Ernest Saves Christmas is a 1988
Touchstone PicturesTouchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
comedy filmComedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by
John R. Cherry IIIJohn R. Cherry III is an American film director and screenwriter, most notable for directing virtually every movie starring Jim Varney as Ernest P. Worrell. He based the character on a man who worked for his dad who thought that he knew everything but didn't know anything...
and starring
Jim VarneyJames Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. was an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, writer, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P...
. It is the third film to feature the character
Ernest P. WorrellErnest P. Worrell is a fictional character most principally portrayed by the late American actor Jim Varney in a series of television commercials, and later in a television series as well as a series of feature films. Ernest was created by the Nashville advertising agency Carden and Cherry and was...
, and chronicles Ernest's attempt to find a replacement for an aging
Santa ClausSanta Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
.
Plot
A man who claims to be
Santa ClausSanta Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
(
Douglas SealeDouglas Seale was a British stage and film actor.He provided the voice of Krebbs in The Rescuers Down Under . Two years later, Seale voiced the Sultan in Aladdin. He also appeared in several movies including Amadeus and Ernest Saves Christmas...
) arrives at the
Orlando International AirportOrlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...
in
FloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
Ernest P. WorrellErnest P. Worrell is a fictional character most principally portrayed by the late American actor Jim Varney in a series of television commercials, and later in a television series as well as a series of feature films. Ernest was created by the Nashville advertising agency Carden and Cherry and was...
(
Jim VarneyJames Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. was an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, writer, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P...
) is working as a
taxiA taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
driver. He takes a passenger to the airport, but speeds and the passenger falls out of the taxi. Ernest later picks up Santa Claus, who tells Ernest that he is on his way to inform a local celebrity named Joe Carruthers (
Oliver ClarkOliver Clark is an American character actor.Clark was born Richard Mardirosian in Buffalo, New York, the son of Afro and Matthew Mardirosian. He is of Armenian heritage. His brother, Tom Mardirosian, is also an actor. Clark made numerous appearances in film and television, particularly in the...
) that he has been chosen to be the new Santa Claus. Carruthers hosts a children's program named Uncle Joey's Treehouse in the Orlando area similar to
Mister Rogers' NeighborhoodMister Rogers' Neighborhood, also known as Mister Rogers, is an American children's television series that was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. The series is aimed primarily at preschool ages, 2-5, but has been stated by Public Broadcasting Service as "appropriate for all ages"...
with emphasis on manners and integrity with the catchphrase "They never get old. They always stay new. Those three little words, Please and Thank You.".
While they are driving, a runaway teenage girl (Noelle Parker) who says she is named Harmony Starr joins Ernest and Santa in the cab. When they get to their destination, Santa possesses no legal currency (only play money), so in his giving Christmas spirit, Ernest lets him ride for free. The decision gets Ernest fired from his job. Back at the taxi garage, Ernest discovers that Santa left his magic sack behind in the cab, and Ernest begins a quest to find the old man and return it to him.
Santa arrives at the Orlando Children's Museum to talk to Joe, but is interrupted and rebuffed by Joe's
agentA talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
Marty Brock. Marty misunderstands Santa's name, thinking he said "Mr. Santos," and continues to call him by that name, even when Santa tells him his real name. Santa begins to worry as he then discovers he lost his sack, and becomes more discouraged as he realizes he is becoming forgetful in his old age (he's 151 years old, indicating he was born in 1837). Joe does not believe Santa's story and Marty has Santa arrested. Meanwhile, Ernest goes over to his friend Vern's house to put up a Christmas tree, much to Vern's distress (as with the original commercials that first introduced Ernest, the audience never sees Vern's face and only his
point of viewA point of view shot is a short film scene that shows what a character is looking at . It is usually established by being positioned between a shot of a character looking at something, and a shot showing the character's reaction...
). Ernest poses as Astor Clement, an employee of the governor and Harmony as the governor's niece Mindy, and the two help Santa escape from
jailA jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
by convincing the police chief that Santa believing that he is Santa Claus is "infectious insanity" and he must be taken to solitary confinement. Ernest disguises himself as an Apopka snake rancher (Lloyd Worrell from
Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family AlbumKnowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album is an anthology of comedic short subjects directed by John R. Cherry III, and released direct-to-video in 1983. As a whole, it is the first film to feature the advertising character Ernest P...
) who sneaks Santa into a movie studio and speaks to a security guard about delivering the snakes to people who direct horror films. Meanwhile, Marty presses Joe to quit his children's job, shave his beard, and instead land a part in a horror film titled
Christmas Slay a movie about an alien which terrorizes a bunch of children on Christmas Eve which offends Santa so deeply he punches the director in the eye.
Santa tracks down Joe at his home, but Joe finally tells Santa, "Thanks...no thanks." Later on, however, Joe is overcome by conscience when the director of the movie wants him to use foul language, which he refuses to say in front of the kids on the set.
Ernest and Harmony (whose real name is later revealed by Santa to be Pamela Trenton) discover the magic power of Santa's sack, and immediately Pamela starts to abuse it. She steals the sack, and attempts to run away yet again. On Christmas Eve, however, her conscience prevails, and she rushes back to find Ernest and Santa and return the sack.
