Still Ernest After All These Years - A Guide To The Works Of Jim Varney

You remember him being legendary in the 80s, then he was borderline funny during those adolescent years, but eventually you lost interest completely. That’s the story for most of the Varney Generation, who enjoyed his Ernest P. Worrell character, TV show, and other great performances over the past decades. In February of 2000, Jim Varney passed away and left behind a vast collection of comic performances worthy of scrutiny by the most acclaimed of critics…OK, he threw a few beanballs out there too. Nonetheless, for those who are interested, here’s a brief timeline of Jim’s celebrated stage and screen history compiled by a humble fan.

Mid-1960s: Jim attends high school in Lexington, KY. He shines in drama classes.

Early 70s: Varney moves to Nashville to begin his acting career.

1976: Jim’s first taste of TV – small roles on “Alice” and “Johnny Cash and Friends” prime the actor for television.

1977: Plays Virgil Sims on the short-lived TV series “Fernwood 2Nite” and Seaman Broom on the show (and TV movie) “Operation Petticoat”.

1980: Plays a variety of characters on the campy “Pink Lady” TV show.

1982: Lands a gig as the host of the music program “Pop! Goes the Country.”

1983: Plays Evan Earp in the also short-lived show (and TV movie) “The Rousters.” He begins to develop his “Ernest” character with the encouragement of friend and associate John R. Cherry. The two shoot the low-budget “Hey Vern, It’s My Family Album” (AKA “KnowWhutIMean?”), which features the first appearance of Ernest, as well as many of his “family” members and other oddball characters. The video release begins a buzz and Jim signs commercial deals with various local businesses as well as large companies such as Sprite. Jim shoots hundreds of commercials as Ernest P. Worrell over the next couple of years.

1986: “The Ernest Film Festival” (AKA “Ernest’s Greatest Hits – Volume One”) is released. This collection of commercials and bloopers finds its way into the hands of many early Varney fans. Also, Jim’s first feature film, “Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam” is released. Disney picks up on the Ernest craze and signs Jim to a four-picture deal.

1987: “Ernest Goes To Camp” is released and Ernest-mania officially begins. The film brings in surprisingly high numbers and Ernest is everywhere, including an appearance on the TV special “Walt Disney World Celebrity Circus.”

1988: The “Hey Vern, It’s Ernest!” TV show premieres in a 30 minute Saturday morning slot. The show does marginally well, but is hacked after one season. No worries - “Ernest Saves Christmas” is one of the highest grossing movies of the year.

1989: Jim appears as Wrangler Bob in the well-received comedy “Fast Food.” The TV special “Ernest Goes To Splash Mountain” is watched by millions. Jim also appears in his first Comic Relief special.

1990: Another box office smash, “Ernest Goes To Jail” ranks among the summer’s elite.

1991: The fourth and final Disney release, “Ernest Scared Stupid” does well – but not well enough for a contract extension. Jim saves face by appearing in another well-played Comic Relief special.

1992: “Ernest’s Greatest Hits – Volume Two” is released on VHS. More bloopers, commercials, and outtakes for those who need them.

1993: A busy year for Varney. The first non-Disney Ernest flick, “Ernest Rides Again” keeps the character alive while two other non-Ernest projects appear on the big screen. Varney plays Rex in the forgettable “Wilder Napalm” and scores great reviews as Jed Clampett in “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

1994: Another busy year in the wake of the Ernest craze. The sixth official Ernest release, “Ernest Goes To School,” does poorly at the box office. All future Ernest-related releases will be straight to video. The first, a collection of shorts entitled “Your World As I See It,” is released with Varney playing the entire Worrell family tree. In non-Ernest news, Jim plays Snake in the feature film “The Expert” – an unusual appearance in a “straight” film. An appearance on the television show “XXXs & OOOs” and a vocal performance in the animated series “Duckman” caps a busy year.

1995: Jim plays the voice of Slinky Dog in the Pixar smash “Toy Story” and continues the Ernest tradition with “Slam Dunk Ernest,” co-starring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

1996: Varney plays comedian/handyman Rudy James in the low-budget slapstick “Snowboard Academy” and lends his vocal talents to the video game version of Toy Story. He also makes appearances on episodes of “Roseanne” and “The Chevy Chase Show.”

1997: Jim’s vocal capacity is noticed in Hollywood and he lands another vocal performance as Gus Holder in the well-received “Annabelle’s Wish.” Another Varney/Cherry collaboration provides “Ernest Goes To Africa” and parts in the Films “101 Proof” (Rae’s father) and “Blood, Friends and Money” (Old Mariner) provide work for the ailing Varney, who had recently found out that years of extremely heavy smoking had resulted in lung cancer. Determined not to let the cancer put him away, he continues to work at a steady pace.

1998: “Ernest In The Army” is released. This would prove to be the ninth and final film in the popular series. Jim does a vocal cameo as Cooder the Carny in an episode of “The Simpsons.” Varney also lends his voice to the animated series “Hercules” (as Ephialtes) and plays Lothar Zogg in the film “3 Ninjas: High Noon At Mega Mountain.”

1999: Once again, Jim’s voice is featured as Slinky Dog in the sequel “Toy Story 2.” Parts in “Existo” (Marcel Horowitz) and “Treehouse Hostage” (Carl Banks) keep Jim busy.

2000: Jim dies early on February 10th at his Tennessee home. Many projects are left in limbo, including the tenth Ernest film, “Ernest The Pirate.” Later in the year, he was honored at the 72nd Annual Academy Awards ceremony.

2001: “Daddy And Them,” a film directed by Billy Bob Thornton, is released to select audiences. Varney gives a great performance as Hazel Montgomery. Jim’s voice is featured in the film “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” as Jebediah Allardyce ‘Cookie’ Farnsworth. His voice also appears in the video game of the same title. Mourning fans rally for DVD releases of his classic films and by late in the year, Disney announces plans for their release.

- Dustin Wall