Any Ernst Fans?

[dwayne1115]

Do we have any Ernest fans in the house? I'm talking great movies like: Ernest Goes to Camp, Ernest Saves Christmas, Ernest Goes to Jail, Ernest Goes to Africa, and many more.
I myself have always been an Ernest fan, and now my kids love Ernest. I think my fav movie would be Ernest Goes to Jail It just really shows Jim Varney's true talent.

[D'Snowth]

I LOVE Ernest!

I didn't think much of Ernest at first, but I was well aware he was played by Jim Varney, whom I had known previous as the voice of Slinky from the two Toy Story movies.

It wasn't until I saw a few of his commercials on YouTube several years ago, that I slowly got hooked - the more commercials I saw, the more I loved him, and then I started watching more of the Ernest movies (Ernest Rides Again, Ernest Goes to Africa, Ernest in the Army, etc).

A few years ago, I got The Essential Ernest DVD set as a Christmas gift (that DVD's actually out of print now, so glad I got it when I did), and while I think they could've done a better job with it (like ALL the movies, commercials, etc), I still like the content it has, like the hundreds of his commercials, the special Hey, Vern! It's My Family Album and the Your World as I See It shorts.

I heard that another movie Ernest the Pirate was in post-production when he died... I wonder if they simply didn't release it to honor him, because otherwise, if it was just in post-production, then maybe it could've been released.That sounds like a fun one, lol.

[dwayne1115]

I know what you mean about Ernest the Pirate movie, I have read up on it myself. The thing that I think would keep them from releasing it would be the fact that they use a lot of dubbing voice overs in his movies.
For an example: In Ernest goes to Jail when he is getting draged by the sampooer he says things like "You can't go up the wall" and just all of the other screaming was dubed over in post production, so that would be something they would have to think about.

Did you see the one on the family album one where he was at the fort? He was truly a one man show there, and I think it was some of his best work.

[GonzoLeaper]

I LOVE the Ernest movies! Ernest P. Worrell- ha ha- so hilarious!:D
I've seen all the Ernest movies and some of his other specials and commercials and such- like some of the Hey Vern, It's Ernest TV show. Good stuff.
Hard to pick a favorite movie- they were all funny. I think I like Ernest Goes to Jail particularly well, along with Ernest Goes to Camp and Ernest Rides Again. Ernest In the Army is really funny too. But I can't forget the holiday inspired ones- Ernest Scared Stupid is a great one for a funny Halloween movie (and not too terribly scary).;)
However- since I'm a huge Christmas fan in general and love Christmas movies so much- I'd definitely have to say Ernest Saves Christmas pretty much tops the list for me. KnowwhutImean?:)

[dwayne1115]

I love that you brought up Ernest Rides Again. That is a really great movie and I have been looking every where for a copy of it on DVD.

I think one reason I like Ernest is because the first few movies where shoot in Tennessee, and I don't know about anyone else but I think Tennessee is a great place to shoot a movie just because of the richness in nature.

[D'Snowth]

Although pigeon-holed in the role of Ernest for much of his career, did you know that Jim Varney was a very classically-trained Shakespearian actor with a near genius IQ? It's also my understanding that as he was taking his last breath from lung cancer (he tried to quit smoking, cold turkey, but by then it was too late), the last thing he said was "I wanna go home, I'm ready" - "home" refering to Heaven, as Varney was also a Christian.

[dwayne1115]

Yea he even said he was a southern baptist in Ernest goes to the Army.
I know that when takeing the role of Ernest he wanted to brach out ad do other things, but Ernest kind of took control. I also think that if he was trained he would have also made a great puppeter. He had such a wide rage of voices and would have really been neat to see that.

