Hey Vern – It’s Ernest! The Complete Series (1988/Mill Creek DVD
Set)
Picture: C+ Sound: C
Extras: D Episodes: B-
Many people in this world aren’t exactly fans of the late Jim Varney’s
character, Ernest P. Worrel. I’m certain
that vitriol was on the lips of most parents during the latter half of the
1980’s, when Ernest-mania rose to its peak.
It was during this time, in 1988, that the character would land on CBS’s
Saturday morning lineup with Hey Vern - It‘s Ernest!. In spite of the low budget, it was a fun and
rather charming show to watch, and earned Varney a Daytime Emmy award for his
performance. In spite of this, and the
fact that the show came hot on the heels of the successful film, Ernest Goes
To Camp, the series would not last beyond it’s first season.
The brightly colored look of the show has been ably transferred, but isn’t
anything stellar. The show is presented
in it’s original television aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The sound quality is
decent, though this too is nothing spectacular. The sound mix is in Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono.
Mill Creek has done a commendable job in bringing this package out to the
public. The art design is attractive,
and it has a very low retail price to boot. Unfortunately, it must be said that the way
the discs are housed is a tad ridiculous, as they are each contained in a paper
sleeve that is kept within the DVD case. It is a bit of a nuisance, and you may want to
find a way to replace the case with a more proper one somewhere down the line.
Aside from this small problem with the case, and the fact that there are no
extras, I recommend picking up this set. It is a joy for young and old to watch
together, and fans Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and other comedies, such as UHF,
will certainly want to look into this.
- David Milchick
