The time Don Lane, Bert Newton, Colleen Mann and the Tony Bartuccio dancers made an absolutely BONKERS Aussie Rules video: ‘This was normal weeknight viewing too’
They don’t make television like they used to, as evidenced by a Don Lane film clip that has resurfaced ahead of the AFL grand final.
The clip features a host of Australian celebrities, including Don Lane, Bert Newton, Pete Smith and Collette Mann, celebrating Aussie Rules to the tune of You Gotta Be a Football Hero.
In the background the famous Tony Bartuccio dancers in bikinis show off the jersey colors of all the VFL clubs of the time.
It is believed that the clip was used on The Don Lane Show around 1981.
The Don Lane Show was a popular Australian television talk show broadcast twice a week on the Nine Network, featuring a mix of celebrity interviews, comedy sketches and musical performances, hosted by American-born Lane from 1975 to 1983.
Don Lane and the Tony Bartuccio Dancers perform the American classic You Gotta Be a Football Hero to celebrate the AFL
The all-star cast of The Don Lane Show includes legends of the Australian silver screen such as Bert Newton and Collette Mann
Written by Al Sherman, Buddy Fields and Al Lewis in 1933, You Gotta Be a Football Hero is one of the most recorded and performed anthems in American football history.
Its cultural impact extends beyond sports, as it was featured in a 1935 Popeye the Sailor cartoon and in several films such as The Longest Yard (1974), The Cat in the Hat (2003), and Revenge of the Nerds ( 1984).
Known as the ‘Lanky Yanky’, Lane was best known for his work in Australia, most notably as host of The Don Lane Show, and he also had a successful career as a comedy performer in nightclubs in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vega.
Bert Newton was an award-winning Australian entertainer and media personality whose seven-decade career spanned radio, television, film and theatre, with notable roles in In Melbourne Tonight and The Don Lane Show, which earned him four Gold Logie awards and a place. in the Logie Hall of Fame.
Collette Mann is a versatile Australian actress, singer, TV and radio presenter, choreographer, author and writer, known for her roles in Prisoner (1979), The Dish (2000) and Neighbors (1985) and for her work as a media personality.
Newton was a regular guest on The Don Lane Show, which helped him build a huge television career
Mann’s appearances on The Don Lane Show were a springboard to her breakthrough role in the iconic Australian classic Prisoner
Known for his distinctive voice, Pete Smith has had a varied career in Australian television and radio, with roles ranging from hosting ABC TV’s Sports View, serving as a National Nine newsreader, and most notably as a presenter on the camera for numerous specials, including The Don Lane Show.
The Tony Bartuccio Dancers were a renowned dance troupe known for their performances in several shows and films, including Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (1994), The Don Lane Show (1975) and choreography by Tony Bartuccio, who served as Resident Choreographer and Creative Director of the Nine Network.
Although the song would have been adored by Lane, Newton and Mann fans at the time, current AFL fans were quick to point out how horribly it had aged.
‘Wow! To think someone thought that would be considered great TV!’ one posted.
“Looking back on that, that particular style was outdated even then, let alone forty years later,” says another.
American-born Lane built an exceptional career in Australia, winning a host of awards during his time on screen and being inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame in 2003.
Bert Newton was a star on the silver screen for seventy years before he passed away in 2021
“Essential viewing a lifetime ago,” another added.
But for many more, it took them back to another era of television, when Lane ruled the airwaves.
“This is miles ahead of what we’ve experienced as ‘entertainment’ in recent years,” one fan wrote.
“This was also normal weeknight viewing,” another posted.
‘Mr Showbiz, Don Lane. If your song and dance number or interview failed, it wouldn’t be because he didn’t do everything he could to get it over the line.
And a very nice person (or so I heard). How those days passed.’