Hey Vern, It's Ernest!
Encyclopedia
Hey Vern, It's Ernest! is a short lived American
children's television program
. It aired on Saturday mornings on CBS
for one season in 1988. Each episode involved short sketches
based around a certain theme or scenario (much like You Can't Do That on Television
), featuring the popular fictional character Ernest P. Worrell
(Jim Varney
), his unseen friend Vern, and various others. The series was a production of Ernest creator John Cherry
's production company, The Emshell Producers' Group, in association with CBS, and was distributed by DIC Entertainment
.
DIC streamed
several episodes for free viewing on their KEWL Cartoons website] until KewlCartoons became Jaroo.
released a two disc DVD set containing the complete series on January 18, 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
children's television program
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
. It aired on Saturday mornings on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
for one season in 1988. Each episode involved short sketches
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
based around a certain theme or scenario (much like You Can't Do That on Television
You Can't Do That on Television
You Can't Do That on Television is a Canadian television program that first aired locally in 1979 before ultimately airing internationally in 1981...
), featuring the popular fictional 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...
(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...
), his unseen friend Vern, and various others. The series was a production of Ernest creator John Cherry
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...
's production company, The Emshell Producers' Group, in association with CBS, and was distributed by DIC Entertainment
DiC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment was an international film and television production company. In addition to animated television shows such as Ulysses 31 , Inspector Gadget , The Littles , The Real Ghostbusters , Captain Planet and the Planeteers , and the first two seasons of the English adaptation of...
.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| 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... |
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... , Auntie Nelda, Dr. Otto, Sergeant Glory, Baby Ernest, Astor Clement |
| Gailard Sartain Gailard 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:... |
Chuck, Lonnie Don, Matt Finish |
| Bruce Arntson | Existo the Magician, Mike the Clown, Bill, various singers |
| Mac Bennett | Mac |
| Daniel Butler | Willie the Homemade Robot, Earl the Barber, Ernest's Tongue |
| Bill Byrge | Bobby |
| Debi Derryberry Debi Derryberry Debi Derryberry is an American voice actress, singer, composer and kids' entertainer who won an American Anime Award.-History:... |
Skeeter, various |
| Mark Goldman | Eddie, various |
| Denice Hicks | Mrs. Clown, various singers |
| Jackie Welch | Mrs. Simon Simmons, Coo, various singers |
Recurring sketches and characters
- Lonnie Don's School of Hollywood Sound Effects: A fictional sound effects wizard demonstrates how to make a sound from one of his movies. The procedure is always the same: he places his hand over his mouth and blows a raspberryBlowing a raspberryBlowing a raspberry or strawberry or making a Bronx cheer is to make a noise signifying derision, real or feigned. It is made by placing the tongue between the lips and blowing, making a sound redolent of flatulence. In the terminology of phonetics, this sound can be described as an unvoiced...
.
- Haircut: Ernest walks into Earl the Barber's shop and asks him to make him look like a "Wall StreetWall StreetWall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
tycoon." However, the barberBarberA barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
always misunderstands him, and instead fanatically styles his hair into something that rhymes with "tycoon" (e.g., a "baby baboon," a "clock set on noon," "large feet in a cartoon," a "deadbeat racoon", etc.) Whatever the hairstyle, Ernest stares thoughtfully at it in the mirror and says, "It could work."
- Sergeant Glory: Varney plays an aloof, fast-talking military SergeantSergeantSergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
teaching a class of recruitsArmy recruitRecruit or army recruit is a term often colloquially used to refer to the lowest military rank in various armed services. It usually implies that the soldier so labeled has not yet completed basic training....
about the subject of the day. He gives them two rules to remember, the second of which is almost always "Obey all rules." The character originated in an ad for Purity milk a short while before the character of Ernest was created. (In Hobbies, the rules were both "They seldom stand.")
- My Father the Clown: A spoof on family-friendly sitcoms which featured a professional clownClownClowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
, his stay-at-home wife, and two kids: an aspiring clown (Skeeter) and his straight-laced brother (Eddie).
- Existo the Magician: A clumsy magician who attempts to perform tricks that always go awry.
- Matt Finish: A self-described "photographer at large" who loves taking pictures of everything. His name is a pun on matte finish, a type of non-glossy photo paperPhotographic paperPhotographic paper is paper coated with light-sensitive chemicals, used for making photographic prints.Photographic paper is exposed to light in a controlled manner, either by placing a negative in contact with the paper directly to produce a contact print, by using an enlarger in order to create a...
.
- Mrs. Simon Simmons' Mind Your Manners: A parody of Emily PostEmily PostEmily Post was an American author famous for writing on etiquette.-Background:Post was born as Emily Price in Baltimore, Maryland, into privilege as the only daughter of architect Bruce Price and his wife Josephine Lee Price of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania...
