Dom DeLuise: Larger than Life
by Eric Golub
The great ones leave us way too soon. Dom DeLuise has left the road on Earth for the big racetrack in the sky.
As a young boy, Burt Reynolds was my hero. Yet every hero needs a sidekick, and Burt Reynolds became as great as he was with considerable comic relief from the equally great Dom DeLuise.
As a favor to the Republican Party, Dom DeLuise helped attempt to deliver a pregnant elephant in “Smokey and the Bandit II.” Yet his hilarity peaked with “Cannonball Run” and “Cannonball Run II.”
Burt Reynolds was the cool guy everybody wanted to be and hang out with. Yet he was so serious about having fun that he often forgot how to actually have fun. Dom DeLuise truly just wanted to have fun. Winning was secondary.
When they are about to win a race, Dom DeLuise’s character Victor hears a woman crying for her drowning “baby.” Dom turns from the everyman Victor into “Captain Chaos,” or as Reynolds’s JJ refers to him derisively, “him.” JJ repeatedly scolds Victor, saying, “I don’t ever want to talk about ‘him.’”
‘He’ jumped in the water, saved what was actually a small dog, and cost his team the race. An enraged Reynolds wants an explanation, and Captain Chaos, beaming with pride, says, “JJ, I saved that woman’s dog.”
(My own attempt at “coolness” under pressure was taken straight from these guys)
The world needs straight men, but it needs court jesters. Dom DeLuise was no fool, building his brand name into a successful line of cookbooks and children’s books. Yet few ever played the fool better than he did.
Even a trip to the mini-market was amusing. “I picked up a beer for you, and a Dr. Pepper for me. I’m a pepper, you’re a pepper, he’s a pepper, she’s a pepper…”
Burt Reynolds had it easy. He would get exasperated by a character that would exasperate anybody. Yet DeLuise somehow kept his characters lovable.
We all have that person we know that “has a good heart.” They have “the best of intentions.” They “mean well.” Now those are euphemisms for screwups, and in real life they drive us crazy. Yet on the big screen, DeLuise helped us unwind. Why be uptight? Why go ballistic if we don’t win at something? Can’t we just have fun?
DeLuise was fun. He had plenty of success on his own, with absolute hilarity ensuing from his performance of Julius Caesar in “History of the World, Part I.”
Often mistaken for Chef Paul Prudhomme, it is no surprise that he became a chef himself.
He befriended Kermit the Frog, the first step in spreading “The Rainbow Connection.”
He was the tiger that befriended Feivel the Mouse.
He was the oddest of the “Spaceballs,” the voice of Pizza the Hutt.
In the same year he was “Fatso,” he was also Shadrach in “Wholly Moses.”
He was large in girth, and even more gigantic in spirit.
The racetrack just became a small bit emptier. We cannot drive on the same road forever.
Yet as Dom DeLuise reminded Burt Reynolds and all of us in “Cannonball Run,” with virtually zero eloquence and plenty of heart, it is the journey that matters, not the destination.
He did not always win the race, but he was a winner in life and in our hearts.
He was only the sidekick, but he was no second banana.
He was larger than life, and kept diving into the meal that is life itself.
He died a satiated man.
May we all get to experience as much flavor of this world as he did.
May we all have fun doing it.
Rest in peace, Captain Chaos.
eric
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43 Comments
Dom was pure entertainment.
Despite seeing it at least ten times, I still laugh helplessly at Dom as the director of "the musical next door" in "Blazing Saddles."
Dom DeLuise was a truly funny fellow. Can you imagine anyone doing the ultimate carbon footprint film (pure hedonistic gas burnin' tire smokin' fun!) now? With the joie' de vivre that DeLuise brought? Hard to imagine.
Another thought- the last time Hollywood veered sharply left- the early 70's, who came in and saved the movie world from itself? While tinsletown made anti-American tripe like 'Soldier Blue', no other than Burt Reynolds began his Southern Film Empire. 'White Lightning', 'Gator', and 'Smokey and the Bandit'- all made or financed in the south changed the filmic landscape. It begat 'Macon County Line' which brought us both Nick Nolte and Don Johnson, and it's underrated sequel 'Return'…
We need the south to rise again (in filmmaking, of course)…
"Wash This" History of the World
Quibble: Nero, not Caesar. And my personal favorite film with Dom in it: Silent Movie
you sissy marys…
I gotta admit… other than the Captain Chaos… Dom was at his best (IMO) doing Jeremy (the crow) in the Secret of NIMH in terms of comedic fun …
"Oh, Look…. SHINY!"
Eric,
Sweet tribute to a great funnyman.
For all his ability to make us laugh, for me, " Fatso " is Dom's greatest performance.
Every hunger pang and binge I felt and believed, and has the screen ever shone with a more gently heart-tugging love than that of our pedestrian prince and princess Dominick and Lydia?
Respects
I think he personified the ideal of entertainment. I can't remember hearing anything but love and fun from him. It's not a bad legacy: more than just laugh, he just made us happy to see him.
He isn't truly dead.
Wherever there is oppression, wherever there is injustice, wherever evil lurks, "dun dunn DUNNNN!"
HIM will be there to save the day.
Loved him! My favorite movie was Mel Brooks "The Twelve Chairs". And he was not in Space Balls, that was John Candy.
