Greatest Christmas Movie EVER!

I didn't grow up watching IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE or MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET. They are both fine films but when I was 15 years old, I saw a movie that changed Christmas forever and ERNEST SAVES CHRISTMAS was that film! If you've never seen ERNEST SAVES CHRISTMAS, it's like looking God in the eyes and having him say "You are my most wondrous creation!" I've said it before and I 'LOL say it again, when you mix Ernest P. Worrell and any major holiday only goodness can result.


ERNEST SAVES CHRISTMAS is the 2nd of the nine Ernest films, released to theatres November 11, 1988. This time around Ernest is a taxi driver in Orlando, Florida. As it turns out Santa Claus has traveled to Orlando to recruit his replacement and he ends up in the back of Ernest's cab. Of course Santa-to-be, Joe Curruthers, needs some convincing that he should be the next Santa Claus, and that's where Ernest comes to the rescue!

Along with the help of a homeless girl (?) named Harmony, Ernest dons many costumes and disguises in order to help Mr. Claus in his mission. Here we see Ernest and Harmony pulling one over on the police by posing as the govenor's daughter and assistant. Later in the film, Ernest pretends to be a snake wrangler in order to get into a movie studio where Joe Curruthers is about to film the movie "Christmas Slay". Doesn't it all sound great!?

Ernest does indeed save Christmas, by personally delivering Santa's sleigh to him. Silliness aside, there really is a sweet story at the heart of this fantastic movie. I must have seen it at least 20 times. It's definitely my favorite Ernest film and easily one of my favorite Christmas movies (along with THE MUPPETS CHRISTMAS CAROL). I meant to post this article earlier so you had time to catch it before the holiday, but you've still got time to go to a place where video cassettes and DVD's are sold and rented and buy it...or rent it!

And now for the film buffs and nerds... ERNEST SAVES CHRISTMAS was partially filmed in Walt Disney World. This scene here, (Blogger lost the picture!) where Ernest and Harmony pull up to Vern's house, was shot at the Disney/MGM Studios Residential Street...Part of the Backlot Tour Ride. Vern's house is in the foreground with the colored Christmas lights. Across the street, the house with the white lights on it, is the house that was used for the exterior shots on the TV show EMPTY NEST. Both houses were visible on the Backlot Tour ride at the park up until two years ago when they tore Residential Street down to build a new attraction.


Early in the film, Ernest picks up Santa in his cab and is taking him to downtown Orlando. These highway scenes were actually filmed on the road system inside Walt Disney World. In this shot, even though you can't read the road signs you can see the signs painted brown, a color usually reserved for indicating attractions.

In this shot you could obviously read what it said on the sign so the filmmakers blacked out the sign. Most viewers probably don't realize it while all the action is taking place.

And here you can see the back of the sign, which reveals that the road signs were covered up with tarps.