Page 22 Classic Images February 2012 Cruising with the Stars

Page 22 Classic Images February 2012

Cruising with the StarsThe 2011 Turner Classic Movies Film CruiseStory by Nick ThomasPhotos by Debby Thomas & Turner Classic Movies

For the past two years, TurnerClassicMovieshasbroughttogetherthousands of classic film fans withtheirfavoriteHollywoodlegendsforTCM’s April film festival in LosAngeles. Last December, the TCMexecsdecidedtotrysomethingnew,and added a Classic Movie Cruiseto their schedule of activities. Butwould a more intimate, self-con-tained event on water be as suc-cessful as the LA Film Festival onland?IwasfortunatetobeonboardTCM’s first aquaticmoviemission,alongwithmyphotographerwife,tointerview passengers and the celeb-rityguests.

Togetherwith theotherpassen-gers,wescrambledaboardSixthman’sCelebrityMillenniumcruiseshiponDecember8asitpreparedtosetsailfrom Miami for a four-day round-trip voyage to Cozumel, Mexico,on the 2011 Turner Classic MoviesClassic Cruise. Unlike most cruisesin theGulf, itwasn’t thewarmcli-mate,goldenbeaches,sparklingblue

waters, exotic restaurants, or shop-ping thatunited thisdedicatedbandof some 2,000 travelers; it was thefilm events and celebrity guests onboard.

Likemanyotherson theship, Ihad little interest whale or dolphinspottingsonthisparticularvoyage—it was definitely a people-watchingcruise, and our first celebrity sight-ing occurred mere moments aftersetting foot ondeck.Whilewaitingin line to proceed through secu-rity around 1 p.m., on Thursday, Inoticed a motorized scooter pullingup alongside me and inching itswayahead.“Look,”mywifesaidtome,“it’sErnestBorgnine!”Hewaswearing a baseball cap andglasses,which I used as a somewhat feebleexcuse for failing to recognize theHollywood legend who turned 95yearsoldinJanuary.

“Everywhere you go now youhave to wait,” said a very cheerfulBorgnine.Then,inhischaracteristic

booming, gravelly, voice, he addedwithabroadgrin,“exceptwhentheywanttotakeyourmoney!Seeyouallaboard!”

With that, Borgnine and hissmallentouragedisappearedintotheship. But, I wondered, would wesee him and the other stars—EvaMarie Saint, Tippi Hedren, direc-tor Norman Jewison, as well asTCMhostsRobertOsborneandBenMankiewicz—during thecruise?Orwouldtheyallretiretotheircabins,emerging only to fulfill their eventobligations to TCM? I would soonhavemyanswer.

Oncethroughsecurity,wehead-ed aft towards our cabin located inthe stern—that’s the back end oftheshipforyoulandlubbers—whereourbalconyofferedagloriousviewof the retreating Miami skyline.Officially incorporated as a city in1896withapopulationof justover300, Miami has the distinction ofbeing the only major city in the

UnitedStatesfoundedbyawoman,Julia Tuttle, who was a local citrusgrower.

After unpacking, we headed tothediningroomforthebuffetlunch.Wecollectedsomefoodandmovedovertoatablebesideapartitionthatseparatedusfromthefoodlinetraf-fic.Not longafter, a ratheranxiouswoman sprinted past us and beganpeeringoverthepartition.Shelookedbacktowardshertable,callingoutinaratherhushedtone:“He’sstandingin the food line!” Then she disap-pearedforafewmoments,butsoonreturnedwalkingslowlybacktohertablewhileholdingherarmintheair.“I’llneverwashthishandagain!”sheproclaimed,obviouslyquitepleased.The murmurs from the surroundingtablesmadeitclear that thewomanhadexperiencedacloseencounteroftheRobertOsbornekind!Afterfin-ishingourmeal,wegotuptoleave,weaving our way through the mazeof tablesandwalked rightpastEvaMarie Saint, quietly eating lunch

Passenger Cicely Hansen who runs Decades of Fashion, a vintage clothing and cos-tume store in San Francisco, poses with Ernie Borgnine. (Photo Debby Thomas) Tippi Hedren chats with fans at the sail away party. (Photo credit Debby Thomas)

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with her husband, television direc-tor Jeff Hayden. It was clear fromdayone that the starswouldbeoutand shining on this inaugural TCMCruise.

Theideaforthecruiseoriginat-ed with Dennis Adamovich, SeniorVice President of Brand ActivationatTCM,whowasonboardandwhoI caught up with after we set sail.“I was thinking about the idea forour other Turner station, TBS, as aComedy Cruise,” Adamovich toldme.“Butcomingofflastyear’ssuc-cessful TCM film festival, our fanswereaskingus ifwewereplanningother events for later in the year.So we redirected our efforts to theClassic Cruise, although I wouldn’trule out a Comedy Cruise in thefuture.Itwasabigleapoffaith,butwesoldoutinanincredible70days.EvenCelebrity[thecruiseline]toldustheywereamazedandthatthey’dnever had a cruise sell out so fast.Bear in mind that at this point, wehadn’t even announced what filmswe would be showing or who thecelebrityguestswouldbe,soclearlywehaveapowerfulbrandinTCM.”

