Ernest Borgnine on the Bus

Ernest Borgnine's Lost Road Trip: A Glimpse into the Reality Show That Never Was

Oct 21, 2024

In 1995, filmmaker Jeff Krulik, known for works like Heavy Metal Parking Lot and Led Zeppelin Played Here, hit the road with legendary actor Ernest Borgnine and his son, Cris. They traveled across the country in Borgnine’s bus, the "Sunbum," capturing the actor’s stories, reflections, and interactions with people along the way. The concept was intended to become a TV series, blending Borgnine's personal anecdotes with his road-trip adventures. It would have been well ahead of the curve for reality TV, and I would have tuned in every night. Sadly, the show never materialized. However, the footage from this trip is now available online, courtesy of Krulik.

I am realizing that some people might not be familiar with Borgnine, but you should. Ernest Borgnine was an iconic American actor known for his versatile roles in both film and television. With a career spanning over six decades, he won an Academy Award for his performance in Marty (1955) and gained widespread fame for his roles in The Wild Bunch and the TV series McHale's Navy. He lived to 95 and had a reputation for longevity.

In 1996, a 50-minute version of the journey was released straight to VHS under the title Ernest Borgnine on the Bus. I remember getting my hands on a copy and watching it multiple times. I was hooked on seeing Borgnine chat about his life, and just interact with people.

(If you have retro finds you would like for me to share, I want to hear them. What old useful website are still lurking on the web? Some old TV show streaming online? Old tech being brought back? Let me know.)

ONE COOL VIDEO

If you didn’t get your copy of Ernest Borgnine on the Bus when it came out, you are in lucky. The entirety of the original video has been posted online by Krulik.

TEN THINGS RETRO

🕒 Clocks - Are you a fan of vintage-style Casio watches, but find the watch format just too difficult to read? Now you can get a clock-sized version of the Casio A158W and hang it on your wall.

🎥 Movies - I have watched the various Star Wars films hundreds of times in my lifetime, and I can quote many lines by heart. But what if these films didn’t have any dialogue? Would they still work? Danny Boyd argues that the music and editing are so effective that they don’t need dialogue.

💰 Garage Sales - Thinking of having a garage sale? Want to maximize your profit, but don’t know how? Phyllis Diller has you covered.

🍔 McDonaldland - Do you remember going to McDonald’s when you were a kid and admiring all the wonderful McDonaldland art and sculptures? Those items have become sought after collector’s items that can be hard to find and restore. If you want to bring some of these classic characters home, you might want to visit Sugar Frosted’s Times-8 store.

🎢 Amusement Parks - I grew up hearing about ol’ Coney Island from my grandmother. She made it seem like a magical place to visit with amazing rides and attractions. Since hearing her stories, I have gotten to see older movies of the place and I got to say, that a lot of these old ride live up to the hype. Need an example, look at the action on the Scenic Spiral Wheel.

📼 VHS - Interested in starting your own Blockbuster Video Store? Ryan Finnie has created an editable template for a Blockbuster Video VHS clamshell case insert. It is not 100% accurate to the original inserts, but I doubt anyone will know the difference.

📎 Office Supplies - Paper Clips are everywhere, and for the most part they look alike. That hasn’t always been the case. Many people have tried to improve upon the basic design over the years, and the variations are wonderful to behold. That is why the Paper Clip section of the Office Museum exists.

🤘 Metal - Driving home from the Iron Maiden Concert? Bruce Dickinson has a reminder, “wear your seatbelt!” Or you might wind up like Eddie. Includes a great cameo by the Crash Test Dummies.

🕹️ Retro Gaming - Are you interested in an authentic retro gaming experience, but don’t have the money or room for lots of older systems? Maybe you want to give MiSTer FPGA a try. With one little box, you can faithfully emulate dozens of vintage computers and gaming systems.

🥋 Karate Music - “Ichi, ni, san, shi. C’mon, everybody, train karate!” Need some inspiration to learn karate? Perhaps you need to listen to The Karate Rap?

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SUBSTACK RECOMMENDATION

I was a big fan of the various Sega video game consoles, and I love using a Sega controller when possible to play retro games, especially the Sega Genesis. But I never sat down to read anyone who was taking a critical look at the controller.