Some Challenges for the Serious Siegfried-and-Roy-ologist
(taken from my posts to the The Las Vegas Review-Journal e-forum)
Part One -- Dating Photographs
Even in their autobiography, there are hardly any dates attached to their picures.
But -- Roy has changed his look so frequently, that it ought to be possible to assemble a time-line based on his appearance (hair-style, stage costumes, etc), as archeologists do with coins and pottery. Such a sequence could then be used to date any picture in which he appears.
I'll start things off with one of the few parts of their life for which reasonably firm dates are available, their employment history:
1959-1964 NDL cruise ships (staff)
1964-1967 various venues, Europe (short bookings)
1967 "Folies Bergere"/Las Vegas (Tropicana) (short-term stand)
1967-1970 "Lido"/Paris (resident stand)
1970 Americana Hotel (?)/San Juan, PR (short-term stand)
1970-1973 "Lido"/Las Vegas (Stardust) (resident stand)
1973-1974 Americana Hotel/San Juan, PR (resident stand)
1974-1978 "Hallelujah, Hollywood" (now "Jubilee!")/Las Vegas (MGM Grand (now Bally's)) (resident stand)
1978-1981 "Lido"/Las Vegas (Stardust) (headliners)
1981-1988 "Beyond Belief"/Las Vegas (Frontier) (own show)
1988-1989 own show travels to Japan (Tokyo and Osaka), New York (Radio City Music Hall) (short-term stands)
1989-2003 "Siegfried and Roy at the Mirage"/Las Vegas (Mirage) (including prep; opening delayed into 1990) (own show)
2003-2004 Roy rehabs from tiger bite incident which forced closure of show
2004-date enjoying a well-earned semi-retirement!
Please try to describe Roy's appearance, rather than categorizing it.
I've seen references to a "disco" look which seem to refer to something other than his "70s" (the dreaded mustache) look, for which the term would be historically accurate. And "pirate" and "ponytails" for the braids-extensions-beads-earring style.
I know we all love the guy, but we seem to have few fashionistas on this board (but at least one compulsive editrix!).
This drew practically no responses.
Part Two -- Media
The last time this topic came up, I tried to compile a list of the Siegfried and Roy books, recordings, videos, etc. I came up with:
Books:
Mastering the Impossible (the autobiography; William Morrow & Co, 1992; ISBN: 0688105513)
The Magic Begins at Home (mostly Jungle Palace)
Little Bavaria (mostly Little Bavaria)
A Gift for the Ages (conservation)
A Life Of Magic (supposed companion to CD; existence poorly attested to)
There is also a cookbook, done for some charity in a very limited edition.
(All but first of the above are essentially souvenir picture books; privately published; don't have dates for any of them.)
In CD format, there's:
A Life of Magic
Dreams & Illusions
Secret Gallery
Sounds of the Secret Garden
(The World of Siegfried & Roy, newly-released, consists of the last two)
Film/Video
The Magic Box (1999; theatrical movie biography; original release was in IMAX 3-D)
(am not including films where their appearance is incidental)
There were something like four tv specials:
Siegfried and Roy with the Lido de Paris (1980)
Siegfried and Roy Superstars of Magic (1980)
Magic in the Magic Kingdom(1988)
The Magic and The Mystery (1994), plus
The World of Siegfried & Roy (date uncertain; "behind the scenes"; in boxed DVD set with last-named special and "The Magic Box")
Television biographies and major interviews
Roy: The Miracle
Barbara Walters and Larry King shows
A & E Biography
E! True Hollywood Story (aka Magical Stories)
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
Any I've missed?
(Please make it items for whose existence you can vouch, not merely stuff you've seen listed on, say, eBay, which may or may not be as described. Amazon's inconsistency with titles, especially among used items, makes me reluctant to use them as a source; the descriptions sometimes reveal re-issues of previous material. What I am looking for with "vouch for" is stuff you guys actually own.)
Part Three -- Appearances
Siegfried and Roy in public, mostly local in Las Vegas; Siegfried had made a few appearances and trips solo
(media links to come)
2004
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May -- "Upfront" to promote FOTP
August -- "Havana Night Club" (stands, applauds)
Septmeber --"Roy: The Miracle" Special
October -- Roy's 60th Birthday Party
October -- K-9 Trials
November --Education Heroes Award
2005
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January -- trip to Cabo San Lucas
February -- Magic Seminar
March -- Horse Show
April -- visit from Heino & Hannelore
April -- "Nevada Woman" luncheon
July -- trip to dubious German clinic
August -- attend Seal concert at the Mirage
September -- open Oktoberfest at the (Las Vegas) Hofbrauhaus
October -- Roy (solo) attends his birthday party at the Secret Garden
October -- K-9 Trials
October -- Dinosaur Ball (Natural History Museum)
November -- Visit Branson for (protege) Darren Romeo's Show (and birthday)
November -- humanitarian honor from Western University of Health Sciences
December -- establish "Siegfried and Roy" award for inspirational competitor in Las Vegas Marathon
2006
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January -- Siegfried attends L.A. film premiere; producer is Kenny Ortega (choreographer for "Havana Night Club" show)
February -- attend "Keep Memory Alive" gala (Alzheimer's benefit)
February -- attend, and present award at, the "Desert Magic Seminar"
February -- attend Elton John show
(They've been busy since then, but I'm a little behind on the updates.)
(for details, see the Las Vegas Review-Journal archives.)
Part Four -- Other Ventures
SARMOTI Saturday morning cartoon show (c. 1996)
"Secret Garden" animal exhibit at the Mirage (opened 1996)
occasional television commercials
Juergen Aldag �Siegfried & Roy Limited Private Collection� (paintings based on photographs); c. 2001
(Aldag died early in 2006; Siegfried attended his funeral and Roy posted a nice tribute on the artist's memorial page)
presents Darren Romeo's show (beginning 2002)
presents "Havana Night Club" show (beginning 2004)
Father of the Pride prime-time cartoon show (2004)
Part Five -- Characters Based on Siegfried and Roy
"Gunter and Ernst" -- The Simpsons (episode "$pringfield" and others; 1993)
"David and Jonathan" -- Casino (film version; 1995 -- book was non-fiction; Siegfried & Roy are mentioned briefly in their own character)
(something difficult to document in Sir Mix-a-Lot's Las Vegas-based series; something like early '90s)
"Jurgen and Rudolfo" -- The Spirit Cabinet (by Paul Quarrington, 2000)
"C.U. Sassoon and Roy de la Rue" -- Ducktastic! (West End (London) show; 2005)
This page's evil twin, the Siegfried and Roy Links
Questions? Comments? Broken links to report? E-mail me!