TOUGH WEEK FOR BURT REYNOLDS

First Pontiac, and now Dom DeLuise. As that first link makes clear, Pontiac had some strong pop culture connections: the GTO, Knight Rider's Kit, and of course, Burt's black Trans-Am from Smokey & the Bandit. And, as some of you may recall, that's a car I talked about right here a little over two years ago.

Those ubiquitous mid-70's through mid-80's memories. We even owned an '84 Grand Prix.

And, of course, who seemed to be Burt's sidekick in many of his iconic movies (but not Smokey & the Bandit)? Dom DeLuise. DeLuise sits in my memories through two separate comedy franchises of my youth: the Burt Crew, with its fast cars and hot chicks and blooper outtakes as the credits roled. And also Mel Brooks. DeLuise seemed to be in every Mel Brooks movie. The obnoxious gay director at the end of Blazing Saddles. The hideous emperor, dispatching with food & lives in History of the World, Part I. Pizza the Hut in Space Balls. He was even in Silent Movie, right?

The franchise that made the black Trans Am, and the fat guy who made me laugh in Burt Reynold's movies. Both gone in the same week. The older you get, the more the icons of your youth pass along.

At least the memories remain.