Ernest Goes to Jail
Encyclopedia
Ernest Goes to Jail is a 1990 Touchstone Pictures
comedy film
directed by John R. Cherry III
and starring Jim Varney
. It is the fourth film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell
. It was shot in Nashville
and Tennessee State Penitentiary
. This is the second most successful of the Ernest films, behind Ernest Saves Christmas
. It was in third place during its opening weekend, earning $6,143,372. Total gross was $25,029,569.
Mill Creek Entertainment
re-released this motion picture on DVD on January 18, 2011 as part of a 2-disc Triple Feature set with Ernest Goes to Camp
and Ernest Scared Stupid
. They also released the film for the first time on Blu-ray on March 29, 2011 in a single disc Double Feature set along with Ernest Goes to Camp. The 2011 releases mark the first time the film has been available in widescreen.
) and Bobby play a game of Red light/Green light while being night watchmen for Howard County Bank and Trust and are obsessed with elaborate schemes of would-be thieves. They hear a sound coming from a floor polisher that Ernest is trying to turn on for operation - he works as a night custodian at the bank - and dreams that he would be a clerk, but he ends up making a mess in the bank and he becomes magnetic from a mishap with the floor polisher. The next day, bank president Oscar Pendlesmythe's assistant, Charlotte Sparrow (Barbara Tyson
) requires him to clean up his supernatural mess. Pendlesmythe wants to terminate Ernest's employment at the bank, but Charlotte has a soft heart for misfits and stray dogs, so she argues on his behalf. Ernest takes a bath at home in a tumble dry washing machine and uses a blow-dryer with a wind-tunnel force for his evening dinner with Charlotte in a restaurant. He later receives an invitation to jury duty in court and tells the two watchmen about it. During the trial Dracup Maximum Security Prison convict Rubin Bartlett notices that Ernest is the spitting image of death-row inmate Felix Nash. Rubin's lawyer convinces the jury to tour the prison, where Ernest is kidnapped by Nash and another inmate named Lyle and forced to swap roles with Nash. Even though he tries to tell the guards he is not Nash, they refuse to believe him. Ernest also does not know that he has a death sentence which is for Nash.
While having lunch, a guard tells them to stand up and be quiet, when he notices Ernest is making a lot of noise, which almost sends him into the cell. Ernest tries a first attempt to tell one of the prison guards that he is Ernest, not Nash, but the guard calls him "Mr. Funny Man" (which is a mistaken lie) and angrily says that he is not funny and is lying and throws him into the cell right in front of a cell mate who pushes him back while the first attempt fails. When he pushes him near the prison bars, he tells a prison guard that he was beaten up (and accidentally slamming the guard's head on the bars). A prison guard tells Ernest that he will be sent to the hole, which makes Ernest realize he is in jail. He has various misadventures in prison (especially when trying to escape, e.g., when he attempts to fashion a gun out of soap and his scheme is revealed when the gun goes limp) until he is sent to the electric chair
by the prison warden (Charles Napier
).
The electrocution fails, and he is transformed into a type of superhuman, with the ability to shoot lightning bolts from his hands, which shock various other jail members. Ernest escapes from the prison and makes his way home, only to discover that his Pee-wee Herman
-like décor has been replaced by a slick Lounge Lizard
style of decorating. He exclaims, "I've been vandalized - by Elvis!" Ernest then goes to the bank, in his old clothes, only to find that Nash has assumed his identity and is in the process of robbing the bank and durnig the ensuing battle between the two of them he gets electrocuted yet again when Nash throws him against a cage that the bank had rigged to drop from the ceiling to catch robbers. Now Ernest has gained the ability to fly. He uses his super powers to fly through the skylight of the bank with a bomb that Nash had attached to the vault and two bank employees, which leads to a spectacular mid-air explosion. Everyone especially Chuck assumes that Ernest has been killed, until he falls through the skylight and lands on Nash. Ernest tiredly declares, "I came, I saw, I got blowed up."
Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by John R. Cherry III
John R. Cherry III
John R. Cherry III is an American film director and screenwriter, most notable for directing virtually every movie starring Jim Varney as Ernest P. Worrell. He based the character on a man who worked for his dad who thought that he knew everything but didn't know anything...
and starring Jim Varney
Jim Varney
James Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. was an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, writer, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P...
. It is the fourth film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell
Ernest P. Worrell
Ernest P. Worrell is a fictional character most principally portrayed by the late American actor Jim Varney in a series of television commercials, and later in a television series as well as a series of feature films. Ernest was created by the Nashville advertising agency Carden and Cherry and was...