When TCM eventuallyannounced their program of eventsand guests, only those unable tosecure a booking could have beendisappointed. TCM had planned arather demanding schedule of pro-grams for the cruise, so there wassomethingforeveryclassicfilmfan:numerous movie screenings—manypreceded by introductions with thestars of the films—Q&A sessionswithall the stars, aswell asRobertOsborne and Ben Mankiewicz, apanel discussion with TCM execu-tives,bingo,dancing,andtriviacon-tests.

After boarding, there was acompulsory safety drill at 4 p.m.However, the folks demonstratingsafetyprocedureshadtocompeteforthe crowd’s attention when ErnestBorgnine came in and was mobbedby well-wishers trying to shake hishand.Hadthesignaltoabandonshipcome through then, I suspect manypassengers would have preferred towraptheirarmsfondlyaroundErnie,rather than a lifejacket! (And, by

theway,shouldyoueverbumpintohim; he does indeed prefer to becalledErnie.)

Followingthedrillwasthefirstcommunal event—the Sail AwayParty by the pool amidships. By 5o’clock,crowdshadgatheredaroundthe small stage area and applaud-ed enthusiastically when RobertOsborne was announced. “We’redelighted that you are all here andhope you have a great time,” saida very relaxed looking Osborne,wearing a light blue jacket and tie-less shirt, his white hair blowingin thebriskGulfbreeze. In fact,hehadonlyrecentlyresumedhisTCMhosting duties a few weeks earlierafterabreakofseveralmonths.“Onbehalfofmyselfandco-hostforthisevent,BenMankiewicz,welcome!”

Robert then proceeded tointroduce the main guests, ErnestBorgnine, Eva Marie Saint, TippiHedren, and Norman Jewison, eachbeing warmly welcomed. Withthe average age of the four specialguestsbeingaround87,itwasclear

thecrowdappreciatedtheireffortstojointhecruise.Eachlookedrelaxed,healthy,andgenuinelypleasedtobeapartof thisspecialevent.Hedren,

the youngster of the group at 81,appeared still stunningly beautiful,wearing a black and white stripped“zebra-like” blouse, perhaps a sub-

Happy film fans gather around the ship’s pool for the Sail Away Party. (Photo credit TCM)

Shot of stars and TCM reps during the sail away party. Robert and Ben are at back center. Ernie is behind Eva Marie, and Tippi is in black and white stripe top. Jewison is wearing gray cap and dark suit, and Wink is in white shirt. (Photo Credit TCM)


tle nod to her strong support foranimal rights; Saint moved jaun-tilyaroundonstageinablueblazerand red scarf, clearly enjoying thesupportive crowds; Jewison, sport-ing a gray beard, suit, and baseballcap, also seemed pleased with hisreception;andthentherewasErnie!Alwaysafanfavorite,Borgninehadabandonedhisscooter—neededonlyto navigate the lengthy distances

betweenevents—andmadehiswayto the crowds at the edges wherehe shookhands, receivedhugs, andposedforphotos.

After a group cruise photo wastaken,weheadedbacktotherestau-rant for dinner. As usually happensoncruises,strangersareoftenthrowntogetheraroundtablesatmealtimes,and on this cruise these banquets

becamespecialevents.Sinceallpas-sengerssharedacommoninterestinclassic films, conversations imme-diately turned to Hollywood, andstrangersquicklybecame friendsasthey discussed their favorite filmsand actors, sometimes late into thenight.Itwasquiteamazingtowatchand be part of it. During our firstmeal,wesatwithacouplefromLasVegas and two ladies from LongIsland. After the meal, the conver-sation carried into the RendezvousLounge where veteran game showhost Wink Martindale, a surpriseguest,presentedamovietriviacon-test, with questions taken from thepopular TCM Classic Movie Triviabook. Calling our team of six “TheDirty Half-Dozen,” we found our-selvesnomatchfortheseriousmovietrivia buffs on board who seem tohavememorizedtheentirebook!

Laterintheevening,aswewan-deredtheship,weweredrawntooneoftheloungesbythesoundofpianomusic. To our surprise and delight,itturnedouttobemasterpianistandstorytellerRichardGlazierwhowasin full swing seamlessly blendinga recital with fascinating stories ofhis life, including how his friend-ships with three legendary figuresin American Popular Song—IraGershwin, Johnny Green and HughMartin—had influenced his career.Although he didn’t finish until 1a.m., Richard hung around talkingtopassengersandposingforphoto-graphs, yet another sign that thosewho reached out to the celebritieswouldnotbeturnedaway.