The world is now a far less funny place. Mr. DeLuise was pure entertainment and obvously enjoyed entertaining.. He was a genuine throwback to real slapstick and anything-for-a-laugh comedy. His great gifts as a physical comedian were never better displayed than in "Silent Movie." The manic flamenco number that Mel Brooks, Marty Feldman and DeLuise do for Ann Bancroft in that film is a great comic highlight. Farewell to a real pro.
"Not in the FACE!" I will mis Dom, he was one of the good guys.
Now I'm laughing again. He was definitely one of the greats.
Reminds me of another man of girth and mirth who was lost too soon – Victor Buono.
Funny funny man. RIP Don and thanks for the belly laughs.
That is one of the funniest scenes ever put into a movie, and I'm with you Lawhawk, even though I've seen "Blazing Saddles" more times than I can count, it still makes me crack up every time.
Dom and Orson Welles doing their version of Marty Feldman's "Funny He Never Married" sketch. Pure awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb7uKhI7uqU
He will truly be missed. Some of my favorite movies as a kid were the Smokey and the Bandit movies and the Cannon Ball Run movies. Along with John Candy, John Belushi and Chris Farley, Dom will be with good company and keep everyone in Heaven laughing.
RIP Dom
John Candy played Barf; Dom DeLuise was the voice of Pizza the Hut.
He did a scene in Hot Stuff with Jerry Reed where he got stoned and started to laugh uncontrollably. I am rolling on the floor every single time I see that. The hardest I ever saw my mother laugh was when Dom DeLuise was the emporer in History of the World Part 1 and gets on the throne, leans over and farts. My mother couldn't contain herself for 30 minutes after that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8bextcivUw
Sad day….he will be missed….
And don't forget, he was also Burt's sidekick in 'All Dogs Go to Heaven'. An underrated shot of animated goodness from Don Bluth.
John Candy played Barf, the half man and half dog, Dom played Pizza the Hut..
You're right that John Candy was in Spaceballs as the "mog", but Mr Golub is also right that Dom Deluise was the voice of Pizza the Hut. They were both in the movie. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094012/fullcredits#c...
Dom Deluise was a great entertainer, which is the greatest compliment you can give a, well, a great entertainer. He had it all. I'll remember a commercial where he referred to his aunt's anti-pasta salami as being "rolled so tight, you pick your teeth with it." There was also the time when he hosted a Godfather marathon on TMC on July 4th a few years back that was very fun. RIP, my hero.
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I worked with Dom on several tv shows and he was the consumate pro, a gentleman, and a very, very funny guy with a heart 1,000 times bigger than his body. Beyond that, as a large sized guy myself, he was a model that you didn't have to always be the skinny handsome type to charm the girls and win the day. And for the record, he was a really GREAT chef, too. God bless you Dom. You did funny great, you did pathos great, but most of all you did love and good cheer great, too.
From what I read in years past he was also a gourmet chef
My favorite Dom DeLuise role was as Urgo on SG1. Actually, all the DeLuise's who have been on and involved with SG1 were wonderful. Seventy-five is too young for such a wonderful man to leave us.
Minor correction: "Oooh a sparkly!"
DomDeLuise was a big kid in an adult's body. He was bigger than life. He was fun personified. He could cause such mischief and make it seem so natural. His off-color romps were so human. He is a man who could could put an edge in comedy without being ugly or mean. Years ago I was shopping in a grocery in Orlando and he was there, no retinue, no fanfare, just another shopper buying produce. He will be truly missed. I hope he comes back.
"Fatso" was not a great movie. But if you grew up in an Italian neighborhood, it was a real pisser. DeLuise was his usual wonderful self, and Anne Bancroft was excellent too. Ron Carey was also very good.
What a joy it must have been to be a friend, family member or loved one to Dom DeLuise. Surely the love he received made him that much more likable as it reflected back.
Dom Deluise became indelibly etched in my consciousness on the old Dean Martin show. His hilarious, outrageous tangents just killed everyone trying to do a sketch or musical number with him. And he just kept getting funnier as I got older and appreciated him more.
God bless you, Mr. Deluise! Rest in peace!!
Did he really die? I saw a dead-ringer at the servo. Very scary. But he had an Australian accent. The jury is out. (Note: You can laugh about dead comedians, they’d want you too. Lighten up men.)
Whoops… okay, Sparkly!!! (beh.. i'm getting my movies mixed up)
I loved him in The End, as well. Coincidentally I was reviewing the scene in Fail-Safe with Dom in it, as I read the news online.
We'll miss you, Dom.
"Eat this! It'll make you feel better!"
Possibly the best cookbook – ever!
Seargant Rock–Thank you.
Joan–Agreed.
Stix–Yeah, but even they were not cool enough to sleep in a sportsbar.
HollywoodExit–That is good to know he was as genuine as he seemed.
Hank Scorpio…Yeah, that was hilarious.
Patrick–Wash this indeed.
eric aka the Tygrrrr Express
I do not know that many people cool enough to camp out at a Sports Bar for a week
I maintain that a part of you the person comes through in film and TV. Dom DeLuise in the many sketches came through as a lovable person and a lot of fun. There was something magical about how he inspired fun. He was one of those entertainers who could make you laugh with just a look. When we see him we prepare ourselves for laughter. Dom DeLuise brought a lot of joy to the world and and I for one will miss him. My condolences to his family and friends. Thankfully his inspiration will live on in in film and books.
"Treasure Bath!"
*gets hit in the stomach* "Thank you…" *thud*
I like the part before that where he walks up to the dancer who screwed up and then just shouts: "WRONG!"
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