Hi-Desperately searching for someone who might have a copy of the E! TheTrue
Hollywood Story's Ernest Goes to Hollywood; would have shown in2000 or 2001.I
tried to get a tape from their outsource, but they said that theyerase all
copies after 6 months of the showing. (except E!'soriginal, of course) This was
a wonderful man- sadly, few know that he visited hundredsof terminally-ill
children who loved him as Ernest and asked for him;he never let any down- and
this, while being bi-polar and sufferingfrom all-too-frequent terrible bouts of
depression.He was tremendously intelligent, and had a photographic memory.
Hecould portray Ernest and he could do Shakespeare as convincingly. Hewas a
walking encyclopedia on many topics. In spite of all of this he was a truly
humble man.After a virtual lifetime of terrible mood swings, he finally wasgiven
medication which stopped the depression- I don't think he hadmuch more than a
year after that before he was diagnosed with thathorrible disease- which was the
year my mom died of the same.We have lost a wonderful person and a great talent.
Well, our loss isParadise's gain. Why was he taken so young? The answer is easy:
TheLord missed him. I smile when I think of all those children whoselives he
brightened before they passed on meeting him at the end ofthe Tunnel- and
escorting him Home.God bless you, Jim- so many of us love you and always will;
you willnever be forgotten!With great admiration and fondness,Vicki Smith