Grade: C-
Synopsis: A singer (Jane Russell) runs into her old flame (Victor Mature) while vacationing in Las Vegas with her wealthy husband (Vincent Price).
The Las Vegas Story is a fun enough movie that offers a nice glimpse into early Las Vegas.
The film works best in the first half, when Vincent Price’s easy charm carries the film. His suave demeanor is a joy to watch, especially in this, one of his non-horror roles. Price’s considerable charm is a stark contrast to the higher-billed Victor Mature, whose stoic demeanor never changes throughout his performance.
The second half is considerably weaker, as the film loses its two biggest assets (first Price, then the Las Vegas setting) and builds to a ludicrous finale that seems to exist solely to showcase some helicopter photography.
Thankfully, with a running time of only 88 minutes, The Las Vegas Story is brief enough to keep your finger off the fast-forward button, even when Vincent Price is off-screen.
Bottom Line: Entertaining enough, with a nice look at early Las Vegas and a good performance from Vincent Price.
