Customer Reviews

Ernie: The Autobiography

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"Ernie" is ninety-one year old Ernest Borgnine's lighthearted account of his more than five decades on the stage, in film, and on television. What has sustained this versatile character actor in a business that often grinds people down is the strong "old-fashioned work ethic" that he inherited from his Italian immigrant parents. Borgnine boasts that he has appeared in quite a few of the "100 Most Enjoyably Awful Movies of All Time" as listed in "The Official Razzie Movie Guide." Not all of his movies were classics, but he claims that "every one of them was a learning experience."

"Ernie" is a nostalgic autobiography in which Borgnine revels in his love of acting and especially of old-time moviemaking. He worked with many of the greats, including Helen Hayes, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Spencer Tracy, Gary Cooper, Montgomery Clift, Betty Davis, Jimmy Stewart, and Kirk Douglas. In addition, he appeared in a variety of genres, including comedies, westerns, war dramas, horror films, Biblical epics, and even a musical! He portrayed "good guys, cops, crooks, murderers, mob bosses, western villains, and an Amish farmer," and became Asian, Jewish, Irish, Swedish, or Mexican, when the part called for it. Much to his delight, his films were directed by such notables as Delbart Mann, Robert Mulligan, Fred Zinnemann ("From Here to Eternity"), and Michael Curtiz.

In an informal and conversational style, Borgnine emphasizes his critically acclaimed performances in "From Here to Eternity" and "Marty," but does not neglect to mention his less artistic films, such as "The Poseidon Adventure" and "Demetrius and the Gladiators." He also describes his stint in the popular "McHale's Navy," in which he played the Commander of a PT Boat in the South Pacific during World War II. Borgnine spends little time on his five marriages, only one of which endured. Ernie and Tova Borgnine have been together for thirty-five years.

Ernest Borgnine is a down-to-earth and affable tour guide who provides an entertaining overview of the last half century of show business. For those old enough to remember Borgnine in his heyday, this book will bring back fond memories of a bygone era. Although he is in no way a polished writer, the author's self-deprecating style, unabashed love for his craft, and colorful anecdotes make "Ernie" a treat for movie buffs.

I was familiar with Ernie Borgnine's work in "Airwolf" and "The Single Guy" and of course being the beloved hubby of my favorite perfume lady Tova. She wrote a great deal about him in her book so I picked up Ernie's book to hear his side of the story.... and what a story it is!
This book was a real treat! I felt like I was sitting with my favorite relative and they were telling me their life story.. filled with humor and such great detail! Ernie is 91 years young God bless him so he has a story to tell!! From his early days as a son of Italian immigrants to his Navy days that really was such a big part of his life and then his long career in acting. He tells everything with a big dose of humor and modesty and you really feel his love of people and of America ... he kept me entertained throughout the whole book! I would highly recommend this book!

Character actor Enest Borgnine sums up his personal philosophy in the words of an old sign he saw dangling from a street vendor's hot chestnut cart in the teeming slum streets in New York, where he was born ninety-odd years ago. These words have stuck with him ever since: "I don't want to set the world on fire," the sign read. "I just want to keep my nuts warm." Now he is the oldest living person to have won an Oscar and he's still acting with his lovely makeup mogul wife, Tova, to give him support.

He was middle aged when he started to act, after a ten year stint in the Navy during WWII, and so he came to us fully grown. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY wasn't his first film role, but this A-list Fred Zinnemann production got him noticed by all the critics and put him in line for the roles to come. He was married to a nurse, Rhoda, whom he calls a "stout woman," and then he met and married two entertainers, Katy Jurado and Ethel Merman, before his disastrous late 60s marriage to the unfortunate Donna, who comes off like a hustling gold-digger here. Maybe all these wives were just rehearsals for the real thing, Tova, whose soap is so rich that, even in the harsh Arab countries in which Zeffirelli directed Ernest Borgnine in the prizewinning miniseries JESUS OF NAZARETH, Franco Z found he could work up lather even in the hard water of the native springs.

Ernie worked with many greats and usually has something secret to tell about each of them. He's old Hollywood, and knew Cagney, Tracy, Stewart, Cooper, Gable, etc. When Burt Lancaster was asked if he was endangering his heterosexual reputation by frequenting Rock Hudson's all-boy parties, he replied, "I go to the opera, too, Ernie--doesn't mean I sing." At the premiere of Convoy, star Kris Kristofferson turned to Ernie and confessed he didn't remember making the movie. Now that's rock and roll! Robert Aldrich scared Lee Marvin to get him to stop making racialized remarks about Jim Brown on the set of The Dirty Dozen. Then there were the roles Ernie almost got! He wanted to play The Godfather, but Coppola held out for Brando. Gene Wilder had the part in the Poseidon Adventure, but lost it when scheduling conflicts forced him to withdraw--lucky break for Red Buttons! Lee Marvin was offered the part of Quint in JAWS, but declined. Same with Mitchum and PATTON. George Lindsay (Goober) was supposed to play the part of Mr. Spock. In fact Borgnine seems obsessed with this sort of "what-if" alternative Hollywood history, I wonder why.

