"Ocean's Eleven" - a look back at films that feature Las Vegas, site of NFPA's Conference & Expo

Next up in our series of films that feature Las Vegas is "Ocean's Eleven", considered to be the first of the "Rat Pack" movies. Starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop, this 1960 film tells the story of a gang of World War II veterans who undertake grand-scale heists at five different Las Vegas casinos on New Year's Eve. Featuring all the glitz and glamour of the Las Vegas strip, along with a bevy of Hollywood big-shots including Angie Dickinson, Caesar Romero, Shirley MacLaine, and Red Skelton, the movie was shot on-location during the day and wee hours of the morning. When he first heard about the film's plot, Sinatra supposedley joked, "Forget the movie, let's pull the job!" A remake of the film, starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Julia Roberts, was released in 2001.

We want to hear from you! What's your favorite movie that takes place in Las Vegas? We might pick your movie to highlight in a future blog post. It's easy to respond: just click on the "comments" link below, enter your name (just your first name is fine) and your e-mail address (this will NOT show in your post), and type your comments in the white box. Then select "post".

- Mike Hazell