Ernest Goes to Jail Poster
MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Down 693 this week

Ernest Goes to Jail (1990)

PG 81 min  -  Comedy | Crime | Family  -   6 April 1990 (USA)
4.8
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 4.8/10 from 4,384 users  
Reviews: 30 user | 10 critic

Bumbling Ernest P. Worrell is assigned to jury duty, where a crooked lawyer notices a resemblance with crime boss Mr... See full summary »

Writer:

Charlie Cohen
 Loading+Watchlist

Watch now

Buy it from Amazon »

Related Lists

image of title
a list of 165 titles by ajrandomosity created 9 months ago
 
image of title
a list of 466 titles by tempr-289-219943 created 3 months ago
 
image of title
a list of 138 titles by tdawgg75 created 1 month ago
 
image of title
a list of 2,536 titles by Ludwig_von_Mises created 01 Jun 2011
 
image of title
a list of 285 titles by bigjon69 created 5 months ago
 

Connect with IMDb


Pre-Order the Kindle Fire
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jim Varney ...
Gailard Sartain ...
Bill Byrge Bill Byrge ...
Barbara Tyson ...
Charlotte Sparrow (as Barbara Bush)
Barry Scott Barry Scott ...
Rubin Bartlett
Randall 'Tex' Cobb ...
Lyle
Dan Leegant Dan Leegant ...
Oscar Pendlesmythe
Charles Napier ...
Warden
Jim Conrad Jim Conrad ...
Eddie
Jackie Welch ...
Judge
Melanie Wheeler Melanie Wheeler ...
Prosecutor
Jeffrey Buckner Ford ...
Defense Attorney (as Buck Ford)
Daniel Butler Daniel Butler ...
Waiter
Charlie Lamb Charlie Lamb ...
Another Con
Mac Bennett Mac Bennett ...
Con
Edit

Storyline

Bumbling Ernest P. Worrell is assigned to jury duty, where a crooked lawyer notices a resemblance with crime boss Mr. Nash, and arranges a switch. Nash assumes Ernest's job as a bank employee, while Ernest undergoes Nash's sentence to the electric chair. But instead of killing him, the electrocution gives Ernest superhuman powers, enabling him to escape from jail and foil Nash's attempt to rob the bank. Written by Mark Hettler <markh@nstl.com>  

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Jury Duty | Electrocution | Court | Electric Chair | Prison  | See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Family

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Chaos im Knast See more »

Filming Locations:

Nashville, Tennessee, USA See more »

Box Office

Gross:

$25,029,569 (USA)
See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Of all the famously eccentric actors whom Ernest imitates at a mirror in jail, Sylvester Stallone is the only actor who was not a classic one at the time. He is the only actor who was still alive and who was still acting in movies during and after the time this movie was made. See more »

Goofs

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Right after the waiter gives the menus to Ernest and Charlotte, the camera angle changes and you can see him walking away, and hear him saying "I'll give you a minute to look over your menus" as if he was still standing there. See more »

Quotes

Auntie Nelda: The way they run this institution is an outrage, for a poor, tight, old lonely woman like me. Her only son of feathers is a terribly successful one. Young man? Young Man?
[the gate guard comes out]
Auntie Nelda: Young Man, Would you please open that gate, I left my car running outside?
Gate Guard: Ma'am, You tell me how you got through this gate, the visitors area's on the other side of the prison.
Auntie Nelda: I brought him up with the best I could, but sometimes a bad thief pulls from even the most fragile flower.
Gate Guard: Ma'am, you are not going through this gate.
Auntie Nelda: Is this the way you'd treat your mother? Is this the kind of abuse that poor woman must endure?
Gate Guard: Well, I guess that my mother is a little bit mad at-...
Auntie Nelda: Mmmhmm! You ought to be in the slammer with the rest of these misfits! If you had any remorse at all for the HORROR you pushed your mother through, you'd open that gate! I have a car overheating as we SPEAK!
[Ernest makes a snooty expression at the Gate Guard]
[...]
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Ernest in the Army (1998) See more »

Soundtracks

"Nash Sleaze"
Music and Lyrics by Bruce Arntson
Performed by Bruce Arntson See more »