The Don Lane Show - Discussing the 'Crow Call'

On the 3 March 1975 edition of The Graham Kennedy Show, the host incurred the wrath of the peak industry body, the Australian Broadcasting Control Board. During Graham's mocking of a live sponsored advertisement for Cedel hair products, the audience could hear him add an 'F' to one of his regular 'Aaark' crow calls. The show's delayed screening in Adelaide the following night included a one-second edit of the offending moment. 

Following the 'crow call' controversy, pressure from the Broadcasting Control Board led to Graham's show being pre-recorded rather than broadcast live. Footage of the 'crow call' no longer exists; the whereabouts of the 3 March 1975 episode, handed to the Broadcasting Control Board at the time, remains unknown.

Graham Kennedy's appearance here on 27 October 1983 was amongst the last handful of episodes of The Don Lane Show. Lane had been told 10 weeks out that the program would not be returning in 1984. Its demise, close to Lane's 50th birthday, effectively brought to an end the era of the successful night-time television variety show, which Kennedy had helped usher in more than 25 years earlier.

Speaking to Sydney Morning Herald TV columnist Brian Courtis, Kennedy lamented the passing of The Don Lane Show: 'I have a great deal of admiration for Don. He's a total professional and I always enjoyed being on his show', while also ruling out his return as a possible replacement, stating 'I've go not plans to do that sort of show again'.

Notes by Simon Smith