Giving Extra Love to the Juice Bar Guy!

Hey there PR fans! Valentines Day 2020 is right around the corner, and I thought this would be a great time to talk about a character who definitely does not get enough appreciation! Today we're talking about Ernie! Ernie owns the Angel Grove Gym & Juice Bar also often reffered to on the show as the Youth Center because it's where all the teens are. Ernie has done so much for our heroes and asks for very little in return, in fact he served the food and drinks free so often, you could almost call that a meme. Ernie gave Tommy the Papaya Fruit needed to distract the Two-headed Parrot Monster. Ernie was revealed to be the original Burple Baby-food Spokesmodel which ultimately gave him a huge drink-making deal. Ernie was shown to be very popular with the ladies having had Two girls hanging around him on three separate occasions. Ernie on occasion helped Bulk and Skull and other times oversaw their punishments. Bulk and Skull ruined every single cake Ernie made. Ernie could make great dramatic statements as well as do soft ones. He was usually the first to announce a problem but always in as soft a manner as possible. In the first episode he suspected Rita's first attack was actually an earthquake. He maintains a great calm demeanor and urges everyone around him to do the same. In the great classic episode "To Flea or Not to Flea" was where we saw the most dramatic situation the Youth Center ever faced. It was almost closed down due to money problems. Jason the Red Ranger finds a lost dog and brings it to the Juice Bar. Ernie and Pierre develop a very warm friendship very quickly and he says "When I see how sad he is, my problems don't seem so big anymore." Pierre's owner shows up at the end and is told by the Rangers that Ernie cared for the dog. He received a check for ten million dollars which saved the Youth Center.

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Ernie was played by Richard Genelle. He died on December 30th 2008 due to a fatal heart attack. He was only forty-seven years old at the time. Richard was survived by his wife Rosa Genelle. Richard Genelle also played a minor role in a 1991 film based off the works of Joseph Rosenberger. The Death Merchant book series is ultimately better known however the movie made Four Million dollars during its initial box office run. Richard Genelle was a smoker and terribly overweight. These life problems were things he strongly worked to overcome after leaving the show right before the Turbo season. During Zeo Ernie was included in the Theme Song credits. Former lieutenant Jerome Stone took over the Juice Bar in Turbo. More info on him is provided here in the article "Dragged Down by Stupidity". In the early episodes Ernie revealed himself to be a fan of Batman. Whether this really meant Batman existed in MMPR's world was a strong subject of debate by MMPR fans. Given Ernie's age by the nineties though it would make perfect sense to guess he grew up watching the sixties Adam West show. Conner Mcknight the Red Dino Thunder Ranger shared three similarities with Ernie. Both have brown hair, wore many tropical themed outfits, and were Batman fans. Coincidence maybe? Maybe not? There was a subplot in the popular season 2 episode "Rocky Just Wants to Have Fun" where Bulk and Skull suspected Ernie of being a Power Ranger. They followed him around most of the story. They turned to Ernie at the end of the story saying he was there the whole time, he humblely replies "What's new, I work here!" Ernie's fantastic delivery of the line "It's probably just a Burnt Fuse." broke the heavy tension and to this day gives me a huge laugh whenever I rewatch the classic Zeo episode "Inner Spirit". Ernie also helped Tommy train for his football tryouts in the season 1 episode "Football Season". In the Zeo Halloween nightmare episode Ernie got to be a vampire and serve strange ghoul drinks. Ernie also made cameos on Tommy's Karate Club Video; Green Ranger Kata and in Turbo a Power Rangers Movie. There is one other common theory among fans that Ernie knew the six main teens were the Rangers for a long time and just never said it. Hard to say if that is true or not but Ernie has shown a knack for keeping secrets. He has helped with many surprise parties at the Youth center. Ernie also almost won best costume at the first Halloween party but ironically turned the medal over to Alpha 5 (who wasn't actually wearing a costume). Ernie is a true gem among supporting characters. Both Ernie and Richard Genelle deserve lots of praise. One could say that Ernie's role in the first four seasons was similar to Alfred Pennywoth's role in Batman which makes Ernie being a Batman fan all the more ironic. Ernie wass iconic, he was fabulous! Truly a hero in his own right. I highly encourage everyone who reads this article to follow my example and make time this Valentines' day to appreciate someone who they think doesn't get enough love. R.I.P. Richard Genelle! Ernie will always be a favorite part of classic Power Rangers for me!