Now go to the picture of the full property. I marked an "E" to show the dealers room. And a "D" to mark the now famous Steam Room. The tiny little mark between them is where the entrance to the hallway was.

This is the hallway where Frank and Dean - all the entertainers used to enter the main building to get backstage. They would pass the dealers room on the way to backstage.

That is the hallway and the dealers room I have told you about in the - Dean buys the dealers a TV - story. As I write this, I think of times that Frank came by and visited the dealers. He didn't to do it much but when he did, it was interesting. I tell you about one of them at the end of this.

Looking at the property drawing, I marked down for you some interesting spots.

"A" is where Frank had his compound. "B" is where Entratter had his place. "C" is where we built a small but nice place for the entertainer who would be currently appearing or at times the opening act. "D" is the Sands Health Club. "E" is the Dealers Room.

Frank's place was an apartment-style place with a pool and entertaining area. Very secluded. There were no windows on the Aqueduct or Hialeah facing walls. The entrance from the public property was covered by shurbs and most people didn't know there was even a place there. Frank could drive up from the back parking lot, past the tennis courts and drive into a covered and seclude parking space.

Entratter's place was nice too. Not as secluded. Jack was so good at making every entertainer feel at home at the Sands. Whenever an entertainer came to play the Sands, you could be sure that Jack would spend the first day making sure everything was setup just right for the person.

At "D" you will see the approximate spot of the Health Club. This was a place for the hotel guest to go and get a rubdown and a steam and relax. By the way the stories about the phone in the steam room being put in as ordered by Frank are true but let me tell you how that came about.

Jack and Carl both wanted a phone in the health club to keep track of where our customers were. Sometimes we would be trying to find out where Frank was. If we would call to track down Frank and he was is the steam room, he wouldn't come out. He would later yell at Jack. "Don't be calling me. I need one place to escape you bastards." Don't get offended by how he talked, he talked like that a lot with those he liked and loved. And he loved Entratter. A few days later he's in the steam room and sending his guy out every ten minutes to track down someone he wanted to talk to. To talk on the phone he has to get out of the steam room and use the Health club phone. Of course the hotel guests who are there getting a rubdown can hear everything. Frank's on the phone setting up some girl or someone for later that night. He's always setting up something.

So later that day, Frank is in the Garden Room and yelling at Jack. "Get me a phone in the steam room." Jack is trying to explain that he doesn't know if it can be done. "There's water and steam in there." Remember this is about 1959. "Someone's going to get electrocuted."

Frank just said "Do it." And it was done.

I said I would tell a story of a time Frank visited the Dealers Room. He passed it every night on his way to backstage. In the middle 60s there was some really big star, Elvis or Beatles or someone and this person was to be on a TV show from NY. It's Sunday night and we are in a slow month. Hotel is not even half full and the casino doing very little business. I'm sitting in the dealers room playing cards with some guys when Sinatra comes in. He is with another guy. It's about 7 or 8pm and Frank wants to know if we are going to watch that show on the TV. The dealers were watching some show David Jansen was starring in, I think.

Frank asks if we were going to watch the show from NY. He mentions the name of the person or group. Some rock and roll thing. Some of the dealers respond "We ain't watching that shit."
Frank tried again. "No these guys are good."
One dealer yells at Frank. "I ain't watching no degenerators." (He meant degenerates.)
Frank is laughing "Degenerators?"
The dealers are yelling at Frank "All they do is jump up, and down all night. There all degenerators."
Frank looks at me with that "what are you going to do with this" look. I am laughing too.

Now the guy with Frank gets brave and goes to the TV and changes the channel to see if the show Frank wanted is on. A few dealers stand up and grab the guy and tell him "You touch the TV again and we break you fucking arm" (and they would).
The guy backs off and Frank tells his guy "Let's go find a TV."
As Frank leaves the room, the dealers yell at him "Yeah, go find a TV. And Frank do your fucking show tonight, there's 3 people in the showroom and 2 want to hear you."
Frank and his friend head off to find a TV.

So I hope I have answered some questions on the Copa room for you. I hope I have helped you get a feeling of the kind of place the Sands was at that time.

I hope you have found this interesting.