When we awoke on Fridaymorning, the ship had docked inKey West. Naturally, keeping tothe theme of the cruise, TCM hadascreeningofKey Largowhichwehad passed during the night! Likemost, we disembarked for a strollaround Key West, then retuned forlunch. For this meal, we sat witha man who was traveling with hismother. As we chattered, I noticeda familiar figure walking behindour table and I said to the youngman,“Lookbehindyou!”Heswungaround, reached out, and sudden-ly grabbed Ernest Borgnine by thearm. He proceeded to compliment

Borgnine on his body of work andcareer, then said, “There’s a ques-tionI’vealwayswantedtoaskyou?”“Sure,goahead,”Borgnine replied.“Do you think George Reeves wasmurdered, or did he commit sui-cide?”

Even theman’smother thoughtthat was an odd question to ask alunching Ernie Borgnine, and shesaidso,too!Presumably,thequestionwaspromptedbyBorgnine’sroleinFrom Here to Eternity which fea-turedGeorgeReevesinaverysmallrole. Classy as always, Borgninejust said, “You got me there, pal!Enjoy your meal,” and walked on.Imentionthisonlytopointoutthatthis was the only fan-gaffe that Iwitnessedduringtheentirecruise.

Overall,passengersseemedveryrespectful of the celebrities’ space.A good example was a man fromTorontonamedPaul,andahugefanof Tippi Hedren. “The Birds is myfavoritefilm,”Paulsaidatdinneroneevening.HetoldushehadHedren’snameonhislicenseplateanddrovea silver convertible, inspiredby thecar used by “Melanie Daniels” todrive her gift of two love birdsup the coast highway to the homeof “Mitch Brenner” in The Birds.When Paul first learned that Tippiwouldbeon thecruise,he immedi-ately went online to book, “only tobecrushedtofindoutthatthecruisewas already sold out.” Determinedto get aboard, Paul posted a noteon Facebook asking if anyone hada cabin to share. “My prayers wereanswered,” Paul said, when fellowfilmfansfromIndianapolisandNewYork allowed him a spot in theircabin.Aftercheckingin,Paulwrotearequestonaclipboardattachedtohiscabindoor:“Please,God,letmegetapicwithTippi!”

“What happened next wasbeyond my wildest dreams andexpectations,” he told me. On thefirst night of the cruise, Paul andhis cabin mates booked dinner forSaturday at the onboard restaurant,The Olympic. The Tippi Angelsmust have been smiling on Paulbecause when Saturday eveningrolledaround,Hedrenwasseatedatanearbytable.“Icouldactuallysee

Ernest Borgnine is a sadistic railroad conductor in Emperor of the North, seen here with one of his victims, played convincingly by Lee Marvin.

Ernie poses with TCM's Dennis Adamovich (left) and Jeff Gregor. (Photo credit Debby Thomas)


her and hear her lovely, distinctivevoice the entire time.” Paul waiteduntil she had finished eating beforeapproaching her table. “Excuse me,Ms. Hedren, sorry for the interrup-tion.I’mPaulfromToronto,Canada,and I am on this ship because ofyou,” he told her. She respondedappreciatively: “Oh, thank you.”Paulcontinued.“Iwastenyearsoldwhen I first sawyouwalk into thatpetstore[intheopeningscenefromThe Birds]andIhavelovedyoueversince.” “Oh, how lovely,” Hedrenreplied.

Then Paul asked if he couldintroducehertohisdinnercompan-ions.“Shespentabout20to30min-utes chatting with us all and takingpicturesandsigningautographs.Shewasarealclassactandstillastun-ninglybeautifulwoman.TheTurnerClassicMoviesinauguralcruisewasa magical experience beyond mywildestdreamsandexpectations,andIcherishthememoriesespeciallyonmy 50th birthday. It allowed meto cross two items off my [before-I-kick-the-] bucket list—swimmingwith dolphins and manatees, andmeetingTippiHedren!”

IhavetoagreewithPaul.WhenI had the opportunity to sit downandinterviewTippi laterduring thecruise, I foundherutterlycharmingandelegant.Shewaswearinganoth-er stunning outfit, red with blackstripes, with a black necklace andscarf, and gold earrings, braceletandrings.“I’vebeenonanumberofcruises,butthisisthefirstcelebritycruise,”shesaid.“I love it,and it’ssonicetomeetsomanyfans.”

SinceherfirstcreditedroleinThe Birds, in 1963, Hedren has workedconsistently in film and television,withseveralfilmsindevelopmentfor2012.Shehasalsotakenaleadroleinanimalactivism,anddevelopedaspecial interest in large cats after aroleinSatan’s Harvestin1969,andlater founded The Roar FoundationandShambalaReserve(www.sham-bala.org). In fact, her passion foranimals led her to part ways withonepastbeau.“Hethoughtthatcir-cuses were wonderful with animalsinthem,andIdidn’t!”

