Ernest P. Worrell

Ernest P. Worrell was a popular fictional character protrayed by Jim Varney. He first appeared in local advertisments starting in the early 1980s created by a Nashville agency. Ernest was a rubber-face country bumpkin type who appeared in the ads talking to his unseen friend, Vern. The character's popularity had reached an all-time high when he appeared in the Indianapolis 500, his apperence overshadowed another famous star making an apperence at the race, Mickey Mouse. Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg were attending the race, and decided to give Varney's character, some national recognition. The result was Ernest goes to Camp released in 1986. 3 more movies were produced by Disney featuring the character, Ernest Save Christmas,Ernest Goes To Jail, and Ernest Scared Stupid.