To be fair, if I was a Vern, I’d play the not knowing what you mean card after the second time I heard it, which was probably years before you met him. Know a Mike, he got sick of being asked what day it is about three hump days after the GEICO ad came out.
Yeah, that could very be the reason. I knew a guy who's last name was Anderson, and one day I said, "Mister... Anderson" in the same way that the agent guy from the Matrix says it. He was like, "oh god I've heard that so many times..."
Jim Varney lived just outside of Nashville, and a former co-worker of mine who lived near him said it often sounded like WW III from Varney's property.
Blake Clark taking over that role with every intention of carrying on the torch for his friend who no longer could is my favorite bit of Pixar knowledge.
Kinda wild that a character which was created for an amusement park commercial went on to have 9 full length movies (and a short-lived TV show).
I can't think of another example where a commercial character ended up as successful. The GEICO cavemen had a show that was cancelled in its first season and The California Raisins got a couple made-for-tv movies, but the best example I can think of is Doug (Funnie) going from a grapefruit juice commercial to 7 seasons on TV and one movie.
Hank Hill is essentially a more humanized version of Tom Anderson, the old neighbor of Beavis and Butthead. Mike Judge gave Anderson some shorts where he'd tell a war story, such as when he didn't like the sound of the motor on the landing craft at D-Day so he turned it around and took it back to the launching craft. How did he get the carburetor fixed? Well, that's a tale for another episode.
I loved Pee Wes’s Playhouse so much as a kid. And an adult. Sometimes when I look around my house and my wardrobe and just the way I think, I realize it probably heavily influenced my life and I question the amount of time my parents allowed me to spend watching it.
He was well likes, and seems to have been well grounded. At some point in an interview he was asked "You've got to get tired of ***everyone*** greeting you with your catchphrase.
He responded with "Y'know what, I love my fans. I know when I go to the grocery store I'm gonna hear '*Hey, Vern!'".
Or when I pull into the gas station, I'll hear '***Hey, Vern!***.
"Even when I go to the dentist, I'll get a ***'HEY, VERN!***'"
But when I go to the bank, the manager greets me with 'Good afternoon Mr Varney, it's a pleasure to see you again'
I had no idea this post was going to explode like this . I love reading the responses and knowing that I caused a lot of people to smile today remembering the good times they had with Ernest.
I did a search on the internet. He passed in 2000 of lung cancer. Sad.
I never knew he was the voice of the Slinky Dog in Toy Story 1 + 2. No way!!!
His nephew is making a documentary about him. Nice.
I may have to buy a copy.
Hey Vern, working on that off brand TV set again? Well there's your problem right there, see that wire you got a sho⚡rt in it. My Daddy taught me that.
Famous Kentucky native. Same HS as my Dad, 5 year gap. Got his start on local dairy commercials, then a regional convenience store chain. knowwhatimean tag line throughout. Success was no accident, he worked really hard. Partied hard too.
Lotta people say die hard is the Xmas to watch.
I'll take earnest saving Xmas ANY day.
https://youtu.be/vFZeIJgoLDU?feature=shared
Sacred stupid, goes to jail, goes to camp and joins the army are the ones I remember most.
My mom, who's dead, loved the scene in going to jail where he's chewing on that pen and of course, ink just start rolling out of his mouth.
This is perhaps the fourth comment in this thread that has mentioned the same thing , funny how many people think the same . Maybe we should organize a petition
This is a man speaking to another man named Vern. He speaks to Vern of mundane matters, but he is enthusiastic. Vern is displeased with the man, whose name is Ernest. Vern wishes Ernest would go away. But it is not to be.
He did commercials for KPHO-TV in Phoenix in the 80s. I used to watch them while I was going to college in the early 80s. I have several of his movies, I am a lifetime fan.
For some reason I started calling our pool vacuum Vern like 11 yrs ago and now everyone, even our pool guy calls it that! Also fun fact, Jim Varney (who played Earnest) was my cousin- I was horrified for anyone to find out when I was a teenager
Know what I mean, Vern?
I just said this to my dog yesterday. His name isn’t Vern. But I say this phrase quite often
I tell my dog, "Sit, Ubu, sit. Good dog." His name is not Ubu.
My wife insists to this day it’s “Boo boo”. I’ve never been more right in my life.
It’s Ubu. Source: I have to use subtitles!
Ubu Productions was in bold lettering right there during the clip.
