RIP Earnest Borgnine

[cbscreative]

A few days ago, it was the sad news about Andy Griffeth, and today it's Earnest Borgnine. Our own eborg here derives his user name after Earnie. We are short two great actors now, and people who have met both of them report on how "real" these guys were. I've never met either one in person, but I've always appreciated what I've heard from people who have and the genuine class they've always exhibited. Hollywood has very little of that and now it has two less members in a small group.

[billbenson]

I was shocked because I didn't realize he was still alive. He was 96. But you are right. They were both class acts. You know a class act when you never hear anything bad said about someone.

[Harold Mansfield]

I know. Sad news.
Believe it or not, I wasn't a HUGE McCales Navy fan. The first time I saw Earnest Borgnine was when I was a kid watching The Poseidon Adventure (1972) on ABC's Saturday Night Movies ( or something like that). It as probably more like 1980 when I saw it. He was pretty much the man in the movie. Had some snappy one liners, and was pretty much the all around tough guy hero, but in a down to earth kind of way.

It also starred Gene Hackman, Red Buttons, Shelly Winters, Roddy McDowall, Pamela Sue Martin....pretty much the "Love Boat" crowd at this point in their careers, and were popular with my Mom's generation, but still household names. (Favorite Gene Hackman Movie is "The Heist".)

Mind you this was waaaaay before the Titanic Movie craze and there a lot of disaster movies at the time. Airport 77. Towering Inferno. Earthquake. And one of it's writers, Irwin Allen was the Sci-Fi man of the time. Good stuff for a 10-12 year old boy.

Boxoffice Magazine reported "The Poseidon Adventure" as the #1 Box Office Champ of 1973. By the end of 1974, it ranked among the six most successful features in film history, along with Gone with the Wind, The Godfather, Love Story, Airport, and The Sound of Music.

So The Poseidon Adventure became one of my favorite movies growing up. I would catch it every time it came on TV, and Earnest Borgnine was my favorite reason for watching it.

My Favorite quote: When asked about his marriage to Ethel Merman, Earnie replied, "Biggest mistake of my life. I thought I was marrying Rosemary Clooney."

[KristineS]

I remember Borgnine from the Poseidon Adventure as well. My parents took us to the drive in to see it when we were pretty young. I think the plan was we were supposed to go to sleep and they would watch the movie, but I remember watching it. Terrified the crap out of me. Still am a little scared of big boats.

Also, Borgnine was in Airwolf and did a really great guest starring bit in an episode of NCIS in the first or second season. He was just one of those guys that everyone knew.

[vangogh]

Harold you and I watched the same things growing up. I've seen The Poseidon Adventure, many many times. I used to watch that and The Towering Inferno whenever they came on tv. I was also a McHale's Navy fan back in the day.

Sad day for the Borgine family.