Who was the host of a late-night show on the Nine Network on Australian TV in the '70's & '80's who had the nickname of the 'Lanky Yank'?

Don Lane was actually born Morton Donald Isaacson on 13th of November 1933 and he died on the 22nd of October 2009.

He was an American-born talk show host and singer, best known for his television career in Australia, especially for hosting The Don Lane Show which aired on the Nine Network from 1975 to 1983.

Don started in Australian television in 1965 as a replacement for Dave Allen when Nine producer John Collins looked for replacement hosts to fill in for the rest of the season. After a series of temporary hosts, Collins found Lane working in The Dunes Nightclub in Hawaii. 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".

Lane was offered the job after filming and sending in an audition tape for the TCN-9 executives. He was given the host's chair for six weeks.

He planned to base his version of the show on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. Lane's run was variously referred to as The Tonight Show, Tonight with Don Lane and Sydney Tonight.

Within a month, Nine settled on Lane as permanent host, and his original six-week contract was extended to forty weeks.

Tonight with Don Lane featured comedy sketches, interviews with visiting entertainers and musical numbers often performed by Lane with the Tonight Show Orchestra.