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Ernest in the Army is a 1998 American direct-to-video comedy film directed by John Cherry and starring Jim Varney. It is the tenth and final film to feature the character of Ernest P. Worrell before Varney's death in February 2000. In this film, Ernest joins the Army because he wants to drive large vehicles, but ends up being sent into combat. It was shot in Cape Town, South Africa's Koeberg Nature Reserve. John Cherry's son, Josh portrayed Corporal Davis.
Plot synopsis[]
Ernest is working as a golf ball collector at a golf range in Valdosta, Georgia, but fantasizes about being a war hero. A friend tells him that if he joins the Army, he will get to drive large vehicles and never have to go into actual combat. He enlists in the reserves, but one day a UN peacekeeping commander Pierre Gullet and the British ambassador visit Ernest's camp and demands that the entire unit including him is to be deployed to the fictional Middle Eastern country of Karifistan, where he and his fellow soldiers have to assist UN troops in the hope of saving the country from being invaded by an evil Islamic dictator named Tufuti of Aziria. Once he began, Ernest and his team investigates a dictator who was responsible for the wars in the nearby village. Suddenly, he finds a lost boy and has to keep him safe until his father is found.
Cast[]
- Jim Varney as Private Ernest P. Worrell / Army Captain / Arab On Quicksand
- Hayley Tyson as Cindy Swanson
- David Muller as Colonel Bradley Pierre Gullet, UN Peacekeeping Commander
- Christo Davids as Ben-Ali, Lost Boy In Desert
- Jeff Pillars as General Rodney Lincoln (as Jeff Pillars)
- Duke Ernsberger as Barnes, General's Aide
- Ivan Lucas as President Almar Habib Tufuti
- John Cherry as Sergeant Ben "Sarge" Kovsky
- Josh Cherry as Corporal Davis
Production[]
This is the final "Ernest" film, as well as Jim Varney's final on-screen appearance as the character of Ernest P. Worrell. Writer/director John R. Cherry III had planned for Varney to star in a non-Ernest comedy film. However, Varney had gotten so ill while shooting this movie that Cherry couldn't bring himself to make him work on the film. Varney died two years later, which motivated Cherry to retire.
The only Ernest movie where Ernest makes a mention of a past adventure of his. He said he was a camp counselor before. The film's working title was "Stormin' Ernest".
Jim Varney was getting noticeably weak during filming. His reactions were normally immediate and forceful. By then, they seemed to drag and lose some of the comedic force. He also had to take a break after every shot. He was also a heavy smoker and had shortness of breath which John Cherry assumed was just a result of his lifestyle. Cherry reworked some of the scenes to try and hide a slower Ernest. Varney excused himself from dinner more than once. He would be tired from the day's shoot and want to go to bed early.
Between takes, Jim Varney would sneak over to the props department to steal one of the dune buggies. He would smash through mountains of sand. Crew members had to reign him in to get the shots that they needed for the day.
The only "Ernest" movie where John Cherry plays a featured role. This was because they could not find anyone in South Africa who could speak in a Southern accent besides him.
Director John R. Cherry III had served in Vietnam, & used the Ernest Productions to create a new life for himself, & felt this film was the most personal.
The opening credits were shot in the dunes in front of the house that director John Cherry was renting in South Africa.
The South African army base in the film was in a game preserve which also served as their backlot. Everything was shot on the base.
This film and the previous Ernest film, Ernest Goes to Africa (1997), were shot back to back in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa, respectively, between November 1996 and April 1997. Emshell Producers were doing pre-production on 'Army' while they were shooting 'Africa.' After production on 'Africa' concluded, there was a week down and then they went right into production on 'Army.'
In 1997, treatments were written for "Ernest and Son", which was conceived as a potential end to the "Ernest" series and maybe even serve as a "passing of the torch". Three different treatments were written...
1. Ernest, a groundskeeper at a science facility, volunteers himself to two wacky scientists for a cloning experiment. The experiment is a success and Ernest now has a younger, smarter version of him. Ernest learns that a scientific corporation plans to take the clone away for studying. He and the clone, who later meet up with the two wacky scientists, then go on the run.
2. Ernest, a veterinary assistant, wins the lottery. A woman he knew a long time ago approaches Ernest to tell him that he's the father of her 12 year old son. The boy stays with Ernest so they have some time to bond. Ernest and the boy later discover and thwart a pet theft ring. Turns out the boy is not really Ernest's son and the woman was only using him because he won the lottery. Ernest gives part of his earnings to the boy's college fund. It ends with the mom and the boy inviting Ernest to dinner.
3. Ernest, who works at an inner city recreational center, takes in a homeless kid. A social worker finds out about this and threatens to put the boy in a foster home. Ernest must prove to her that he's a capable guardian.
The children were all purposely non biological because the writers knew that nobody on Earth would believe that Ernest would have sex, let alone a woman bearing his child. Unfortunately, Jim Varney was getting ill by this point and production didn't go any farther than these three concepts.
Though this wasn't intended to be the very last "Ernest" film, Jim Varney and John Cherry were about ready to retire the Ernest character at this point. Jim Varney, though very appreciative of the Ernest character, was looking to branch out into other roles, particularly drama. His dream role was to play Hamlet on stage. In one of his final interviews, he said in hindsight, "Looking back now, I'd like to have cut in and out of Ernest more, but I didn't. It was a steady check. I would go from one movie to the next, cruising along. Then you realize 10 years have passed and you're still doing the same character."
Trivia[]
Co-writer Jeffrey Pillars And Duke appears as "Gen. Rodney Lincoln" and previously Characters co-starred in Ernest Rides Again (1993).
Home media[]
This film had its first DVD release from First Look Studios on October 1, 2002. It included the extra feature Your World As I See It. Mill Creek Entertainment re-released both this film and its Bonus Feature along with Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album as part of the Maximum Ernest and Essential Ernest Collection DVD box sets on October 31, 2006. Image Entertainment re-released Ernest in the Army along with Ernest Rides Again, Ernest's Greatest Hits: Volume 1 and Ernest's Greatest Hits: Volume 2 as the four-disc set Ernest's Wacky Adventures: Volume 1 on June 5, 2012. Image Entertainment re-released this film as part of Ernest Triple Feature on October 1, 2013 along with Ernest Goes to School and Ernest Goes to Africa and for the third time on January 12, 2016 as part of the two-disc set Ultimate Ernest Collection.
External links[]
Template:John R. Cherry III Template:Ernest series
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