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| A Personal Glimpse Of Billy Dee | |
| I started this work almost 9 years ago,and just a few weeks after Jim Varney had passed away. Since then, the site has grown and I have seen thousands of Jim's fans visiting this special tribute. | |
| Millions Of Fans! | |
| The interest and enthusiasm for the "Ernest P. Worrell" movie series has grown and is becoming a very exciting phenomena. Often, after an artist dies, his or her work becomes more recognized and more popular and famous. I think Jim's talents are also going this way. It is said, that only one person out of perhaps a thousand or several thousand will actually respond with their interest for an artist, or in this case, a well known movie star. If this holds true, then there must be over 10,000,000 fans that love and still do love Jim Varney and his movies. I think there is a strong signal being sent! Millions of people still want this type of entertainment and movies. | |
| Who Is Billy Dee | |
| I would like to give the fans, friends and family of Jim Varney a glimpse of just who I am. I suppose the hardest thing for anyone to do, is to give themselves a personal critique. Well, here it goes. I am a 62 year old married man of 31 years. I am a more or less an inactive or semi retired Christian lay minister. This has been due to my being disabled. Although I am not wheel chair ridden, I have a damaged spine nerve, which over the past 15 years has taken its toll on me physically. | |
| My disability has left me unable to be employed outside of my home, by an outside employer. In 1989 I came to a point I was no longer able to work. I had been struck by lightening which had done more damage to my spine, It was then that I pursued a life long love and interest, "show business". I had always been a talented person ever since my childhood, but never thought of pursuing the entertainer field. To some, it is a strange combination being a minister and a entertainer, TV producer and director. So when I was unable to work in 1989 I began seeking out my first love, "show business". | |
| I had made a vow to myself, my family and God that I would never be involved with the immoral side of show business. And to this day, I have kept that vow. Since 1992 I have produced/directed as well as acted in, and hosted over 1,000 TVshows. In 1992 I began AOB (Alpha & Omega Broadcasting) in N.E. Wisconsin. A small TV broadcaster which aired two days of programming per week (8 hours of shows weekly). AOB was started due to a long time leading to create moral TV shows and shows that not only entertained, but that helped the community fight against crime, drug abuse, alcoholism, teen sex and violence among many other social ills. During the over 5 years I was on TV, my shows helped in bringing down crime in general in one community by over 71% in my first year and a half on TV. I also spear headed several boycotts against pornography magazine sales in stores, x rated videos sold and rented, and other various boycotts to help and improve the communities. AOB helped to establish the first neighborhood crime watch, and a new curfew for young people. I also helped in establishing a SADD chapter(students against drunk driving) in the local high schools. Some of my shows had stopped a few attempted suicides of young people. | |
| AOB was an outstanding success to say the least. By 1997, I had come to a place where I could no longer physically handle the weather in N.E. Wisconsin. I lived only a few miles from Lake Michigan, the largest inland lake in the world. Living in that area so close to the Lake for someone like me with health problems (Arthritis, nerve damage and Rheumatism), it became unbearably painful. The climate next to Lake Michigan is one of being very humid and cold with only 69 days per year (on the average) of sun. My wife and I moved in 1997 further south in the state and further inland to get relief. Since 1996 I have been on TV here is southern Wisconsin for about 2 years during 2005 and 2007. Since 2007, I have not been able to go back on TV. I dearly miss it, but financial doors have just not opened to allow me to return. I would return to this field immediately if I was given an offer. | |
| I was raised in southern Wisconsin by two very talented parents. My mother was a well known national artist and doll maker. My father won the highest art award given for his ceramic sculptors in the 1961 "Worlds Art Fair." I was taught by my parents in many of the arts, but as I said before, show business was my first love and will always be. | |
| Presently, I live in southwestern Wisconsin in what is called the tourist capitol of the midwest. Millions of tourists from all over the U.S. come here every summer to vacation. This area is made up of small cities and small rural towns. It is a mad house when the tourists descend upon the area! Whew! But it is a welcome site every year to the area financially. | |
