TVSquad

Last night's episode of CSI, called "Young Man with a Horn," was not only a nostalgic story of old Las Vegas, it was also a chance to feature some wonderful stars from TV's past.

There was Ralph Waite, John-Boy's father from The Waltons; Robert Guillaume, the double Emmy-winning star of Benson; and even the creator of Laugh-In, George Schlatter. And the center of the whodunit was none other than an original Hitchcock blonde, Tippi Hedren, star of The Birds and Marnie.

More than just seeing the stars on display, CSI wove a great little story about a famous Vegas landmark called the Chateau Rouge, the Cotton Club back in the day when African-American stars like Sammy Davis, Jr., Lena Horne and Dorothy Dandridge were allowed to perform in the big hotels on the Strip, but were not permitted to sleep on the premises. They had to stay at the Chateau Rouge.

In character, Guillaume told the story of Ms. Dandridge dipping her toes into the pool at a "white only" resort and the management then draining the pool. Apparently, that story wasn't just part of the script. That incident really happened, and there was a famous integrated casino in Las Vegas called the Moulin Rouge.

The set up of this history came after a blatant, funny dig at a show just like American Idol, including a character referred to as Ajaya instead of Sanjaya. But I preferred when Waite's character, the Sheriff, was introduced as a sly adversary to Grissom. We also learned that in addition to Gil's many talents as a scientist, he was also a professional poker player. Schlatter and Guillaume were also in the poker scene, which gave Robert a chance to perform within his physical limitations since having a stroke in 1998.

All in all, a very good -- and memorable -- episode. It even left us wondering about Gil's future, something we're all too aware of with actor William Petersen leaving the show and Laurence Fishburne taking over the crime lab.