John R. Cherry III is an American film director and screenwriter, most
notable for creating the character of Ernest P. Worrell.A native of
Nashville, Tennessee, Cherry attended the Ringling School of Art and
Design in Sarasota, Florida.He was the executive vice president and
co-namesake of the Nashville-based Carden and Cherry advertising
agency, for which the "Ernest" character was developed. He based the
character on a man who worked for his father, about whom Cherry has
said, that he thought he knew everything but did not know anything.
Ernest was portrayed for 15 years by Jim Varney, who at the time of
the character's debut was an up-and-coming stand-up comic; after a
string of successful commercials and sketches, Cherry directed a
television series (Hey, Vern! It's Ernest) and several movies. Cherry
made three cameo appearances in his own films: in Slam Dunk Ernest as
a basketball spectator, Ernest Goes to Africa as a customer and in
Ernest in the Army as Sergeant Ben Kovsky. In addition to Varney,
Cherry also introduced the comic duo of Chuck and Bobby (Gailard
Sartain and Bill Byrge respectively), who were integrated into the
Ernest films as supporting characters.
notable for creating the character of Ernest P. Worrell.A native of
Nashville, Tennessee, Cherry attended the Ringling School of Art and
Design in Sarasota, Florida.He was the executive vice president and
co-namesake of the Nashville-based Carden and Cherry advertising
agency, for which the "Ernest" character was developed. He based the
character on a man who worked for his father, about whom Cherry has
said, that he thought he knew everything but did not know anything.
Ernest was portrayed for 15 years by Jim Varney, who at the time of
the character's debut was an up-and-coming stand-up comic; after a
string of successful commercials and sketches, Cherry directed a
television series (Hey, Vern! It's Ernest) and several movies. Cherry
made three cameo appearances in his own films: in Slam Dunk Ernest as
a basketball spectator, Ernest Goes to Africa as a customer and in
Ernest in the Army as Sergeant Ben Kovsky. In addition to Varney,
Cherry also introduced the comic duo of Chuck and Bobby (Gailard
Sartain and Bill Byrge respectively), who were integrated into the
Ernest films as supporting characters.
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