Ernie: The Autobiography Summary and Reviews

Ernie: The Autobiography
by Ernest Borgnine

Ernie: The Autobiography
List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $9.98
You Save: $14.97 (60%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.00 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Ernest Borgnine
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-08-01
ISBN: 0806529415
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Citadel

Book Reviews of Ernie: The Autobiography

Book Review: "I've had quite a run."
Summary: 5 Stars

"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.

Entertainers Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Entertainers Books
El Sid: Saint Vicious ImageEl Sid: Saint Vicious
by David Dalton
Griffin; Published: 1998-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.79
Price in other shops: $11.95
Moonwalk ImageMoonwalk
by Michael Jackson
Crown Archetype; Published: 2009-10-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.61
Price in other shops: $25.00
High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly ImageHigh Society: The Life of Grace Kelly
by Donald Spoto
Three Rivers Press; Published: 2010-10-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.73
Price in other shops: $16.00
Stand & Deliver: The Autobiography ImageStand & Deliver: The Autobiography
by Adam Ant
Pan Macmillan; Published: 2007-04-30; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $105.86
San Antonio Rose: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF BOB WILLS (Music in American Life) ImageSan Antonio Rose: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF BOB WILLS (Music in American Life)
by Charles Townsend
University of Illinois Press; Published: 1986-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $33.50
Price in other shops: $37.50
Orson Welles: Volume 1: The Road to Xanadu ImageOrson Welles: Volume 1: The Road to Xanadu
by Simon Callow
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1997-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.22
Price in other shops: $18.00
The Basketball Diaries ImageThe Basketball Diaries
by Jim Carroll
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1987-07-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.52
Price in other shops: $15.00
Hollywood Animal ImageHollywood Animal
by Joe Eszterhas
Hutchinson; Published: 2004; Paperback; Book
Love, Janis ImageLove, Janis
by Laura Joplin
It Books; Published: 2005-08-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.50
Price in other shops: $14.99
A Paper Life CD ImageA Paper Life CD
by Tatum O'Neal
HarperAudio; Published: 2004-10-12; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $17.77
Price in other shops: $24.95
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Robert Mitchum: "Baby I Don't Care" ImageRobert Mitchum: "Baby I Don't Care"
by Lee Server
St. Martin's Press; Published: 2001-03-20; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $31.99
Price in other shops: $32.50
A Fortunate Life ImageA Fortunate Life
by Robert Vaughn
Thomas Dunne Books; Published: 2008-10-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.91
Price in other shops: $25.95
Robert Mitchum: "Baby I Don't Care" ImageRobert Mitchum: "Baby I Don't Care"
by Lee Server
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2002-03-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.38
Price in other shops: $23.99
'Tis Herself: A Memoir Image'Tis Herself: A Memoir
by Maureen O'Hara, John Nicoletti
Simon & Schuster; Published: 2004-02-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $35.16
Glenn Ford: A Life (Wisconsin Film Studies) ImageGlenn Ford: A Life (Wisconsin Film Studies)
by Peter Ford
University of Wisconsin Press; Published: 2011-05-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.23
Price in other shops: $24.95
My Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Autobiography of Errol Flynn ImageMy Wicked, Wicked Ways: The Autobiography of Errol Flynn
by Errol Flynn
Cooper Square Press; Published: 2002-11-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.87
Price in other shops: $17.95
American Prince: A Memoir ImageAmerican Prince: A Memoir
by Tony Curtis, Peter Golenbock
Crown Archetype; Published: 2008-10-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $1.48
Price in other shops: $25.95
The Garner Files: A Memoir ImageThe Garner Files: A Memoir
by James Garner, Jon Winokur
Simon & Schuster; Published: 2011-11-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.75
Price in other shops: $25.99
The Good, the Bad, and Me: In My Anecdotage ImageThe Good, the Bad, and Me: In My Anecdotage
by Eli Wallach
Mariner Books; Published: 2006-05-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.42
Price in other shops: $14.00
Marty ImageMarty
MGM; Release date: 2001-06-19; DVD
Best price: $5.74
Price in other shops: $14.98