The Ernest Legacy

Is it really a legacy?

That's the most generous use of the word "legacy" I've ever seen.

They made 9 of those? They made more ERNEST films than POLICE ACADEMIES? That's upsetting.

I remember a day in 1987, I was given the choice of afternoon cinematic fare: Ernest Goes to Camp, or The Chipmunk Adventure. I saw singing rodents, and I stand by that decision.

It would seem that the following films were helmed by director John Cherry III.

Ernest in the Army
Ernest Goes to Africa
Slam Dunk Ernest
Ernest Rides Again
Ernest Scared Stupid
Ernest Goes to Jail
Ernest Saves Christmas
Ernest Goes to Camp

I'm curious as to what I'm sure is a remarkably interesting behind-the-scenes reason for Cherry's departure from directing Ernest Goes to School.

Creative differences?

Advances in medical science reversed the effects of the brain tumor?

Must have relapsed, he made a Laurel and Hardy movie starring Bronson Pinchot.

That's pretty sad. If he could have found a way to make a Bronson Pinchot movie starring Laurel and Hardy he'd have my respect.

Oh god, I'd forgotten about that thing. I wonder how many years it will take to do it again.

What I really always wanted was an Ernest Goes to Hell. Maybe just rip off the Jason Goes to Hell poster but make it a steel hat surrounded by snakes and fire instead of a steel hockey mask surrounded by snakes and fire.

I wonder how long before they start making more Ernest movies with somebody like French Stewart taking over for Jim Varney. As bad as these movies are, I was still pretty sad when he died. You took a little piece of my innnocence with you, Vern.

Ernest was emo.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lhpeX45igVI

This is the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread.

The only Ernest flick I ever saw in the theater was Ernest Goes To Jail. I thought it was funny then, and I still do. The only others that I've seen are Ernest Goes To Camp, Ernest Scared Stupid, and some of Ernest Saves Christmas. I also used to see his tv show.

I dug Jim Varney, and it was sad that he passed away so young. I could definitely see him still making funny movies. He was hilarious in The Beverly Hillbillies movie.

Make sure you aren't being dicks pissing on the Varney grave, God bless this FRANCHISE.


Dr. Otto & the Riddle of the Gloom Beam
http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Otto-Riddle...6376576&sr=1-1

Cheapo, bizarre first entry from the Ernest-esque world (or fucking LEGACY). Features a terrible and disjointed story and a lot of the characters that would pop up now and again throughout the remainder of the Ernest SAGA.

Ernest Goes to Camp (1987)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...d_i=B000E1P2BC

His first success. I remember seeing it like it was yesterday. Supporting turns from John Vernon, Iron Eyes Cody and Lyle Alzado! Not to mention vomit and parachuting turtles.

Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
http://www.amazon.com/Ernest-Saves-C...6376576&sr=1-1

The Varney legend grows. I saw this on opening day with my Mother. God, we laughed like there was no tomorrow. A few of the old Dr Otto characters make appearances, like "snake wrangler guy" and "old Brooklyn woman with neck brace". I hate Christmas movies though, so even the fact that this one is ALMOST like a normal and coherant story, it still doesn't place in the top 3 in the Collins Ernest List.

Ernest Goes to Jail (1990)
http://www.amazon.com/Ernest-Goes-Ja...6376576&sr=1-1

Probably the best of the best (at the end of the day). Twin Ernests (evil and good...deep!), vacuuming the ceiling and a total PeeWee rip-off "craZy" Ernest living-quarters means this one won't bore you!

Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)
http://www.amazon.com/Ernest-Scared-...6376576&sr=1-1

The last one I saw theatrically. Again, with Mom.
This one has flashbacks to the 18th century and a whole lot of TROLLS.

Ernest Rides Again
http://www.amazon.com/Ernest-Rides-A...6377205&sr=1-1

Ernest rides a runaway antique cannon all over town for an hour! I love it! (seriously, I think it's alright). The last one that was theatrical.

Slam Dunk Ernest
http://www.amazon.com/Slam-Dunk-Erne...6377205&sr=1-1

Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Varney shoot some hoops. Obviously, the series is lagging a bit.

Ernest Goes To Africa
http://www.amazon.com/Ernest-Goes-Af...6377205&sr=1-1

A rare upswing in quality. I like this one as well!!1, There is alligator snot and mummies, plus the worst acting the midwest via Hollywood via Africa could muster.

Ernest Goes To School
http://www.amazon.com/Ernest-Goes-Sc...6377526&sr=1-1

Um, I don't like this one much. Still not on DVD.

Ernest in the Army
http://www.amazon.com/Ernest-Army-Ga...6377588&sr=1-3

The last Ernest feature before Varney kicked it at age 50 from all the cigarettes, RIP.

See also - The late 80's Saturday morning series Hey Vern! It's Ernest, and his collections of TV commercials (he made thousands), The Ernest Film Festival, Win $10,000, and The Essential Ernest Collection.
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Erne...6377687&sr=8-1


This post surprises me. It took a while.

Ernest Goes to Jail was always my favorite, as well, for its powerful message of redemption. If you don't get a little misty when Ernest gets electricity powers and his scary cellmate decides to stay behind, you are a monster. I stopped after Ernest Rides Again, partially because I assumed the straight to video stuff would be really low-rent, and partially because nothing can top the theme song from Rides Again.

