Aug 23 10
Jim Varney: Life Before Ernest
Before donning his signature denim vest and baseball cap, famously turning into the caricature of a character Ernest P. Worrell, Jim Varney was just another actor looking for his big break. Well, Varney was just another actor as far as numbers go, but when it came down to natural aptitude for acting, the ability to elicit a laugh or smile out of even the most strait-laced onlooker and the naturally endearing quality essential towards building a relationship with an audience, Varney was anything but “just another.” Taking Ernest across a wide spectrum of places a person could wind up, from camp to school to jail, Varney experienced a meteoric rise in popularity. And to think, the most successful bit of his career began as a mere TV commercial gig, but Varney’s portrayal of Ernest proved to be too iconic for a mere 30-second spot. The unexpected success Varney experienced was only a shock to those who didn’t know the man, as his talents had long been evident to those close to him.Born in 1949 in Lexington, Kentucky, into a family that already had three sisters, baby brother soon became a source of entertainment for the entire household. Easily memorizing books, poems or anything else they could put in front of him, the youngster would playfully recite paragraphs back, often mimicking characters from the passage or cartoons he would watch on TV. Noticing his talents, his mother enrolled him in children’s theater which sparked a lifelong interest in acting. After taking home statewide honors for drama competitions in high school, Varney enrolled at Murray State University at the young age of 15. After a stint of performing in coffee houses and night clubs, Varney soon took his talents to a playhouse in nearby Danville, where he engaged in outdoor theater for modest crowds. Eventually, Varney’s on screen career would begin to take shape, becoming a regular on The Johnny Cash Show by 1976. He also enjoyed recurring roles on the mock late-night talk show Fernwood 2 Night, in addition to regular cast member roles on two TV series, Operation Petticoat and Pink Lady and Jeff. In 1980, Varney filmed his first Ernest commercial, and the rest is history.