Ernest Goes to Camp
| Ernest Goes to Camp | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | John R. Cherry III |
| Produced by | Martin Erlichman Elmo Williams |
| Written by | John R. Cherry III Coke Sams |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Shane Keister |
| Cinematography | Harry Mathias Jim May |
| Edited by | Marshall Harvey |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3 million |
| Box office | $23.5 million |
Ernest Goes to Camp is a 1987 comedy film directed by John R. Cherry III and starring Jim Varney. It is the second film to feature the character of Ernest P. Worrell and was shot at Montgomery Bell State Park. It was also the first Ernest film to be distributed by Touchstone Pictures, and Iron Eyes Cody's final appearance on screen. It is also the first film to feature the "Ernest" name in its title.
A pow wow opening features a medicine man tossing a knife and tomahawk at a young brave warrior to test his faith in the Great Spirit and true courage. He also shoots an arrow at him to test his purity of heart. Jim Varney reprises his role of Ernest P. Worrell, working as a maintenance man at Kamp Kikakee and hoping to become a counselor. With his typical enthusiasm, he pours himself into the role and quickly becomes a valuable addition to the staff, in particular for his passion at learning the sign language used by Kikakee's owner, Chief St. Cloud (Iron Eyes Cody), who does not speak English.
Ernest gets his chance at counseling when he is assigned a small group of juvenile delinquents from Midstate Boys Detention Center that the regular counselors are hesitant to take on—primarily because the group hospitalized their first counselor, Ross Stennis (Eddy Schumacher), by pushing his lifeguard chair into the lake while he was sitting in it. Ernest quickly takes the side of the boys, due to his compassion and for having suffered his own abuse at the hands of the militant Counselor Stennis. However, the boys start to show a little respect during a campfire session when Nurse St. Cloud (Victoria Racimo) translates her grandfather's description of the warrior initiation ritual for his tribe. The initiate must hold still while a knife, a stone hatchet, and an arrow are thrown or shot at the target. It is implied that the courage of the young warrior actually alters the course of all three to prevent his death. They build a tepee and wish to display it, only to find it burned. The Second Chancers see one of the regular campers did it, and a fight ensues. Counselor Stennis uses the fight as excuse to get the Second Chancers expelled, but Ernest wants the full story, especially after pointing out the ruined project.
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