# why, god, why are we losing our great talents?!? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 11, 2000, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-why-are-we-losing-our-great-talents/13675 "2000-02-11T02:45:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ubermensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bcef8e/32.png) [@ubermensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ubermensch)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-why-are-we-losing-our-great-talents/13675/1 "2000-02-11T02:45:00Z")
[http://www.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/10/varney.obit.ap/](http://www.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/10/varney.obit.ap/) [http://www.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/News/02/08/obit.henning.ap/](http://www.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/News/02/08/obit.henning.ap/) ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-why-are-we-losing-our-great-talents/13675/2 "2000-02-11T02:59:00Z")
Aw! His movies were stupid, but I genuinely liked the guy and some of his TV stuff. Maybe it’s a hillbilly connection thing. Knowhutimean? * * * Teaching: The ultimate birth control method. [Laura’s Stuff and Things](http://members.aol.com/lrconaway) ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-why-are-we-losing-our-great-talents/13675/3 "2000-02-11T06:45:00Z")
That is unfortunate. I didn’t even know he was sick (Varney). Shame about Henning as well. * * * Remember, I’m pulling for you; we’re all in this together. —Red Green ---
**Author:** ![crackwise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@crackwise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crackwise)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-why-are-we-losing-our-great-talents/13675/4 "2000-02-11T07:09:00Z")
## Unfortunate. I’ve never seen any of Varney’s movies, but I do have a video of his - Ernest Worrel’s Family Album. Maybe it’s just be and my brothers, but we laugh our ass off every time we watch it. (yes, we’re all adults, and the wives and girlfriend think we’re nuts). It’s been a while since I’ve watched it, but just thinking of him doing him impersonation of a carnie named Billy Boogie just kills me. Never give a sword to a man who can’t dance. – a Celtic motto ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-why-are-we-losing-our-great-talents/13675/5 "2000-02-11T13:18:00Z")
## Hey, ubermensch- just so you know…I did pick up on the sarcasm in your thread title and got a chuckle out of it 🙂 Love is like popsicles…you get too much you get too high. Not enough and you’re gonna die… [Click here for some GOOD news for a change](http://www.binghamtonpress.com/binghamtonnews/local/Sanews5.html)[Zettecity](http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/zettecity/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-why-are-we-losing-our-great-talents/13675/6 "2000-02-11T14:56:00Z")
Uber, I dunno if your post was sarcasm or not. Obviously Jim Varney was not Tom Hanks. He started out doing local commercials , then moved on to national commercials. It was the whole “hey Vern” act. That got him several movies (most straight to video). Yet it almost seems as if he was on the verge of becoming “legit”. He will in fact be in an upcoming Billy Bob Thorton film - the name escapes me, but I believe it is supposed to be a romantic comedy. I will also add that the man was the perfect “Uncle Jed”, he did a fantastic job portraying a TV icon. Sure, it wasn’t a great film, but I respect what he did nonetheless. Perhaps he will be remebered best as "Slinky Dog: in “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2”. I will say he was excellent and funny as the voice. There is one more movie in which he could achieve noteriety : Disney’s “Alantis”. Jim did voice work in that also. It will not be released until 2001. Was he ever gonna win an Oscar ? No. Was he funny? Oh yeah. Will he be missed ? Well, I would gamble to say that more people will miss him after his death than will when any of us die. Hey Vern . . . Godspeed. 'Nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-why-are-we-losing-our-great-talents/13675/7 "2000-02-11T14:56:00Z")
- - - Yes, but if they have to exhume Henning’s body later on, what will they find in the casket? - MC ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-why-are-we-losing-our-great-talents/13675/8 "2000-02-11T15:17:00Z")
mc, probably they will find Andy Kaufman… ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-why-are-we-losing-our-great-talents/13675/9 "2000-02-11T15:50:00Z")
On a trip from hell ( an eleven hour bus ride with a five year old) a great many moons ago they showed the movie Ernest Goes To Jail. While I was not enthralled it certainly kept the child beside me interested long enough for me to engage in a game of chess with a fellow passenger. For that ability, I will miss him. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-why-are-we-losing-our-great-talents/13675/10 "2000-02-11T17:30:00Z")
This morning NPR reported the death of sex-kitten-marrying film director Roger Vadim. ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-why-are-we-losing-our-great-talents/13675/11 "2000-02-11T17:35:00Z")
re: Jim Varney > [@](#): > > He started out doing local commercials , then moved on to national commercials. Well, the commercials certainly boosted his career. I think you’ll find he had several regular or recurring roles on sitcoms before before he “Verned” his way into the limelight. My favorite Varney sighting, pre-Vern, was on “Fernwood 2-Night”, the “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” spinoff featuring Martin Mull as a local TV talk-show host. ---
**Author:** ![Cheese\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cheese\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheese_Head)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-why-are-we-losing-our-great-talents/13675/12 "2000-02-11T17:48:00Z")
A talent like Varney is hard to replace…except for the 5 million other hillbillies in Ky and Tenn who could do what he did just as well. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2000, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-why-are-we-losing-our-great-talents/13675/13 "2000-02-11T17:52:00Z")
Just a WAG here, but ummm, people die? ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2000, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-god-why-are-we-losing-our-great-talents/13675/14 "2000-02-12T04:07:00Z")
Dig this quote from the CNN obituary article on Jim Varney: > [@](#): > > Varney died of lung cancer, says his attorney, Hoot Gibson. I don’t know which is funnier – that his attorney is named “Hoot Gibson”, or that it was his lawyer, instead of his doctor, that reported the cause of death. 😉