[GonzoLeaper]

Wow- that's pretty neat. I didn't know Jim Varney was a Christian.:)
Though he will always be remembered for Ernest, I think animation fans will continue to also remember him fondly as the voice of Slinky in the first two "Toy Story" movies. So at least he did some voice work- I don't know if he ever used any puppets at any point- maybe on his TV show? - but yeah, he probably would've been great at that too.:super:

[GonzoLeaper]

Amazon.com has a listing for "Ernest Rides Again" on DVD, but I tend to get suspicious of such listings.
http://www.amazon.com/Ernest-Rides-Again/dp/B0006UGK9E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1257727633&sr=8-1

I'm pretty sure this is probably a bootleg DVD- but I don't know, I might be wrong.
There's also the VHS version here.
http://www.amazon.com/Ernest-Rides-Again-VHS-Varney/dp/6303038697/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=video&qid=1257727633&sr=8-3

[dwayne1115]

yea i really think Disney had no clue what they had when they got such a talent as Varny. They could have really used him in more ways then just Ernest. I think they could have also done more with Ernest as well, but we will never really know.

[GonzoLeaper]

Wow- that just got me thinking. Imagine Jim Varney meeting The Muppets! They could've done a great special right there- I can totally see Jim in full character as Ernest P. Worrell, somehow running into the Muppets and pledging to help them with some problem or another. And Ernest is so lovable and child-like (to a degree like PeeWee Herman- but maybe a bit more intelligent...)- he could mesh really well with The Muppets. I could see him either on Sesame Street or doing maybe a Christmas special or some other kind of special with The Muppet Show gang.:)

[Bill Bubble Guy]

You know, I always thought he could have been a MT guest in his character persona. :D

"It's Muppets Tonight with our very special guest star...Ernest!"

[dwayne1115]

It would have worked really well, I think it would be upstaging at it's best. Ernest would always try to upstage the Muppets and the same with the Muppets.

[Yorick]

I have not yet read the rest of this thread - but I just want this on record: I think Jim Varney was a fantastic talent, and from all accounts I have heard and read, a really sweet, kind hearted man. And while for the most part we only miss those we actually met in real life, there are people who touched our lives in childhood or later in life, who we have never met...and Jim Varney is one of those celebrities who I miss the most.

By the way, he could do Shakespeare too! However, the type of slapstick and all other forms of comedy he did were not easy, and Jim was one of a kind.

In short, I am a big Ernest fan. My favorite is "Ernest Goes To Jail"!

[dwayne1115]

You are so right, and I'm glad you brought that up. I think he ust had such a way to make people feel good about themselfs that it made it easy for people to fall in love with him.

I also really miss im Varney almost more then I would Jim Henson. For the reason that you can still see almost all of Jim's muppets to this day doing something, or have done something since his death. When Jim Varney passed so did Ernest.

[dwayne1115]

Check out my new Avatar! "Know what I mean"

[Bill Bubble Guy]

It says it all Dwayne. :)

[Yorick]

you can still see almost all of Jim's muppets to this day doing something, or have done something since his death. When Jim Varney passed so did Ernest.

And I think it would be even worse if someone tried to replace Jim as Ernest - one time I saw a video of someone else (after Jim Varney passed) trying to be Ernest, and there was a comment below it that answered concise, strong, loud, and clear: "Shameful." And rightly so; no offense to the guy who was hired to play Ernest...they know someone's getting a paycheck so they probably figured it may as well be them - but it just seems so disrespectful. So to say that I can't get into it is a gigantic understatement.

But like Jim H, Jim V's character Slinky Dog in Toy Story 3 is being portrayed by a new person, and the way I feel (with the little I know from the ad at least) is that it's probably as close as one could get to Jim V's version, and closer than I would have guessed anyone could. And though he has big shoes to fill, he's doing a very nice job, and I'm glad they kept Slinky Dog in it, after all. (I wonder if the penguin voiced by Robert Goulet is still in it, even though Robert has passed?)

