Pee-wee Herman Turns 70!

You tend to either love or hate Paul Reubens as his character Pee-wee Herman, and I have to confess being a fan. His character is a man-child, and falls into that category of people you might call cheerfully demented. Pee-wee is to me an amalgamation of all of the strange kiddy show hosts that I grew up watching, being drawn into their world, and accepting their twisted reality.

Pee–wee’s Playhouse ran for several years in the 1980’s, and was always a refreshing departure from reality. With his too-small gray suit, red bow tie, and white shoes, Pee-wee helped us navigate his twisted, surreal world of anthropomorphic chairs, pterodactyls, and iconic sidekick stereotypes such as Cowboy Curtis, Captain Carl (a grizzled sea captain), and Miss Yvonne, The Most Beautiful Woman in Puppetland. “We’re all mad here,” as the Cheshire Cat might say...

Paul Reubens is not just a one-trick pony. He has played a number of other roles, including a cameo as a waiter in The Blues Brothers, “The Spleen”in the movie Mystery Men, and the father of Batman villain The Penguin (above). He is scarcely recognizable in the latter role…

As The Spleen (above) in Mystery Men, Paul Reubens’ character had the superpower of, err…powerful flatulence, sufficient to render people unconscious…
So happy 70th birthday, Paul Reubens! And when you hear the Magic Word for the day, remember as Pee-wee reminds us, to scream real loud! 🙀

September 1, 2022 at 7:57 pm
The first PWH movie was alright. Kind of a light-hearted jibe at Hollywood’s occasionally bad habit of jazzing up “true stories.” But, the second one, BIG TOP PEEWEE, was absolutely fabulous! If only for the sight of Valeria Golino in that lovely silvery-blue leotard as she practiced on the trapeze. 😉
It kind of reminded me of that other underrated romantic comedy about the circus: MERRY ANDREW starring Danny Kaye and Pier Angeli.
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September 10, 2022 at 12:50 am
My 2nd-favorite role of his was Amelin. Second-in-command of Rutger Hauer’s character in the original “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” (1992) starring Kristy Swanson in the title role.
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September 10, 2022 at 1:18 pm
Pee-wee can pop up where you least expect him. Now I feel like I’ve made a sexual pun! 🙀
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September 11, 2022 at 7:02 pm
Didn’t he get taken to court for something along those lines? 😉
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September 11, 2022 at 9:01 pm
Exactly! His comeback was great, however. Upon returning to public view, Pee-wee asked “Heard any good jokes lately?”
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September 12, 2022 at 12:05 am
LOL!
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