Jim Varney is a national treasure.

Also, Taco John's is not “national” since it's not in all states.

Ah childhool memories. Love him

Growing up in Middle Tennessee, when the Ernest movies came out we were confused as to why Vern's neighbor suddenly went to a summer camp where there was no Purity milk to be had.

I remember commercials with him; the schtick was “Vern” was the camera POV, so in essence the viewer is Vern - who is annoying Ernest’s next door neighbor. Ernest would come over and pester Vern about whatever product it was, and the camera as Vern would try to get away from him, never speaking.

The commercials were kinda funny. I was ASTOUNDED when an Ernest movie was made and couldn’t believe such a ridiculous thing existed. I’ve never seen a moment of those movies, but Jim Varney was a talented actor, RIP.

I’m sure the Ernest character was at least inspired by the classic Andy Griffith Show character, Ernest T. Bass.

You're really missing out. Yes, they're designed for children. Keep that in mind. I recommend Ernest Goes To Jail to see the scope of this man's acting abilities. The fact that he was classically trained in Shakespeare shows through the characters.

That movie was covered by How Did This Get Made, and June Diane Raphael famously said Bad Ernest is sexy lol. They kinda enjoyed the movie iirc. Maybe i’ll watch it with my kids sometime.

I remember hearing that he was an accomplished opera singer too at one point. Cant find any mention of it in his wiki though, maybe mandela effect?

RIP, he was a big part of my childhood.

Also, the ad guy "Cherry" in the successful advertising agency of "Carden & Cherry" gave himself the nickname of "Buster" that he used in all of his interviews and promotions.

Can you imagine some businessman walking around and introducing himself as "Buster Cherry"?

He even did spots for the Atlanta Braves back in the 80s (it was a lot harder to sell tickets for them at the time)

Ya, MIAK! I betchya thought I couldn't find any this time of year!

Yes, have you met my uncle Mike Hunt?

This is the scene I was thinking of

And yes, Nash/ Bad Ernest is sexy for some really odd reason...

Oh man, the pre Bobby Cox Braves. I can imagine.

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Ironically Bobby Cox was the GM at the time (he had managed the Braves earlier in the 80s and was hired back as GM a few years later). Then in 1990 he fired the manager mid-season and said “fuck it i’m gonna manage this team myself”, and the rest was history.

That was funnier than I expected

"Nuh uh, ain't no trees in Botswana, nuh uh, I know, I am a Botswanian lumberjack, and I ain't never had a job..."

Scared Stupid had a heap of funny lines but for some reason that one always killed me.

Loved Ernest as a kid. The troll movie scared the crap out of me but I loved it. Poor guy died of cancer due to smoking I believe? . He will never be forgotten.

My boss says almost daily. Know what I mean Verne?

We had no team here, so growing up it was the Braves on WTBS or the Cubs on WGN. When Greg Maddux went to Atlanta it was like all my childhood baseball dreams came true.

Between Braves games at Fulton Co Stadium and NWA wrasslin' at the Georgia Dome, Ted Turner loomed large in the childhoods of many kids in the Southeast.

I met him when I was a kid, he was in character at out 4th of July festival. He had large hands and smelled like BO, but he was so friggin cool.

And if you liked The Beastmaster, Ted was your man. We used to laugh that he must love that movie and would call down to the station on a weekend: “Hey - play Beastmaster!”
“Umm Mr. Turner, we have programming already scheduled, and we did just show that film earlier this week.”

“I own the station - and I want Beastmaster!”

“Of course, sir”

I remember hearing that Jim Varney was a gracious, kind person. I can't think of any scandals or dirt that was dug up.

Not that I care...I'm ashamed of the filth I see when I Google myself, just saying.

I'll bet he woke up every morning and said, "those fucking commercials led to a pretty great career! So, what am I doing today? Oh yes, I'm playing a prince on Roseanne! Ha ha ha!"

Good for him.

You were Vern.

Jim Varney died of lung cancer in 2000. And no, I'm not fun at parties.

