"The Catered Affair" with Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine (1956)

How could I not review this film after Saturday's post? The two films are among the best of Bette Davis’ long and storied career; both being outside of her usual comfort zone. There is more of the stage in these two films than there is of Hollywood.

In this wonderful film adaptation of Paddy Chayefsky teleplay, Gore Vidal has created a concise version of a common problem; where do we fit in as individuals when compared to the happiness of those around us? Director Richard Brooks did a superb job with this movie; but then again, look at the talent he had to work with!

Bette Davis plays Agnes Hurley; a woman who is a romantic at heart yet faced with the reality of her life married to Tom Hurley; played by Ernest Borgnine; fresh from his Academy Award winning performance as “Marty” in the film of the same name; which was also written by Paddy Chayefsky. Tom drives a taxi cab, and with a little bit of luck; and some time; he hopes to own his own taxi someday soon.

But fate has a way of working its own way with things and accordingly, Agnes and Tom’s daughter Jane; played by Debbie Reynolds in her screen debut; has planned to be married to her boyfriend Ralph; played by Rod Taylor. When she tells her parents of her plans at breakfast a chain of events ensues which expose not only the shortcomings felt by Agnes in her own life; but the desperation Tom feels when he thinks that his dream of owning his own cab may be threatened by the expense of a lavish wedding for his daughter.

On the one hand Agnes feels cheated at never having had a real wedding of her own; while Tom feels trapped by an expectation that will derail his dreams; as well as making him aware of just how unhappy his wife may be over events of the past. Complicating matters is the presence of Uncle Jack Conlon; played with the usual brilliance of Barry Fitzgerald.

This film is one of those gems that seem to get lost in the greater array of older “classical” films. It’s more cerebral than the usual fare offered up by the gangster films of the 1930’s; or the romances and war films of the 1940’s and 1950’s. This type of film is timeless in its subject matter. People dealing with their own emotions, while trying to understand the emotional needs of those around them, is a subject which will never grow old. This is an excellent film.

Here's one of my trophies - it hangs on the wall of my TV room. He read the draft off a review I did of his book and actually sent this back to me! It is one of my treasured possessions

Ernest Borgnie - "Ernie"

When I began this blog, back in 2009, I was in the habit of sending copies of my posts to the subjects by e-mail. With Ernest Borgnine I was unable to do that. He had no e-mail! It wasn’t a generational thing; he was just light years ahead of me, and only really communicated by twitter. I have always held that I am incapable of any type of communication; verbal, or written; which restricts me to a finite number of characters, or words. So, I just Googled his real estate holdings in Los Angeles and mailed it to the first address that came up. After that, I completely forgot about it.

Two years later; well maybe only 18 months; an envelope arrived in the mail; yes, the U.S. Mail; and in it was the signed copy of the review of his autobiography which I had sent, minus the cover letter. To say that I was thrilled is an understatement.  It hangs, framed, on my wall.

Long before “McHale’s Navy”, Ernest Borgnine was serious actor, even winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in the film “Marty”. In that film he plays a lonely butcher who lives at home with his mother and spends his evenings with his other unwed friends; drinking, going to dance clubs; always looking to “score”. It’s an empty life, and Marty longs for more, even as he thinks himself too ugly to find true love.

But, even before that came his portrayal of “Fatso”, the sadistic Sargent in charge of the brig in Pearl Harbor, just on the brink of World War Two. The irony of that role is that in real life Mr. Borgnine had just returned from duty at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked. He spent the rest of the war patrolling the rivers of New York City on a yacht. It was there that he absorbed the ability to play the two greatest roles of his long career. The city gave him a chance to really observe people, and record all that he was seeing. He would use those observations in the years after the war to great advantage as an actor.

He was brilliant alongside Bette Davis and Debbie Reynolds in “The Catered Affair”, in which Mr. Borgnine plays a cab driver saving to buy his own cab; and just as he arrives at his goal, his daughter is planning a “catered” wedding; which will, of course, keep him from realizing his goal.

