at Copper Cat Books in Henderson.
Neon Museum shares more details on $45M expansion, plans for La Concha
BySean Hemmersmeier/RJ
Neon Museum shares more details on its proposed $45 million move to two sites in the Las Vegas Arts District that would triple the size of the Neon Museum.
Top 10 things to do in Las Vegas this week
RJ
Sneaker Con, “Colin Jost & Friends” and the Silver State Summer Brewfest lead the entertainment lineup for the week of July 19-25.
MORE STORIES
'; html += '
' html += '
'+d['title']+'
'; html += '
'; $('.rjp-related .base-'+base+' .field-story').append(html); } }});})(jQuery);