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Ernie was one of the nicest, most authentic people of all time. I initially interviewed him for Filmmonthly after he did his TCM segment with Bob Osborne and being two old sailors, we really hit it off. When I had him as my special guest at Palm Springs two years ago for PAY OR DIE (1960), my wife and I had an extended lunch with Ernie, Bo Hopkins, Harry Flynn, his long time publicist (another sweetheart), Julie Garfield and a few others.  Lunch went on for over three hours with Ernie, Bo,  everyone swapping stories. It was a lovely, censorable, laugh-riot that I will always treasure and wish that I could have filmed. At the festival opening that night, Ernie posed for every picture and signed every still after arriving in a Rolls with my wife sitting beside him at his insistence. We took to the stage after the movie and Ernie was superb- here is the link to the first of a multiple segment discussion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWoLaYBfMCc.  Afterwards, Ernie insisted on waiting in the long food line at the post screening reception because he declared that, "I want to meet everybody"  I got to introduce Ernie to June Lockhart and he hung out with everyone until midnight.  The next morning, I padded down early to the lobby newstand at the Hilton to pick up a paper and observed Ernie immaculately dressed and ready to go out with friends, signing an autograph for a young soldier. I spoke with Harry Flynn's wife yesterday after I learned that Ernie had died and remarked, "I thought he was going to live forever." She replied, "So did he!" Apparently he went quickly and didn't suffer much which was a blessing. I also got to watch Borgnine introduce the restored print of THE WILD BUNCH at the Million Dollar Theatre in downtown L.A. in 2009. One of the most moving introductions to a classic film, I've ever witnessed and he brought the house down.  Ernest Borgnine was a great actor and a wonderful guy who will be sorely missed. They truly don't make them like Ernie anymore.