08/07/2024
Despite his persona as Ernest P. Worrell, Jim Varney reportedly had a near genius I.Q. level. He was said to be occasionally exasperated with fans who met him and assumed he was exactly like the character he portrayed.
Ernest originally appeared in commercials "alongside" his off-camera friend Vern. Ernest would address the camera as if it were Vern. In 1980, the first commercial featuring Varney as Ernest advertised an appearance by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders at Beech Bend Park, an amusement park located near Bowling Green, Kentucky. The character was franchised for use in markets all over the country and was often used by dairies to advertise milk products. Varney also starred as Ernest in a series of commercials that ran in the New Orleans area (and throughout the Gulf South) as a spokesman for natural gas utilities, as well as campaigns for Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy Stores and Convenient Food Mart.
When given the chance to have a lifelong dream fulfilled by such groups as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, several hundred terminally ill children have asked to meet Ernest. Varney never let them down.
In "Ernest Goes to Camp" (1987), Lyle Alzado broke Varney's nose by mistake during the fight scene. Varney said the crack you hear in the movie wasn't added later.
Varney said his dream role would have been to perform Hamlet. "I'd like to do a piece of Shakespeare. Any upcoming Shakespeare film. Just a bit to say I did a classic." (IMDb/Wikipedia)
Happy Birthday, Jim Varney!
