NAMES IN THE NEWS : ‘Jose Jimenez’ Will Sell Cars

NASHVILLE — The character who used to begin every comedy routine “My name, Jose Jimenez” is being resurrected to sell cars.

Comedian Bill Dana, who created Jose, declared the character “dead” in 1969 after complaints that it was an unfavorable stereotype.

“Jose has become very sophisticated over the years,” Dana said. “Nowadays we call him Jose Everyman.”

Dana has signed a contract with Cardin and Cherry, the Nashville advertising agency whose Ernest P. Worrall character has been played into a hit by actor Jim Varney.

Dana, in Nashville today to begin filming commercials for a local car dealer, said viewers can expect to see many changes in Jose 25 years after “The Bill Dana Show” was on network television.

“The only thing he kept is his wide-eyed innocence,” Dana said.