The Importance of Being Ernest: The Life of Actor Jim Varney (Stuff that Vern doesn't even know)

I worked at a small hotel and Casino back in the 70's and 80's called the Maxim Hotel and Casino. They had a show called "Old Time Burlesque" the stand up comedian in the show was Jim Varney, this was towards the beginning of his career, I worked as a 21 dealer working 12:00 noon to 8:00 PM five days a week. Jim did two shows a day, a matinee, an a afternoon show. Rather than leave between shows he would sit down by this little sandwich and ice cream shop in a booth and read the newspaper and have lunch. I did the same before I started my shift and every hour I got a twenty minute break. Jim and I became good friends and sat together for lunch and between working every day for a little over a year. He was a great person, very kind, very funny when it was time to be funny, very knowledgeable, he never stopped reading, he always had something to read. I even brought him some reading material at times. For a time he stayed right in the hotel in a room that the hotel provided him since he worked there. I'll tell you a funny story, Jim would take a pair of cowboys boots he wore down to the shoe shine guy on Casino level to have them polished, as he rode down the elevator he would put the boots next to him in the elevator with a fine black fishing line attached to them, and each other. He was working on them with the fishing line one day in the booth we sat in for lunch everyday, and I asked him what in gods name are you doing with that fishing line and those boots? He said you have to get a rigging of the boots just right so when you walk just a few feet away from them you can pull the line and make the boots walk like there's somebody in them walking! I was very puzzled, and thought it must be part of his stand up routine. But what he did next was ( back to the elevator ), he would wait till some unsuspecting couple would get in the elevator then pnuch the button for Casino level, then he would start arguing with an imaginary guy supposedly standing in the empty boots, and the other people in the elevator would get real nervous wondering who is this guy talking to the empty boots? Then when the elevator doors opened to the Casino level no one would move cause they were stymied by Jim's act, then Jim would walk a few feet out the elevator door, turn around and in a huff say to the imaginary guy "well are you coming or not?" , then very inadvertently pull the fishing line rigging and make the boots start to walk out of the elevator, most of the time the people in the elevator would scream or their mouths would drop open, then some would realize it was a practical joke! One time the couple in the elevator were older and the woman screamed so loud we heard her in the Casino. He was without a doubt one of the most interesting friends I ever had! He was always re-imagining the perfect practical joke! I miss you Jim.....!

This biography of Jim Varney by Justin Lloyd was enjoyable from cover to cover. Justin’s admiration for his uncle and his respect for Jim’s legacy were evident from the first page. His writing style was clear, concise, and gave detailed, historical information about Jim from his birth to his passing. I found myself not being able to read fast enough — so many interesting facts about Jim’s life in each chapter.It’s a shame that Jim did not get as many opportunities to display his acting chops as he would like. But even in just his Ernest material, we can see he was a talented actor. And that he embraced his role as Ernest (knowing what it meant to many) despite the danger of being typecast, is just another indicator of who he was.Looking forward to the documentary in the works, scheduled for a 2023 release!

Jim Varney was an actor and comedian who had his heyday during the 1980s and 1990s. He is best known for his Ernest character. This book is the story of his life.Varney was born and raised in Kentucky. Even at a young age, he became interested in acting and starred in various children's plays as a child. He made it his goal in life to go into acting as a career. A well-read but poor student, he dropped out of high school despite being forced to repeat his senior year to focus on acting and comedy.During his 20s, he tried to establish his reputation both as an actor and a stand-up comedian in various local venues. Later on, he tried to hit it big in New York or Los Angeles. Although he would eventually get some national exposure on television and rub shoulders with some big names, nothing ever really hit big. He ended up returning to his hometown of Lexington and was forced to take odd jobs, such as driving delivery trucks, just to get by.He still wanted to succeed in acting. He started working in television commercials. It was in the early 1980s that the character of Ernest came to life. Varney and the advertising agency he worked for developed the character to sell products for various local markets. He was a dim-witted and obnoxious neighbor always seen in his trademark denim vest and grey baseball cap. Something really clicked with Ernest and the slapstick humor used in the commercials. People all over the country were tuning in and loving Ernest. Ernest had the ability to sell things that no one else could like milk, mattresses, or even ads for the local evening news.Ernest's success made Varney a true star. The popularity of the character turned it into an entire franchise with hundreds of commercials filmed, several movies, and a short-lived television series. Varney sometimes seemed to have a love-hate relationship with Ernest. Although he was happy with the success of the character, he believed that it took real acting skills to pull off comedy, he thought he was being typecast as the unintelligent hillbilly. For a man who could quote Shakespeare from memory, it could be frustrating and Varney found it difficult to find dramatic roles.In the 1990s, Varney continued the success of Ernest while also accepting some other roles such as in The Beverly Hillbillies. He also lent his voice to Slinky Dog, a character in the famous Pixar films Toy Story and Toy Story 2. Unfortunately, Varney's health seriously declined in the late 1990s. A lifetime smoker, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and died in 2000 at the age of 50.I found this book to be an interesting look at the life of the man that most people know as Ernest or even just the Hey, Vern Guy. I would recommend this book to those interested in learning more about Jim Varney's life.

I saw my first Ernest film around 1992 when I was 5 years old and have loved Jim Varney ever since. It took me a long time to realize that most of my comedic sensibilities were shaped exclusively by Jim Varney and learning about his deep love of acting was truly fascinating. When I discovered this book I ordered it immediately; Justin Lloyd is in such a unique position being both a family member and a fan, and in reading this book it's clear that he gets tremendous joy out of being both. Lloyd is able to convey to readers that playing a character like Ernest was actually quite difficult and only seemed simple because Jim made it look easy. Jim was able to do it so well for so long because of how experienced, trained, and naturally talented he was. This book left me with a more complete understanding of who Jim Varney was and a renewed appreciation for the skills and passion he possessed. I've pre-ordered the documentary and am really looking forward to it. Thank you to Justin Lloyd for writing the book, it's excellent, and I have a feeling Jim would be so proud of the years of hard work you've put into preserving his name and memory.

The Importance of Being Ernest(2013)written by Mr.Varney's Nephew Justin Lloyd(the title taken tongue in cheek from Oscar Wilde's famous play),is a warm and personal look at the exploits of his famous uncle.He keeps a fairly straight narrative and timeline, which is quite helpful in understanding the whole story.The farther one goes into this very readable tome,the more you appreciate,like never before,the amazing talent that was Mr.Varney.Not to mention realizing that he just didn't make it overnight,but struggled many long years before success finally came a-knockin'. In fact one could say his real ambitions were never realized, as the stage and music were areas where he longed for more input and recognition.Mr.Varney it turns out was quite the renaissance man,which was exemplified in his hobbies and his knowledge on a vast range of subjects.When Mr.Varney's day came in January of /00 we lost a great talent.If you want the most complete picture of his life from the cradle to the grave,this is the one.

Really enjoyed this book, well put together end easy to read. Thanks so much for writing it for his fans .

Love this book all about ~Vern~/ Jim Varney.Well written by Vern`s Nephew!

loved the book. I wish there were a few more pictures but otherwise a great read.