Don Lane on Bert?

A curiously awkward moment was avoided this morning on the Today Show.

Don Lane was being interviewed over his new biography by Karl and Sarah. Lane is now rather elderly and not quite so quick as he used to be.

So when the subject came to Bert Newton, things were about to get awkward. Karl asked Lane why some presumably influential people hadn’t configured more in his book. He specifically asked about Bert Newton.

“What?” asked Lane, seemingly having missed the question.

Karl again asked about Bert.

With this Lane then launched into a long, very long, anecdote about how when planning his Tonight show, Producers were stuck as to who should co-host the Wheel segment.

Lane explained it was his idea to cast Bert, and said he gets along fine with Newton nowadays. He said Newton said the two now spoke “in sentences.”

Essentially Lane avoided the question, implying that his idea to cast Newton meant he was in his good books. Given the entire answer was about casting Bert, it was either a rambling inability to grasp the question or an astute way of avoiding it.

So the question still lingers. Why isn’t Bert in the book more?

As the extremely long segment rounded out and Karl threw to a break the interview was followed with an ad -of Bert Newton hosting Family Feud.

Somebody had the last laugh?