‘MARTY’ AND ‘DUTCH’ DIED (Or, R.I.P., ERNEST BORGNINE)

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We interrupt today’s scheduled blog bit about what a lying, un-American, Marxist bastard Barack Obama is, to bring you the sad news that actor Ernest Borgnine has died.

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I actually had the good pleasure to meet Mr. Borgnine once. I believe it was in 1978, on location for a made-for-TV-movie called ‘Cops And Robin’. If that movie includes a scene at an amusement park (Knott’s Berry Farm), then I’ve remembered things correctly.
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At any rate, I was doing Background (or “Extra”) work in the movie business at that time, and I was working on location at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California.
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Ernest Borgnine was starring in this movie, and although I rarely made it a point to speak with the actors on a set, I just felt compelled to approach Mr. Borgnine. He was sitting in his fold-out actor’s chair and we were filming a scene near Knott’s Berry Farm’s ‘Sky Cabin’ ride. I walked up to Mr. Borgnine and initiated a brief discussion. I can’t remember what I said to him but I’m sure it probably had to do with how much I loved and could relate to his performance in the movie ‘Marty’. (‘Marty’ won the Academy Award for ‘Best Picture’ in 1955, and Borgnine won the Oscar for ‘Best Actor’ that year.)

If you’ve never seen ‘Marty’, I can tell you that when someone says, “They don’t make movies like that anymore”, ‘Marty’ is the sort of movie that they’re referring to. It’s excellent; you should rent it!

Had it been some years later, I’m sure I would have been gushing to Mr. Borgnine about ‘The Wild Bunch’ instead of ‘Marty’, but in 1978, I hadn’t yet seen ‘The Wild Bunch’.

What can I tell you about our discussion? Well, I didn’t want to pester Mr. Borgnine, so I kept it brief, but what I do remember all these years later is that he was extremely nice, and he actually seemed to be almost as shy as his character Marty in the movie of the same name.

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Marty - Trailer

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2bXMwyfSWw

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And speaking of “Marty”, my old acting buddy in high school, Marty Brumer, and I used to do that ‘Marty’ bit all the time:

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"What do you want to do tonight, Marty?"

"I don’t know, Stephen. What do you want to do?"

(We’d usually end up going out to eat and discussing in great detail various acting techniques.) Marty Brumer and I knew the gig! My buddy Marty (whose name rhymed with “party”), as you’ll recall, was later killed by a car thief not far from the "Hollywood" sign.

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Anyway, Ernest Borgnine appeared in what was hands-down the greatest Western Movie ever made, ‘The Wild Bunch’, which I am proud to say I’ve seen twice on “The Big Screen” (at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood on March 6 & 12, 1995). Below are some cool videos pertaining to it:

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The Wild Bunch - His Word

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WjpUftCWRg

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In this next video, Dutch Engstrom’s (Ernest Borgnine’s) laugh just before the massive bloodletting is classic! Translated into English that laugh says: “We’re holding an entire Mexican army at gunpoint. This is the end for us underdogs but . . . it’s ON!”

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Wild Bunch music video

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWt19qzDsoA

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Mo' 'bout this great Western can be found by clicking the link...

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Link:

Why ‘THE WILD BUNCH’ Is A Cinematic Masterpiece

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Tomorrow we will return to our regularly scheduled programming about what a lying, un-American, Marxist bastard Barack Obama is.

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~ Stephen T. McCarthy

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