Dom DeLuise & Suzanne Pleshette in Hot Stuff (1979)

Not to be confused with the Donna Summer song of the same name (released the same year), this wacky comedy from director Dom DeLuise has all the earmarks of a Burt Reynolds/Sally Field comedy - just without Reynolds and Field. Frustrated Miami cops Ernie (DeLuise) Louise (Pleshette) and Doug (Jerry Reed) can't seem to nab the bag guys, so they open up a pawn shop and let it be known that the shop will fence stolen goods. As the crooks pour in to sell their loot, the cops nab them. All does not go as planned, however, and when our heroes are targeted by the mob all bets are off.

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This comedy is all about the gags, which are strung together on a somewhat slim plot line, however, the laughs make up for the implausibility. Also look for Ossie Davis as the Chief.

This film has been released on DVD as part of the Warner Archive collection and was previously released on VHS. It can also be seen in full on YouTube. Part one is above, uploaded by pointbreak2k.

Obscurity factor: 7 (largely forgotten, on DVD & VHS, also on YouTube)

Dom DeLuise in The Roman Holidays (1972)

When you have a winning formula, stick to it! That's the impetus that drove Hanna-Barbera to create this series in 1972. It's got all the elements of The Flintstones and The Jetsons with just a change of venue. Set in ancient Rome, this series follows the lives of the Holiday family, headed by hapless Gus (Dave Willock). Gus works in construction for the greedy Mr. Tycoonius (Hal Smith). The family lives with their pet lion Brutus (Daws Butler) in the Venus De Milo Arms apartment complex owned by their nemesis landlord, Mr. Evictus (DeLuise). Each week the family would get into typical sit-com situations. The show lasted for just one season, only 13 episodes were produced.

The series has yet to make it to DVD. It seems it was somewhat more popular in Brazil, where it was called Os Mussarelas (The Mozzarellas). You can find several episodes on YouTube and other sites dubbed into Portugese. Above are the opening credits in English, uploaded to YouTube by JediJuggernaut.

Obscurity factor: 10 (hard to find in English, not on DVD)

Burt Reynolds & Dom DeLuise in The End

In this dark comedy, Sonny Lawson (Reynolds) is diagnosed with a terminal blood desease and after consulting with an adolescent priest (Robby Benson), speaking with his lawyer (David Steinberg) and spending some time with the people in his life - his mistress (Sally Field), ex wife (Joanne Woodward) and daughter (Kristy McNichol) - decides to commit suicide. He wakes up in an asylum after an unsuccessful attempt, only to be confronted by Myron Borunki (DeLuise), a paranoid schizophrenic who, upon hearing Sonny's sad story, cheerfully, repeatedly and homicidally offers him help to achieve his goal.

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This is, arguably, the film I've written up so far that least deserves its status as obscure. It's full of pithy insight into human nature, outrageous comedy and even a few honestly sincere moments of sentiment. DeLuise gives a really hilarious, laugh-out-loud performance and Reynolds, who also directs is as charming as ever. It's wonderful to see the cameos by star after star, including Myrna Loy, Pat O'Brien, Norman Fell and Carl Reiner. Top that off with a Paul Williams theme sung by Glen Campbell that I'm rapidly becoming obsessed with and you have a terrific package.

This film is available on DVD and can be watched instantly on Netflix. The trailer above was uploaded to YouTube by MovieTrailerMonkey.

Obscurity factor: 5 (has small legion of fans, though largely unknown to general public, on DVD, available on Netflix Instant)