Comments on: Ernest Borgnine? I Thought You Were Dead!

By: Boyd Durkin

Boyd Durkin — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 18:46:58 +0000

I had a dream that I interviewed Borgnine and asked nothing but questions about Airwolf. I think it’s a metaphor for the upcoming Presidential debates.

By: Lefty

Lefty — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 18:28:58 +0000

scott in phoenix,

I suspect it’s possible to be a patriot and not like the SPB despite what Mr Borgnine believed or might have said on the matter.

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 15:42:29 +0000

All those great roles, AND the voice of Mermaid Man on Spongebob Squarepants. Solid gold. RIP.

By: ClubMedSux

ClubMedSux — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:56:37 +0000

24 comments and no mention of Borgnine’s classic appearance on The Simpsons?

Homer: Son, there was something I was going to give you at the end of
this trip, but since we may not survive, I want you to have it
now.
Bart: [gasps] A real Swiss Army knife! Cool!
Homer: I stole it from that Borgnine guy.
[Scene switch to a ferocious bear]
Ernest: Don’t worry, kids! I’ll take care of him with my trusty…
[searches for his knife]…er, er, um, er, uh, hmm.

By: Orion

Orion — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 13:52:27 +0000

Don’t forget the greatest Reagan era TV show of all time, Airwolf!

By: Patrick from Popehat

Patrick from Popehat — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 13:09:37 +0000

Scott in Phoenix, I don’t know whether Ernest Borgnine loved the Star Spangled Banner as much as you do, but I do know that Strom Thurmond, Joseph McCarthy, Richard Daley, and Spiro Agnew all did.

I never learned anything from Ernest Borgnine about patriotism, but I learned a lot about you from your comment.

By: Obit watch: July 9, 2012. « Whipped Cream Difficulties

Obit watch: July 9, 2012. « Whipped Cream Difficulties — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:43:43 +0000

[...] to add: And, oddly enough, a nice tribute from Patrick at Popehat, guest blogging at Balko’s [...]

By: Marty

Marty — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:38:18 +0000

I always thought Borgnine and George Kennedy were pretty similar, with Borgnine being more nuanced. The Wild Bunch was my favorite and I loved the documentary. What a neat guy.

By: marco73

marco73 — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:37:49 +0000

Loved him as the general in Dirty Dozen. Not a huge role, but he made a distinct impression.
Wild Bunch. Now that is what film is all about!

Fair sailing Mr. Borgnine.

By: el coronado

el coronado — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 05:53:21 +0000

The thing that always most impressed me about Borgnine was, strangely enough, his 32-day marriage to Ethel Merman. Merman was his 3rd wife of 5 – hey, the guy was a Hollywood Star; marrying a lot is what they DID back then – but he realized right quick it wasn’t gonna work. (rumor has it it’s because he overheard her talking to her mom about “what a lousy husband he was” right after the honeymoon, but YMMV.)

So, even knowing he was gonna have to eat a lot of shit sandwiches and be the butt of a lot of jokes, he cut his losses *right then*. He _fired_ her ass. Tough decision; ballsy as hell; and absolutely correct. Doing it quick saved him months if not years of pain and God knows how much $$ and hassle.

And then 10 years – and 1 more short-lived marriage – later he met *Her*, and stayed married to her for almost 40 years. Till Death did them part. Interesting guy: would have liked to have a drink or 2 with him. (Can’t say that about Cruise or Travolta.)

By: cthulhu

cthulhu — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 05:00:01 +0000

The other thing about Marty, of course, is that it was written by the great Paddy Chayefsky, always one of the most understated yet powerful screenwriters of his generation (or any generation). Second your review of The Wild Bunch; it really said all there was to say. We need good actors like Ernest Borgnine, whether character actors or leading men or women; the vitality of the art of cinema demands fearless acting (and Tom Cruise doesn’t cut it; I’ll never forgive him for not being good enough to be the spellbinding center that Kubrick’s last movie demanded).

By: scott in phoenix

scott in phoenix — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 04:33:36 +0000

Pope,

I’ll bet Earnest Borgnine liked, nay, probably loved “The Star Spangled Banner”.

Like most of the “stars” of that time, I’d be willing to bet he was a patriot.

You could have learned a lot from him.

By: Cappy

Cappy — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 03:20:10 +0000

Along with Kevin Spacey I would place Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Steve Buscemi, Harvey Keitel and Jeff Bridges.

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 02:59:29 +0000

TV Tropes is the finest website on earth.

Well no real argument here, but it’s not really a TV criticism website…

The thing with TV Tropes is how it can cause time to bend; all of a sudden 3 hours have disappeared.

By: (B)oscoH, Yogurt Eater

(B)oscoH, Yogurt Eater — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 02:12:57 +0000

I’m gonna say it. “Airwolf”

By: Mary

Mary — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 01:58:50 +0000

I have never, ever run across someone who didn’t like Daniel Day Lewis!

By: Ted S.

Ted S. — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 01:45:57 +0000

As a movie blogger, I'd pick an almost entirely different set of movies from the ones Patrick selected, with the exception of Marty, of course. For a well-played thug, try either of his supporting performances in Bad Day at Black Rock or as Fatso Judson in From Here to Eternity. And for something completely different, try Violent Saturday, in which Borgnine plays... an Amish farmer! A gang of bank robbers tries to use his farm as a hide out, leading to the inevitable crisis of conscience of how a non-violent Amish person should deal with violent bank robbers trying to kill his family. And for something set at sea, you could always try The Poseidon Adventure, at least to ogle his screen wife Stella Stevens.

By: Lefty

Lefty — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 01:26:34 +0000

We’ve still got Kevin Spacey, Anthony Hopkins and Jack Nicholson. All pretty charismatic guys.

Cruise is nuts. How gullible do you have to be to believe in a religion involving space aliens founded by a science fiction author.

By: Yizmo Gizmo

Yizmo Gizmo — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 01:25:45 +0000

Ernest Borgnine, was an epic man.
The letters of his name, rearranged, spell both Beginner Stoner
AND
Boners Entering.
Coincidence?

By: Patrick from Popehat

Patrick from Popehat — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 01:18:13 +0000

TV Tropes is the finest website on earth.