It felt like a sliver of Hollywood Boulevard on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. 

A year after Resorts became the first Atlantic City casino in 1978, the destination started a tradition of collecting celebrity handprints and footprints, which were displayed at the venue entrance for more than a generation.

Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Cher and Liberace are some of the icons who signed and placed their hands and feet in cement. Some of the 52 legends left messages.

    Photo courtesy Resorts Atlantic City
  

"North Philly, 10th & Parrish, Fat Albert," disgraced comic Bill Cosby's reads, a reference to the Philadelphia neighborhood where he came of age. 

"Boy, it was sure hard climbing up here," joked Steve Martin. 

"Are you sure this is cake mix?'' cracked Joan Rivers. 

Barry Manilow refers to one of his biggest hits with "This One's For You."

Veteran Resorts entertainment tech Wayne Bock experienced each of the print ceremonies.

"They were originally on a section of the Pennsylvania Avenue wall in 1979, which is when I started working at Resorts," Bock said. "I remember when they decided to put them on the Boardwalk in 1981," Bock said. 

The prints continued to be collected until 1988, which is when Merv Griffin took over the property. The hiatus continued throughout Griffin's run, which ended in 1997. 

    Photo courtesy Resorts Atlantic City
 

After the talk show host sold Resorts, the prints continued again with such entertainers as Gladys Knight and Aretha Franklin. Martin Short was the final inductee in 2010. 

"It was management's decision to stop it (the handprints,") Bock said.

The wall of fame was a tourist attraction for those who entered Resorts until 2013.

That's when the prints were moved to Resorts' basement as work on Margaritaville commenced. The prints reappeared four years later outside of the Superstar Theater. 

But not every piece of history made it. 

"That's because a lot of them were damaged when they were taken off the wall and from the ground," Bock said. "Engelbert Humperdinck's slab was damaged. And then some totally disappeared."

Bock's colleague, Resorts technician Steve Soltz, has been capturing the prints via video. 

"So that way we have some record of these objects before they crumble," Bock said.

He will never forget the print experience. 

    Photo courtesy Resorts Atlantic City
  

"Many of the stars had big entourages around them," Bock said. "They really enjoyed the ceremony. I remember how nice certain stars were."

Singer Perry Como — who wrote, "I enjoyed the week" — is at the top of the celebrity list for Bock. 

"Perry Como was such a nice man," Bock said. "I remember always having to have a piano in his room. He was such a great guy."

Much changed by the time the handprints ended. 

"There was always such a group of people surrounding the celebrities being honored," Bock said. "But the very last one with Martin Short was different. Martin just arrived by himself."

The handprint era ended 15 years ago but that period lives on inside Resorts with the cement slabs that survived being extracted from the front of the casino and being placed in the basement.

Will an Atlantic City casino revive the handprint concept? 

Il Volo at Hard Rock

    

The vocal group Il Volo, which features singers Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble, will perform Saturday at the Hard Rock. 

The act, which has been together for 15 years, delivers a mix of operatic classics, familiar showtunes and modern hits. The group is on its Ad Astra World tour.

The trio made it the “American Idol” way. 

The members of the act competed separately on “Ti Lascio una Canzone" — the Italian version of “American Idol” — in 2009, and were discovered by producer Tony Renis, who put Il Volo together and helped the act ink a deal with Geffen Records. 

Such icons as Barbra Streisand and Placido Domingo are fans of Il Volo. The former sung with Il Volo during her 2012 tour. The playful members of Il Volo engage their audience during their concerts.