“The most famous man you’ve never heard of,” is a moniker befitting for Danny Gans, one of the most successful entertainers in Las Vegas history. Thanks to a new documentary “Voices: The Danny Gans Story,” written and produced by his son Andrew Davies Gans, the world will get a peek behind the scenes with a larger-than-life entertainer, husband, father, and friend. This insightful film is one of the many cinematic offerings at the 10th annual Coronado Island Film Festival happening Nov. 5-9.
With a family history that begins with three generations of baseball careers and ends in entertainment, Andrew shares that his grandfather, his dad, and he all signed Major League Baseball contracts, then each experienced career ending injuries, and all three pivoted into the entertainment field.
The film showcases Danny Gans as outgoing and fun to be around, even using impressions to keep his Chicago White Sox teammates entertained. Rudderless after a baseball injury, his dad took him to see Sammy Davis Jr. perform and he had a light bulb moment, and knew being a variety performer was his calling. Starting with a few acting jobs, including portraying a baseball player in the film “Bull Durham,” he then pivoted to corporate gigs.
Arriving in Vegas as an unknown performer, Gans took the city by storm and was named entertainer of the year after his first year and then for 11 more years. His arrival was perfectly timed as old Vegas was transitioning to the mega hotel scene and was attracting a new generation. His act honored old Vegas legends and incorporated new material to create an energetic, heartfelt family show.
Billed as “man of many voices,”, he sang, performed comedy, was amazing at impressions, and so much more, all while taking the audience on an emotional journey making them laugh and cry. He started at the Stratosphere Hotel, then moved to the Rio Hotel, and spent the bulk of his career at the Mirage and finally landed at the Wynn Hotel, during which time he passed away in 2009.
Andrew fondly remembers going to many of his dad’s performances growing up, and notes that all his friends knew his dad was a big deal with billboards all over town. In fact, in the summer of his eighth-grade year, he got into some undisclosed trouble and was grounded. Since he was only allowed to go to baseball practice and his dad’s performances, he chuckles as he remembers having memorized the entire show. His dad practiced segments at home and sometimes did impressions to wake Andrew up, to which he would reply, “save it for your paying audience.”
Five years in the making, this documentary is Andrew’s personal project in which he discovered new things and hard truths about his father. He expressed that it offered him the opportunity to get to know his dad better and a chance to say goodbye. During this emotional journey, he got married and had his first child, who was coincidentally born on his dad’s birthday.
With oodles of performance footage but less than one hour of actual interviews with his dad talking, it was a challenge to craft the authentic voice into the story, but he incorporated family members, friends, and home videos, and feels he succeeded. He hopes people will remember his dad’s legacy of being a talented and caring man, and promises this entertaining movie will take the audience on an emotional journey, much like his dad’s shows did throughout his life.
After baseball, Andrew gravitated to acting but quickly pivoted to writing, producing, and directing films, and started Glanzrock Productions in 2018, with the name a nod to his grandfather’s original surname before he shortened it for show business. Having produced 10 films, he shares that he has been fortunate to work with big stars like Anya Taylor-Joy, Ewan McGregor, Patrick Schwarzenegger and others, who prepared him for the intricacies of making his first documentary.
Creating the story as he went along, it was tough to juggle all the roles of writing, directing, and appearing on screen, while sharing an extremely personal story that reveals insights along the way. He sees this as a launchpad to make bigger films and to help him pivot from producer to director. He’s eager to bridge the gap between indie and studio cinema.
Andrew’s next project will be a feature crime drama which he wrote and is directing. Without giving too much away, it combines his favorite crime thriller genre and love of cooking and focuses on two brothers who are thieves. When one goes to prison the other pursues his dream of becoming a professional chef, and an interesting tale ensues.
The premiere of “Voices: The Danny Gans Story” took place in June at Dances with Films in Los Angeles, and Andrew is currently entertaining distribution offers. This is the film’s fifth showing, and Andrew is especially thrilled to be sharing it at the Coronado Island Film Festival as he has fond memories of coming to The Del while growing up and is looking forward to bringing his family here.
CIFF will offer two showings of “Voices: The Danny Gans Story”: Saturday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, Nov. 9 at 10:30 am, both at the Village Theatre. Discover more about this underdog story and Andrew Davies Gans at coronadofilmfest.com, glanzrock.productions and on Instagram at gans_andrew.