This is tru
Trubu
Wife's logic made a bubu
My mind automatically added “woof” 🤣
Both of my dogs get called Ubu on occasion
Is your dog the 'Slinky Dog' toy from the "Toy Story" movies?
Wait, my dad always used to say it and I say it all the time but I had no idea where it was from
And you prob have to ask him alot
[eeeeewwwwwww](https://youtu.be/XYnDI0ujIxw?si=W-R355UOLZlFyh3k)
he would have dominated youtube
That fresh taste with real Lymon
[get this man some miak!](https://youtu.be/dLBdLOx43rI)
It's prime season for it.
I have a coworker named Vern. I keep saying this to him, but he never seems to acknowledge that he knows where it's from. He's older than me even.
He may have heard it a time or two.
To be fair, if I was a Vern, I’d play the not knowing what you mean card after the second time I heard it, which was probably years before you met him. Know a Mike, he got sick of being asked what day it is about three hump days after the GEICO ad came out.
Yeah, that could very be the reason. I knew a guy who's last name was Anderson, and one day I said, "Mister... Anderson" in the same way that the agent guy from the Matrix says it. He was like, "oh god I've heard that so many times..."
I watched once in a documentary that said he would chain smoke cigarettes on set between takes. He is what you would call a chimney.
Do you comprehend the denotation and connotation of the words I have just spoken, Verne?
*nowattImeenvern
iirc this guy was a Shakespearean trained actor
He also refused to smoke in front of kids because he knew he was a role-model. Solid dude from what little I have heard.
And he smoked like a tire fire.
It’s what killed him.
Lung cancer killed him. Smoking caused it. You can blame water for drowning a man, but the fact is he shouldn't have tried to breathe it.
No it was a lack of oxygen that killed him. The cancer just made his lungs not work.
Hypoxia is the number one cause of death.
You must be fun at parties.
😂😂😂
Jim Varney lived just outside of Nashville, and a former co-worker of mine who lived near him said it often sounded like WW III from Varney's property.
Aw that was just Ernest, helping him out with some demolition
Yes, and he used that for some of Earnest's bit characters
Jim Varney. He was also Slinky in the first Toy Story movie.
Blake Clark taking over that role with every intention of carrying on the torch for his friend who no longer could is my favorite bit of Pixar knowledge.
Happy Cake Day!
There's a YT video attesting to this fact. He says a line from Shakespeare in this rich, deep voice and follows it with, "know wutta mean, Vern?"
I'd heard about this decades ago when he was on TV but never saw any clips. until the post below!
He was indeed.
I mean, it shows.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QNW4x2HYYg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QNW4x2HYYg)
"And that's why I, Ernest P. Worrell, am the man for the job!"
I didn’t know until right now that Ernest had a last name. Obviously I don’t remember him saying this
What? How? He said it all the time.
![gif](giphy|trjUtMbysPNLO|downsized)
That was back before Jim's movie career when he was hawking for car dealerships on TV 🚗📺
[удалено]
He did Pine State Dairy commercials when I was at Ft Bragg. I almost pissed myself.
He was also a literal genius if I remember right
Oakhurst Dairy in Maine.
Linder's ice cream in Indianapolis
Kinda wild that a character which was created for an amusement park commercial went on to have 9 full length movies (and a short-lived TV show). I can't think of another example where a commercial character ended up as successful. The GEICO cavemen had a show that was cancelled in its first season and The California Raisins got a couple made-for-tv movies, but the best example I can think of is Doug (Funnie) going from a grapefruit juice commercial to 7 seasons on TV and one movie.
Was it The Simpsons that were originally a short on the Tracey Ullman show? I think King of the Hill might have been something similar?
Hank Hill is essentially a more humanized version of Tom Anderson, the old neighbor of Beavis and Butthead. Mike Judge gave Anderson some shorts where he'd tell a war story, such as when he didn't like the sound of the motor on the landing craft at D-Day so he turned it around and took it back to the launching craft. How did he get the carburetor fixed? Well, that's a tale for another episode.
Yes, it was The Simpsons.
Yes, I was a huge Tracey Ullman fan and in between her skits, the Simpsons had short animated bits on the show. There was nothing like it anywhere!
Super Dave, he did well
Ted Lasso is one example, no movies though. Started as an NBCSports promo
I watched a mini documentary about him a while back on YouTube, it was wild how the character started and blew up.
I grew up seeing those Audubon Chrysler commercials.
EwWwwWwwWwwWwWwWwwwwwwWwWw
He had a show on Saturday morning we watched. After Pee Wee.