In “Bad Day at Black Rock” he plays a sadistic killer who works for William Holden, a rancher who has killed an innocent Japanese farmer for his land; even as the dead man’s son was fighting for America in the Pacific. His intensity in that role, alongside Spencer Tracy and Lee Marvin is palpable.

I watched all of those movies on TV as a kid, always mesmerized by the strength of his performance. I didn’t even have to like the movie – just watching him act was enough for me. Later he was re-created as the seemingly errant Lt. McHale in “McHale’s Navy”, opposite the bumbling character of Captain Bighamton, played by Joe Flynn.

In his later years, he did voice overs for both “The Simpsons”, as well as “SpongeBob SquarePants.” Talk about versatility! His ability to adapt kept him vital for over 60 years in show business, weathering each technological change with the tenacity of the sailor he was so long ago. “Fair winds and following seas” to you “Ernie.” Through the medium of film, you will always be with us.

To read a review of his truly entertaining autobiography, go here;

http://robertwilliamsofbrooklyn.blogspot.com/2010/04/ernie-autobiography-by-ernest-borgnine.html

"Marty" with Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair (1954)

Long before "McHale's Navy", or "SpongeBob SquarePants", Ernest Borgnine was the Oscar Winning Actor who starred in the Oscar Award Winning Film "Marty", in which he plays an unmarried butcher in New York during the 1950's. The play, written by Paddy Chayefsky, who also did the screenplay, was the first of two films which Mr. Borgnine did with the legendary playwright. The other was "The Catered Affair", in 1956 with Bette Davis and Debbie Reynolds. If you have never seen either of these two films, then you have never really seen Ernest Borgnine act.

Both of these films were made on location in New York; in the Bronx, and Manhattan. The film has the gritty feel of the 1950's as Marty, played by Ernest Borgnine, struggles to find peace with himself. He is 35 years old, unmarried, and lives at home with his widowed Italian mother, Mrs. Piletti, played by Esther Minciotti. They are very content with their lot in life, he works in the butcher shop, and she stays home caring for her only unmarried child. But beneath this idyllic facade there is discontent. Mrs. Piletti wonders why her son is always alone, hanging around the house, or out with friends. His younger brothers are all married and the pressure is mounting upon Marty to do the same.

Marty's friends are not much help. Misery likes company and they are all unwilling to let Marty walk away from their mutual meaningless existence; that would only underscore their own short comings.

At home, Marty faces another dilemma; his Aunt Catherine, played by Augusta Ciolli, is living with her son and daughter in law, with little success. Aunt Catherine is hyper-critical of her daughter in law and there is much friction. Since, as Mrs. Piletti observes, "Two women can't share one kitchen", Aunt Catherine moves in with Marty and his mother. Soon, Aunt Catherine has infected her sister with the worry of what will become of her should Marty ever meet a woman and marry. Will she be left alone? Or worse, will she be cast out, as her sister has been? All of this serves to further conflict the affable Marty as he struggles with his loneliness.

When circumstances place Carla, a shy and average looking woman, played by Betsy Blair, in his path, Marty is ecstatic. He has always felt that he was one of those people destined to never find love. Carla, who has had her share of disappointments as well, is equally happy to have met Marty, hoping that things will progress further.

But first, Marty must try to sort out his conflicted feelings. On the one hand, he doesn't want to be alone forever; but on the other, he is guilt ridden over the thought of leaving his mother alone. And on top of that there is always the fear of rejection on the part of Carla.

Will Marty break free of his friends grip? Does he have what it takes to take a chance on love? The answers to those questions lie in this wonderful play by Paddy Chayefsky. Filmed in, and around New York City in the 1950's, the film captures the feel of the city in all of its black and white glory. As I said before, if you have never seen this film, then you have never really seen Mr. Borgnine act. Oh, and did I forget to mention that I'm a big fan?


