Richard Abowitz writes on http://vegasblog.latimes.com: I mostly think of the embrace of porn stars by the Las Vegas resorts as a recent phenomenon caused by the combination of the mainstreaming of the porno industry, Adult Entertainment Expo/AVN Awards (an adult convention followed by porn’s version of the Oscars) each January at the Venetian and Mandalay Bay and, mostly, the insatiable needs of Vegas to bring to town sexually suggestive celebrities to attract free-spending libertines.

In fact, porn and Vegas go way back as running mates. The recent death of Marilyn Chambers is a reminder. Chambers was the first porn star to try to perform in Vegas. In October 1974, according to “Cult Vegas” by Mike Weatherford, Chambers appeared at the Union Plaza (now the Plaza and located at one end of the Fremont Street Experience) in a play: “Mind With the Dirty Man.”

Chambers even got good reviews, according to Weatherord, before returning to her day job. That was not the fate of Linda Lovelace, who arrived three years later with a show called “My Daughter’s Rated X” at the Aladdin (now Planet Hollywood). According to Weatherford, that show did not survive the scheduled four-week run before closing.

These days there are no porn stars on the marquee of any resorts. But adult stars do make guest appearances in topless shows, as Sunset Thomas has done for Crazy Horse. Adult stars frequently make paid appearances at nightclubs. Last month, for example, Sasha Grey held her 21st birthday party at Tao. And some projects matching porn stars to Vegas are efforts that are extremely ambitious. The Hard Rock, I reported last year, was seriously considering a gaming area themed around Tera Patrick (pictured). And Patrick herself told me this year that she was planning a burlesque show for Vegas.

So far in the decades that Vegas and porn have worked together to market that celebrity here, no porn star has really found the success of a regular gig in Vegas. But the Vegas porn connection clearly has a long history and is here to stay.