Christmas Week: "Ernest Saves Christmas"

Let me introduce you to a sadly underrated movie, Ernest Saves Christmas. In this second film of this franchise focusing arount silly character Ernest P. Worrel (played by the late Jim Varney) the hero is a taxi driver who picks up an old man at the airport. We soon find out that he's the real Santa Claus and he's looking for a successor.

If you don't want to watch the whole film, or because you can't find it — which would be perfectly normal, for to my knowledge it was broadcast only once in Belgium and fortunately I still have the tape. This is the French version, with a brilliant voice job by Jacques Balutin and the late Philippe Dumat as Ernest and Santa, respectively.

The Importance of Being Ernest

Here's a scene from the beginning Ernest Goes to Camp (starring Jim Varney). This made me laugh a lot when I was a kid (because I grew up while watching silly American movies) and it still does now.



The toilet scene is prototypically American, I think, but it makes everybody laugh.

Uncyclopedia featured article: Oscar Wilde.

Scared Stupid

In the 1980s and the early 1990s, the American actor Jim Varney (1949-2000) played the slapstick role of Ernest P. Worrel in a series of movies:

• Ernest Goes to Camp (1987)
• Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
• Ernest Goes to Jail (1990) (#1 Box Office movie its opening week end with $17 million in ticket sales)
• Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)
• Ernest Rides Again (1993)
• Ernest Goes to School (1994)
• Slam Dunk Ernest (1995)
• Ernest Goes to Africa (1997)
• Ernest in the Army(1998)
• Ernest the Pirate (2000) (Was near finishing of filming when Jim Varney died of lung cancer. The film was cancelled.)

(Source: Wikipedia.)

Luckily I saw the first four movies, but the others have never been broadcast, probably because they were made for straight-to-video market. When I had time, I used to watch these movies quite a lot, especially Ernest Scared Stupid (French: Ernest à la chasse aux monstres; Ernest was dubbed by French comedian Jacques Balutin — the guy who, incidentally, was the French voice of Starsky and Cubitus). Here are the very kitschy opening credits:



I love the music, but also the silly, ridiculous "horror" movies of the 50s! (OK, Nosferatu was released in 1922.) In this film, Ernest accidentally unleashes an army of trolls in a small town. The trolls are led by Trantor, whose eyes still make me think of that of G.W. Bush…


I admit the picture doesn't show the eyes very clearly, but it's the only picture I found. For an overall survey of the movie, please read this webpage. And if you want to see the troll in motion, you may want to watch the end scene. Ernest always pulled a face, like in the following vid:



Please watch this fragment, from Ernest Goes to Jail, where Ernest is the member of a jury…



This is hilarious!

PS. Is there anyone out here who knew this character? Please comment.

Wowser

My childhood is rooted in cartoons, as you already know it. Wowser was one of the many series I grew up with. Unfortunately, they (RTBF) broadcast it only once round 1991-1992. I only have one episode left on a tape, and I admit I occasionally watch it. (Nothing to be ashamed of.) In French, it's called Cubitus; the character was created by Dupa (aka the late Jean Dupanloup). I found the credits, a song sung by the French dubbing comedian and actor Jacques Balutin, most known for dubbing Starsky in Starsky & Hutch, but also Jim Varney in the Ernest series. (And note that Cubitus's voice was that of Pierre Tornade, who was also Obelix's voice.) I hope you enjoy it. If some of you remember this cartoon, please please tell me. I wanna know if I'm not the only one who watched this programme.



And here's the Dutch version, Dommel:



Note that the music is different. Here are the lyrics:

Kijk daar heb je Semafoor,
met z'n vriendje Dommel
Samen gaan ze het leven door,
en maken heel wat rommel
Dommel is rond, hij eet heel graag,
snoepjes, ijs en botten
Hij doet wat Semafoor hem vraagt,
en laat zich soms bedotten
Hier is Dommel, gekke hond
Heel dik, wit en rond
Vrolijk, lief en trouw
Hij heeft een hart van goud
Dommel is verbaasd
Als zijn baas weer iets uitvindt,
waar hij het nut niet van ziet
Dommel heeft soms haast
Als ie moet helpen,
en hij het liefst eten zou
Dommel lacht heel gauw
Houdt van het leven,
en hij kent zelden verdriet
Dommel is heel trouw
Je kunt op hem bouwen
Hij heeft... een hart van goud

And oh yeah, the cartoon was made in Japan, hence the unusual visuals.