Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)

The prospect of an Ernest sequel – especially one with “Christmas” in the title – seemed a quite horrifying thought after Ernest Goes to Camp, one of the most execrable would-be comedies ever to be produced.

Filmed at the new Disney studios in Florida and on location in Orlando, Ernest Saves Christmas looks like most Florida-made movies; bright and false. Nor is the supporting cast especially gifted or appealing.

Ernest P. Worell (Jim Varney) is a sweet but dimwitted taxi driver who suffers delusions of grandeur. He has just chauffeured a rather extraordinary fare – “His Great Red Oneness, the Claus” himself – and it seems Santa hasn’t got the magic for another Christmas season and has come to Orlando, Florida, for Joe Carruthers (Oliver Clark), the dumpy children’s TV hack he has chosen as his successor so he can retire.

Things quickly unravel, thanks to Joe’s meddling agent, Marty (Robert Lesser) and Santa’s increasingly unreliable memory, and – incredibly – Ernest soon becomes Santa’s only hope.

Joining forces with a hip young runaway named Harmony Star (Noelle Parker), Ernest rushes to save the holidays.

As the title suggests, the film is aimed almost exclusively at the young and innocent. It’s bargain basement stuff and Miracle on 34th Street it ain’t, but it does boast a splendid Santa Claus in British-born theatre veteran Douglas Seale, and Jim Varney makes the bumbling rube hero far sharper than he seemed in previous Ernest outings.

Jim Varney died from lung cancer on 10 February 2000 in White House, Tennessee, aged just 50.

Ernest P. Worrell
Jim Varney
Santa
Douglas Seale
Joe Carruthers
Oliver Clark
Harmony Star
Noelle Parker
Chuck
Gailard Sartain
Mary Morrissey
Billie Bird
Bobby
Bill Byrge
Marty Brock
Robert Lesser
Pyramus
Buddy Douglas
Thisbe
Patty Maloney
Agent Skippy
Beecher Martin
Mr Dillis
George Kaplan
Patsy
Lindsey Alley
Lacy
Phran Gauci
Carl
Bill Cordell
Brad
Larry Francer
Police Chief Spenks
Bob Norris

Director
John Cherry