And you are 100% right about how Jim Varney made his fans feel when we saw him on TV or in the movies! I say BRAVO to you for your kind words about him here! And that goes for everyone with a kind word for Jim Varney! :D

[D'Snowth]

That's how I want to pass... with my characters/creations passing with me.

[dwayne1115]

Blake Clark is the guy doing Slinky the Dog now. He has been in a few Adam Sandler Movies (Farmer Fran in Water boy) He also played Harry the hardware guy on Home Imrpovment. He really does sound a lot like Varney, so I think it will fit, or at least I hope it will.


Have any of you seen them play Ernest Goes to Jail on T,V? Well if you have then you know that there was added footage there. I know that there was an alternet ending and just some other added sense that didn't make the theatical movie. Point being is why do we not have any of this on DVD? They could have quite a few bonus material on all the Ernest movies. What do you all think?

[GonzoLeaper]

Well, it's almost been 10 years since Jim Varney died and it's been 22 years since the first Ernest movie- "Ernest Goes to Camp"- was released. Maybe it's getting time for some anniversary re-releases?:cool::halo::sing:

[D'Snowth]

As I said, we need a really big Ernest DVD collection - not just two of his movies, some of his commercials, the "Your World as I See It" segments...

But rather, ALL of the Ernest movies, the Hey Vern, It's Ernest! Saturday morning show, all of his commercials, etc. THAT would be the ultimate Ernest collection.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

How many Ernest movies are there altogether and what are their names?

[D'Snowth]

I think there was eight...


Ernest Goes to Camp
Ernest Saves Christmas
Ernest Goes to Jail
Ernest Scared Stupid
Slam Dunk Ernest
Ernest Goes to Africa
Ernest in the Army
Ernest the Pirate (Never completed due to Jim Varney's death)

[dwayne1115]

You forgot one, and it's Ernest Rides again.

[D'Snowth]

*Face slap* And how could I forget that one?

BTW, has anyone noticed that Linda Kash (who's Canadian) appeared in the Ernest movies quite often, but not only did she play a different character each time, the hair and makeup jobs she had made her look like a completely different person each time?

[dwayne1115]

(face slaps) Now i have forgot one as well. Ernest Goes to School.

If you all have Ernest goes to Jail watch where Ernest and Charlotte are cleaning up the morning after the first magnet man. If you watch behind Ernest you can see Bobby patting down another gard. At first I thought it was Chuck, but now i think it is someone else like a shift change deal or something.

[Bill Bubble Guy]

I have seen them all except for goes to jail and in the army, not counting the one he died making.

They were really funny. I'd cheerfully buy them one day. :D

[dwayne1115]

Jail is pretty funny, and I'm still trying to figuer out how they did some of there efectes in that one.

[GonzoLeaper]

Does Ernest's house remind anyone else of PeeWee's Playhouse? Seems like both are kinda on the same wavelength somewhat...:crazy:

[D'Snowth]

Does Ernest's house remind anyone else of PeeWee's Playhouse? Seems like both are kinda on the same wavelength somewhat...:crazy:You mean that wasn't Vern's house he was spending so much time in? :p

[minor muppetz]

I thought I'd start a thread about Ernest P. Worrell, the main character from a franchise of Ernest movies, as well as various commercials and the saturday morning series "Hey Vern! It's Ernest!"

I have seen all of the Ernest movies, and the earlier ones are the best. Some of the later ones (Ernest Goes to School, Slam Dunk Ernest) are still good, though. The last two are mediocre.

Part of me wishes that more supporting characters would have returned for later movies. The only supporting characters to appear in multiple movies are Chuck, Bobby, and Ernest's dog Rimshot (I know Chuck and Bobby were on the saturday morning series... Was Rimshot as well?). In fact, I actually met Bobby's portrayer, Bill Byrge. He came to my school when I was in the 5th grade and spoke to the class about the movies. At the time I had seen a few of the movies, and the only ones I saw were ones featuring Bobby, but I didn't remember that character. At the time I wasn't that big a fan of Ernest, but meeting Bill Byrge did trigger more interest for me. And afterwards for the first few times I saw the movies I was surprised to see that Bobby was for the most part silent (considering the actor obviously could talk).

