AllMovie

Actor Jim Varney essays his fabled "Ernest P. Worrell" character in this video collection. It will be recalled that Ernest is the grinning, goonish protagonist of many a regional television commercial, hawking everything from convenience stores to newly created UHF TV outlets. Forever chattering away at his unseen buddy "Vern," the garrulous Ernest buffoonishly sings the praises of the product of the moment. Some audience members may have run screaming from their seats, but others stuck around long enough for the Ernest character to become one of the most potent and profitable advertising tools of the 1980s. Ernest Film Festival spotlights some of the best of Varney's local TV spots, as well as a few amusing (and extremely profane) out-takes.