AlthoughHollywoodoftenfailedto show compassion for animals—thinkoftheuseoftripwirestomakehorses falldown—Hedren says thattheanimalsinThe Birdsweretreatedwell, thanks to bird handler RayBerwick.“Hewasawonderfulbirdtrainerandcaredsomuchabouttheanimals.Hewouldgo toHitchcockduringfilmingandsay,‘Wehavetoshutdown,thebirdsaretired.’Soofcourse, I used to ask, ‘Where’s mybirdtrainer?!’”

Sheparticularlyrecallsthepartyscene with the children, and thelengths Berwick would go to keepboththekidsandseagullssafe.“Helooselywiredthegulls’billsbecausetheyarenotnicebirdsanddon’tcarewhattheybite.Hetrainedthreegullstotakeofffromhisarm,circle,thendive bomb into the kids, then flyback tohisarm.Well, for thepartyscene,thefirstandsecondgullsdidwhattheyweresupposedto,butthethirdtookoffanddidn’tcomeback.So he went to Mr. Hitchcock andsaid, ‘I’m sorry Hitch, we have toshutdownfor theafternoon, Ihavetofindthatgullorhewilldieaverypainful death from starvation.’ Sooff he went quietly in a rowboat,amongst the rushes in Bodega Baywhere we were filming. And hefoundthebird!I’llneverforgetthat.Hehadsuchanincrediblewaywiththosebirds.”

Someoneelsewhohasanincred-iblewayabouthimisRobertOsborne.Ihadinterviewedhimseveraltimesby phone over the years, the mostrecent being for a Washington PoststoryannouncinghisreturntoTCMafterlastsummer’shiatus.Butmeet-inghiminpersonondaytwoofthecruise confirmed what most of ushavelongsuspected:hereallyisthatkind, soft-spoken, and modest per-sonweallseeonscreeneachweek.So it was no surprise that manypassengersfondly“stalked”himfora handshake, photograph, or briefconversationduringthecruise.

“I’ve only been on one othercruiseinmylife,andthatwasyearsagotoAcapulco,soI’mreallyenjoy-ing this trip and being around somanyfilmfans,”saidOsborne,whoseemed comfortable knowing that

passengers would be approachinghim. “I love that because it reallymeans they love the channel andlove the work that I do. So it justshowstheirenthusiasm.I’mtheonetheviewers seeand they think Idoitall,butTCMisobviouslya teameffortbymanypeople.”

If there’s one thing that filmenthusiastsallenjoy,it’smovietriv-ia. I don’t know a lot, but I was inpossession of one piece of RobertOsborne trivia which seemed toamuse some of my fellow cruisers:“WhatisthenameoftheNewYorkapartmentbuilding inwhichRobertOsborne lives?”Theanswer,whichhe explained to me, is best told byOsborne himself: “When I was incollege,IreadabookaboutRosalindRussell and in it she t a l k e d

about going to an audition forLeonardBernsteinforasingingroleintheBroadwaymusicalWonderful Town.Atthetime,helivedatacom-plexcalledTheOsborne. I thought,‘Wow, a building spelled the sameasmyname!’Thatwaskindofcool.Solater,thefirsttimeIvisitedNewYork,Ihadmyphototakeninfrontof the building under the awningthat says ‘The Osborne’. Well,years went by, and I ended upmovingtoNewYorkandstartedto lookforanapartment tobuy.Someone told me of a friendwhohadanapartmentforsaleatTheOsborne,andwhenIsawitIrealizedthatwasexactlywhatIwanted,soIbought it.Yearslater, I decided that I need-ed more space for an office.One day, after Bernstein died,anoticecameinthemailtosay

thatLeonardBernstein’sapartmentswere forsale—hehadowned three,one was his composing room, onewas his secretary’s, and one was aguestapartment—duringthesettlingofhisestate.SoIlookedatthecom-posing room, which was one floordownfrommyapartment,anditwasjust perfect for an office. I boughtit, and it turned out to be the roomRosalind Russell would have donehersingingauditionin!”

Honestly, it’s hard to knowwhere to begin a Robert Osborneinterview. The man has met andinterviewed just about everyone inthemoviebusinessoverthepast60years. But was there someone hedesperatelywanted to interviewbutnever did? “I got to most of them;butI’dlovetohaveinterviewedthe

Tippi and her fine feathered friend in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic The Birds.


Robert Taylors and Tyrone Powersoftheworld,”headmitted.“Inevermet Greta Garbo, and am actuallygladbecauseIwasafraidifIdid,theillusion about her would have beenlost. I guess one person I’d love tointerviewwho is still aroundwouldbe Deanna Durbin. She’s been arecluse since 1947, lives in Franceanddoesn’tevengobyDeannaany-more.We’vecorrespondedbylettersover theyears,but I’d love tomeetandtalktoher.”

