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Wayne Newton!

On TV and all around the web today, tributes to Johnny Carson are popping up like new, million dollar home developments in my neighborhood. (I realize that if you are not familiar with Carlsbad, California, that’s not a very enlightening analogy but trust me: there are lots of them.) I am normally not much of a Larry King fan, but I did happen to catch his show tonight and was astounded by the line-up of guests. I thought almost half of them were dead and the collective age must have been close to 1,000: Don Rickles, Carl Reiner, Mike Douglas (the TV show host from the 70s, not Kirk's son), Merv Griffin and Joan Rivers were all on camera, while Dick Cavett called in by phone. This would have been considered an almost impossible gathering of all star power houses had this been 1971 or so. I was amazed by how absolutely sharp Rickles remains. Rickles has always had two modes: the rapid fire insults, occasionally punctuated by the overly sentimental expressions of affection, the latter of which almost always come off as insincere attempts to make up for all the bad stuff he’s said. But Rickles was generally not playing along with any attempt to make the show full of gloom about Johnny’s passing. I have to say he was really cracking me up. I don’t know how old he is, but he doesn’t seem to have slowed down a bit.

Meanwhile, over at Salon, they are running a collection of various stars’ reflections of Johnny. (Don’t bother linking; Salon requires a paid subscription to go beyond the first paragraph or so of any article.) These aren’t freshly minted from brand new press releases: they are collected from interviews and memoirs written over the last 40 years. Some of the people included are in fact dead themselves.

One particularly entertaining entry came from Wayne Newton’s 1989 biography. Newton had been the ongoing target of gay-themed jokes made by Johnny over the years. Newton's youthful, high-pitched voice and slightly effeminate features were characteristics that were perceived as sure signs of homosexuality in that era. Comedians had turned him into a gay caricature. Wayne was consciously trying to develop a more macho image and eventually he reached his breaking point with Carson's fag jokes.

I decided I'd had it with being a sissy joke, and that's when I confronted Johnny Carson. Wherever I went, I used to hear that Carson was telling gay jokes about me. I sent him messages asking him to stop. Then, one night in 1973, I was watching his show and during his monologue he said, "I saw Wayne Newton and Liberace together in a pink bathtub. What do you think that meant?" I got so incensed that I decided to do something about it ...

"Driving over, I hardly spoke a word. When I get angry I tend to be like the calm before the storm. And this thing had been building for a long time. When I walked into Carson's outer office, his secretary said, "Can I help you?" I said, "No, thank you. I think he can." I walked right past her and into Carson's office ... Carson just sat there ... shocked ... I remember every word I told Carson. I said, "I am here because I'm going through a personal dilemma in my life. I want to know what child of yours I've killed. I want to know what food of yours I've taken out of your mouth. I want to know what I've done that's so devastating to you that you persist in shooting at me with those persistent gay jokes." Carson's face went white. He said, "But Wayne, I don't write these things." I told him I'd feel better if he did and he asked me why. I said, "because at least it would mean that you're not a puppet, that you aren't just reading malicious lies written by some writer who crawled out from under a rock. It would be better if you did hate me. At least you'd have a reason for your lies. I'm telling you right now it had better stop or I'll knock you on your ass." Carson was shaken. He said, "I promise you nothing was ever intended in a malicious way. I've always been a big fan." And then he went through all this crap about how much he liked me. He just kept talking and it was obviously a nervous apology. But he never again told Wayne Newton jokes. In fact, I even did his show after that.

This isn’t the first time I had heard the story of Wayne Newton threatening to kick Johnny Carson’s ass. I know at least one place I had seen it referenced was in one of cartoonist Drew Friedman’s collections of strips focusing on the freak show side of show business. (Of course with Friedman, it was sometimes hard to separate fact from exaggeration, or just plain wishful thinking.) But I think this is the first time I have read Wayne Newton’s actual words on the subject. I just thought it was worth sharing. While I have nothing against Carson, we do tend to sanctify our celebrities once they die. So I think on this day, it’s worth noting that the master of late night television wasn’t exactly universally loved by all people at all times.

Wayne Newton

Carson Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942, in Norfolk, Virginia) is an American singer and entertainer based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He performed over 30,000 solo shows in Las Vegas over a period of over 40 years, earning him the nickname Mr. Las Vegas. His best known songs include the kitschy "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast" (1972), "Years" (1980), and his signature song, "Danke Schoen" (1963).

Wayne Newton Early life

Newton was born in Norfolk, Virginia, the half-Native American son of an auto mechanic. (His father was Irish-Powhatan and his mother German-Cherokee.) Newton was active in show business at an early age. He learned the piano, guitar, and steel guitar at the age of six. Along with his older brother Jerry Newton, he appeared with the Grand Ole Opry roadshows, performed for President Harry S. Truman, and auditioned unsuccessfully for Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour.

