When
Dom DeLuise died, three years ago today, his frequent director Mel Brooks said that he "created so much joy and laughter on the set that you couldn’t get your work done. So every time I made a movie with Dom, I would plan another two days on the schedule just for laughter."
Dom DeLuise, 1975 (Wikimedia Commons/Allen Warren)
The viewing public didn't get to be a part of those two laughter days, but that doesn't mean we missed out on the hilarity that was Dom DeLuise. The great comic actor left us plenty of laughs in dozens of films and TV shows. And Mel Brooks wasn't the only one who wanted to work with DeLuise over and over again – he was in high demand in the movie world, and he had several regular collaborators. We're looking at a few of them today.
We'll start out with Mel Brooks. DeLuise appeared in quite a few of Brooks's movies: The Twelve Chairs, Blazing Saddles, Silent Movie, History of the World, Part I, Spaceballs, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights, in which he played shady character Don Giovanni.
Don Bluth is another director who loved to work with Dom DeLuise – but just for his voice. Bluth directs animated films, and DeLuise's voice, dripping with character, was perfect for features like All Dogs Go to Heaven, An American Tail, A Troll in Central Park, and The Secret of NIMH – he stole the show as goofy crow Jeremy.
And we can't forget DeLuise's frequent costar, Burt Reynolds. The two were good friends offscreen, and onscreen they collaborated in Smokey and the Bandit II, All Dogs Go to Heaven, The End, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and, of course, the classic screwball comedies Cannonball Run and Cannonball Run II. We love watching Captain Chaos make an appearance:
Written by Linnea Crowther
