Newton’s wife said he filmed artifacts’ lore for museum

Even before signing the June 2010 deal that set in motion a plan to turn his Casa de Shenandoah ranch into a tourist attraction, entertainer Wayne Newton spent "hundred and hundreds of hours" filming remembrances about artifacts accumulated during a five-decade career on the Strip, his wife, Kathleen Newton, testified Wednesday.

While the cameras were on, she said, he went piece-by-piece through the somewhat disorganized memorabilia in the Red Room, his office in the main house at the ranch, while a production assistant compiled a log. The idea, she said, was to match the videos with the pieces in a museum to be built across Sunset Road from the estate.

That is a major flash point in the lawsuit between the Newtons and Steve Kennedy, who has carried out the ranch redevelopment as managing member of CSD LLC, the current owner of Casa de Shenandoah. Kennedy, backed by Texas investors Lacy and Dorothy Harber, have cited the refusal of the Newtons to supply a complete catalog of the artifacts as a major stumbling block in the project, including the still-unbuilt museum.

The Newtons, however, say that whatever was not on the footage was turned over to Kennedy, with some of it now on display in his office near the ranch. They contend Kennedy began shifting the focus of the project away from Wayne Newton's personal life and career and more toward a general celebration of Las Vegas, complete with cigarette girls and showgirls as part of the attraction.

CSD, with the Harber's money, says it has laid out about $50 million to purchase and renovate the Casa de Shenandoah ranch, covering about 41 acres at Sunset and Pecos roads, into a theme park that revolves around Newton's career. The plans at one point called for for multi-faceted tours, encompassing Newton's car collection, his main house, an aviary and his small herd of Arabian horses. Across the street on the north side of East Sunset Road, there would be a museum and a visitors center with a small entertainment venue modeled after the old Copa Room in the Sands Hotel as the archetype of the intimate "Old Las Vegas" style of entertainment.

Kathleen Newton testified that part of the video focused on a violin given to Newton by comedian Jack Benny. Early in his career, Newton opened for Benny's shows on the Strip.

So much of the Red Room memorabilia comes from people no longer alive, Kathleen Newton added, "Some people have started calling it the dead room."

Kathleen Newton is expected to face cross-examination today.

Contact reporter Tim O'Reiley at toreiley@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290.