1293 Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Incidentally, this HBO documentary has been on my to-watch list for a few months; anyone seen?

The doc is great. I've been watching episodes of Pee-wee's Playhouse ever since. Looking forward the rewatching Big Adventure as well.

I'll second it especially as I knew next to zero the names of his collaborators (save Gary Panter and Laurence Fishburne). The stuff about his '70s college days, Phil Hartman collabs, and seeing Elvira and Debbie Mazar are an instant recommend. But the second (also ridiculous and targeted) police run-in - which I'd only remembered the Jeffrey Jones side of it - is interesting to know even if Reubens is absent interview-wise for that section. You also learn his look in the BTVS movie was contractually intentional. My favorite bit is early on his "denial" denial of being gay which is really funny but once you watch the doc quite apt. So because of that I'm really looking forward to this release especially what Ayoade has to say.

[The Curious Sofa]

Another big thumbs up for the HBO documentary. I found Paul Reubens' queer, bohemian beginnings particularly fascinating. There is a constant tension due to Reubens' reluctance about the whole project, and he can change from being open and charming to becoming quite prickly in an instant.

I studied film when Pee-wee's Big Adventure was released, and a lot of us loved it. I remember having a spirited debate with one of our lecturers who loathed it. I totally understand why Reubens went back into the closet. As the lead of a kids' show in the '80s, it would have wrecked his career if it had been known that he was gay. But he didn't need to come out; the gay subtext in his work was barely sub.

[criterionsnob]

While watching the doc, I actually had to Google

Spoiler

"When did Paul Reubens come out of the closet?" To realize that he came out posthumously through this documentary.

[captveg]

It's too bad that, to my knowledge, the Pee-Wee cable specials from before this film (which are a bit more "adult" than anything he did subsequently) are stuck in nowheresville, home video-wise.

The 2006 Image DVD of the 1981 HBO special of the stage show goes for about $25-50 used.

[Orlac]

Burton is my favourite director (even though little of his output this century has been any good!) but I've never seen this.

Time to rectify that...

[colinr0380]

I very fondly remember being introduced to the film via BBC2's all night long Weird Night selection of films, with Pee-Wee's Big Adventure being the early morning climax of strangeness, so I always bracket it together with the other five films now! And serendipitously isn't Tim Burton about to do a remake of Attack of the 50ft Woman with Margot Robbie as his next film?

[beamish14]

I had no clue that Paul Chadwick, creator of one of the best American comics to debut during the 80’s, Concrete, was a storyboard artist on this, and because of Paul Reubens’ unfamiliarity with crafting screenplays, the visuals were created in tandem to help guide the writing

[FrauBlucher]

Crazy town. This hasn't been officially released yet and the 4k/bluray release is listed as out of stock on the CC website. Don't remember seeing that before

[therewillbeblus]

Probably due to a slew of preorders from the current sale

[hearthesilence]

Even though he wasn't involved with the movie, I did wonder if Criterion tried to get Gary Panter to do the artwork, but I also had a hunch that he would've turned them down and a recent post on his IG account suggests that would've been the case. He already said as much when he did a great joint interview with Wayne White in the wake of Reubens's death (probably making the exception due to the circumstances, though he also sat down for interviews when Reubens produced the complete Pee-Wee's Playhouse box set):

William Van Meter: What was it like collaborating with Paul? What was his input?

Gary Panter: The CBS executives trusted him. Really, we build it all for him—the pterodactyl’s tree house or every element of the playhouse was discussed with Paul. He was very much involved, and Paul had many more ideas that never came to fruition. People didn’t pay attention to his product ideas to the extent that they could have. And to the end of his life, I’m sure that was true. We didn’t talk for the last few years. But you know, I love the guy and think he’s a genius.

Van Meter: Did you two just grow apart? Was it just like a time thing?

Panter: You know, it’s a complicated story. But it really has to do with just showbiz, you know? I don’t really want on my gravestone ‘Designed Pee-wee’s Playhouse.’ It was a dream come true. And that’s one thing that drove me and Paul apart was he kept wanting to work on projects. At a certain point, I just said, let’s just be friends, you know? And he had a hard time accepting that.

Strangely, it appears that he didn't always feel this way, writing "I hope we will do more Pee Wee stuff together." But this is from an old site (copyright begins at 2007 and ends in 2017) and was likely written at a time when Pee-Wee Herman had long been dormant.

[hearthesilence]

Not sure if anyone saw this, but there's a link in that emoji.

[swo17]

Was that response by Paul Reubens?

[hearthesilence]

No, I don't think that person ever told Reubens. Probably would've been the same response though!