Let’s start with the punchline: watch this fabulous 46-second clip of Ernest Borgnine’s interview on Fox TV. The ancient actor looks fantastic, and reveals why. Then come back here and we’ll talk.
Obscene? Bad for kids? Another sign of the impending Rapture?
I’d say the moment is great for kids—it tells them that life doesn’t end at old age, so they don’t have to do everything right now. It’s especially good for kids to know that sex isn’t just for young people.
And it’s great for us adults, too. See above: sex isn’t just for young people.
Is the phrase “I masturbate a lot” as dangerous as a half-second of Janet Jackson’s breast? As bad as soldiers saying “fuck” as they approach death in Saving Private Ryan?
I hope Fox gets two or three complaints from high-profile erotophobes like Morality in Media. Then everyone will see the clip and discuss it for weeks, as happened with Jackson’s nipple. In fact, we should celebrate the anniversary of her Super Bowl exposure each year by running the clip on every news show all over again.
Over a half-century again, Borgnine won an Oscar for his poignant portrayal of a lonely Bronx butcher. Now, we finally have the answer to the film’s recurring question, “I dunno, Marty. Whadda you wanna do tonight?”