In 1980s Las Vegas, the Mob was dying down, the city was growing in all directions, malls and more schools popped up, and Las Vegas saw competition as Atlantic City became a gaming destination.
The decade began with the MGM Grand fire of 1980, which claimed 87 lives and, along with the Hilton fire, helped shape the future of buildings in and around the city. Historic flooding occurred, leading to some iconic photographs of questionable decisions.
The Las Vegas Stars, a minor league affiliate of the San Diego Padres, debuted in 1983 at the brand-new Cashman Field. The Thomas & Mack Center opened the same year, ushering in a new era of UNLV sports.
Las Vegas was used as a backdrop for more major films than ever before, including “Rocky III” and “IV” (1982, 1985) “Back to the Future Part II” (1989) and “Rain Man” (1988).
If you haven’t picked up yet … there was a lot going on.
Lucky for us, the city of Las Vegas will debut the next installment of its historical documentaries this week.
“The City of Las Vegas: The 1980s” will premiere on Channel 2 and on the city’s YouTube channel at 7 p.m. Saturday. The documentaries, produced by Boyd Productions LLC, are funded by the Commission for the Las Vegas Centennial.
If you miss it Saturday night and still want to watch it through cable, repeat screenings are scheduled for 3:45 p.m. May 17, 3 p.m. May 18, noon May 19, 2:30 p.m. May 21, 9:30 a.m. May 22 and 6 a.m. May 23.
With evidence of high viewership across the series, the documentaries have been wildly popular. Diane Siebrandt, the city of Las Vegas’ historical preservation officer, said she regularly fields questions about where to buy the series on DVD. (You can’t, but they remain free online.)
“It’s a walk down memory lane,” she said. “Everybody loves to see it.”
She says the series is geared toward the community but can be enjoyed by all.
The first installment, “The Early Years,” was released on May 15, 2019, covering the first 20 years of the community.
May 15, of course, is the anniversary of the founding of Las Vegas.
And if you need a catch-up, the city will be airing the entire series as a marathon on Friday (8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) and Sunday (7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.), also on Channel 2.
Then, look forward to May 15 next year, when the 1990s documentary debuts, according to Siebrandt. Following that will be the final documentary in 2028, which will include a wrap of the decades series and more about how the city celebrated the centennial this way.