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Tag: Ernest Borgnine

  • Carol Burnett Receives Harvey Award in Honor of Jimmy Stewart

    Comedienne Carol Burnett received the Harvey Award on Friday in honor of the late, great Jimmy Stewart. The award was bestowed upon her at a fundraiser for the James M. Stewart Museum Foundation, which is based in the late actor’s hometown of Indiana, Pennsylvania. Burnett was quite taken with Jimmy Stewart from the very first time she laid eyes on the A Wonderful Life star. That first time was when she was just a small child attending the movies in San Antonio, Texas, with her grandmother.

    “I saw this long, tall drink of water up there in black and white, and I said, ‘He’s my friend. I know him,’” she said right before she received the award. “And it came to pass.”

    The Harvey Award is named for the 1950 film in which Jimmy Stewart befriends an invisible rabbit. It is given annually to someone with entertainment industry connections to Stewart. Previous recipients include Janet Leigh, Shirley Jones, Ernest Borgnine, and Rich Little. Little was known for his stammering impression of Jimmy Stewart.

    Some might say Carol Burnett had fewer professional connections with Jimmy Stewart than others who might also have been considered for the award. She had an emotional connection, however, that simply couldn’t be surpassed. Jimmy Stewart even made a surprise visit to her final taping of The Carol Burnett Show back in March of 1978.

    “I have talked about him, I have worshipped him,” she said when he took the stage that evening.

    “They hid him in the dressing room from me,” she told the Associated Press of that surprise appearance.

    “I just love Jimmy Stewart,” Carol Burnett said after receiving her award, remembering that trip to the movies, but not the name of the film. “It was the late ’30s and in a nightclub setting. I know I was 3 or 4 because my feet couldn’t touch the floor from my seat. I just remember I fell in love with that man.”

    Carol Burnett is now 81 years old.

    Congratulations to Carol Burnett for receiving the Harvey Award in honor of Jimmy Stewart. He is no doubt smiling down on her with fondness and appreciation. She is a perfect choice for keeping his legacy and his memory alive.

  • Ernest Borgnine, McHale’s Navy Star, Dies at 95

    Ernest Borgnine (born as Ermes Effron Borgnino), a comedical actor who was well-known for his roles as “Lt. Commander Quinton McHale” in McHale’s Navy and “Marty Piletti” in Marty died this past Sunday (July 8th, 2012) at the age of 95.

    Born in Hamden, CT, with parents who immigrated to the United States from Italy, became involved with the performance arts in 1945 after his service in the US Navy. In 1951, Borgnine received his “big break” when acting as “Fatso Judson” in From Here to Eternity. While building his repertoire of acting up, Borgnine seemed to fit into villainous-type roles in movies, such as: Johnny Guitar, Vera Cruz and Bad Day at Black Rock.

    Borgnine was also a great character actor in various television series, such as: Goodyear Television Playhouse, Short Short Dramas, The Ford Television Theatre, Waterfront, The Lone Wolf, Fireside Theatre, The O. Henry Playhouse, Frontier Justice, Laramie, The Blue Angels, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Run for Your Life, Little House on the Prairie, The Love Boat, Magnum, P.I., Highway to Heaven, Murder She Wrote, Walker Texas Ranger, Touched by an Angel, and the final episodes of the well-known medical drama ER.

    According to various sources (Chicago Tribune and Huffington Post), Ernest Borgnine died due to renal failure Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. His family were at his side at the time of his passing.

    Various members of the Twitterverse have been paying their respects to this talented actor:






    What was your favorite memory or role of Ernest Borgnine? Please let us know in this post’s comments section.