The Dom Is Dead

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My favorite Dom DeLuise moment -- the funniest, I mean -- is the most appalling in terms of homophobic attitudes. It's the "French mistake" dance scene, of course, in Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles ('74). "Wrong!!!....watch me faggot!...sounds like steam escaping." Sorry but it's funny. Brooks is the principal offender, of course -- DeLuise just went with it. Brilliantly. His end came last night in Santa Barbara. He was 75. We all have the time that we have, and then we don't.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on May 5, 2009 at 11:21 AM

comment #1

MilkMan says ...

Dom DeLuise had no business living to 75 years old. Incredible. He is a lucky man. I bet he had a very warm and loving life. Bye-bye, Dom.

Posted by MilkMan at May 5, 2009 11:53 AM

comment #2

Rich S. says ...

Hey, if you're talking appalling and homophobic, you can't forget his Nero scene in History of the World Part 1:

http://tinyurl.com/ca8fv3

"Here, wash this."

Posted by Rich S. at May 5, 2009 12:19 PM

comment #3

DavidF says ...

IF not for his fortuitous run in with Kermit, the Muppets never would have met and made it Hollywood....I can't imagine living in a world where this never happened.

Posted by DavidF at May 5, 2009 12:35 PM

comment #4

bmcintire says ...

Dom Deluise = a genuinely nice and funny man (who will be missed).
Dom Deluise in a Mel Brooks' film = a genuinely nice and funny man trapped in an agonizingly unfunny sub-Borscht Belt torture parade. And that's without touching the bigotry aspect.

Posted by bmcintire at May 5, 2009 1:05 PM

comment #5

Billy Joel says ...

Mel Brooks is the funniest man alive. Case closed.

Rest in Peace Dom.

Posted by Billy Joel at May 5, 2009 1:20 PM

comment #6

BurmaShave says ...

Rich S. that is such a bizarre scene I always forget.

Posted by BurmaShave at May 5, 2009 1:38 PM

comment #7

Rich S. says ...

Burma, if for nothing else, that scene should be remembered as (hopefully) the only time that Mel Brooks, Dom DeLuise, Shecky Greene, Madeline Kahn, Howard "Ernest T. Bass" Morris and Dena "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature" Dietrich all shared the same stage. It doesn't get much more bizarre than that.

Posted by Rich S. at May 5, 2009 1:43 PM

comment #8

arnold stang says ...

I always felt DeLuise was best in THE TWELVE CHAIRS - he stole the movie (and some chairs too).

Good night funnyman.

Rich S, for bizarre how about the cast, director and writer of HOT STUFF have all passed recently..DeLuise, Donald Westlake, Jerry Reed, Suzanne Pleshette...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olZUwopHKkU

Posted by arnold stang at May 5, 2009 2:55 PM

comment #9

Terry McCarty says ...

There's also De Luise's funny-madman turn for Burt Reynolds-as-director in THE END.

Posted by Terry McCarty at May 5, 2009 3:10 PM

comment #10

Joe G says ...

The most ubiquitous comic actor of the 1970's. He was everywhere then and it was always a good thing.

I posted this same clip earlier today for some friends. It's less offensive in context I think, but come on, this is hardly hate-speech. Or anything like it. A little dated maybe.

Still damn funny though.

Posted by Joe G at May 5, 2009 7:54 PM

comment #11