There was a band in the eighties “Buster Hymen and the Penetrators”

Dude - I must have seen The Beastmaster 200 times growing up for that reason.

I'm willing to bet an inordinate number of ferrets in the South were named Kodo and Podo in the 80's

I still catch myself watching his movies. He really was an amazing actor.

I didn't have four fathers! I only had one father and I didn't know him that well!

“Dukes o’ Hazard’s whatcha aughta be watchin’, Verne.”

Ernest Save Christmas was the highlight of the 80s

" how bout a bumper sandwich boogerlips" is still my favorite line from that movie.

I remember his commercials for Cerritos Auto Square

Trauth dairy in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky.

Vern's soda plug was always odd to me after watching the movies first.

I think I’ll get a donut

I’m not sure it was opera but I’ve seen a news video about him doing something like that or plays.

Ernest Saves Christmas was a Christmas tradition with my family. Looking back, it's incredibly cringe but still good for a few laughs.

Ernest scared stupid is my shit

When we stops the sleigh in "Ernest saves Christmas" and turns to the camera and says "air brakes" in his goofy accent, it makes me laugh every single time.

He was a Shakespearean trained actor.

My guess: Ernest kind of looks like Mike Rowe, and Rowe is a trained opera singer.

How many states does it take to cross that threshold? Would a brand count as national if they’re only in the contiguous 48?

I sing oh Christmas tree every year to my friends and family. Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree....oh Christmas tree...oh Christmas tree.

>all states

Too bad he didn't listen to his own PSA on smoking.

So what if it was in every state but not Washington D.C.? It’s hardly national if it’s not in the nation’s capital. But that’s also not included in “all states.”

E: spelling

Large Marge terrified me and my siblings as children!

Same for large marge being terrifying but that’s A Pee-Wee Herman character. The troll in Ernest Scared Stupid was equally terrifying to me as a kid.

You’re right. I’m a jackass. Whoops!

The one with the goblins freaked the shit out of me as a kid

Making mistakes is ok, you’re not a jackass.

Ernest wouldn’t be mad at you.

Ernest scared stupid was one of my favorite movies as a kid

I was a 20 year old playing classic wow in 2020 with a bunch of 40 year olds and I made an Ernest reference. They didn’t think I could possibly know that. Ernest goes to camp and Ernest scared stupid were my favorite movies as a kid.

I did I stole the Lindbergh baby I am Joseph Mengele.

Tubi has his greatest hits/commercials, couple of em had me actually laughing. He was samn talented actor from Shakespeare to Ernest

I first saw him doing electric company commercials.

I swear I must’ve watched Earnest Scared Stupid a hundred times growing up.

Remember when HBO stood for “Hey, Beastmaster’s On”?

On YouTube https://youtu.be/5FUM1L-kgwc

I remember the tv show. And the Pine State commercials he was on.

Dude could even do Shakespeare. Genuinely a great actor. Fuck cigarettes and I hope every shareholder of phillip morris, BAT, and every other tobacco company gets lung cancer.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Otto_and_the_Riddle_of_the_Gloom_Beam

This is a movie he made in which he played multiple characters and the humor is darker and weirder than the Ernest franchise. Haven't seen it in years.

“It was a dark night in lower Botswana. Giant bula-bula flies droned in the still air. Then it cane: the shrieking war cry of the Ottoman hordes.”

"Bad Jim Varney looking kinda nice"

He smoked a ton but was adamant that no pictures or footage was taken of him smoking, because he didn’t want kids to pick up the habit because Ernest smoked. He was a role model and took it seriously.

I believe that was the first thing I remember with him

i think bugs bunny did it first. no disparagement though, jim varney had impeccable comedic timing

That’s a brand I forgot about. I used to love the purity lemonade. I haven’t had it in 15 years but I swear I can still taste it.

It may be cringe, but I just watched it last year after taking a 25year break and man... it is pretty well written.

My hats off to film writers of that Era who could make a movie that made sense and had many plot lines in 1hr 28mins.

