In 1985, Varney co-hosted HBO's New Year's Eve special, along with Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. Varney also starred as Jed Clampett in the 1993 production of "The Beverly Hillbillies" and played Rex, a carnival worker/associate of Dennis Quaid in "Wilder Napalm". The latter story is about two pyrokinetic brothers, played by Quaid and Arliss Howard, and as the accident-prone entertainer/watch guard ("safety guy/human torch") Rudy James in the movie "Snowboard Academy". He later played a small role in the 1995 action film "The Expert" as a weapons dealer named Snake.