Paul Reubens, the actor and comedian famous for his portrayal of the quirky character Pee-wee Herman, passed away at the age of 70 on July 30th in Los Angeles. His longtime publicist, Kelly Bush Novak, confirmed the news and revealed that Reubens had been battling cancer for the past six years.
Reubens, known for his red bow tie and mischievous behavior, became a beloved figure in children’s television and movies. His character Pee-wee Herman, with his tight gray polyester suits, skinny bow tie, and nasally voice, captivated young audiences. Although his catchphrases, such as “I know you are but what am I?” may have annoyed parents, they became popular sayings among adolescents.
Pee-wee’s world was filled with peculiar characters, including a talking chair named Chairry, a blue pterodactyl named Pterri, and an ant farm that communicated by forming words. Miss Yvonne, whom Pee-wee considered “The Most Beautiful Woman in Puppetland,” often visited him wearing prom-like gowns.
Critics found Pee-wee Herman to be both sweet and petulant, and they were astounded by Reubens’ continued success, despite his arrests on indecency and obscenity charges. New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael once wrote that Pee-wee’s appeal stemmed from his ability to embody the confusion of a boy who refuses to grow up, like a modern-day Peter Pan immersed in the world of consumerism.
Experts on adolescence understood the allure of Pee-wee Herman. Ava Siegler, the director of the Child, Adolescent, and Family Clinic of the Postgraduate Center for Mental Health in New York, explained that Pee-wee acted as a clown who represented the child’s perspective against the grown-up world. He blurred the lines between reality and make-believe, past and present, and child and adult.
Reubens created the Pee-wee character while performing with the Groundlings, an improv group in Los Angeles, in the late 1970s. His act gained popularity, and in 1981, he starred in “The Pee-wee Herman Show,” a satirical take on children’s television that sold out every night at the Roxy nightclub in Los Angeles. The show later became an HBO special and achieved cult status.
Reubens made frequent appearances as Pee-wee on talk shows like “Late Night With David Letterman,” and his popularity soared. CBS producer Judy Price attempted to convince him to create a live-action children’s show, a rarity at the time when animated shows were the norm. Eventually, Reubens agreed, and “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” premiered in 1986. It was followed by the movie “Big Top Pee-wee” in 1988.
Reubens’ reputation suffered a blow in 1991 when he was arrested for indecent exposure at an adult movie theater in Sarasota, Florida. Authorities did not initially realize that they had apprehended Pee-wee Herman until Reubens disclosed his identity. Following the incident, CBS canceled “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” and stopped airing reruns on its Saturday morning children’s programming.
In 2001, Reubens faced further scrutiny when the Los Angeles police searched his erotica collection. In 2004, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of possessing obscene material, while a more serious child pornography charge was dismissed.
Despite the setbacks, Reubens continued acting after his 1991 arrest but took a break from portraying Pee-wee Herman. He appeared in various films such as “Batman Returns,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and “Matilda.” He also collaborated with filmmaker Tim Burton on “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.” Reubens made numerous television appearances on shows like “Murphy Brown,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” and “Ally McBeal.” He played criminals on NBC’s “The Blacklist” and in the film “Blow.”
Reubens eventually resurrected the Pee-wee Herman character, starring in a Broadway production of “The Pee-wee Herman Show” in 2010 and the movie “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday” in 2016. Despite feeling that the character had been tarnished, Reubens expressed his love for Pee-wee Herman and his desire to give his career a better ending.
Born on August 27, 1952, in Peekskill, New York, Paul Rubenfeld was the son of a World War II military pilot and an elementary school teacher. Reubens discovered his passion for acting at a young age, and his fascination with circus performers during winters spent in Florida fueled his imagination. If acting hadn’t worked out, Reubens joked that he would have joined the circus.
Reubens studied at the California Institute of the Arts and pursued acting on the Los Angeles theater scene before joining the Groundlings. After gaining success with Pee-wee, he auditioned for “Saturday Night Live” but did not secure a role. However, he achieved major success with “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.”
Surviving Reubens are his sister and brother. Critics and psychologists have offered various theories to explain Pee-wee’s popularity, but Reubens didn’t dwell on the subject. He believed that something was either funny or not funny, without the need for intellectual analysis. For him, humor was about simplicity and making people laugh.
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