NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — If you haven't spotted them yet, you will. 20 billboards have just gone up, paying tribute to not one, but two middle Tennessee traditions.
Tuesday morning, Justin Lloyd had driven three hours from his Kentucky home, dealing with our Nashville traffic. What's just gone up on middle Tennessee billboards was something he had to see.
"Looks good!" Justin smiled. "I really wanted to see it for myself in all its glory."
A billboard looking over him on Nolensville Pike showed a picture of actor Jim Varney as character Ernest, holding up a carton of Purity Dairies milk.
"My uncle, Jim Varney," Justin said. "He was different than anyone I knew. He was so interesting. He always had some story. He could imitate these people. It was just a one-man show!"
The billboards have been a pretty great surprise for Justin. In celebrating their 100th anniversary, Purity Dairies has just placed 20 billboards around middle Tennessee featuring Justin's uncle.
The story of Purity and Jim Varney goes back to the 70s. Jim's first Purity commercials had him as Sergeant Glory. By the early 80s, David Thomas became the art director at Purity.
"My grandfather [Miles Ezell] started Purity back in 1925," David said.
Jim did commercials for all sorts of businesses in different markets as Ernest, but he did more commercials for Purity than any place.
"Over a seven year period, I think there's about 46 commercials," Justin said.
David created several billboard designs featuring Ernest back then.
The idea of the commercials was usually Ernest paying a visit to his never-seen, forever-tortured neighbor Vern. Then there was the catch phrase; know what I mean, Vern?
The commercials were locally directed by John Cherry. His son is Josh Cherry.
"That's my old buddy, Ernest!" Josh laughed, looking up at an Ernest billboard. "They shot all the commercials at my house!"
"It was insanity how quickly it took off across the country," David continued. "I believe it took Purity's market share from upper teens to maybe in the 30s, almost overnight with the phenomenon of the Ernest commercials."
"Ernest is just supposed to be your neighbor," Josh said. "That's to the point it's annoying. You probably want to shut the door!"
There was also this.
"Ernest has got a huge heart, y'know, and people can recognize that, and it's something people can relate to," Josh explained.
The success of the various ad campaigns carried Jim and the Ernest character into a series of films, almost all of them were shot locally and directed by John Cherry.
Jim Varney died in 2000. All these years later, what would Jim Varney's Ernest say to all these billboards going up? Josh has a pretty good idea.
"That's gonna need a big cake for a hundred candles!" he said in a perfect Ernest impression.
Sounds about right. Let's close it out like Ernest would.
"Hey Vern! Know what I mean?" Josh said.
"Know what I mean?" Justin added.
"Know what I mean, Vern?" David smiled.
You can find two of the billboards in the 300 block of Murfreesboro Pike and 3400 block of Nolensville Pike.
Do you have a positive, good story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
I'm not sure there is a story that's brought a bigger smile to our faces than this one celebrating Ms. Marie's own story is amazing - a true Rosie the Riveter! What was also amazing to see was how an entire community turned out to celebrate her. You've got to check this out!
-Carrie Sharp
