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The Cast Inc. assists entertainers in need

Former Lt. Gov. Dr. Lonnie Hammergren poses during a luncheon for The Cast Inc., a organization that raises money to support local entertainers who have fallen on hard times. Former Lt. Gov. Dr. Lonnie Hammergren poses during a luncheon for The Cast Inc., a organization that raises money to support local entertainers who have fallen on hard times.

Tony Sacca could've been a banker. Today, he would be retired and comfortable, and more importantly, have a stable income.

But Sacca chose to be an entertainer, traveling the world singing for his supper. More than 30 years later, he is still performing, but he learned early the meaning of the word 'business' in show business. The owner of four businesses, Sacca's life is as stable as an entertainer's life can be.

Sacca is lucky.

There are other singers, dancers and musicians playing the Las Vegas Strip and beyond who aren't as lucky and fall on hard times. The Cast Inc. is a group of entertainers who look out for their peers in need as well as other organizations and schools in town that promote the arts.

"We even buried a guy who didn't have the money," said Frankie Randall, president of The Cast Inc. "They don't have any place to go. People were struggling and there was nobody to help them."

Entertainers in other major cities have organizations to help them pay the rent in between gigs, or make sure the lights stay on when jobs aren't coming across the table.

"Las Vegas didn't have anything like that," said Randall, on the phone from Palm Springs, Calif., where he's rehearsing with Jerry Vale. "You would have thought this would have been done a long time ago, to support the entertainers who made Las Vegas what it is."

"We have a large stable of entertainers," said Sacca, a member of the group's board of directors. "So, it makes sense to get together."

The Cast Inc. began three years ago as a social group and grew to include supporting members of the Las Vegas entertainment industry. The group raises money through the $150 annual membership fee, and monthly luncheons, held the third Monday of the month at The Front Door, 4813 Paradise Road.

Members include The Scintas, Tony Curtis, Robert Goulet, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme and Nevada Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt. Members need not be entertainers to join.

Last year, the group gave $5,000 to each of the music departments at UNLV and Community College of Southern Nevada as well as band instruments to a local high school.

"When you're a successful entertainer, and the people are feeding you, I think it's appropriate to give back to the community and raise money," Sacca said. "I think entertainers have an obligation."

"You feel good helping them out," Randall said. "It's been a very worthwhile endeavor."

Financial aid aside, the organization's members also support each other by attending shows, sharing advice and networking. Sacca gives lectures on perfecting the business end of show business.

"It's a very difficult life. It's a gamble," he said. "You don't work full time in the entertainment industry. It's not about the money as an entertainer. If you don't get the business thing together, you ain't going to be working."

The number of performance venues in Las Vegas makes it attractive to entertainers. The city brought Sacca toward the lights in 1981 and Randall in 1968, among many others who chose to entertain for a living.

"It's a dichotomy. It's a love/hate, ying/yang," Sacca said of his relationship with entertaining. "You can't do any drug. You can't get any higher.

"I would've been a retired banker. I gave that up because of an intangible need to entertain."

The Cast Inc. is set to honor Tony Curtis during a Feb. 14 evening reception at The Front Door.