I am a big fan of Vito Scotti. What is interesting
is that in "Any Old Port", "Identity Crisis", and
"Candidate for Crime" he plays Italian/Mediterranean
types, i.e. in an emotional way. However, in "Negative Reaction" he plays
Mr Dolan, the wino which is a very different type of role. The name "Dolan" is Irish and he plays a drunk, but not like an Italian/Mediterranean, but he
plays it rather as a "disengaged" person who is not
really aware of what is going on. This shows great acting ability. BTW-I really love it in "Negative Reaction" when Columbo is sitting with him in the mission for homeless people and Columbo asks him "if he has a minute" to answer questions. He gives this
shrug and half-chuckle as of to say "what else do I, an unemployed, homeless drunk who lives in a junked car, got to do with my time?" (as Sgt Hoffman said earlier in the episode "There's nothing worse than
a sober drunk!"

[It made me think of Vito Scotti's role in The Godfather, he was Nazorene the baker. During the wedding reception he is up on stage with a group of people singing a song in Sicilian. If I'm not mistaken it is a rather dirty song and the people who were singing it were really into it. You can see Nazorene laughing his keister off as another guy makes some sugestive gestures.]

The wedding scene in GFI was almost a real wedding. Director Cappola told all the extras to have a good time.

Here is a little background on the song and its English translation.

Synopsis: A young woman has difficulty in choosing a man to be her husband. She asks her mother to decide. Her mother describes each man and his livelihood. The mother gives a comic answer for each one, indicating for instance, that if you marry the butcher, his sausage will become your fantasy. Obviously, a song fraught with double entendre.

AND THE MOON IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA:
OH MY MOTHER I MUST GET MARRIED --
OH MY DAUGHTER WHO WILL WE GET?
MY MOTHER I LEAVE IT UP TO YOU.

(I)
IF I GET YOU THE BUTCHER
HE WILL COME AND HE WILL GO,
BUT HE'LL ALWAYS HOLD THE SAUSAGE IN HIS HANDS...
IF HE GETS A BRIGHT IDEA
HE'LL SAUSAGE YOU OH MY DAUGHTER.

(II)
IF I GET YOU THE FISHERMAN
HE WILL COME AND HE WILL GO,
BUT HE'LL ALWAYS HOLD THE FISH IN HIS HANDS...
IF HE GETS A BRIGHT IDEA
HE'LL FISH YOU OH MY DAUGHTER.

(III)
IF I GET YOU THE SHOEMAKER
HE WILL COME AND HE WILL GO,
BUT HE'LL ALWAYS HOLD THE SHOE IN HIS HANDS...
IF HE GETS A BRIGHT IDEA
HE'LL SHOE YOU OH MY DAUGHTER.

(IV)
IF I GET YOU THE GARDEN MAN
HE WILL COME AND HE WILL GO,
BUT HE'LL ALWAYS HOLD THE CUCUMBER IN HIS HANDS...
IF HE GETS A BRIGHT IDEA
HE'LL CUCUMBER YOU OH MY DAUGHTER.

Excellent Mrs. Peck!! I have always wondered what the words were to that song. Thanks.

Of course we all know that Scotti appeared with Dick VanDyke in Negative Reaction. But did you know that they also appeared together on VanDykes old TV show? In that episode he plays a man that the Petries hire to paint their living room. He spends much of his time goofing off & playing with Ritchie & getting very little work done. The Petries want to fire him, but eventually he does the job, does an excellent job & even signs the wall as if it were a painting.