It's
Day #17 of “The
Pop Culture Addict's Advent Calendar”,
and it happens to be a Monday Matinee today.
And
today's blog entry is all about a movie that didn't exactly make a
lot of money at the box office, and yet it still has its fans.
How
many of you remember the late Jim Varney? I see a few of you raising
your hands up high exclaiming “I know him, I know him!”
But
for those of you who might not know who he is, I thought I would open
up this entry by doing a little biographical sketch on him before
launching into today's feature presentation.
Jim
Varney was born in Lexington, Kentucky on June 15, 1949, the fourth
child of James and Louise Varney. When Varney was a young child, he
had the uncanny ability to memorize long poems and passages from
books, and would often recite everything that he had just read to his
family who were completely amazed by his ability. I guess you could
say that Jim Varney had a bit of a photographic memory.
As
it turned out, Varney ended up having a memory for sounds and voice
dialects...by the time he was eight years old, he had the ability to
mimic the same voices of the cartoon characters that he had just
watched on television.
When
Varney entered his teenage years, he was determined to pursue a
career in entertainment, and he won several prizes and awards in
state drama championships during his time at Lafayette High School.
After his graduation in 1968, Varney continued to act in various
stage productions and college plays, and studied Shakespeare in the
Barter Theatre in Virginia.
TRIVIA:
Jim Varney was extremely passionate about the works of William
Shakespeare. He was once quoted as saying that one of his wishes as
a performing actor was to act in a production of Shakespeare's
classic play “Hamlet”.
Although
Jim Varney never did get the chance to star in “Hamlet”, that's
not to say that his career wasn't spectacular in itself. He ended up
getting a lot of big breaks over his lifetime, which included the
following roles...
- Was a regular cast member in the 1976 variety show “Johnny Cash & Friends”
- Held a guest starring role on “Fernwood 2 Night”
- Cast in the role of Seaman “Doom & Gloom” Broom in the television version of “Operation Petticoat” between 1977 and 1979
- Portrayed Evan Earp in the 1983-1984 television series “The Rousters”
- Co-hosted HBO's 1985 New Years Eve special with Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson
- Assumed the role of Jed Clampett in the 1993 movie adaptation of “The Beverly Hillbillies”
- Was the voice of Slinky Dog in the first two “Toy Story” films
- Was the voice of 'Cookie' Farnsworth in the 2001 film “Atlantis: The Lost Empire”
Sadly,
that last entry on that list would end up being his last role ever.
In the summer of 1998, Varney developed a nagging cough while he was
filming a movie, and grew concerned when he saw a spot of blood
inside of his handkerchief. After having an appointment with a
doctor, he was given the grim news that he had lung cancer. Despite
his diagnosis in 1998, Varney spent much of 1999 continuing to work
on projects. A chain smoker for almost his entire life, the day he
heard the diagnosis was the day that he quit smoking for good, and
even filmed a public service announcement about the dangers of
smoking.
Varney
battled lung cancer for a year and a half and underwent chemotherapy
to try and combat the disease...but on February 10, 2000, Varney
passed away at the age of 50.
Throughout
Jim Varney's lifetime, he obviously had a lot of great success in the
world of film and television, and he certainly had a lot of fun
bringing his talents to the big and small screens. But I haven't
even touched upon the role that truly made Jim Varney a huge star.
It was also a role that was so silly and so goofy that I actually
ended up doing a double take when I read that Varney had studied
Shakespeare!
I'm
sure you know the role that I am talking about, don't you?
It
seems hard to believe, but the character of Ernest P. Worrell was
created by Varney for a series of television commercials thirty-two
years ago. In 1980, Ernest made his television debut in a local
commercial for Beach Bend Park, which advertised an appearance by the
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. From there, Ernest became the official
spokesperson for several dairy advertisements, and Varney created two
more characters (Auntie Nelda and Sgt. Glory) that were used in
various commercials that were taped between 1980 and 1990.
Eventually,
Ernest's popularity grew nationwide, and the idea to spin-off the
Ernest character into a series of feature films became a reality
beginning with 1987's “Ernest Goes To Camp” (a movie that I did
an entry in my blog about last summer). Other feature films
followed, such as 1990's “Ernest Goes To Jail”, 1991's “Ernest
Scared Stupid”, 1993's “Ernest Rides Again”, and 1998's “Ernest
In The Army”. There was even a Saturday morning television show
entitled “Hey Vern, It's Ernest”, which aired during the
1988-1989 season.