What about the most diffi-cult interview? “That was RobertMitchum,” said Osborne withoutmuch hesitation. “We had him doa Private Screenings interview, andatlunchtimehewasquitechatty—agreat raconteur and talker. But assoon as we went on camera, he’dclam up! I asked him, ‘When youfirstmetJaneRussell,whatwasyourimpressionofher?’Hesaid, ‘Don’tremember.’ I asked ‘Whichofyourmovieswouldbe thebest represen-tativeofyourwork?’Heanswered,‘You decide.’ He was deliberatelybeingascoundrel!Buttheoneinter-view that was the most unpleasantwould be Jerry Lewis.” He didn’telaborate,anddidn’treallyneedto.

Anyone who watches Osborneintroduce films has probably heardhim say a hundred times: “This is

one of my favorite films….” But ifhe was stranded on a desert islandwithonlyonefilmtowatchoverandoveragain,whichwouldhechoose?“Probably Singin’ in the Rain,” hesaid after a brief pause. “Becausethemusicwouldcheermeup,withonegreat number after another, it’sfunny, and wonderfully entertain-ing.”

Not surprisingly, with his con-nection to film, Osborne is also abit of a collector. “I collect movieposters, but now really have prettymuch everything I want.” He alsohas some interesting memorabilia.“I also have an Oscar! I can’t saywhichone,but itwaspre-1949andwas awarded to an art director. InAll about Eve,statuettesforthethenfictional award, the Sarah SiddonsAward, were given to Bette Davis,Celeste Holm, and Anne Baxterin the film. When the filming wasover, writer and director Joseph L.Mankiewiczgaveeachactressoneofthestatuettes.Whenshedied,BetteDavisleftherstome.”

ThenameMankiewicz,ofcourse,isoftenheard through the corridorsof TCM, as well as on screen. Butthese days it’s more likely to be inreference to Ben, rather than hisfamous Uncle Joe, or screenwriterGrandfather Herman. Ben was also

onthecruiseandwasnotshyaboutdiscussing the comparisons peoplemakebetweenhimandOsborne. “Iknowsomepeoplecallmetheweek-end Robert Osborne, but talk aboutbigshoestobecomparedto!I’mnotpreparing to be a Robert Osbornebecause I’d fail! He’s just signed athree-yearcontract,sohe’snotgoinganywhere,whichisawesome.”

While Robert is well-known forhis amazing memory, Ben says hehas pretty good recall too, but hasstoppedtryingtofeel likehehas tobe an encyclopedia. “The Internethasnotbeenkindtomymemory—Inolongerhavetoknowthe1965bestpicture Oscar nominations off thetopofmyheadwhenIcanfindthemonthecomputerin25seconds!Ijusttry to understand things better. Forinstance,NormanJewison isoneofmyfavoritedirectorsanditwasgreattohaveaconversationwithhimonthe cruise. I just read his book, butdidn’twritedownpagesofnotesasIwouldhavedoneinthepast.Ijustread thebook,enjoyed it, andwhatIneededtoknowcamebackduringthe interview.” Of his many inter-views,Mankiewiczsayshisconver-sationwithAngieDickinsonbeforeascreeningofRio Bravoisafavor-ite.“Angieisunbelievable.She’s80,still furiously sexy, funny, and justknowshowtoworkacrowd.”

Delighting a crowd is anothergift Robert Osborne can add to hislist of talents. On Friday afternoon,hetookquestionsfromtheaudienceinapackedComosLounge,pleasingmany with his knowledgeable andamusinganswers.Unfortunately,theroom was unable to accommodateallwhowanted toattend,andsomebecame rather miffed. “This is thesecondprogramwetriedtogetintothat was full,” one lady told a staffmemberasshewasturnedaway.TheyoungmanfromSixthmanwasveryunderstanding and pointed out thateveryone had been told when theypurchased their cruise tickets thateventswouldfillquickly.“Besides,”he patiently explained, “there’s nota boat anywhere that has a roomto accommodate 2,000 people.”Afterwards, when Osborne learnedthatsomanypeoplehadbeenturned

away from the event, he offered todoanotherQ&Asessioninthemuchlarger Celebrity Theater on Sundayevening. The same problem wasexperienced with “A ConversationwithErnestBorgnine.”He,too,gavea second presentation in the largervenueonSaturday.

If there isn’t an expression“Cruises make for strange dinnerfellows” there should be, becausea remarkable coincidence occurredduring our Friday evening meal.A few months before the cruise, Iwas reading about a new book thatdealtwithoneofmyfavoriteactors,CliftonWebb.Anacerbicactorwhocounted Harpo Marx, Cole Porter,andRobertWagneramonghisclosefriends, Webb had started writinghisautobiographyin1959,butaban-doned the project and died (1966)before it could be completed. Auniversityprofessor,Iread,hadusedWebb’snotes tocomplete thebiog-raphy. And so it was during ourmeal, that the gentleman seated atour table turned out to be authorDavidL.Smith,whohadcompletedthatverysamebookIhadbeenread-ing about: “Sitting Pretty: The LifeandTimesofCliftonWebb.”

