Ernest Goes to Jail

Synopsis of Movie

That wacky Ernest P. Worrell got himself in a whole heap o’ trouble again in 1990’s Ernest Goes to Jail, the third film in the long-running series. This time out, Jim Varney got to play dual roles—one stupid but good, one slightly less stupid but pure evil.

When Ernest P. Worrell gets jury duty, he’s honored to take part in his civic duty as an American. Ernest shows up in court ready to take on the world, but he gets a bit more than he bargained for. As it turns out, Ernest is the spitting image of the man he’s there to judge, crime boss Felix Nash. When Nash’s lawyer notices the resemblance, he arranges for a switch, pulled off when the jury visits the local jail.

The loathsome Nash is free to use Ernest’s bank security job to plan a heist, while Ernest himself is condemned to the electric chair for Nash’s murders. Little do the prison guards know that Ernest P. Worrell has a very high tolerance for electric shocks (something he proved over and over again in his many TV commercials), and you know the old saying: What doesn’t kill you only gives you incredible super powers. Felix Nash may just have met his match… in the juiced-up (but still stupid) Electro Man.

Another modest hit made on a slim budget, Ernest Goes to Jail proved that the Ernest franchise still had plenty of power left in it. The dynamic team of Varney and adman/director John Cherry teamed up once again for the following year’s Ernest Scared Stupid.

Movie Release History

1987 - Ernest Goes to Camp
1988 - Ernest Saves Christmas
1990 - Ernest Goes to Jail
1991 - Ernest Scared Stupid
1993 - Ernest Rides Again

Movie Sub Categories

live-action
comedy

Movie Studio

Touchstone, Silver Screen Partners III

Cast

Ernest P. Worrell Jim Varney
Felix Nash Jim Varney
Chuck   Gailard Sartain
Bobby   Bill Byrge
Charlotte Sparrow   Barbara Tyson
Rubin Bartlett   Barry Scott
Lyle   Randall 'Tex' Cobb
Oscar Pendlesmythe   Dan Leegant
Warden   Charles Napier
Eddie   Jim Conrad
Judge   Jackie Welch
Prosecutor   Melanie Wheeler
Defense Attorney   Buck Ford
Waiter   Daniel Butler
Con   Charlie Lamb
Con   Mac Bennett
Mean Guard   Rick Schulman
Juror   Bruce Arntson
Jerry  Andrew Stahl
Washing Con   Bob Babbitt
Vinnie   Myke R. Mueller
Other Guard John Davis
Warden's Assistant   Michael Montgomery
Gate Guard  Mike Hutchinson

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