Dom DeLuise Has Died at 75

Life can be funny and ironic. And also very sad on a day like today.

In 2006, I got involved with a writer and producer to discuss the possibility of making a feature film, so I flew out to Hollywood in 2007 to check out the situation. While there, I was introduced to some other producers who had a TV idea that seemed very interesting and different. Immediately, I was drawn to the idea, and I decided to get involved.

It was a TV Pilot and idea for a show called the “Un-Invited Guests with Bell Devlin Starring Dom DeLuise.” I would later become  an Executive Producer.

It was in fact the very beginning of this blog, and my journey to write and document my trips to Hollywood. This is where I got the idea to start FreeRyanToday.com  and it has grown since then.

While the pilot –  like so many others in Hollywood — failed to get picked up, it was all a journey that I will never forget.

In the pilot, Dom was to play the comedic barbecue man who would serve up burgers while the host dealt with celebrities dropping by the backyard setting. Such a perfect role for Dom, and a great "land" for new producers looking for their first shot.

On my last day in Manhattan Beach, California, I had a flight to catch back to Calgary after the filming of the pilot in Los Angeles. The producers on the show were trying very hard to get me to stay an extra day, because that afternoon as I left them, and they left me, they were on their way to the home of Dom DeLuise to discuss the green screen shooting of his role in the pilot. (At the last minute he was unable to be in the studio as he was not feeling well, so they agreed to a green screen.)

I never ended up staying and meeting Dom. As my flight took off, I had a feeling I made the wrong choice.

Today, as I write this, I now know I did.

RIP Dom!

And PS – you believed in our idea…and one day we will get it off the ground!