To read a review of Mr. Borgnine's autobiography, go to;

http://robertwilliamsofbrooklyn.blogspot.com/2010/04/ernie-autobiography-by-ernest-borgnine.html

"Red" with Morgan Freeman, Bruce Willis, John Malkovich and Mary-Louise Parker

Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich are all former CIA contract agents. They are retired. In the 1980's they were involved in some of the secret killings in Guatemala. Their commander at the time was the man who is now Vice President and running for the office of President. With so much of his past to hide, he orders the former agents to be killed. But he doesn't count on the friends that these men had made over the years.

Frank, played by Bruce Willis, is assaulted by a SWAT team in his own home. Only his former training allows him to escape. Now he has to find out why he is being targeted. To do that he must reassemble his old team. Quickly contacting his old friend Joe, played by Morgan Freeman, who is in a nursing home, the two begin the search to find out who is targeting them, and why.

Frank has fallen in love, over the phone, with a CIA operator, played perfectly by Mary-Louise Parker, who works out of the Kansas City office of the company. They plan to retire somewhere together. But, when all the mayhem begins, she is not so sure she wants to pursue the relationship. So, Frank does the only thing he can do, he duct tapes her and loads her into his car while trying to explain the circumstances in which he has found himself trapped. She is, to say the least, skeptical. But, still, she does admit that it's a pretty exciting first date.

Frank takes her out to the desert where another old comrade lives in seclusion. Marvin, played by John Malkovich, lives underground, literally. He is paranoid from years of CIA experiments with LSD, but is still as sharp as they come. The trio then hook up with Helen Mirren, who plays a former assassin, and her Soviet lover, whom she was once forced to kill in order to prove her loyalty to the "company." She shot him 3 times in the chest and left him for dead. When he recovers, he realizes that she truly loves him, or else she would have shot him in the head, just to be sure.

Just how this group takes down the Vice President and all of his security forces cannot be adequately described her without doing an injustice to this witty and fast paced script. Although this type of film is not my usual fare, it kept me entertained from the opening scene until the last.

This is a serious spoof of both the espionage that we, as nations, actually engage in, as well as a satire of the action movies that come of these real life exploits. With an action packed and witty script, this movie delivers. Add in some fantastic cameos by Ernest Borgnine and Richard Dreyfuss and you have a very entertaining film.

"Ernie" - Worth Waiting For

Some things are worth waiting for, and this is one of them. About 14 months ago I reviewed Ernest Borgnine's autobiography here and sent a copy of it to an obscure "snail mail" address in Beverly Hills. I usually send an e-mail copy, or link, to the person I have written about, but in Mr. Borgnine's case it was only posssible to Twitter him. I don't Twitter, finding it impossible to keep within the boundaries of characters, or words, allowed. I am what might be referred to as verbose. In other words, I talk a lot. And I write the same way, the comma being my best friend in that regard.

I did not expect to hear anything back from Mr. Borgnine, and had filed the whole thing in the back of my mind. And that's a very remote place. Ideas that go into that area are often never heard from again. So when the above arrived back to me by snail mail, 14 months after the fact, I was, to say the least, surprised. And to put it another way, I was thrilled.

This is not just a note from Ernest Borgnine, this is a direct link to characters such as Marty from the film of the same name, or Fatso Judson of "From Here to Eternity", Tom Hurley from "The Catered Affair", and Dutch Engstrom from "The Wild Bunch." Most people will undoubtedly remember Mr. Borgnine for his role as the beleaguered skipper of "McHale's Navy", which ran for several years on television in the mid 1960's. But thanks to WOR-TV, and other stations that played older movies, I will always think of him as one, if not all, of the aforementioned characters.

Today's generation will also remember him for his voiceovers with Tim Conway in "Sponge Bob Squarepants." No matter, whatever genre you place him in over the 6 decades that he has been working in entertainment, he has excelled at all of them, including as an author with his autobiography "Ernie", which I reviewed here last year. And that's what made his reply so unexpected. And more than welcome. You can read the original review of that book here;

http://robertwilliamsofbrooklyn.blogspot.com/2010/04/ernie-autobiography-by-ernest-borgnine.html