RIAC Atlantic City Rotary Club the 141st Club of Rotary International

News and Announcements #92 November 10th, 2009 2009-2010 Officers & Directors Tuesday, November 10th Atlantic City Rotary David Spatz Officers: Rose McCarthy, President Curtain Call Saturdays at 6pm on WMGM-TV NBC40. David Wallen, Vice President Tim Datig, Past President David Spatz, based in Atlantic City, NJ USA, is an Martin D. Wood, Secretary award-winning, multi-media journalist who's been Sam Weiner, Treasurer covering the gaming and entertainment industry Robert Ruffolo, for print, television and radio for more than 30 Sergeant at Arms years. He has handled both breaking news and Evelyn Zarus, Assistant feature stories for daily newspapers including the Directors: New York Daily News and has been a correspon- Major Joaquin Calvo dent on local, regional and national television and Joe Dolan Patricia Ferry radio broadcasts. His network of news contacts Sal Panza and sources on the casino and entertainment Craig Shelly industries is considered the best in the business. Dottie Egrie-Wilcox Kathleen Angela Varallo “I’ve had some pretty interesting moments in front of television cameras during the past 30 RIAC Editor years: Trading a capella scat lines with Sammy Davis Jr. and Matt Lauer, ad-libbing unscripted New Year’s Eve bits with Merv Griffin on live national television and pretending, with a little help Kathleen Angela Varallo from George Carlin, that I was going to recite the seven words you can’t say on television. [email protected] But for sheer lunacy, nothing will ever top the day I was attacked by a herd of DeLuise. Co-editor March 1994. The Superstar Theatre at Merv Griffin’s Resorts. Dom DeLuise was rehearsing the Martin D. Wood, Sec show he was going to perform that weekend. UPCOMING PROGRAMS. For about two years, Jake Glassey Jr. and I had been doing an early version of the Curtain Call show we produce today. We were on the verge of breaking the show out of the regional market and taking it national via syndication, so we were looking to book some heavy hitters to give it November 10th some real star power. In Hollywood, few were heavier than Dom DeLuise, and yes, I meant to David Spatz say that. Dom was a great big guy on the outside, but inside he often had the mind of a mischie- Curtain Call Saturdays at 6pm vous seven-year-old. You could almost see it in his eyes when he was thinking of a prank. on WMGM-TV NBC40. That’s why I’m surprised I didn’t see this one coming.

After Jake grabbed some b-roll footage of Dom rehearsing with the Resorts’ house band — yes, boys and girls, casinos once had their very own bands! — we then set up our lights and camera November 17th—Meeting at in his dressing room. Food Bank 5:30pm Dom’s whole family was in town that weekend: His wife, actress Carol Arthur, his actor sons Pe- ter and Michael (both from 21 Jump Street, among other series), and his third son, David, who hadn’t yet been bitten by the acting bug but now stars on Wizards of Waverly Place on the Dis- ney Channel. Peter and Michael had been hanging out at rehearsal and they joined their dad in the dressing room while we taped the show. (con’t page 2) Page 2

I should have seen it in Dom’s devilish eyes, but somehow I missed it. Every time I tried to en- The Atlantic City gage him in the chatty format of the show, he went off on wild tangents, spit water at me and Rotary Club generally cut up, I suspect, for the benefit of his sons. Something told me this wasn’t the first time they’d been to this dance; they egged him on. Meeting held Tuesday, Peter and Michael decided on their own to join their father for our show’s final segment. We 12:30pm at the didn’t have microphones for them, but that was hardly an issue. Having a voice that doesn’t Hilton Hotel & Casino carry wasn’t exactly a genetic flaw in the DeLuise DNA. Boston Ave. & Boardwalk It was now three against one. It may have been the only time I actually saw a show slipping out of my control like a Atlantic B Meeting Room runaway train, and there was no emergency break to stop 3rd Floor (take Elevator) the thing. All I could do was laugh. Thankfully, Jake gave me the sign to wrap. Dom took that to mean unwrap. I tried to close things out the way I al- ways did, by thanking Dom. “For what?” he screamed. “For the messiest show you’ve ever done,” Peter said. With that, Dom decided that my sport jacket would look Visit us on the WEB The late Dom DeLuise (left) and his better on him than it did on me. Aided by his two sons, sons Peter and Michael “attack” col- www.atlanticcityrotary.org who aren’t cops but played them on TV, the DeLuise boys umnist David Spatz 15 years ago at www.rotary7640.org pounced on me. Dom tried for the jacket. Peter went for Resorts. (photo by Tom Briglia) the tie and Michael was going for my shirt. I fought them off the best I could. Peter switched tactics and successfully got my shoes and my socks off but I

held on to everything else, especially my on-camera dignity. Just 4 Kids As they fled the scene of the crime and ran out of the dressing room, I noticed the little red tally has “adopted” light was still flashing on Jake’s camera. He never stopped rolling tape. 179 families Instinct took over. I needed to toss to our final break. So I straightened my tie, got my jacket this year for under control, tried to fix my hair (yes, I had some then), looked right into the lens and said, with the Holidays- as straight a face as I could muster, “We’ll be back with our calendar segment, right after this … Kay Seelig is Then I just lost it, dissolving into laughter. Peter, Michael and Dom came back into the dressing busy pulling age and gen- room, laughing hysterically, and returned my footwear. I heard the camera click off as Jake der specific toys to go with paused the tape. He was laughing so hard I still can’t believe he didn’t shake the camera. the after school food I haven’t seen that tape in years, but I don’t have to. The moment was flash frozen and vacuum- boxes we helped wrap sealed in my mind 15 years ago. several weeks ago. As So the memory was right there, nice and fresh and ready to remember, when Dom DeLuise died always AC Rotary is re- last week at age 75. The world lost a very funny guy when Dom left us — not to mention one quested to join in the fun helluva gourmet Italian chef, as I can personally attest having sampled his stuffed zucchini blos- of wrapping presents at soms. Globe Vending, 111 East But I like to think of Dom as more than just a great comedy actor who could break up Parkway Drive, EHT Burt Reynolds simply by looking at him. I like to think that in his own funny way, Dom repre- (it really is a party atmos- sented the little kid in all of us who’s just trying to pull off one more prank without getting phere & we usually get caught — or without being punished if he was. Yep, I should have seen it coming. But I’m glad pizza afterward!). that I didn’t. Thanks, Dom!” If you can make it please RSVP to Kay’s side kick Casual conversations with the stars. Watch the Emmy-winning Curtain Call with David Spatz, Joyce Marquart, Saturdays at 6pm on WMGM-TV NBC40. [email protected] . Effective October we will not be meeting the 3rd Tuesday of the month at the AC Hilton. Wrapping will take place Instead for November and December we will be 5:30PM on: volunteering at the Atlantic County Food Bank at 5:30PM. The Food Bank is on the Black Horse Pike across from 84 Lumber and Chapman Ford. Wednesday , November 11 This is not an excused meeting, everyone must attempt to be there- they have a need for our services and we will be helping the community. Tuesday, November 24 Dates are: Tuesday-Nov.17 & Dec.15 If attending, please RSVP to Marty Wood, Wednesday, December 9 [email protected]

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