Thursday, July 14, 2016

Hey Vern, knowwhatimean?


Jim Varney's Ernest character is one of the great comic characters, but the movies were of the poorly scripted B movie variety.  Ernest was in a series of movies and had his own television specials as well as a children's television show called 'Hey Vern, it's Ernest'.  But all those productions were subpar.  Ernest deserved better. 

We all first met Ernest in a series of hilarious regional commercials in the early eighties.  I always looked forward to what Ernest was selling in Vern's window next.  It's a shame they couldn't take Varney's character in better vehicles.

I put the Ernest P. Worrell character on the same level as Don Knott's Barney Fife.  Both Varney and Knott's had their character down, and comedic timing down pat.  Knott's had Mayberry, and I wish that Varney had found his Mayberry.  For me, Don Knott's never had a good vehicle after Mayberry.  Jim Varney, I feel, never saw his full potential before he died.