“Webb had no heirs and lefthis estate to his secretary HelenMatthews,” said Smith. “When shedied, it all went to her sister whostoredthematerialsinherbasement

The author sits down with Robert for a lively onboard interview with the popular TCM host. (Photo credit Debby Thomas)

Ocean breezes buffet TCM’s Robert Osborne as he welcomes the guests on stage. (Photo credit Debby Thomas)


for ten years. It was all later pur-chasedbyacollector,JohnNelyon,who I foundwhenhebegansellingsome items on eBay. When I con-tacted him, he told me he ownedWebb’s entire estate. So I asked ifhehadtheunfinishedautobiography,

andhedid.ItoldhimIwaswritinga biography on Webb and asked ifIcouldseewhatWebbhadwritten.He told me, ‘You can use anythingyouwant!’”

Before Smith had a chance tomeet with Nelyon, all communi-cation from the collector suddenlystopped—Nelyonhaddiedsuddenlyof a heart attack. Months later, theman’swidow,Betsy,eventuallygaveSmithaccesstothematerial.“Iusedthe six chapters that Webb wrote,andaddedsevenadditionalchaptersusing his notes and my research. IdedicatedthebooktoJohnandBetsyNelyon because without them therewouldhavebeennobook.”

AfterlisteningtoDavidrecount-ing the genesis of his book overdinner, we concluded Friday eve-ning with one more TCM event—ascreeningofCasablanca.Justbeforethe showing, a dapper gentlemanwalked on stage in a white jack-et, black tie and hat, and beganintroducing the film. Of course, itwasn’t Rick Blaine—it was Robert

Osborne!

On Saturday, day three, wearrived in Cozumel and most pas-sengers went off for the day onvariousexcursions.Onceagain,mywife and I just strolled around thenearby streets for a few hours. Ihad little interest in the trinkets thelocal vendors were peddling. Mywife,however,didn’tsharemydis-dainfortouristyknick-knacks,espe-cially when they came in the formof jewelry. After several purchaseswerelovinglymade,mywalletandIreturnedtothesafetyoftheship.

Saturday was also dance day,and ballroom dancing lessons wereoffered,whileintheeveningtheBigBand Swing Party was held. Twoyoung dancers were announced as“special surprise guests,” and bythe crowd’s response, seemed tobe recognized. Proving that I trulyam stuck in the world of classicfilmandtelevision,Ihadnoearthlyideawho thesepeoplewere.Seemsthere’sapopularshowaroundthesedayscalledDancing with the Stars.Perhaps you’ve heard of it? Asfor the dancers, they were ChelsieHightower and Louis Van Amstel,but again those names meant noth-ingtome.HadtheybeencalledFredand Ginger, or Marge and Gower,I might have paid more attention.However, not to detract from theirtalents, the two certainly displayedimpressive moves. Passengers wereespecially thrilled when Ernie andEvaMariesuddenlyappearedbrief-ly on stage to display their owncool, albeit slower, moves with theyoungsters!TippiHedrenalsomade

it to the dance floor in one of thelounges, much to the enjoyment ofthecrowd.

DayfourwasSunday,andwe’dbeen rather spoiled by the smoothseas sailing down to Mexico. ThatallchangedSaturdayevening.Whileit wasn’t excessively rough, it wasenough to send quite a few pas-sengersfromthediningroomtothebathroom throughout Sunday andfirst-time cruisers who had, beenscoffing at our dramamine patch-es, quickly changed their tune.But despite the rougher weather aswe headed back to Miami, I wasstill anticipating our interview andphotosessionwithErnestBorgnine.Celebrities sometimes get criti-cized for being self-absorbed, butthat’s not a label you could pin onBorgnine. Although he was clearlya showman and enjoyed interactingwith fans, their admiration for himseemed a little overwhelming. “Ohmy goodness, I couldn’t have beentreated better by the TCM folks orfans. I don’t know why, because Icertainly don’t deserve it,” he saidhumbly. I naturally suggested hewasbeingtoomodest.“Idon’tseeitthatway,”hesaid.“Tome,actingisjustajobIdoforaliving.I’mjustaworkingstiff andwant toget alongwith everyone. I don’t go in for allthat adulation stuff. It’s one thingtolikeanactor,butthekindoflovepeoplehaveshownmeisamazing.Ijustwanttobeoneofthegangontheship.”

At the same time, Borgnineadmitted that recognition is also ameasure of an actor’s success. Herecounted an earlier time inhis lifeas a struggling young actor whenhe emerged from a LA restaurantone day, only to wonder if peoplewould ever recognize him. He gothisanswer,hesays,yearslateronatriptoEasterIsland.“Iputmyheadupoutoftheboattolookforthestat-uesontheislandandawomanonthedocknearby sawme. ‘OhmyGod,ErnestBorgnine!’sheyelled.AndIsaidtomyself,‘You’vemadeit!’”

