CategoryTravel stories

007 Travelogue: Las Vegas (USA) 2023: WW Tectronics, Circus Circus and Whyte House

August 18, 2024 0 By 007 Travelers

If you want to read our “Los Angeles, Malibu, Palm Springs” 007 Travelogue first, click here

Bond locations of this 007 Travelogue:

WW Tectronics Missile Laboratories

Circus Circus

The gas station where Tiffany Case blocks Dr. Metz

Whyte House

ex Riviera Hotel

WW Tectronics Missile Laboratories

This morning started on the way to deeper desert, and when we got close to the Pabco gypsum plant (during filming it was called Johns-Mansville gypsum plant), which is the WW Tectronics Missile Laboratories in “Diamonds Are Forever” (1971) , it started to get pretty hot again.

In the movie Bond espaces from WW Tectronics Missile Laboratories in the Moon Buggy.

The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) or lunar rover was a battery-powered four-wheeled rover used on the Moon in the last three missions of the American Apollo program (15, 16, and 17) during 1971 and 1972. It was popularly known as the Moon Buggy. The LRV was transported to the Moon on the Apollo Lunar Module (LM) and, once unpacked on the surface, could carry one or two astronauts, their equipment and lunar samples. The three LRVs remain on the moon.

See more about the Moon Buggy here

Circus Circus

A good cooldown was achieved when we moved to the interior and the “Circus Circus” hotel and casino. That’s where Bond (Sean Connery) follows Tiffany Case (Jill St. John) who “wins” the teddy bear in a game of shooting water balloons. The Water Race game can still be found at Circus Circus, and we won at the game too. 🙂

Circus Circus also has real circus shows, and we watched a great acrobatic show and played a few games that we found in the Midway game area. At the casino it’s easy to get hooked on different slot machines and other similarly interesting things. The sense of time disappears and it is difficult to find your way out of the maze-like space. Money is also easily spent on food, drinks and other entertainment.

We also went to eat pizza and bought a few souvenirs 🙂

The $15 million Circus Circus was opened on October 18, 1968; its giant circus-tent-shaped main structure was designed by architects Rissman and Rissman Associates and built by R.C. Johnson Construction of Las Vegas.

Nowadays Circus Circus Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the northern Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Phil Ruffin. Circus Circus includes the largest permanent circus in the world. It features circus and trapeze acts, as well as carnival games, at its Carnival Midway. The resort also includes the Adventuredome, an indoor amusement park. (Wikipedia)

Gas station

The gas station where Tiffany Case blocks Professor Dr. Metz’s (Joseph Fürst) car can also still be found in Vegas. As a result of the incident, Bond is able to board Metz’s van without being noticed.

Whyte House

Right next to the gas station is the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino which served as the Whyte House in “Diamonds Are Forever“. In real life, the hotel is not as tall as in the movie. Inside the hotel, there is still a picture of Connery taken in front of the aforementioned gas station. Elvis Presley‘s statue can also be found from the lobby.

The Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino is a hotel, casino and timeshare resort in Winchester, Nevada. Located near the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip, it is owned by Westgate Resorts. It opened in 1969 as the International Hotel and was known for many years as the Las Vegas Hilton, then briefly as the LVH – Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. From 1981 to 1990, it was the largest hotel in the world.

See more about The Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino here

Ex Riviera Hotel

The former Riviera hotel was also one of the filming locations for “Diamonds Are Forever“. The Riviera was located at 2901 Las Vegas Boulevard South. The scene where Bond wins $50,000 with Plenty O’Toole (Lana Wood) at Whyte House Casino was filmed on the Riviera. The film’s screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz says: “We shot at several Vegas hotels. We lived at the Riviera. To shoot in the casino at the Riviera, you had to shoot between 3 and 6 in the morning. (It) was the only way they’d let us shoot, on a weekday morning.” The Riviera was demolished in 2016 and is now home to the Las Vegas Global Business District and the Las Vegas Convention Center.