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Ernest Goes to Jail is a 1990 Disney film directed by John R. Cherry III and starring Jim Varney. It is the fourth film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell. The film received a PG rating from the MPAA. It was filmed in Nashville, Tennessee and nearby Tennessee State Penitentiary.
Ernest (Jim Varney) is spotted in a jury by a man on trial who notices that he is the spitting-image of death-row inmate Felix Nash, who is the prison "boss". He convinces the jury to tour the prison, where Ernest is kidnapped and forced to swap roles with Nash. He has various misadventures in prison (especially when trying to escape) until he is sent to the electric chair by the prison warden (Charles Napier). The electrocution fails, and he is transformed into a type of superhuman, with the ability to shoot lightning bolts from his hands, which shock various other jail members. Ernest escapes from the prison and makes his way home, only to discover that his Pee-Wee Herman-like décor has been replaced by a slick lounge lizard style of decorating. He exclaims, "I've been vandalized - by Elvis!" Ernest then goes to the bank where he works as a janitor at night, only to find that Nash has assumed his identity and is in the process of robbing the bank. He uses his super powers to fly through the skylight of the bank with a bomb that Nash had attached to the vault and two bank employees, which leads to a spectacular mid-air explosion. Everyone assumes that Ernest has been killed, until he falls through the skylight and lands on Nash. Ernest declares, "I came, I saw, I got blowed up." This line was also referred to in the 100 greatest movie quotes of all time.
[edit] Trivia
- This is the second most successful of the Ernest films, behind Ernest Saves Christmas. It was in third place by its opening weekend, earning $6,143,372.[1] Total gross was $25,029,569.[2]
- This film is referenced in the 2006 movie, RV.
- There are some differences between the home video version and the version that aired on ABC. An additional scene showed Ernest (believed at the time to be Nash) being sent into a room with a prostitute the night before his execution. The ending was also extended, showing that Ernest did get his bank clerk job, but after being electrocuted by his desk phone, the file cabinets start to chase him again.
- The actor's tape marks are visible in two scenes early in the film.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
April 6, 1990