, Mrs. Simon Simmons teaches the ways of proper etiquette to her TV audience.
- Ernest's Tongue: Ernest's tongue inside his mouth gets sprayed with different kinds of food.
- Mac and George: Mac and his "roommate" George, a lizard (IguanaIguanaIguana is a herbivorous genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central America and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena...
) who can do many of the same things a person can.
- Chuck and Bobby: Chuck and his brother Bobby, who get into adventures like Ernest. The characters made appearances in the various Ernest films as well.
- Willie the Robot: A homemade robot with a bucket head and a '70s "Have a nice day" smiley face. Originally appeared in Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom BeamDr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom BeamDr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam is a 1986 comedy/science fiction film starring Jim Varney. It was written and directed by John R. Cherry III. The film includes the Ernest P. Worrell character, but takes a slightly darker tone than his other films. The film was released on video in 1992 by...
.
- Baby Ernest: Ernest as a baby would talk about a situation involving his parents and end by saying "Boy, grownups sure talk funny. KnowhatImean?"
- Woody: A ventriloquist dummy who looks like Ernest.
- Dust Bunny: A dusty rabbit, named after dust bunniesDust bunnyDust bunnies , also called dust mice, are small clumps of dust that form under furniture and in corners that are not cleaned regularly. They are made of hair, lint, dead skin, spider web, dust, and sometimes light rubbish and debris, and are held together by static electricity and felt-like...
, who appears to live under dusty furniture, and always gets in and out of the picture by sneezing.
- Dr. Otto: The main character from Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom BeamDr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom BeamDr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam is a 1986 comedy/science fiction film starring Jim Varney. It was written and directed by John R. Cherry III. The film includes the Ernest P. Worrell character, but takes a slightly darker tone than his other films. The film was released on video in 1992 by...
would sometimes be featured in his lab creating new things. When he feels he has a great idea, he would sometimes exclaim "Viola!" ("Voila!") or "Eureka, CaliforniaEureka, CaliforniaEureka is the principal city and the county seat of Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 27,191 at the 2010 census, up from 26,128 at the 2000 census....
!" ("Eureka!")
- Bill and Coo: A country music duo who sing sad but funny songs. They only appeared in two episodes, Pets and School.
Episodes
| # | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hey Vern, It's Outer Space"- Ernest tries to get rid of a strange, bomb-like device that he thinks is an alien weapon. | September 17, 1988 |
| 2. | "Hey Vern, It's Clothing" - Ernest and Vern throw a costume party for their neighbors, but Ernest can't decide what to go as. | September 24, 1988 |
| 3. | "Hey Vern, It's Scary Things" - Ernest braves the dark corners of Vern's house in search of the Boogeyman Bogeyman A bogeyman is an amorphous imaginary being used by adults to frighten children into compliant behaviour... . |
October 1, 1988 |
| 4. | "Hey Vern, It's Movies" - Ernest enters a home movie contest. | October 8, 1988 |
| 5. | "Hey Vern, It's Magic" - Ernest makes Vern's dog Shorty disappear...and can't bring him back! | October 15, 1988 |
| 6. | "Hey Vern, It's Sports" - "Ernest the Furnace" makes the mistake of challenging the pro wrestler "Chainsaw Chester" to a match. | October 22, 1988 |
| 7. | "Hey Vern, It's Pets" - Ernest opens a pet day care center in Vern's house in order to save up $100.00 for his own puppy. | October 29, 1988 |
| 8. | "Hey Vern, It's Hobbies" - Ernest tries to help Vern capture the rare Orange Honey-Woney butterfly for his collection. | November 5, 1988 |
| 9. | "Hey Vern, It's Food" - Ernest enters the town bake off with his own personal recipe. | November 12, 1988 |
| 10. | "Hey Vern, It's Holidays" - Ernest sets the world record for celebrating every major holiday of the year in one day. | December 3, 1988 |
| 11. | "Hey Vern, It's School" - Ernest tries to finish his classes in school in order to earn a flashy wrist watch. | December 10, 1988 |
| 12. | "Hey Vern, It's Lost & Found" - Ernest searches for a treasure that is buried under Vern's house. | December 17, 1988 |
| 13. | "Hey Vern, It's Talent" - Ernest enters the neighborhood talent show, but what is his hidden talent? | December 24, 1988 |
Releases
Various episodes were released on home video—some on DIC Entertainment's own label—in the late 1980s-early 1990s.DIC streamed
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
several episodes for free viewing on their KEWL Cartoons website] until KewlCartoons became Jaroo.
DVD Releases
Mill Creek EntertainmentMill 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...
released a two disc DVD set containing the complete series on January 18, 2011.
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Daytime Emmy Award Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming... |
Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series | Jim Varney |
| Outstanding Achievement in Graphics and Title Design | Joel Anderson and Barbara Laszewski |