I wonder how much of the smoking that eventually killed Varney played into his distinctive voiceover work as Slinky Dog in Toy Story and Cooter on The Simpsons.

Sad thing is he always wanted to do hard hitting drama even stuff like Hamlet or McBeth

Don't they all?

Ernest Scared Stupid was the shit when I was a kid. Now I wish my parents would've punched me more then. Still, some kind of Ernest-remake seems more and more likely as the studios are running out of franchises to exploit. My pick for the new Ernest P. Worrel:

Ron Perlman

You read it here first, kids.

I loved this shit when I was a kid. "Saves Christmas" was always my favorite.

Yeah, what's the deal with the "Old Brooklyn woman with neck brace"? I remember in the Christmas movie Ernest uses it as a ruse, as if he's some sort of Denim-Vest wearing Fletch.

It still amazes me to this day that my dad was friends was with Jim Varney way back in the early 80s before he got famous.

I remember seeing Ernest Goes to Camp and Ernest goes to Jail. But who else wished they could've seen "Ernest needs a Kidney"?

In Ernest Saves Christmas, he drives a cab so poorly that it knocks a man into a coma. I will always remember that part, for it's kinda unsettling.

I still remember being about ten years old when "Jurassic Park" came out. The Monday after, everybody at the playground was talking about it. It was the talk of the school, and every kid had their favorite part, "Oh, that T-Rex was awesome! Oh man, remember when the fat guy died?" And then there was this one kid who said, "Oh, man, this weekend I saw the funniest movie! 'Ernest Rides Again'!" He talked and talked about it, and it was clear he was not only the only kid to see that movie that weekend, but he was the only kid to not see "Jurassic Park". He even bragged about driving an hour to see the movie. As he described the film, scene after scene to anybody around that day, everyone tried to avoid him to keep talking about dinosaurs fucking shit up. Poor Ernest fan.

Ernest Saves Christmas is the only one I actually like. The rest not so much.

Although "Ernest needs a kidney" as said before would have been amazing.

I didn't know that Jim Varney was dead. For some reason the lack of (correctly voiced) Slinky Dog in Toy Story 3 makes me feel really sad.

Her, along with "Vern" and many of the other characters originated in his television commercials and also the VHS release of knowhatImean? which was like an Ernest Family Album Special.

No mention of Gailard Sartain yet?

I'm hoping he just isn't there, or just mute in the background like Phil Hartman's Simpsons characters. Who knows though? They may have tons of dialogue Varney did for the other 2 that could somehow be used in 3. I'm not sure if that's right or wrong, but either option is preferable to another voice actor.

Me, upon returning from a business trip a few years ago:

"Hey, did I miss anything while I was gone?"

"Yeah, Charles Schulz died. Oh, and Jim Varney."

That was a grim evening.

You guys...


Words fail me.

Your heart is black and cold and non-rural.

You're just mad because your childhood is dead. As for my childhood, well, all The Monkees and Adam West are still drawing breath, so I'm good.

Oh my God would I have loved to see that!

Years back, I had the good fortune to see the infamous Kelsey Grammer as Macbeth production, and it was a sparkling demonstration of unintentional comedy. I can only imagine Jim Varney, full of hope and hubris, trying desperately to break free of the Ernest role that had become his cage, strutting about in period garb, "Acting", while the uncomfortable chuckles of the audience soon become frequent enough that ignoring them is impossible. Just like Grammer.

That said, I did love me some Ernest Goes to Camp, back in the day. Although a recent revisiting proved kinda sad.

I just wish they had made an Ernest VS Predator Movie before his untimely death, but I guess I'll just have to live without it.But it's not really living.

That's why God made fan fiction.

Yeah, but I want to see Ernest fighting Predator, not having sex with him.

sad indeed. perhaps Varney could have segued into this more worthy material with something a tad higher brow than his audience were accustomed to, The Importance of Being Ernest for example.

Wait till W leaves office.

Never seen any of these. Ironic that the audience is dumber than the character or is it?

http://www.ernestads.com/

So that's what childhood rape feels like. I'm going to hug the first prequel basher I see today.

I say, I want Jim Varney's ghost to come back and kick the ass of whoever came up with this that. That and whoever created that animated Colonel Sanders a few years ago.

It must be a commercially viable property for them to want to do this.

So let me get this straight; you guys are actually saying that a new Ernest is cheapening and insulting the stellar work of Jim Varney?

Again, words fail me.

If frickin' Ernest is really a precious part of your childhood, then I sincerely pity you for the time in which you were born, and I thank fickle fortune for having been born earlier.

Ernest. Jesus.

At least cartoon Sanders was Randy Quaid (I think). This guy just doesn't have what it takes to fill in the blue vest. He also relies way too much on saying "Vern."

And Greg David, I will be the first to admit that Ernest isn't so much...good. But he is a part of our childhood still, and we cannot deny our roots. Trust me though, being born in the 80's but only really remembering the later part of the decade...it was not a magical time known for its great quality.

If I catch these on TV, I stop flipping and watch 'em.

Whatever, so I like 'em. Sue me (or lynch me, as seems to be the mentality in the thread).

Ernest Saves Christmas was totally the Last Starfighter of my generation, I think we even ironically appreciated the film as kids.