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Original Movie Poster for 1960’s “Ocean’s 11.”
(Photo courtesy of The Mob Museum, Artifact courtesy of Dan Tuntland)

The Mob Museum Unveils Las Vegas Film Exhibition Exploring How Hollywood Shaped Las Vegas’ Global Image; Separately Expands Global Access with Two Digital History Exhibits

New On-Site Exhibition Traces Las Vegas’ Cinematic “Golden Age,” While Online Exhibits Broaden Public access to Mob, Las Vegas and Law Enforcement History

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LAS VEGAS (January 2026) – The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, will debut an on-site exhibition examining how Hollywood helped create the enduring image of Las Vegas. Separately, and as part of a broader access initiative, the Museum is also expanding public access to its collections worldwide through two new, free online exhibits supported by a Las Vegas Centennial Commission grant.

Opening Friday, Jan. 16, “Filmed in Las Vegas: America’s Playground on the Silver Screen” explores how motion pictures, from film noir to musicals and crime dramas, have portrayed Las Vegas as a place of glamour, risk and reinvention, shaping the city’s global identity long before it became the self-branded Entertainment Capital.

The exhibition features 11 rare original movie posters from 1941–1969, widely considered Las Vegas’ cinematic “Golden Age.” Highlights include posters from iconic films such as “Ocean’s 11” (1960) and “Viva Las Vegas” (1964), on loan from the private collection of Las Vegas businessman and collector Dan Tuntland.

Additional artifacts include vintage lobby cards, historic production photographs and a Jan. 20, 1960, edition of the Las Vegas Sun with its front page devoted to the filming of “Ocean’s 11.” A custom montage video traces the city’s evolution on screen from the 1940s to the present, illustrating how filmmakers across genres have drawn on Las Vegas’ spectacle, intrigue and reputation.

Independent of the new film exhibition, The Mob Museum has launched two new free online exhibits as part of its ongoing digital access and preservation efforts. These virtual exhibits draw from different areas of the Museum’s collections and focus on Las Vegas history, organized crime and law enforcement:

• “The Battle for Las Vegas” examines the struggle between organized crime and local, state and federal law enforcement during the 1970s and 1980s—a pivotal period that reshaped the city’s power structure and future.
• “This Building of Ours” tells the story of the Museum’s historic U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, Las Vegas’ first federal courthouse and the site of landmark events, including the 1950 Kefauver hearings, when the U.S. Senate investigated organized crime in interstate commerce from the courtroom preserved within the Museum today.

The digital exhibits were developed with the help of University of Nevada, Las Vegas History Department student interns, assisting with the digitization and metadata creation as part of the Museum’s forthcoming digital asset management system. The collaboration supports education, scholarship and long-term preservation while making Las Vegas, organized crime and law enforcement history accessible to audiences far beyond the city.
“Filmed in Las Vegas: America’s Playground on the Silver Screen” is included with Museum admission. 

“The Battle for Las Vegas” and “This Building of Ours” are available to view for free online at https://themobmuseum.org/digital-archive/battle-for-las-vegas/ and https://themobmuseum.org/digital-archive/this-building-of-ours/. 

ABOUT THE MOB MUSEUM
The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, provides a world-class journey through true stories—from the birth of the Mob to today’s headlines. The Mob Museum offers a provocative, contemporary look at these topics through hundreds of artifacts and immersive storylines. Numerous interactive exhibits include a Crime Lab, Firearm Training Simulator and Organized Crime Today exhibit. The Museum is also home to The Underground, a Prohibition history exhibition featuring a speakeasy and distillery. The Mob Museum has accumulated numerous accolades, including being named one of Tripadvisor’s “Top 25 U.S. Museums” and a 2025, 2024 and 2023 “Travelers’ Choice” Award recipient; one of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Museums in the U.S.;” one of Las Vegas Weekly’s “Twenty Greatest Attractions in Las Vegas History” and “Best Museum” of 2021, 2023 and 2024; Vegas Magazine’s “Best Historical Museum” of 2024; one of National Geographic’s “Top 10 Things to Do in Las Vegas;” USA Today’s “Best Museum in Nevada,” 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards for “Best Las Vegas Attraction” in 2021 and 2022, “Top Five Best History Museums in the United States” in 2021 and one of its “12 Can’t Miss U.S. Museum Exhibits;” named “A Must for Travelers” by The New York Times and one of “20 Places Every American Should See” by FOX News. The Museum is a two-time winner of the Mayor’s Urban Design Award for Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum is open daily; visit the website for admission rates and operating hours. For more information, call (702) 229-2734, visit themobmuseum.org, or download the Museum’s free mobile app. 

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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Erika Pope/Vanessa Thill
The Vox Agency
erika@thevoxagency.com, vanessa@thevoxagency.com
(702) 249-2977, (469) 226-4723 

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