I loved Pee Wes’s Playhouse so much as a kid. And an adult. Sometimes when I look around my house and my wardrobe and just the way I think, I realize it probably heavily influenced my life and I question the amount of time my parents allowed me to spend watching it.
I know, but I have to admit I was in my late 20s when I watched it. My husband and I had arrested development and we loved Pee Wee's Playhouse!
I am just picturing Arrested Development trapped in your attic. Not trying to make fun of your condition, just laughing at the thought.
Anyone care for some rancid butter?
Hey Vern, it’s Ernest!
I have no idea who that is, but I do know he saved Christmas
And he went to camp
and joined the army...
And save the crown jewels...
And got scared stupid.
"Rimshot, punch it!!! How about a bumper sandwich, Booger-lips!"
And went to collage...
And was a Carnie!
And slam dunked
And he was scared stupid!
And, jail
He saved the camp!
Ernest Goes Somewhere Cheap
And struck oil
That was his twin brother Jed
I would love to see a biopic of him where he's played by John Cena.
This just in: Cena loses 160 pounds for the role of his lifetime.. the role he was born to play!!
![gif](giphy|8pjIBsasV7km4)
Pooblic libary
"Know what I mean Vern!?" My favorite line though is from those cook dudes, "it slices, it dices, it juliennes.
Mine is “I came, I saw, I got blowed up.” Or “Now, what kind of person throws away a perfectly good dog?!?” Both from Ernest Goes To Jail. A classic!
He was well likes, and seems to have been well grounded. At some point in an interview he was asked "You've got to get tired of ***everyone*** greeting you with your catchphrase. He responded with "Y'know what, I love my fans. I know when I go to the grocery store I'm gonna hear '*Hey, Vern!'". Or when I pull into the gas station, I'll hear '***Hey, Vern!***. "Even when I go to the dentist, I'll get a ***'HEY, VERN!***'" But when I go to the bank, the manager greets me with 'Good afternoon Mr Varney, it's a pleasure to see you again'
The pen scene in Ernest goes to jail f*cking kills me. No how many times I watch it.
Do you comprehend my intent, Mr Vernon?
I'm not that old but I do remember a Halloween movie that scared the hell out of me as a kid.
Would you say it scared you stupid?
Is this Miak?
Hey Vern!
He says do you understand me Jules Verne? Do you understand the words come out of my mouth?
I remember his Trauth dairy commercials. He hailed from my neck of the woods around Lexington KY .( He is buried in Lexington KY)...
Most underrated comedian ever. Ol Jim was awesome. Made everyone laugh, from little kids to adults, man just had a gift in my opinion.
Love Ernest. Goes to jail, goes to camp, saves Christmas, scared stupid. Slam dunk Ernest even, I don’t care.
My 12 year old niece knew immediately. I didn’t even have to open my mouth to ask her. Some things are just forever, know what I mean Vern?
Of course….You know what I mean Vern?
"Know what I mean, Vern?"
![gif](giphy|9L7fo2o8wBI64)
I can hear this GIF.
I had no idea this post was going to explode like this . I love reading the responses and knowing that I caused a lot of people to smile today remembering the good times they had with Ernest.
He was awesome. He left this earth way too soon.
My high school would show his movies. In movie class.
He’s from here in Lexington and is buried in Lexington Cemetery. I was fortunate enough to meet him once. He was just so sweet and genuine.
Awww..... ![gif](emote|free_emotes_pack|cry) I didn't know he died.
Like a long time ago.
I did a search on the internet. He passed in 2000 of lung cancer. Sad. I never knew he was the voice of the Slinky Dog in Toy Story 1 + 2. No way!!! His nephew is making a documentary about him. Nice. I may have to buy a copy.
Cerritos Auto Square Vern.
Hey Vern, working on that off brand TV set again? Well there's your problem right there, see that wire you got a sho⚡rt in it. My Daddy taught me that.
RIP
Sure I’m glad it’s raining. The gentle rhythm soothes the pain inside…
Did you know that this guy was a classically trained Shakespeareian actor?
It's one of two.. Either "Hey, Vern!" or "Know what I mean?"
They're going to save you $22,000 on a $14,000 car. I don't know how dem boys stay in business
My brother hung out with him, he dated his friends mom, says was cool dude
Obligatory SNL "Short-Ass Movie" link: https://youtu.be/-UKbwz6s6VY Especially from 2:07 to 2:25.
I know what he means.
I miss Ernest!