Still, I've recently been watching some of the Ernest movies again and reading about them on the internet movie database, and realised that while only a few characters were recurring in the movies, quite a few actors did appear in multiple Ernest movies. Daniel Butler had different roles in the first four, and there was one actor who appeared in both Ernest Goes to Camp and Ernest Goes to Jail (I forget the name... he played Reuben's attoryn in Ernest Goes to Jail).

In my opinion, Ernest Goes to Jail is the best one. It's the most cartoony, and it shows how versatile an actor Jim Varney was (playing both Ernest and Nash).

[GonzoLeaper]

I'm also a big fan of the Ernest P. Worrell character and his many movies, TV show and other appearances. By the way, has anyone ever confirmed the Jim Henson cameo in "Ernest Goes to Camp"? IMDB.com says he supposedly played a Minor in an uncredited role. (I'm guessing maybe they meant miner.):D

[minor muppetz]

By the way, has anyone ever confirmed the Jim Henson cameo in "Ernest Goes to Camp"? IMDB.com says he supposedly played a Minor in an uncredited role. (I'm guessing maybe they meant miner.):D

I remember when I first saw that on imdb, I watched the movie and the various scenes with minors, and I saw one in the background who resembled Jim Henson. I wonder if we could ask anybody at Henson about it (I guess it'd be more far-fetched to ask people who worked on the movie).

It's a shame that the DVDs don't contain any special features. It would be great to hear audio commentary from director John R. Cherry III.

[minor muppetz]

http://forum.muppetcentral.com/showthread.php?t=45055 ;)

How'd I miss that? And that thread began just last year.

[Yorick]

I'm glad the old thread was linked in this one - we had some great posts there! I want to answer a few of them here:

Ernest's house in "Goes To Africa" reminds me of Pee Wee's house the most, so I agree about that!

And as for the Ultimate Ernest DVD set, it needs "Ernest Goes To Splash Mountain" too! :) It's a short special, but so great!

That's great you met Bill(Bobby)! :) And I agree, "Jail" is the best!

And I hope to find out if that is Jim Henson in "Camp" - that means maybe those two GREAT Jims met at that time!

[minor muppetz]

I wonder if Ernest Scarred Stupid was originally supposed to have Chuck. It seems odd how in that one, Bobby is the brother of Tom Tulip, who seems to be similar to Chuck. It makes me wonder if maybe Gaillard Sartain didn't want to be in it or if he was busy with something else.

I don't know how accurate this is, but Bill Byrge's internet movie database profile says that he was a librarian for a long time, and in 1996 retired to focus on his acting career... Yet the imdb doesn't lsit any credits for him past 1994 (I suppose he might have acted in commercials or plays, which wouldn't constitute imdb pages).

[minor muppetz]

After watching Ernest Goees to School recently, I must wonder... Is there any known motive for.. Uh, that school board person wanting the school in the movie to shut down? I mean, he goes so far as to bribe the football coach into trying to lose on purpose so the school can close down. And does a high school really need a winning football team in order to stay open?

[GonzoLeaper]

Winning football teams bring in revenue for the school and support from the public and certainly helps. Shouldn't be all about the football team, but it does stereotypically get that way sometimes.

[minor muppetz]

Another thing I find odd about Ernest Goes to School: When Gerta and Bobby make everybody smarter during the game, right before the final play, Gerta asks Bobby if he powered Ernest's brain... Bobby just looks shocked and it looks like he shouts "NINE!" Is that german for no? I guess that could have been an announcer or referee shouting, but it does sound like Bobby's voice (in the rare times when he does talk).

[Rose]

I like Earnest but I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of his. I mean he's funny and all but I wouldn't chat for 3 hours about him. lol