Ernest Borgnine passes away at the age of 95. RIP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQy-dfUlg58
...as did a talented sheriff a few days ago.
And just ahead of him we lost Mr. Drucker, the famous general store clerk of Hooterville aka Frank Cady.
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
And wherever you are Commander McHale, uh, Mr. Borgnine, I wish you "fair winds and following seas". You'll be missed, Sailor!
Ernest Borgnine.. what an actor. Of course looking at my handle (Gray Cat is one of the characters in the movie and my Avatar is a screen shot of "Shack" next to No 19) and my tag lines you can tell I like Emperor of the North (Pole).. a whole lot. My son and I just watched it again the other day. I think it's one of the greater films regarding steam trains and the "bo's" there is. Ernie sure plays one heckuva bad guy. His role in From Here to Eternity as Fatso Judson is a great bad guy too! I thought it particularly funny that at such a late stage in his career he would end up of all places doing a voice over as Mermaid Man on Sponge Bob Squarepants (which I watched with my children as they were/are growing up) also of note is that Mermaid Man's sidekick "Barnacle Boy" was voiced by none other than his old McHales' Navy sidekick Tim Conway..
On a personal note and something I haven't seen listed in any of his Obits or any columns about him was the fact that Ernest was a 33rd degree Mason.
Ernest will be missed but will live forever in the movies and shows we watch.
Lover of all things Gilbert, truly a man ahead of his time.
The Me TV Network is showing the Mc Hale's Navy movie on Saturday afternoon and the Antenna TV network is doing a 21 hour Mc Hale's Navy marathon on Sunday.
I also love Disney's Black Hole in which Ernie played reporter Harry Booth.
Becky
...still waiting for someone to do a layout in homage to the 19.
Funny you should say that.. my 14yo son keeps bugging me to help him reproduce the train and consist for his HO layout. So far it looks like a Mikado 2-8-2..
It's on the list.
For reference, the actual movie engine is still alive and well on the Yreka Western.
Just an addendum: I found Ernest Borgnines "Shack" in "Emperor of the North" so terrifying I've only watched the movie once, and I don't scare that easily! And I thought Margaret Hamiltons "Wicked Witch of the West" was scary! Ernie beat her easily! Just one hell of an actor, we won't see his like again.
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