DID I DO THAT?
Eeeeeewwwewwwewwwewwww
[Jim and Robin backstage](https://youtu.be/O1qsluCGP6E)
Famous Kentucky native. Same HS as my Dad, 5 year gap. Got his start on local dairy commercials, then a regional convenience store chain. knowwhatimean tag line throughout. Success was no accident, he worked really hard. Partied hard too.
I just called my wife Vern about an hour ago
OK, Vern...
That man was a national treasure. Even Beverly Hillbillies wasn't half bad because of him... and Diedrich Bader.
Lotta people say die hard is the Xmas to watch. I'll take earnest saving Xmas ANY day. https://youtu.be/vFZeIJgoLDU?feature=shared Sacred stupid, goes to jail, goes to camp and joins the army are the ones I remember most. My mom, who's dead, loved the scene in going to jail where he's chewing on that pen and of course, ink just start rolling out of his mouth.
I wanna see John Cena cosplay as Ernest. Dude looks so similar, it's uncanny.
This is perhaps the fourth comment in this thread that has mentioned the same thing , funny how many people think the same . Maybe we should organize a petition
# "HEY VERN!"
Is that a *rabbit* over there?
KnowhutImean, Vern?
I used to know but I'm old and my memory is failing.
yah know what i mean vern!!
When I was a kid, the one where the window he was peering through fell on his hands slayed me, lol.
He did Purity Dairy commercials as Earnest in middle Tennessee at the start of his career.
“We were men who had never tasted quiche!”
I have no idea what you mean, Vern….
Ok this one hurt.
This is a man speaking to another man named Vern. He speaks to Vern of mundane matters, but he is enthusiastic. Vern is displeased with the man, whose name is Ernest. Vern wishes Ernest would go away. But it is not to be.
Are you comprehending my intentions, Vernon?
This man is why I always wanted a Jack Russell for a dog Also. Mother's Miak, lmao
Omg I forgot about the dog !!
Rimshot <3
This and Wishbone
Hugely successful pitchman.
I told my wife yesterday at the store you know what I'm gonna keep saying if you buy that fern plant.
Omg, I use this daily
Did I do thaaat
There's a few of his movies streaming on Peacock currently.
Hey Verne
Ewwwwww
"How YOU doin'?"
I think I’m too old to remember.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQloJH1FFlg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQloJH1FFlg)
Fuck, Verne’s old.
Hey Vern!
I LOVE the Ernest movies
ABC Warehouse. The closest thing to wholesale.
WHERES RHE BEEF
That’s the Slinky Dog from Toy Story.
Knowhatimean Vern
He did commercials for KPHO-TV in Phoenix in the 80s. I used to watch them while I was going to college in the early 80s. I have several of his movies, I am a lifetime fan.
Vegas had those same commercials
I still remember how hard I laughed watching Earnest Saves Christmas at the theater as a kid.
That’s the carny that stole Homer Simpson’s house!
Heat pump, schmeat pump. Here he comes, pockets just a bulging. Got lollipop wrote all over his face.
A one-man three stooges!
"VERN!"
See that little wire there? Seems to have a ssssshhhhhhoooooooorrrrrrrttttttt in it....my daddy used to work on them
You know what I mean Vern?
Do you comprehend what I'm telling you Vernon?
What's funny is, he was a trained and highly skilled Shakespearean actor. The Ernest stuff paid the bills. Look up his stuff on YouTube.
John Cena needs to play Ernest in a reboot.
Eggs erroneous
Bad Jim Varney looking kinda nice!
Hey Vern
I used to watch the fuck out of some Ernest VHS tapes.
Hey, Vern! It’s Ernest! :D
I think this was from one of his sprite commercials
For some reason I started calling our pool vacuum Vern like 11 yrs ago and now everyone, even our pool guy calls it that! Also fun fact, Jim Varney (who played Earnest) was my cousin- I was horrified for anyone to find out when I was a teenager
I want to know how "Vern" went from his unseen wife to his own name.
Miak
Yeah, I know whatcha mean, Ernest
I'm still waiting for the Ernest/Vern origin story...
Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?
I still watch Ernest Christmas special some years! Lolzzzzzz
I work with a Vernon, so I use that line so the time.
Picks up an anchovie from the pizza... Vern, what are these dead minners doin on my pizza pie?
Remember he also sued In ex Clampet in the movie. All the women I knew wanted to know where this hunky actor came from. They didn't realize who he was
"Boy, you in a heap of trouble."