. It was shot in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and Tennessee State Penitentiary
Tennessee State Prison
Tennessee State Prison is a former correctional facility located near downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Opened in 1898, the prison has been closed since 1992. It has been the location for the films Nashville, Marie, Ernest Goes to Jail, Against the Wall, The Green Mile, The Last Castle and Pillar's...
. This is the second most successful of the Ernest films, behind Ernest Saves Christmas
Ernest Saves Christmas
Ernest Saves Christmas is a 1988 Touchstone Pictures comedy film directed by John R. Cherry III and starring Jim Varney. It is the third film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell, and chronicles Ernest's attempt to find a replacement for an aging Santa Claus.-Plot:A man who claims to be Santa...
. It was in third place during its opening weekend, earning $6,143,372. Total gross was $25,029,569.
Mill Creek Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment is a home entertainment company that manufactures movie and television DVD compilation box sets at "value" prices. Nashville's Amity Entertainment is an affiliate to Mill Creek...
re-released this motion picture on DVD on January 18, 2011 as part of a 2-disc Triple Feature set with Ernest Goes to Camp
Ernest Goes to Camp
Ernest Goes to Camp is a 1987 Touchstone Pictures comedy film directed by John R. Cherry III and starring Jim Varney. It is the second film to feature the character of Ernest P...
and Ernest Scared Stupid
Ernest Scared Stupid
Ernest Scared Stupid is a 1991 American comedy film directed by John R. Cherry III and starring Jim Varney. It is the fifth film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell. The film has Ernest accidentally unleashing an army of trolls upon a small town on Halloween. It was shot in Nashville,...
. They also released the film for the first time on Blu-ray on March 29, 2011 in a single disc Double Feature set along with Ernest Goes to Camp. The 2011 releases mark the first time the film has been available in widescreen.
Plot
Security guards Chuck (Gailard SartainGailard Sartain
Gailard Sartain is an American comedic and serious actor, often playing characters with roots in the South. He is also an accomplished and successful painter and illustrator.-Early years and education:...
) and Bobby play a game of Red light/Green light while being night watchmen for Howard County Bank and Trust and are obsessed with elaborate schemes of would-be thieves. They hear a sound coming from a floor polisher that Ernest is trying to turn on for operation - he works as a night custodian at the bank - and dreams that he would be a clerk, but he ends up making a mess in the bank and he becomes magnetic from a mishap with the floor polisher. The next day, bank president Oscar Pendlesmythe's assistant, Charlotte Sparrow (Barbara Tyson
Barbara Tyson
Barbara Tyson is a Canadian actress known for appearing in hit TV series Cold Squad, ER and The Twilight Zone.-Filmography:*Wolf Canyon as Carol / Mayor Wyatt*Revolution as Anna...
) requires him to clean up his supernatural mess. Pendlesmythe wants to terminate Ernest's employment at the bank, but Charlotte has a soft heart for misfits and stray dogs, so she argues on his behalf. Ernest takes a bath at home in a tumble dry washing machine and uses a blow-dryer with a wind-tunnel force for his evening dinner with Charlotte in a restaurant. He later receives an invitation to jury duty in court and tells the two watchmen about it. During the trial Dracup Maximum Security Prison convict Rubin Bartlett notices that Ernest is the spitting image of death-row inmate Felix Nash. Rubin's lawyer convinces the jury to tour the prison, where Ernest is kidnapped by Nash and another inmate named Lyle and forced to swap roles with Nash. Even though he tries to tell the guards he is not Nash, they refuse to believe him. Ernest also does not know that he has a death sentence which is for Nash.
While having lunch, a guard tells them to stand up and be quiet, when he notices Ernest is making a lot of noise, which almost sends him into the cell. Ernest tries a first attempt to tell one of the prison guards that he is Ernest, not Nash, but the guard calls him "Mr. Funny Man" (which is a mistaken lie) and angrily says that he is not funny and is lying and throws him into the cell right in front of a cell mate who pushes him back while the first attempt fails. When he pushes him near the prison bars, he tells a prison guard that he was beaten up (and accidentally slamming the guard's head on the bars). A prison guard tells Ernest that he will be sent to the hole, which makes Ernest realize he is in jail. He has various misadventures in prison (especially when trying to escape, e.g., when he attempts to fashion a gun out of soap and his scheme is revealed when the gun goes limp) until he is sent to the electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
by the prison warden (Charles Napier
Charles Napier (actor)
Charles L. Napier was an American actor, known for his portrayals of square-jawed tough guys and military types.-Early life:...
).
The electrocution fails, and he is transformed into a type of superhuman, with the ability to shoot lightning bolts from his hands, which shock various other jail members. Ernest escapes from the prison and makes his way home, only to discover that his Pee-wee Herman
Pee-wee Herman
Pee-wee Herman is a comic fictional character created and portrayed by American comedian Paul Reubens. He is best known for his two television series and film series during the 1980s. The childlike Pee-wee Herman character developed as a stage act that quickly led to an HBO special in 1981...
