There comes a time in an actor’s life when a role they play is so iconic that they become synonymous with it. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, and so on. Among the list of veteran actors who were essentially immortalised because of their roles was none other than Paul Reubens, better known as Pee-wee Herman.
However, like all things, Reubens has to take one last bow and bid farewell, as he passed away earlier this week from cancer, aged 70. We will take a look at his legacy, from his early comedian years to the era he developed his iconic character. Let’s take a look at the life and legacy of Reubens and his contribution to the entertainment world.
Early Life & Career
Paul Rubenfeld was born in Peekskill, New York, and raised in a Jewish household in Sarasota, Florida, where his parents, Judy (Rosen) and Milton Rubenfeld, owned a lamp store. Reubens spent the majority of his formative years in Oneonta, New York. He frequently visited the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus when he was younger; the circus’ winter home was Sarasota. Reubens’ interest in entertainment was piqued by the circus environment, which also had an impact on his later work and inspired him to join the Asolo Theatre and the Players of Sarasota Theatre and appear in several plays.
In the 1970s, Reuben started performing at local comedy clubs before joining the Los Angeles-based improv comedy team, The Groundlings, and remained with them there for six years. The character of “Pee-wee Herman” also started to take shape in this group during an improvisation exercise in which Reubens created a character who wanted to be a comedian but was bad at telling jokes. Fellow Groundlings members started pitching in and developing Reuben’s character, like Phil Hartman and John Paragon.
Reuben then adopted the voice of a previous character he portrayed in the production of “Life With Father”, which soon became Pee-wee’s voice. Pee-wee’s first name was inspired by a one-inch Pee-Wee brand harmonica that Reubens owned when he was a kid, and the last name, Herman, was taken from a lively boy that Reubens knew when he was younger.
Saturday Night Live & The Pee-wee Herman Show
Reubens auditioned for Saturday Night Live’s 1980–1981 season, but Gilbert Gottfried, better known as the voice of Iago from the Aladdin animated franchise, who was a close friend of the show’s producer and had a similar acting style as Reubens, got the slot. Filled with bitterness and anger, Reubens borrowed money and started his own show at California’s Roxy Theatre, playing the character he had been developing for the last few years. The Pee-wee Herman Show was born. His performance was described as that of “the weirdest comedian around,” but the show was still able to run for five sellout months. He also got into mainstream media when HBO aired The Pee-wee Herman Show in 1981 for children but still did midnight shows for adults.
Following Pee-wee Herman’s explosive successes, Reubens the man stepped away from the limelight and public eye, while his alter ego became his one and only personality, and all his public appearances and interviews were made through his iconic character. He gained a lot more followers thanks to his several guest appearances on Late Night with David Letterman. However, he received a lot more when he made it to the big screen.
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Pee-wee’s Playhouse & Other Works
Warner Bros. commissioned Reubens to write the script for a full-length Pee-wee Herman movie as a result of The Pee-wee Herman Show’s popularity. The original plan was to recreate Reubens’ favourite movie, Pollyanna, but about halfway through, he realised that everyone at Warner Bros. was carrying a bike, which prompted Reubens and Phil Hartman to begin writing a new script. Both Reubens and the producers had Tim Burton direct the movie, which made US$40,940,662 in US box office receipts, more than covering its US$7 million production cost and catapulting the iconic character into international fame, prompting the creation of more Pee-wee Herman films.
The character also received widespread recognition and appeal with the CBS show “Pee-wee’s Playhouse”, an educational yet entertaining and artistic show for kids. Pee-wee’s Playhouse aired from 13th September 1986, to 10th November, 1990. After the third season, Reubens initially agreed to do two more, but when CBS inquired about the possibility of a sixth, Reubens declined, stating that he wanted to take a break. Reubens had been suffering from burnout from playing Pee-wee full-time and had warned them that the character was temporary and that he had other ideas he’d like to execute. The show ended after the fifth season – but not before amassing 22 Emmy Awards throughout its run.
Arrests
Unfortunately, there comes a time in every star’s life when their light will flicker and dim, and Reubens was no exception. Back in 1971, Reubens was arrested in Florida for loitering and prowling near an adult theatre. In 1983, he was again caught for possession of marijuana, but both charges were dropped and adjudication was withheld. However, like a batter on his third strike, Reubens’ third blunder tarnished his reputation and forced him out of the scene, as he was arrested in Florida for indecent exposure while watching a film at an adult movie theatre. During an unexpected police inspection, Reubens was detained along with three others.
Since then, he has been the subject of ridicule on talk shows, and most projects, products, and even voice lines were suspended as a result of the scandal. During the hearing, he pleaded no contest, which saved his record but obligated him to do 75 hours of community service. Despite this, other artists and directors who knew Reubens voiced their support for the actor, along with an army of fans.
However, he was again arrested in 2002 when police with a search warrant checked his home and uncovered vintage erotica – some of which were classified as child pornography. But when his collection was inspected, they found no grounds for a felony, which only resulted in a misdemeanour charge.
In 2004, the child pornography charges were dropped in exchange for a guilty plea to a lesser misdemeanour obscenity charge. Reubens later stated that he was a collector of erotica, with a sizable collection of mostly homosexual vintage erotica, and described the nude images as people “one hundred percent not” performing sexual acts.
Comeback
Due to the arrests and subsequent tarnished reputation, Reubens later kept a low profile, only lending his voice for a few years before making appearances in shows as cameos. Throughout this time, he would give interviews as himself rather than as Pee-wee Herman. It was only in 2010 that Reubens revived the character and iconic show, which he promoted by going to live interviews as his alter ego.
He continued to lend his voice to other roles and performances, namely those associated with Disney, such as Walt Disney World and Star Wars Rebels. In 2015, Netflix acquired the rights to produce a new Pee-wee film titled “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday” and received a positive reception.
Secret Battle With Cancer & Passing
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The announcement of Reubens’ death last Sunday, 30th July, came as a shock to everyone. The diagnosis was never made public; it was only after his death that it was revealed he had been battling the disease for six years. Reubens’ final statement was made available to the public posthumously.
“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years. I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.” – Paul Reubens
His legacy would have been unforgettable, as he made many people laugh and smile in every generation he was a part of. However, his controversies have left a bitter taste among many, thus resulting in a much quieter legacy than most. Regardless of which angle he is remembered from, he will always be remembered as the one and only Pee-wee Herman.
Sources: Wikimedia Commons [1], [2], Wikipedia, IMDb [1], [2], [3], Yahoo Entertainment, People
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