Publisher's Synopsis
In Keeper of the Clown - My Life with Ernest, ad man John Cherry tells humorous recollections of working with comedian Jim Varney to create "Ernest" television commercials and Disney movies. This memoir was written for adult readers and is not a children's book. Ernest P. Worrell became an advertising and motion picture icon by being bounced aboard a rolling 20-foot cannon, shoved off a rooftop, and shocked from a TV short. John Cherry recounts the thrill ride of taking Ernest from local TV ads to big-screen movie hits - all the while being bounced around himself by bankers, the IRS and Disney executives. In this hilarious - and mostly true - look behind the scenes, Cherry tells how he came to put actor Jim Varney in a khaki baseball cap, sell TV commercials to scores of clients, nab Barbra Streisand's manager as his own, and successfully direct Varney's unpredictable creative genius. Author John Cherry was a partner in Carden & Cherry Advertising, a small Nashville agency, in the early 80s. He stumbled onto Jim Varney, a talented comedian. Together, they fumbled their way to box office hits such as Ernest Goes to Camp, Ernest Saves Christmas, and Ernest Goes to Jail. Cherry, his co-writer Coke Sams, and the agency creative directors wrote, directed and produced ten movies, a Saturday-morning network show, a TV special, and literally thousands of Ernest commercials sold market-by-market across the country. He confesses: "We had to make commercials to pay for our movie habit." Excerpt on Jim Varney's wedding day: The sword came down like a guillotine. It was a clean, even slice. The wedding cake stood tall and proud. A thin mark down the side was the only evidence that hinted at its severe wound..."Let's go shoot my 44 magnum!" Jim called out.