Ernie knew them all and got along fine even with legends with whom he did not work, telling John Wayne, for example, that they never worked together because "you're afraid to work with good actors, Duke." Wayne did a double take, then realized that Ernie was just joshing him.

Borgnine's career wasn't all four and five star movies, as he is the first to admit; he did whatever he was offered, and among them many of the all-time golden turkeys. But he always seems to land on his feet, despite his troubled upbringing as the son of a manic, paranoid mother and despite being used by gold-digging shrews who turned his children against him.

Ernest Borgnine, popular character actor, is still with us, and in fine form if this autobiography is anything to go by. The author doesn't stint on his early life, and still seems surprised that his life took the path it did. What is unusual is that halfway through the narrative ends and we move into a sequence of anecdotes, film by film. This is actually very effective, and whoever made the decision to do this did well. After a while we feel we know enough about Ernie, and want to move onto the stories, which are there in abundance. Personally I could have done with a bit more about his brief marriage to Ethel Merman (surely there were a few decent bouts of vase-throwing?) but you can't have everything. Above average.

It's been years since he finally decided to write his memoirs but once he did Borgnine's story was well worth the wait. Excellent anecdotes on every page keep the reader fascinated in this informal, personalized tome. Always a fan of Marty and the Catered Affair, I was constantly reminded throughout this book of the films and projects he had been involved in that were also wonderful reminders of his talent (Pay or Die, The Wild Bunch, Vince Lombardi; the list is amazing!). He's also wonderfully candid about the schlock he's made (The Oscar, The Devil's Rain, etc). The best stories must be read in his own words to be truly appreciated. As I say, god bless you Ernest Borgnine!

Interesting reading. A different kind auto in that unlike most actors he actually goes into some detail about every one of his 59 films. All books on actors should take this approach as that's why people usually read about them, that and of course their personal life. As another reader pointed out, his telling of his life does seem a bit "sugar-coated", but a very good read just the same. More could have been said about his three failed marriages which would have added depth to his character. He had NOTHING to do with these break-ups? Remember, it takes TWO TO TANGO. Aside from that, I could not put the book down and read it in two sittings. Excpet for Gina Lollabridgeda, Jan Michael Vincent, Gene Hackman and Shelley Winters, he fawns over everyone else. Good. Nice to hear good words about all the stars he worked with. As for Paul Newman, everyone knew he was a cold person to work with. After reading ERNIE, one wants to view all of his films. Too bad so few are available on DVD. Would like to have an ERNEST BORGNINE festival. If you like to know about film and filmaking, this is the book for you. If you want to know about his own persona, good and bad, forget it. All in all he DOES sound like a person I'd like to meet and chat with. No, not about his personal life, but his career, and that's mainly what this book is about, so go for it!!

I've been a lifelong fan of Mr. Borgnine. I love him when he breaks my heart as Marty, and I love him when he's battling Lee Marvin to the death on top of a speeding train. I've since had the pleasure of meeting him and found him to be extremely gracious and totally unpretentious. I'm happy to report that his book is truly reflective of the man. You can almost hear his voice as you read his words. Some autobiograpies are ghosted in a slick familiar cadence, but this actually sounds like Ernie. He tells the story of his early years with honesty and heart. His relationship with his family is nicely drawn, and the stories he relates about the making of some of my favorite films is worth the price of the book alone. (Did ANYONE like working with Shelly Winters?)

In the end you feel like you've been chatting with a warm "old school" gentelman....the kind you don't run into much anymore. Thanks Ernie.

I found myself enthralled with Mr. Borgnine's story and with the manner in which he told it.

I felt as if I were sitting at his kitchen table and listening to him personally tell me his story. It's captivating, endearing, informative, but mostly, it's personal.

I loved it. I couldn't put it down. Buon lavoro, Sig. Borgnine!

The first thing I saw Ernest Borgnine in was "McHale's Navy" back in the 1960s. The movie "Marty" was a couple of years before I was born but I would love to see it now.

I never knew anything about Mr. Borgnine's life and after reading his book I have such admiration for him as a human being, and love for him as a fellow American who loves his country with fierce devotion. He came by it honest. Borgnine tells a great story about traveling back to America from Italy by ship with his mother when he was just a little boy. As they were passing the Statue of Liberty he saw a sand box on deck with no children playing in it and went over to play. Suddenly his mother grabbed him and hustled him back to the side of the ship and pointed towards Lady Liberty and told him when he sees that lady he better stand at attention.

He obviously has always had a strong work ethic and a good attitude towards life. No wonder he looks so great and has lived so long. At the time this book was published, Ernest Borgnine was 91.

His early life, days in the service, and his acting career (and the other actors/actresses he worked with or interacted with), all make for good reading. I really enjoyed reading this book.

A terrific book about a terrific person, who is a super star and yet down to earth. Ernie has never been like some of the superficial people in Hollywood and he loves his fans. I saw him with a crowd around him while he was signing autographs, and I asked him if this was too much, and Ernie said," absolutely not, these are my fans and they buy tickets to the movies and I love them!". Ernie is one of the top true patriots in the USA and would do anything for the troops without hesitation. This is not in the book! To know Ernie is to love him!

Guy Fox
A personal friend of Ernie and proud of it.