RIP Dom DeLuise

Some thoughts about comedian Dom DeLuise, who died earlier this week . . .

Dom DeLuise was a naturally funny man who distinguished himself in ribald comedies such as The End and on television. He was fun to watch even in a bad movie. He had a unique gift for creating laughter with the most modest effort.

Sadly, DeLuise is as likely to be remembered for his girth as for his comedy. DeLuise battled obesity, a point not lost on the people he worked with. Consider the 1976 Mel Brooks film Silent Movie, where DeLuise's character was to give a box of chocolates to a movie producer (played by Sid Caesar), but has eaten all the candies by the time he gives him the box, leaving only the individual paper linings. An inside joke if there ever was one.

Ironically, this led to perhaps his most poignant performance as an actor. In Fatso, directed by (and co-starring) Anne Bancroft, he played a middle-aged overweight man who gets a wakeup call when his equally overweight cousin dies at 39. The picture gave DeLuise plenty of comedic material but also included some serious scenes about the curse of obesity. Bancroft got some real pathos out of DeLuise, and she - like DeLuise, an Italian-American - also produced a vivid look at the role of food and family in Italian-American life.

His best moments, though, remain his genuinely funny ones, and he loved to be laughed at as much as laughed with. One memorable stunt involved going to New Orleans and visiting the restaurant of Chef Paul Prudhomme, whom DeLuise greatly resembled, and sitting at a table while letting people think he was Prudhomme.

And both are known for their cookbooks.

Being part Italian, I felt some wind taken out of the sails of my ethnic pride. Rest in peace, Dom DeLuise. You're already missed.