"I'm a little ugly, fat man" says 34 yr old butcher Marty Piletti(Ernest Borgnine). Marty lives in the Bronx with a domineering mother(Esther Minciotti). Everyone around the hard working Piletti seems to be on his case about not being married and having kids; his mother bothers him the most. Marty is a bit simple minded and his low self-esteem makes him shy and he spends a lot of his time daydreaming of the day he could find a girl to fall in love with him. When Marty finally finds love with an equally shy schoolteacher Clara(Betsy Blair), his over protective mother tries to break the couple up thinking she is not good enough for him. The butcher from the Bronx finally gains the fortitude to stand on his own two feet. Borgnine's approach to playing this role was strong enough to win him the well deserved Oscar for Best Actor. Supporting players: Joe Mantell, Jerry Paris, Karen Steele, Frank Sutton and smaller roles for Jerry Orbach, Glenn Strange and even story/screenplay writer Paddy Chayefsky. Kudos to director Delbert Mann.
Review of Marty