| Being disabled has been very hard on my wife and I. I recieve a very small monthly income from Social Security, and my wife works as a Certified Nursing Assistant and makes just above the minimum hourly wage. Needless to say it is been hard, but it is and has been our faith in Christ that has sustained us, and along with the help of my sister and brother-in-law, who have through their love and kindness have helped us throughout the past several years. I have been a very talented, an outgoing person most of my life, it is very difficult not to be able to do new TV shows, talk shows, and shows that help and love kids. I keep praying every day that perhaps a door will open where I can once again offer my talents in the entertainment industry. I keep telling my wife, "my body may be shot, but my mind is a good as ever." I think personally, that those who are disabled are often those that seem to fall into a grey area. Very few employers are willing to hire the disabled. Many who consider doing that, are often held back by their insurance companies as there would have to be a totally incredible insurance premium increase paid out, which many employers cannot afford to pay. I have to admit, that people like me who are disabled, but yet can walk and function normally mentally, there are so many of us that are left behind. | |
| I will continue on with this Jim Varney tribute site and work for as long as there are good people out there that love decent and moral entertainment. My sincere hopes from this work is that Hollywood will wake up and realize there are millions of decent Americans that want good family shows and entertainment. I have been giving some thought recently to spearhead a new movement to find an door to produce a new "Ernest P. Worrell" type of movie. Many fans have written me and have stated that they would like to see new "Ernest P. Worrell" movies. Although Jim is gone, surely there must be someone out there that could fit the bill to become the next Ernest character. I don't feel that trying to find an actor to be like the original Ernest would go over very well. I don't think it would. But I came up with an interesting idea, which I discussed with one of the co-stars in some of the past "Ernest" movies. And that was this. I think the Ernest fans would accept it if Ernest had a nephew that was somewhat like him. And that this nephew character could be created for a new "Ernest" film. The character would not be the original Ernest character, but the nephew of Ernest who has many of the original Ernest characteristics. I really feel that many people would just love this idea, and with the right actor, they would except it. | |
| I would like to add this. This is a newly added part on this page. For over the past 2 years, I had decided to produce my own Ernest type of movie. The movie will be in the flavor and style of an Ernest movie, and Bill Byrge, known as "Bobby" who co-stared in several of the Ernest movies, will be my co-star in "Billy and Bobby, The Wacky Duo". I am hoping to have the movie completed by late spring to early summer of 2009. Please go back to my main page, and look for the latest updates on the new movie! | |
| The Official Jim Varney Tribute site has been a labor of love not only for the actors memory and work, but for the Jim Varney family, friends and fans. I personally do not make a lot of money at this. I began selling the videos due to the many letters I have received from many fans prompting me to sell the Ernest movies. They told me that there are so many of the titles out of print and can no longer be purchased any where. It was for this reason that I started to stock many of the Ernest titles. Due to copyright laws and other legal issues, I have only been able to sell used videos, although I have been able to sell a number of new videos that had already been sold once (those videos that came from over stock that never got sold, or from those particular stores that went out business, and private collections, and all never opened and still factory sealed) But I do stock many of those rare titles that are out print and cannot be found or easily found. The little money that I do make on the videos goes for the direct support of this work. I also (when there is enough that comes in) at times take out for our personal support. Also, to give everyone an update, things have changed over the years since I started this site, and I now do offer at least 90% new Ernest movies, and also, New family movies as welll. | |
| Billy Dee | |
| I sincerely hope that you all enjoy this site as well as find a very meaningful time while visiting. You're all welcome to keep coming back. I will be adding on new sections. I am hoping to reach more and more of the cast that was in the Ernest movies, as well as I will be offering audio interviews direct from this site with the cast. God bless each and every one you, and keep watchin Ernest movies, "knowwhaddamean, Vern!" Ha! Ha! | |
| Billy Dee | |