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

"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