Wayne's severe asthma forced the family to move to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1952. In the spring of 1958, toward the end of Wayne's junior year in high school, a Las Vegas booking agent saw a local TV show on which the two Newton brothers were performing and took them back with him for an audition. Originally signed for two weeks, the two brothers eventually performed for five years, doing six shows a day.

Wayne Newton Las Vegas

Newton achieved nationwide recognition on September 29, 1962, when he and his brother performed on The Jackie Gleason Show. He would perform on Gleason's show 12 times over the following two years.

Many other entertainment icons such as Lucille Ball, Bobby Darin, Danny Thomas, George Burns, and Jack Benny lent Newton their support. In particular, Benny hired Newton as an opening act for his show.

After his job with Benny ended, Newton was offered a job to open for another comic at the Flamingo Hotel, but Newton asked for, and was given, a headline act.

From 1980 to 1982 Newton was part owner of the Aladdin Hotel, in a partnership that lead to a number of lawsuits and a failed attempt by Newton to purchase the entire hotel in 1983.

In 1994, Newton performed his 25,000th solo show in Las Vegas.

In 1999, Newton signed a 10-year deal with the Stardust, calling for him to perform there 40 weeks out of the year for six shows a week in a showroom named after him. In 2005, in preparation for the eventual demolition of the casino, the deal was, from all reports, amicably terminated; Newton began a 30-show stint that summer at the Hilton.

In 2001, Newton succeeded Bob Hope as Chairman of the USO Celebrity Circle. In January 2005, Newton started a reality television show on E! called The Entertainer. The winner got a spot in his act, plus a headlining act of their own for a year. And recently during player introductions at the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, Newton sang Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas."

Newton is currently performing with a full band at casinos and major venues throughout 2007 across the United States.

Newton will be the Grand Marshall of the 80th Annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Virginia, May 1st through May 7th, 2007. He canceled a sold-out show to join the Festival.

Newton was featured on the 2007 fall season of Dancing with the Stars. He became the third contestant to be eliminated from the contest.

Quotes about Newton

"Advertisements throughout the airport showed enormous pictures of Newton, microphone in hand, as he performed at the Aladdin Hotel. A taxi ride into the city required driving on Wayne Newton Boulevard. If a visitor was very lucky, his driver might tell him that his arrival date coincided with the celebration by the people of Las Vegas of Wayne Newton Day. And if one asked the driver what he thought of Wayne Newton (as I always did), the answer was invariably positive. Newton was good for tourism, one was told; he was good for taxi drivers, too, having entertained many of them for free at various points during his entertainment reign in Las Vegas. More important, Newton was the embodiment of Las Vegas, its ambassador to the world." Floyd Abrams, on arriving in 1986 into Las Vegas to represent the National Broadcasting Company against Wayne Newton in a famous libel suit. Wayne Newton's dedicated army of fans, mostly women, are called "Wayne-iacs" and many have seen him in person hundreds of times and many travel to every single show he performs around the world.

Wayne Newton Filmography

Bonanza (1966)

80 Steps to Jonah (1969)

License to Kill (1989)

The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990)

The Dark Backward (1991)

Best of the Best 2 (1993)

Night of the Running Man (1994)

National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation (1997)

Ocean's Eleven (2001) (Cameo)

Who's Your Daddy? (2003)

According to Jim (2003) (Cameo)

Elvis Has Left the Building (2004) (Cameo)

Smokin' Aces (2006) (Cameo)

In 1966 he played the character of Andy Walker in two episodes of Bonanza.

In 1991 he played opposing counsel in an Episode of L.A. Law

In 1990 he made a special Guest Appearance in an Episode of Full House entitled "Viva Las Joey".

He made several Guest Appearances in the TV series Las Vegas

In 1995 he played the manager of a Las Vegas Casino in an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air entitled "Viva Lost Wages"

Wayne Newton Family

In 1968 Newton married Elaine Okamura, and they had one daughter before divorcing in 1985. Newton's brother, Jerry, was the best man at the wedding. But within a year, the two were estranged, a situation that continued for more than three decades.

He was engaged for a number of years to Marla Heasley of "The A Team" fame.

In 1994 Newton married the former Kathleen McCrone, a lawyer from Rocky River, Ohio. The couple has one daughter, born in 2002.

Kathleen McCrone (1994-present) 1 child Elaine Okamura (1968-1985) (divorced) 1 child

Wayne Newton Finances

In 1992 Newton filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to reorganize an estimated $20 million in debts, including a $341,000 Internal Revenue Service lien for back taxes. By 1999 he was financially well off again.

In August 2005, the IRS filed a lawsuit against Newton, alleging that he and his wife owed more than $1.8 million in taxes and penalties. One of Newton's tax lawyers disputed that, saying, "We believe the IRS owes him money."

Wayne Newton Namesakes

The road serving the main terminal of McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is named Wayne Newton Boulevard in his honor.