McHales Navy (Universal Pictures) (1964)

Acting Change Of Pace Adds To Performers Happiness Is Ernest Borgnine s Claim (Advance) Movie stars who are completely happy individuals are a rarity, according to some members of the writing fraternity who delve into the personality structure of celebrities, but Ernest Borgnine is one of the exceptions. He feels that he has been lucky in running the gamut from hisses to kisses in his sereen career with a broad variety of roles that have kept him both interested and stimulated. Ernie’s latest role is one of broad comedy as he headlines the cast in Universal’s full-length feature, “McHale’s Navy,” with the color COIMEOy SECUNLOTOPeCNi ee fs on the-sereen: OL thet s 252s Theatre. As a virtual newcomer in 1953 Borgnine became what Time Magazine called ‘‘one of the most menacing film heavies of all time’”’ for his performance as ‘“Fatso”’ Judson the sadistic Army sergeant in that year’s Academy Award film, “From Here To Eternity.” In a business where an actor easily falls prey to that old bugaboo, type-casting, Borgnine broke the mold which had shaped his image up to that time by going all out for a part in a Hecht-Lancaster low-budget picture with the unpretentious title of ‘Marty.’ “When I finally landed a reading,” Ernie recalled, ‘everything seemed to go wrong.” He went on to explain how “Marty” playwright Paddy Chayefsky and director Delbert Mann came up to Lone Pine, California, where Borgnine was playing a heavy (what else?) in Metro’s “Bad Day At Black Rock” with Spencer Tracy. “T entered their room in dirty cowboy boots, a three-day growth of beard, then read my lines with a twang instead of Brooklynese.” Stardom was born ten minutes: later when Borgnine in lines directed towards his screen mother (at that audition occasion by author Chayefsky), “Blue suit, gray suit, I’m just an ugly, ugly man!” “Ma, what do you want from me ?”’ When he turned around with tears in his eyes, and saw a mist in those of Mann’s and Chayefsky’s, he knew he had the part. The rest is past and pleasant history, and Ernie covets the Oscar he won as Best Actor for his role in ‘‘Marty.” Between 1955 and 1961 he parlayed his Academy Award into numerous motion picture roles the world over. The point was simply he could play leads where he was formerly confined to villainous roles. At that point TV came into the picture and its importance could not be overlooked. Yet many motion picture stars did. But Ernie, who'd had his fill of travel, wanted something he could sink his teeth into, like a property called “Seven Against the Sea” which Revue Studios brought to his attention. “T’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Navy stories (Borgnine is a ten-year veteran of the service) and playing a PT boat skipper appealed to me.” “Seven Against the Sea’ was telecast on the “Premiere” TV series in May, 1962. By then, plans were already afoot to transform MONEY IS CHEAPER A man actually can make money throwing it away in movie -making. A gambling casino sequence for Universal Picture’s full-length motion picture, ‘““McHale’s Navy” required Ernest Borgnine, Joe Flynn and Tim Conway to toss some 500 silver dollars at the feet of their sailor buddies. The propmaster first intended to use slugs, but when he found they were priced at $1.05 each, he threw in real silver dollars. The color comedy feature is currently on the screen of the Theatre. It’s the bellowing voice of Ernest Borgnine that calls his zany crew of nautical misfits together in Universal Pictures’ ““McHale’s Navy,” their first full-length motion picture in color. In the title role, Borgnine heads the cast, with Joe Flynn and Tim Conway co-starring in the feature comedy. (Still No. 1948-124) the hour drama into a half-hour comedy series, called ‘McHale’s Navy.” Though Borgnine had played comedy on Broadway (in ‘“‘Harvey’), it was singularly absent from his film credits. “Hither I accepted it as a challenge,” he said, “or else I bowed out to go back to motion pictures.” Borgnine, as has been his custom all through his career, took the bull by the horns, so to speak, and in his first year in a brand new medium, and under a brand new set of rules, was nominated in 1963 for Best Actor In a Series by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In its first two years of existence, ‘““McHale’s Navy” has become one of the most popular and successful television shows on television. “People started to stop me on the street and call me “Commander McHale’ instead of ‘Marty”’ or ‘that mean guy in ‘From Here To Eternity.’ ” Borgnine’s fan mail, which averaged 500 letters a week before the series, soared up to over 1,400 a week. When Borgnine walked into producer Edward J. Montagne’s office last Fall with a collection of letters — by actual count over 21,000 — requesting the series be made into a widescreen theatre motion picture feature, and in color, the wheels began turning. The full-length comedy production, in which Borgnine heads the cast, with Joe Flynn and Tim Conway co-starring, and the entire zany crew of nautical misfits being featured, marks another milestone in an illustrious career. “It’s proven to me,” says Ernie, “that the business is flexible enough to allow an actor to do heavy drama, some straight acting, and, if he’s a lucky man, comedy. I’ve been lucky,” he added, knocking on wood, ‘‘very lucky.” NON-TYPE CASTING Si Rose, who wrote the original story for Universal’s “McHale’s Navy,” full-length motion picture in color, was cast in the theatre feature comedy by producer-director Ed Montagne — as a struggling writer unsuccessful in selling stories to Hollywood. Rose has been story editor on the ‘McHale’s Navy” TV series for the past two years. Confusion reigns as PT 73 commander Ernest Borgnine tries to calm his bumbling scatter-brained ensign, Tim Conway (center) and the frightened, and usually frustrated, captain Joe Flynn in this scene from Universal Pictures’ ‘“McHale’s Navy.’ This is the first full-length motion picture—in color—based on the popular TV comedy series. (Still No. 1948-22) _ McHALE'S NAVY" (2.6 Threading a needle can be a serious problem for a confused character like Tim Conway, the constantly bumbling Ensign Parker in “McHale’s Navy,” Universal Pictures full-length motion picture in color, as he tries to impress pretty Claudine Longet. Scene is from the feature comedy in which Conway co-stars with Ernest Borgnine and Joe Flynn, with the French beauty featured in a top (Still No. 1948-72) feminine role. A flustered Ernest Borgnine (right) tries to explain to Joe Flynn what a horse is doing in a South Pacific Island hut in this scene from Universal Pictures’ ““McHale’s Navy,” the full-length motion picture color feature based on the popular television comedy series. Borgnine stars in the title role, and Flynn co-stars with Tim Con way and the entire McHale’s crew. (Still No. 1948-30) oe — UMsHALE'S N iS) A refreshing—as well as romantic—interlude is devised by marriage-minded Jean Willes for Ernest Borgnine’s benefit in this scene from Universal Pictures’ full-length motion picture comedy in color, “McHale’s Navy.” The feature, which stars Academy Award winner Borgnine, with co-stars Joe Flynn, Tim Conway and the entire McHale’s crew, is based on the popular television series. The beauteous Miss Willes plays one of the featured feminine roles in the film. (Still No. 1948-54) Wacky TV Naval Crew Now Star In Full-Length Movie (Advance) Coming in with a bang, a howl and a roar to the screen of the Bp ae aeakoea tna Thea treone 2G ne. will be television’s zany headliners, “McHale’s Navy,” in their first full-length motion picture. Rising to a new heights of hilarity —and never as funny as they are on the theatre screen — are Ernest Borgnine, Joe Flynn and Tim Conway and the kookie outfit of Naval rejects who make up the best-loved comedy show on television . Especially written and _ produced for the theatre screen “McHale’s Navy,” filmed in vivid color, is one long, loud laugh from beginning to end in the maddest adventure to ever intrigue a theatre audience. Edward J. Montagne ,who has produced the ABC-TV comedy sensation for the past two years, produced and directed the fulllength motion picture presentation of ““McHale’s Navy” for Universal Pictures. Sultry Jean Willes does her wily best to share marriage vows with Ernest Borgnine in Universal Pictures’ “McHale’s Navy,” first fulllength motion picture based on the popular TV comedy. Filmed in color, the picture stars Borgnine and co-stars Joe Flynn and Tim Conway. (Still No. 1948-112) Bat Blind Character actor Larry Blind is cast in Universal Pictures’ “McHale’s Navy,” full-length feature comedy in color now at Theatre, and starring Ernest Borgnine, Joe Flynn and Tim Conway. Blind is seen in a costume ball sequence dressed as a vampire bat. Movie-TV Villain’s Snarls Almost Sink ‘McHale's Navy” Crew (Current) One of the biggest and nastiest of all meanies in Hollywood is George Kennedy, cast as the villainous knave who snarls and menaces a crew of nautical misfits known as ‘“McHale’s Navy” in the full-length feature comedy of the same title, now on the screen Ce) iia Vaya se edie ee Oe eed, Theatre. The Universal picture, filmed in color and based on the collection of characters who have been bringing made hilarity to the popular television laugh series for the past two years, stars Ernest Borgnine, with Joe Flynn and Tim Conway co-starring. The picture marks Kennedy’s first working reunion with Edward J. Montagne, producer-director of “McHale’s Navy” both on the screen and TV, with whom he worked as assistant during 1958 when Montagne was producing the successful “Sergeant Biliko” TV series. This was when former actor Kennedy had returned to New York from duty with the Armed Forces overseas. He longed to get back to acting, so shifted to Hollywood. It was when Montagne saw his ex-aide doing his sinister best to annihilate both Gary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in “Charade” that he called on George Kennedy to do his frightful antics for “McHale’s Navy.”