Of course, Borgnine “madeit” many decades ago now, andrecounted stories from his career

Wink Martindale hosts trivia contest. (Photo credit Debby Thomas)

Photographer Debby Thomas poses with TCM Host Ben Mankiewicz.

For more information, contact Tommy Hildreth828-524-5251

Email: [email protected]

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Includes Hot Breakfast


when Osborne interviewed him onthecruise, aswell aswhen thepairintroduced two Borgnine films,Emperor of the North and The Poseidon Adventure (the irony ofthe latter being shown on a cruiseship caused no end of chuckling!).WhilesomeofBorgnine’staleshadbeen toldpreviously inhisbestsell-ing 2008 autobiography, “Ernie,” ithardly mattered to audience mem-berswhohungoneverywordastheywerethrilledjusttobeseatedafewfeetawayfromoneoftheirfavoritefilmpersonalities.

Lesswellknownthanhisfamoussea disaster film, 1973’s Emperor of the North features Borgnineas a vicious railroad man. “SamPeckinpah was supposed to be thedirector,buttheytookitawayfromhim and gave it to Bob Aldrich. IfinishedThe Poseidon AdventureonaFridaynight,andSaturdaywentuptoPortland,Oregon,andSundaymetup with Bob. He said, ‘Ernie, haveyou ever worked on trains before?’I said ‘No Sir.’ ‘Don’t forget,’ hetoldme,‘youneverlookdownwhenrunning on the top of a train.’”Borgninesayshewasn’ttoothrilledatthisadviceanddecidedtomimicacloseactorfriendwithawonkyeye.“I said this man [Aldrich] is mad!Not look down? So I pulled a JackElam—I kept one eye down on thegroundandoneeyeahead!”

During my interview withBorgnine, I also wanted to lookaheadtohislatestfeature,The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez, to be released in 2012.“The young man who wrote anddirected the film, Elia Petridis—Ithinkthiswasonlyhisfirstorsecondpicture—wrotemealovelyletterandsaidhehada role thatonly I coulddo.Well,thatgotmeinterestedandIreadthescript.Iplayamanwhoisbitteraboutneverbecomingfamousandwhoendsup inanassisted liv-ing home, and Barry Corbin is myprotagonistwhorunstheplacewithan iron fist. When it’s learned thatI once shook the hand of VicenteFernandez, who is a real Mexicansinger, the employees treat me likeacelebrity. It’sa littlecomplicated,but I think we’ve got a nice littlepicturecomingout.”

In the past decade alone,Borgninehasappearedinalmost30filmsandmanyTVshows,anumberthatcouldbeconsideredacareerforsome actors. Since he has workedwithsomanyyoungactorsinrecentyears, Iwonderedhowtheyreactedtoaveteranofhisstatusontheset.“Some act a little amazed initially,kindoflikeIdidwhenIfirstworkedwithpeoplelikeSpencerTracy,butthentheysettledownoncetheworkbegins,” he explained. “But I tellyou, I do have one problem with

today’s actors—they don’t speakclearly,andbreakoutinthisMarlonBrando style of mumbling. That’sbecause theyexpecteverythingwillberedoneinthedubbingroomlater.Butthat’snotforme.Isaydoitrightnow,becausethat’swhatcomesfromtheheart.”

Also coming from Borgnine’sheartishisloveandsupportforthemilitary(BorgnineservedintheU.S.Navy for ten years). Fellow navyveteran and personal friend KathiDugan has known Borgnine for 30years and she accompanied him onthecruise.“Thistypeofvenuereally

energizes him,” she told me as wewere preparing to take photos. “Ifyouthinkthesefilmfansadorehim,you should see how the militaryrespond.I’vetraveledtheworldwithhimashevisitedmilitarybasesandhospitals,andhecan’tleavewithoutseeingeveryone.Andit’smultigen-erational, too. We were in Norfolkforachangeofcommandsonahugedestroyer and were walking downthe pier during prom night. Theyoungguysintheirtuxeswalkedbyand whispered to each other, ‘It’sErnieBorgnine!’Hejustlovesthoseguysandtheylovehim!”

Author David Smith holds a copy of his Clifton Webb book and the Webb self por-trait Smith owns. Photo in Smith's home office in Indianapolis.

