Those of us who grew up watching the Johnny Carson show (at least on nights where we didn't have to be in bed early for school) are familiar with David Brenner. David broke through on the Tonight Show around 1970, and went on to be one of Johnny's most frequent guest hosts. When not doing television, David Brenner has enjoyed a long and successful career as a stand-up comedian.

As of summer 2004, David Brenner has a regular five night a week gig playing the 200 seat David Brenner Showroom at the Westin Causarina (160 East Flamingo) in Las Vegas. David performs at 8 PM nightly Thursdays through Mondays (Dark Tuesday-Wednesday). I caught David's show on Monday, August 23, 2004. It was 90 minutes of solid stand up comedy, well worth the $57.00 admission fee (including taxes and fees).

David Brenner has been working Las Vegas for more than 30 years, and is one of the few performers still working who was actually there for the end of the Rat Pack era. His memories of dealing blackjack to the likes of Gregory Peck are the best part of the show.

Another interesting fact is David Brenner's view that the mob bosses who ran Las Vegas when he first started working the showrooms were a lot more trustworthy than the CEOs who run the town today. The most amazing thing is that nobody else noticed this similarity between the Enron executives and the Corleone family before David pointed it out.

One surprising thing is that David Brenner always had a big reputation for not working blue, even in his nightclub act. Alas, those days are long gone. David doesn't swear as much as Robin Williams or Chris Rock, but his show definitely isn't appropriate for younger children.

Another thing to look out for is that David Brenner does still occasionally play other venues like the Tropicana in Atlantic City. So look for David to show up in your own neck of the woods if you have any showroom-equipped resorts local to you. Also, be sure to call the Westin box office in advance if you will be in Las Vegas, since David's show is occasionally dark when he travels to other gigs.