Eventually, Joe hunts down Santa on Christmas Eve and accepts the job. For the first year, however, Ernest gets to drive the sleigh. The film ends with, "Merry Christmas To All And To All A Good Night," followed by a sleigh dash that spells,
KnowWhatIMean?, one of Ernest's catchphrases.
Cast
- Jim Varney
James Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. was an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, writer, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P...
as Ernest P. WorrellErnest P. Worrell is a fictional character most principally portrayed by the late American actor Jim Varney in a series of television commercials, and later in a television series as well as a series of feature films. Ernest was created by the Nashville advertising agency Carden and Cherry and was...
, Astor Clement, Auntie Nelda, The Snake Guy
- Douglas Seale
Douglas Seale was a British stage and film actor.He provided the voice of Krebbs in The Rescuers Down Under . Two years later, Seale voiced the Sultan in Aladdin. He also appeared in several movies including Amadeus and Ernest Saves Christmas...
as Santa Claus (a.k.a. Seth Applegate)
- Oliver Clark
Oliver Clark is an American character actor.Clark was born Richard Mardirosian in Buffalo, New York, the son of Afro and Matthew Mardirosian. He is of Armenian heritage. His brother, Tom Mardirosian, is also an actor. Clark made numerous appearances in film and television, particularly in the...
as the new Santa Clause (a.k.a. Joe Carruthers)
- Noelle Parker as Pamela Trenton, a.k.a. Harmony Starr, Mindy
- Gailard Sartain
Gailard Sartain is an American comedic and serious actor, often playing characters with roots in the South. He is also an accomplished and successful painter and illustrator.-Early years and education:...
as Chuck (Storage Agent)
- Bill Byrge as Bobby (Storage Agent)
- Billie Bird
Billie Bird was an American actress and comedienne.-Early life:Born Berniece Bird in Pocatello, Idaho, Bird was discovered at the age of eight while living at an orphanage...
as Mary Morrissey
- Key Howard
Key Howard is an American actor, writer, producer, director, and musician. He was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. Key began his career in the entertainment industry as a child playing piano and singing for the USO. In Los Angeles and Las Vegas Key worked with Bob Hope, Dinah Shore, Bing...
as Immigration Agent
- Jack Swanson as Businessman
- Patty Maloney
Patricia Anne "Patty" Maloney is an American actress with dwarfism.-Biography:She was born in Perkinsville, New York. She stands 3 feet 11 inches and weighs 60 pounds...
as Thisbe
- Barry Brazell as Cab Passenger
- George Kaplan as Mr. Dillis
- Robert Lesser
Robert Lesser or Bobby Lesser is an American actor born in New York City and now living in Santa Barbara, California. His earliest work dates back to 1967 with "David Holzman's Diary", directed by Jim McBride. His latest movies include the Japanese film "Best Wishes for Tomorrow" and...
as Marty Brock
Filming locations
- This was the first major feature production filmed almost entirely in Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
at the then-unfinished Disney-MGM StudiosDisney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. Spanning 135 acres in size, its theme is show business, drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s...
. Vern's house was actually a façadeA facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
located on Residential Street at Disney-MGM Studios, and was part of the Backlot TourThe Studio Backlot Tour is an attraction at Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. It is a combination of a walking and tram tour of the backlot area of the park.-The queue area:...
until it was demolished in 2002.
- The remainder of the scenes were filmed in various locations in the greater Orlando area, including Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...
, Epcot Center Drive, Lake Eola, Church Street StationChurch Street Station, also called the Old Orlando Railroad Depot is a historic U.S. depot in Orlando, Florida. It is located at Depot Place and West Church Street, and is a planned station on the proposed SunRail commuter rail system. It is also a commercial entertainment development in downtown...
and Orange AvenueExtending through Osceola and Orange counties, State Road 527 is a major arterial road through the Orlando MSA. It is partially unsigned from the southern terminus to SR 482. It runs concurrent with Osceola Parkway for just 1 block...
in Downtown OrlandoDowntown Orlando is the historic core and central business district of Orlando, Florida, United States. It is bordered by East Marks St in the north, Mills Ave in the east, Orange Blossom Trail in the west, and Kaley Ave in the south...
, a toll booth on the Bee Line Expressway, the original Orlando Science CenterThe Orlando Science Center is a private not-for-profit corporation, organized under the laws of the State of Florida, USA, and located in Orlando...
which has since been replaced by a new facility (used as the "Orlando Children's Museum" in the movie), and the Orlando AMTRAK stationThe Orlando Amtrak station lies south of Downtown Orlando, about a mile south of the old stations at Church Street and Central Boulevard. It was built in 1926 by M. A. Griffith and W. T. Hadlow for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in the Spanish Mission style, and used by the Seaboard Coast Line...
. A small number of scenes were filmed in NashvilleNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
Reception
The movie was not exactly a critical success, but remains to this day a cult classic, especially among Ernest fans.
Box office
In the opening weekend the film opened at #2 at the box office and grossed $5,710,734 from 1,634 theaters. Its final domestic grossing was $28,202,109.