Dude died pretty young

He owned a twin turbo DeLorean, I think only 6 were made. He was also friends with Billy Bob Thornton and Billy Bob said that Jim Varney was a “hillbilly with money” and probably the only person with a twin turbo DeLorean on blocks in his front yard.

I watch it every year on Christmas Eve. I watch Ernest Scared Stupid every October.

Even if I’m having an awful day Ernest can make me smile.

it's the other way around. The guy is a classically trained stage actor and thespian but put his talents to bringing the goofy Ernest character to life.

His modern successor is Larry the Cableguy, who doesn't actually have a drawl accent.

The character was most likely a ripoff of Ernest T. Bass from The Andy Griffith Show. Same outfit, voice and name: Ernest tooth

I REALLY hated the character as a kid, he was more annoying than any cartoon. But watching him as an adult is a blast. My favorite is Ernest Goes to Jail which has a scene where his doppleganger tries to rape a woman.

Man is it just me or did way more people smell like BO in the 90’s? Find it’s fairly rare these days thankfully.

Watched Scared Stupid a million times growing up, and nowy kids watch it. I hope to have it passed down through generations, was a great flick.

Same, hated him as a kid but as an adult watching him while baked is something else.

We had an 'Ernest's Commercials' vhs tape when I was younger. Watched it a hundred times over. One was him trimming some weeds talking about a war on the big C (cancer) and cigarettes or some such. Young me had to do the yard work and stepdad smoked. He didn't like my weekly Ernest impression but eventually took over the yard work and stopped smoking.

Yep, confused in Houston as well when he blew up, as he was a staple of our TV ads. I want to say he might have even done a super glue ad? I might just be wrong though, the hard hat on the girder guy?

Ernest Halloween fucked me up as a kid LOL.

Him opening the car door and bonking the troll was peak comedy to 5 year old me

For more information like this and reads of unreleased scripts check out The Ernest P. Worrell Preservation Society podcast.

RIP Jim. Wish he didn't smoke.

"How bout a bumper sandwich booger lips"

And Jungle Juice!

Have a 13 year old son and then we’ll talk

Ernest Cuts the Cheese!

Yeah, miak! Bet you thought I couldn’t get it this time of year.

Haha a few more years and I’ll be there. Already experiencing toddler foot stank.

Ha! Now I’ll have to go dig out the old VCR.

How about a bumper sandwich, booger lips?

Why do they refuse to wear deodorant? Do they enjoy the smell? Source: have a 13 and 12 year old.

One of the better episodes.

I just watched Ernest saves Christmas after not having seen it since it was released. It's still absolutely hilarious. The range Jim Varney has is just incredible. He's kind of a more complicated Mr. Bean in that he uses a lot of physical comedy and facial expressions.

Why don't they recap these things at home

No that wasn't Ernest. I can't remember who it was, though.

If you don't put down them cigarettes, tha groundhogs'll be brangin' ye ye mail, nowutimean ? He said that to vern, while he himself was a chain smoker.

My favorite Ernest movie is Ernest goes to jail.

I think it's got uh short rrttt in it

50 yrs old

Yes ! I always thought he looked like Mike rowe! But Mike is hot.

Tha groundhogs'll be brangin' ye ye mail, nowutimean?

One of my first memories of going to the movies was to see Ernest Goes to Camp. I think I was 4. My friends mom was trying to take us to see one of the Benji movies but we were able to talk her into Ernest. Glad we did it was the funniest thing I'd seen in my young life at that time.

That is young relatively speaking..

When I lived in the Los Angeles area I saw quite a few commercials he did for Cerritos Auto Square (a group of dealerships owned by different people who advertised together as a "destination" for car shoppers).

Here's a link to my favorite. Great line in it: "Don't worry about the salesmen. Anyone can whup a salesman..." https://youtu.be/P1UE4_B_6xY

Edit: lots of his commercials are on YouTube.

Edit 2: Jim was very good as Jed Clampett in the Beverly Hillbillies movie, too. The first half of the movie was hilarious.

Jim Varney. He also did voice over work and played in the Beverly Hillbillies movie.

And he was slinky dog in the first two Toy Story films