-like décor has been replaced by a slick Lounge Lizard
Lounge Lizard
The term Lounge Lizard is usually used to refer to lounge musicians, most often in a negative sense . Since its first appearance as American slang in 1917, "lounge lizard" has surprisingly shown up in nearly every decade...
style of decorating. He exclaims, "I've been vandalized - by Elvis!" Ernest then goes to the bank, in his old clothes, only to find that Nash has assumed his identity and is in the process of robbing the bank and durnig the ensuing battle between the two of them he gets electrocuted yet again when Nash throws him against a cage that the bank had rigged to drop from the ceiling to catch robbers. Now Ernest has gained the ability to fly. He uses his super powers to fly through the skylight of the bank with a bomb that Nash had attached to the vault and two bank employees, which leads to a spectacular mid-air explosion. Everyone especially Chuck assumes that Ernest has been killed, until he falls through the skylight and lands on Nash. Ernest tiredly declares, "I came, I saw, I got blowed up."
Cast
- Jim VarneyJim VarneyJames Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. was an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, writer, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P...
— Ernest P. WorrellErnest P. WorrellErnest P. Worrell is a fictional character most principally portrayed by the late American actor Jim Varney in a series of television commercials, and later in a television series as well as a series of feature films. Ernest was created by the Nashville advertising agency Carden and Cherry and was...
, Felix Nash, Ernest as Auntie Nelda - Gailard SartainGailard SartainGailard Sartain is an American comedic and serious actor, often playing characters with roots in the South. He is also an accomplished and successful painter and illustrator.-Early years and education:...
— Chuck - Bill Byrge — Bobby
- Barbara TysonBarbara TysonBarbara Tyson is a Canadian actress known for appearing in hit TV series Cold Squad, ER and The Twilight Zone.-Filmography:*Wolf Canyon as Carol / Mayor Wyatt*Revolution as Anna...
— Charlotte Sparrow (credited as "Barbara Bush") - Barry ScottBarry ScottBarry Scott is an American DJ, author and voice artist.For over 25 years Barry Scott has hosted the radio show The Lost 45s, which features Top 40 charted records from the late 1960s to the late 1980s....
— Rubin Bartlett - Randall "Tex" Cobb — Lyle
- Dan Leegant — Oscar Pendlesmythe
- Charles NapierCharles Napier (actor)Charles L. Napier was an American actor, known for his portrayals of square-jawed tough guys and military types.-Early life:...
— Warden - Jackie Welch — Judge
- Jim ConradJim ConradJim Conrad is a Canadian politician. He has campaigned for public office on several occasions, and has been active with no fewer than five different political parties throughout the course of his career....
— Eddie - Emily Corbishdale — Betty McGee
- Melanie Wheeler — Prosecutor
- Jeffrey Buckner Ford — Defense Attorney (as Buck Ford)
- Daniel ButlerDaniel ButlerDaniel Butler may refer to:*Daniel Allen Butler, American author, historian and playwright*Dan Butler, American actor...
— Waiter - Charlie Lamb — Another Con
- Mac Bennett — Con
- Rick Schulman — Mean Guard
- Bruce Arntson — Juror
- Andy StahlAndrew StahlAndrew Render Stahl is an American actor who has been acting for over 20 years. Two of his more memorable roles were Tom McHone in the Christy series and General Armand Stassi in seaQuest 2032.-Life and career:...
— Jerry (as Andrew Stahl) - Bob BabbittBob BabbittBob Babbitt is an American bassist, most famous for his work as a member of Motown Records' studio band, the Funk Brothers, from 1966–1972, as well as his tenure as part of MFSB for Philadelphia International Records afterwards. Also in 1968-1970, with Mike Campbell, Ray Monette and Andrew Smith...
— Washing Con - Myke R. Mueller — Vinnie (as Myke Mueller)
- John DavisJohn Davis- American politicians:*John Davis , Massachusetts state representative and federal judge*John Davis , U.S. Representative from Kansas...
— Other Guard - Michael MontgomeryMichael MontgomeryMichael Lewis Montgomery, II is an American football defensive end for Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
— Warden's Assistant - Mike Hutchinson — Gate Guard
- Badd Catt — Jail Guard (uncredited)
- Chambers StevensChambers StevensChambers Stevens is an American actor, playwright, author and acting coach. Stevens was the co-founder in 1988 of the Nashville Shakespeare Festival.- Actor :...
— Jury Man (uncredited) - Paul Pigue — Spider (arm wrestler) (uncredited)