News broke today that the world lost one of America’s classic comedians. Dom DeLuise passed away quietly in his sleep at a Los Angeles hospital last night at the age of 75.

From his role as a film agent in “The Muppet Movie” to his multiple collaborations with Mel Brooks, Dom was an incurable goofball. There’s bound to be a number of filmographies listed for Dom on various websites and blogs today, but I doubt any of them will mention “My X-Girlfriend’s Wedding Reception.” 

In a moment I felt would most certainly launch my young career into cinematic fame, I met Dom in the lobby of a South Burlington hotel where we were about to start shooting a film together. It was the first… and worst movie I ever worked on. (Yes… a thousand times worse than the film I did with Billy Ray Cyrus called “Radical Jack.”) Dom played a priest in the movie (no I’m not kidding you… and if you think that’s weird, Senator Bernie Sanders had a cameo in the film as a rabbi.) I was a set decorator which is pretty much the worst job you can have in a movie that takes place at a wedding reception. You carry around Polaroid’s (that’s kind of like a digital camera with a built in printer for all the kids out there)  and make sure everyone’s Champaign glass has the same level of sparkling apple juice at the beginning of each take it had the last time you did it. After all, with such a fine film you wouldn’t want any continuity issues showing up in post production. “X-Girlfriend” also represented my first on-camera appearance. Want to guess what my one line was? Go ahead… guess. That’s right, I stumbled up to the wedding band and yelled, “Play Freebird! Play it now!”
I know you think I’m making all this up, but I’m not.
The movie starred Debbie Gibson. (Yes that Debbie Gibson, although by 1998 she preferred to be called Deborah.) It was her first film, and to be honest… She really was pretty good. And yes, you could get lost in her eyes. Colleen Fitzpatrick was also in the movie. You probably don’t recognize her name, but she was in two episodes on Hannah Montana and I figured if I mentioned Hannah Montana in my blog I might get more hits. (Google loves Hannah Montana… oh, did I say Hannah Montana again?) Other small roles were filled by actors who had various “reenactment” roles on America’s Most Wanted and Cameos from Vermont celebrities like Ms. Vermont and John Fishman of the band Phish. John played a stalker of the wedding band and crashed the reception wearing a bridesmaid dress. (Again, not kidding.)

Wait a minute… reliving all this was so surreal I forgot I was suppose to be writing about Dom DeLuise. I spent several days with Dom, and I can tell you this… he loved life. He loved to laugh and he loved making other people laugh. We were usually behind schedule, because Dom had problems focusing and never did the same thing twice in a scene. There was one shot we were trying to get and Dom didn’t feel it was going well so he decided to spice the scene by grabbing a floor fan and singing “Moonlight in Vermont” into the spinning blades making his voice warble. He changed every line on every take and they were worried about the Champaign glasses. But he did make us laugh… and he was kind to everyone.

I’m very aware this picture of us together is the worst photo ever taken of me, but to be honest, I didn’t want to be in the picture. We’d been working ALL night and the sun was starting to come up. I was tired… exhausted, actually. I didn’t want my picture taken, but Dom insisted. He said, “We’re going to want to remember this moment,” and he had someone snap three Polaroids. He signed two of them (without us asking him too,) and gave them to me and Keith. Then he took the third and said he would, “cherish this photo forever.” The man never stopped smiling, and I will fondly remember him.

Now, I know what your thinking, “Dom DeLuise and Debbie Gibson? Not to mention Joshua J Masters, Phish, Bernie Sanders as a Rabbi, Ms. Vermont, and a girl from Hannah Montana?” (Yes! That’s five Hannah Montanas… six,) “I’ve got to see this movie!”
NO! No you don’t. It’s crass and terrible. You don’t want to see it. In fact, I thought long and hard before even mentioning the movie because it’s so embarrassing, but then I realized it would be embarrassing to Bernie Sanders too, so I decided to go for it.
Good night, Dom… may you dream of large sandwiches.