After four weeks, his original six-week contract was extended to forty weeks. Within a month, Nine settled on Lane as permanent host. Lane's run was variously referred to as The Tonight Show, Tonight with Don Lane and Sydney Tonight. He planned to base his version of the show on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. He was given the host's chair for six weeks. Lane was offered the job after filming and sending in an audition tape for the TCN-9 executives. While in the United States, Collins asked Las Vegas performer Wayne Newton if there was anybody he should consider as a replacement Newton's answer was "Don Lane". After a series of temporary hosts, Collins found Lane working in The Dunes Nightclub in Hawaii. He was eventually sacked and Nine producer John Collins looked for replacement hosts to fill in for the rest of the season. In 1965 the Irish comedian Dave Allen presented a talk show on Sydney television for TCN-9. It was in Hawaii that he met his first wife, Gina, who was an exotic dancer.Īustralian television career Tonight with Don Lane: 1965–1969 Due to the lucrative offer The Dunes Nightclub made to him, he quickly relocated to Honolulu, where he first started to enjoy success as a headline performer. This was his first offer to become a headliner and first guaranteed contract as a solo performer. In 1964 Lane was offered a contract to be the headline act at The Dunes Nightclub in Honolulu, Hawaii. He then returned to New York and performed at weddings, nightclubs and parties. While in Los Angeles, Lane also worked as an actor and featured in national commercials for Coca-Cola, which Lane said "paid the bills for years". During his stint in Las Vegas, he worked alongside Wayne Newton and was often a supporting act for performers such as Sammy Davis Jr. Lane worked his act in nightclubs throughout New York, Los Angeles and the showrooms in Las Vegas. It was at this time that he adopted the stage name of " Don Lane", after fellow entertainer Frankie Laine. After his mandatory service in the army, he later toured for two years entertaining troops all over the United States.Īfter touring the country entertaining the troops as a solo performer, Isaacson started to work his act in the New York nightclubs. One year later Isaacson won the All-Army entertainment contest again as a solo act. The double act went on to win the All-Army entertainment contest and earned them an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1955. While in the army he formed a double act with fellow soldier Murray Levine, Isaacson usually playing the comic while his partner was the straight man. He was commissioned as an officer and served in the artillery. The duo worked in local New York nightclubs for a few months before Isaacson was drafted into the US Army at age 21. Later, he gained a football and basketball scholarship to Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he spent three years.Īfter leaving college, Isaacson formed a double act with his best friend Manny Glasser called "Donny and the Duke". He also played varsity football and basketball for DeWitt Clinton High School. He started to entertain at parties he attended with his parents, usually doing a mixture of singing and comedy. He even placed a star on his bedroom door. By his mid-teens, due to his mother's influential personality, Isaacson had decided he wanted to be in show business. Morton (Don) was raised in The Bronx, where he attended DeWitt Clinton High School and was classmates with Judd Hirsch and Garry Marshall. Jacob "Jack" Isaacson was a sergeant in the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and Dolly was a homemaker. Lane was born Morton Donald Isaacson at the Manhattan "Flower Hospital" in New York City to a Jewish father (Jacob) and a Catholic mother (Dolly), who later converted to Judaism. Don Lane (born Morton Donald Isaacson, 13 November 1933 – 22 October 2009) was an American-born talk show host and singer, best known for his television career in Australia, especially for hosting Tonight with Don Lane and The Don Lane Show, which aired on the Nine Network from 1975 to 1983, and his appearances with Bert Newton.
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