Passengers greet Ernest Borgnine on the first evening of the TCM Classic Cruise. (Photo Credit Debby Thomas)


Like the other stars, Borgnineagreed to pose for some photo-graphs.Sowetookthem,andasweleft,awomandeckedoutina1950’soutfitcaughtmyeye.SoIaskedher,“WouldyouliketoposeforaphotowithErnestBorgnine?”Sheagreed,and we raced back to catch Ernieforone lastphotobeforeheheadedofftothenextevent.“Oh,Iloveit,”Borgnineexclaimedwhenhesawheroutfit.“Imetyoulastnightandyouwere dressed in the ‘30s!” he saidtoher.ItturnedoutthewomanwasCicelyHansenwhorunsDecadesofFashion,avintageclothingandcos-tumestoreinSanFrancisco.Infact,she’swell-knownontheclassicfilmfestivalcircuitandmanyofthepas-sengerscommentedaboutherduringthecruiseandherfrequentlychang-ing attire which she often chose tomatch with the era of the film shewas attending. I was told that for apreviousTCMLosAngelesfilmfes-tival, she had taken a dozen trunksfilledwithclothes inorder tomakehermanywardrobechanges!

There were plenty of activi-ties scheduled for Sunday. A muchanticipatedeventwastheappearanceof both Eva Marie Saint and TippiHedrenbeingintroducedbyOsborneas “The Hitchcock Blondes.” Eva

Mariewasingoodform,asevidentby her playful sense of humor. “Ifyou lookat theHitchcockcatalog,”Osborne began, “Ingrid Bergman[Notorious]wasnotablonde,TeresaWright [Shadow of a Doubt] wasnot a blonde, Tallulah Bankhead[Lifeboat]wasnotablonde….”“Sowhyarewehere?”quippedSaint,tothelaughteroftheaudience.

Appreciatingthehumor,Osbornewondered if the general belief thatHitchcock favoredblondeswas justamyth.EvaMariewasn’t sure,butTippi suggested that blondes havebothaninnocenceandasenseofmys-tery about them,which she thoughtmight have appealed to Hitchcock.Eva Marie’s sense of humor wasalso apparent when I interviewedherandshetalkedaboutOsborne.“IcallhimtheRockStaroftheclassicmovie world! I love my husbandof 60 years, then Robert Osborne!”SainthasadmiredOsborneforyears,althoughshesaid theyonlymet forthefirst timeata recentTCMFilmFestival in Los Angeles. “Fansalways ask me, ‘What was MarlonBrando really like?’ or “What wasitliketokissGaryGrant?’Butnow,they also ask, ‘What’s it like to behuggedbyRobertOsborne?’”

TheHitchcockthemecontinuedon Sunday night with a Hitchcocktrivia contest. While some ques-tions were easy—What is the onlyHitchcock film Tallulah Bankheadstarredin?—othersweremorechal-lenging—What is the tune CaryGrant whistles in the shower scenein North by Northwest? Our teamdidmuchbetterthistimearound,butwasstilloutclassedbytheothers.

The final day of the cruise,Monday, was a short, uneventfulone,andwewereofftheboatandonourwayhomeby10a.m.Passengershadcomefromallfiftystates,aswellasCanadaandEurope,sogettingtoMiami for the cruise was no smalleffort for some. To illustrate howdetermined some passengers were,letme concludewith the storyof aFloridawoman, inhereighties,andnamed Betty. A life-long film fan,Betty lives in Sarasota and did notwant tomake the220-miledrive toMiami.AccordingtoBetty,hertrav-el agent hired a limousine to driveher. She had arranged to be pickedupoutsideaconveniencestorenearherhome,whereshewaited…andwaited … and waited. Four hourslater, after standing the whole timeandherlegsswelling,Bettyfeltshehadnootheroptionotherthantohirea taxi todriveher fromSarasota toMiamiatanadditionalcostof$500!Now that’s one determined classic

filmfan!

Althoughher legshurt through-outthecruise,Bettyenjoyedthepro-grams and guests. Like her, and somanyothers,Iwouldcertainlyclas-sify the first TCM Classic Cruise asuccessandhopethatfuturecruisesbecome a reality, too. I asked sev-eralTCMrepresentativesabout thispossibility and they acknowledgedthat the positive feedback from thepassengers was already causingthemtogiveseriousconsiderationtofuture cruises. Certainly there weresomesmallglitches,butthesecouldbe addressed easily in the future. Ialsofoundpassengerswereeagertospeculateonwhowouldmakeidealcelebrity guests on a future cruise.Jane Powell, star of Luxury Liner(1948), was a popular choice. Sotoo was June Lockhart, especiallywith her acting heritage and par-ents, Gene and Kathleen. Toppingthe wish list was Debbie Reynolds.With her outgoing personality, andextensive Hollywood knowledgeand experience, Debbie would beideal. Besides, who wouldn’t wantthe “Unsinkable Molly Brown” ontheircruise?

Nick Thomas is author of the recently released book, “Raised by the Stars: Interviews with 29 Children of Hollywood Actors” and can be reached through his web site www.raisedbythestars.com

Fans gather around celebrities and TCM staff at the Sail Away Party. (Debby Thomas)Robert with Eva Marie (right) and her husband, director Jeffrey Hayden, during the sail away party. (Photo credit Debby Thomas)

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Page 22 Classic Images February 2012 Cruising with the Stars