TRIVIA:
Jim Varney had the distinction of winning an Razzie Award (in 1988
for “Ernest Goes To Camp”, and then winning an Emmy Award the
following year for “Hey Vern, It's Ernest!”
You've
probably figured it out by now, but today's blog will be taking a
look at an Ernest film...and yes, it is one that takes place during
the Christmas season.
"Ernest Saves Christmas” was released on November 11, 1988, and in addition
to Varney, the film also starred Douglas Seale, Oliver Clark, and
Noelle Parker. The film was directed by John Cherry, who directed
all the other Ernest films, and made about $28 million in profits.
On one hand, it was a success, since it did make four times its
budget, but it was hardly considered to be worth a success when you
consider that 1988's top-grossing film, “Rambo III”, made almost
$200 million at the box office.
Regardless,
the film remains a favourite to many Ernest fans, and I admit that I
do love this movie (although “Ernest Goes To Camp” will always be
my all-time favourite Ernest film).
The
plot for the film is very simple. Santa Claus (Seale) is the most
recent in a long line of Santa Clauses before him (the idea of Santa
being replaced by a new Santa was also featured in “The Santa
Clause”). And this Santa Claus is on a mission. He is in Orlando,
Florida with the purpose of finding someone else to take over for him
this Christmas. The lucky winner of the new promotion is the host of
“Uncle Joey's Treehouse”, Joe Carruthers (Clark). And on the
surface, Carruthers seems to be the perfect choice. The catchphrase
of his show, after all, is “they never get old, they always stay
new, those three little words, please and thank you!”
Santa
just has to find him.
And
Ernest P. Worrell happens to be his taxi cab driver.
So,
here you are, thinking that the situation is bound to get a little
more complicated with Ernest involved. Well, you're right. Just
minutes after Ernest picks up Santa, they cross paths with a runaway
teenage girl who calls herself Harmony Starr (Parker), who joins the
two.
Upon
arriving at their destination, Santa is embarrassed to admit that he
has no money to pay Ernest (the only money in his possession is money
from a board game). Fear not though, Ernest is in the giving spirit
for Christmas and lets Santa off, free of charge. Unfortunately for
Ernest, his boss doesn't seem to feel the same way, and fires Ernest
on the spot.
Ah,
but Ernest soon discovers that Santa has left his magical bag behind
in Ernest's cab. And, Ernest, who would never play the game of
“finders keepers, losers weepers” embarks on a mission to return
the bag back to its rightful owner.
At
the same time, Santa tries to get close to Joe in order to tell him
of his new job promotion, but Joe's agent keeps him from doing so.
The agent even mishears Santa's name, actually calling him Mr. Santos
instead! To compound the matter, Santa realizes that he has lost his
bag, and that his mind isn't as sharp as it used to be. When he
tries to explain to Joe why he has come, Joe refuses to believe it,
and Joe's agent actually has Santa arrested!
So,
here's the situation. Ernest and Harmony discover that Santa has
been arrested and work on a plan to try and bust him out of jail so
that he can convince Joe to take on the job.
Meanwhile,
Joe's agent manages to sink his claws into Joe, urging him to pull
the plug on his children's show to star in a horror film that has
aliens terrorizing children on Christmas Eve. The movie's plot is so
offensive to Santa that he ends up decking the director, but Joe
seems determined to go ahead with the project. Can anyone make him
see reason before Christmas Eve?
And,
what about the teenage girl who calls herself Harmony Starr? When
she discovers the secret behind Santa's magical sack, she decides to
take advantage, and plots to run away with the loot. Will a
Christmas miracle make her see the light?
Oh,
I can't tell you. I never reveal endings. You'll just have to watch
the movie for yourselves...
...by
clicking HERE. Consider this a Christmas present to you all. And,
considering how rapidly movies get yanked from the site where this is
posted, you may want to take advantage while you can.
With
just one more week left to go until the big day, I have a lot of
holiday memories left to post. Tune in on Day #18 where we will talk
about the birth of a recent pop icon who has worn a lot of hats.
She's been a singer, a judge, and a Mouseketeer! And, we'll be
featuring both a contemporary song of hers as well as a Christmas
song. Hey, gotta keep the theme going, right?
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