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Rating:  - $5 at Wal-mart!
Imagine my joy after buying this for $9.49 on Amazon to see it for $5.00 at the local Wal-mart.
Rating:  - Great entertainment
Jim Varney was a much better actor than he was given credit for. His zany characters and incredibly flexible face was unmatched by any other actor. His "Family Album" on this CD really showcased his abilities.
Rating: - At last I've found the FAMILY ALBUM!!
Jim Varney never got the credit he was due. His Saturday morning television show was top-notch but he seems only to be remembered for some rather pedestrian, if not outright regrettable movies. Then again, the movies were made for kids and it's refreshing to see humor that isn't based on sex, drugs, or driven by innuendo.
Like most of America I came to know Ernest via the numerous commercials most of which are included here. They are still fresh and funny even though some of the products he's selling have gone the way of the buffalo.
It was shortly after I'd seen Varney in commercials that a friend loaned me a VHS that featured HEY VERN! IT'S MY FAMILY ALBUM...some of the characters and lines passed into everyday catchphrases among my circle of friends and I've been looking for this production ever since. Fortunately it is included in this compilation.
MY FAMILY ALBUM is basically a one-man show and it is nothing short of great. Varney's cast of "family" weirdo's, his sense of comedic timing, his knack of slapstick, his command of accents and the rubber face all work in concert to create something of a minor classic in my books. The Greatest Hits and the Family Album alone are worth the price of admission.
As to the movies I haven't been able to sit through them yet. They are "pat" and formula and lack the charm of Jim Varney unfettered.
Still, for a Varney fan, this set is a "MUST HAVE..."
Rating: - You've Got To Be A Varney Fan To Love This
This rating applies to the collection, itself...not the works, which are rated individually below. Thanks.
Ernest Goes to Africa: typical B flick, filmed like live television, film quality is horrid, and the premise runs like Jim Carrey's When Nature Calls. This is pretty bad, and the least deserving of the Ernest line, but if you loved Varney, it's worth having, if only to complete your collection...2/5
Ernest in the Army: again, this is not his best work, but it's essential, if you are a fan of Varney. 2.4/5
Ernest's Greatest Hits 1 & 2: This appears to be what was once the little-known VHS entitled, "KnowhutImean?" I can't swear that this collection bears the exact same commercials and TV spots as in the mentioned work, but considering how KnowhutImean? is not available on DVD, this is more than adequate as a replacement, as some of the spots/ads/etc. are along the same vein. 4/5
Vern! It's My Family Album: I was hoping this would be Varney in all his wonderful characters, but alas! it was not. He assumes a few, but these skits and characters were obviously written for this work, and bear no resemblance to the characters we've come to know and love. 2/5.
Your World As I See It: Mildly amusing pomposity on a stick, and something I hadn't expected from Varney. 3/5.
Now, I realize these averages do not add up to 5/5 as I've rated this collection, but seeing as how some of these are hard to find and are superfluous to all but the most avid fan and/or collector, I rate the set itself as a 5/5.
I miss you, Jim Varney. RIP, old friend.
Rating: - 4 discs, not 1
Just a correction to the Amazon specs, this collection is actually 4 discs not 1.
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