Wayne Newton was at the height of his career on the Las Vegas Strip in 1980 — the No. 1 headliner at numerous hotels, earning millions of dollars a year.
Johnny Carson was NBC’s top dog, a power to be reckoned with in Hollywood. His long reign over late-night television was responsible for a massive share of NBC’s profits. And he, too, was well-connected to Las Vegas, as the owner of a local television station and a stand-up comedy performer on the Strip.
For years the two men were friendly and professional. “The Midnight Idol” had made some 30 appearances on Carson’s “Tonight Show.”
But their relationship took a sharp turn after Newton got the upper hand in their bitter battle to buy the mob-controlled Aladdin Hotel. Carson started skewering Newton in monologues.
The marquee for Johnny Carson and Don Rickles at The Sahara on Nov. 15, 1967, in Las Vegas. (Robert Scott Hooper/Las Vegas News Bureau) 
Johnny Carson opening at the Sahara hotel-casino in 1970. (Review-Journal File Photo) “He was very angry with me and started jokes on his show, and having other comedians join in with those jokes about my lack of manhood, I guess is the best way to say it,” according to Newton. “There was no rhyme or reason for it. No truth, in fact, at all. It was just his being so bent out of shape that I had ended up with the hotel.”
Johnny Carson and his partner longtime gaming executive Ed Nigro felt betrayed after their purchase agreement was turned down. Carson left Las Vegas and never returned.
“We were very angry and very upset,” Nigro says. “And we knew we had been double crossed, and we knew that the judge went along with it, and that the state went along with it and that’s what disappointed me the most.”
Newton tried to get through to Carson for a couple of years without success. So one day, he says, he simply walked into Carson’s office unannounced and told him he’d kick his butt if the jokes didn’t stop.
Well, the jokes stopped, but Newton’s decision to buy the Aladdin and gain state approval turned into the nightmare of his life.
An old friend whom Newton turned to in an hour of need would tie organized crime to the Aladdin once more, and turn Newton’s reputation upside down. Reputed mob figure Guido Penosi, who helped Newton deal with death threats against his family, will be part of this episode.
Part 4: Wayne Newton vs Johnny Carson
The feud between the two entertainment giants starts off the fourth episode in the Review-Journal’s second season of the popular, true crime podcast series “Mobbed Up: The Fight for Las Vegas.
Your host for season 2 is Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German, who has covered organized crime in the city for more than 40 years.
Where and how to listen
“Mobbed Up: The Fight for Las Vegas, Season 2” is available for free on all major podcasting platforms, includingApple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and more.
Search for “Mobbed Up” on your preferred mobile podcasting app and tap “subscribe” or “follow,” orclick here to listen to the series on the Review-Journal website.
Season One of “Mobbed Up,” published in summer 2020, chronicled the rise and fall of the mob in Las Vegas over the course of 11 episodes.
