Ray Richmond: Paul Reubens wasn’t nearly as uncomplicated as Pee-wee Herman
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It says everything about who Paul Reubens was – and just how much of the curtain surrounding him he was comfortable opening – that the obituaries marking the brilliant 70-year-old comedian’s death Sunday night make his name inseparable from that of his most-famous character creation, Pee-wee Herman. It’s not “Paul Reubens” but “Paul Reubens, best known as Pee-wee Herman” or “a.k.a. Pee-wee Herman.” The man would have been honored that this was his legacy, as he always seemed much more comfortable being the bizarro dude with the signature flattop haircut, grey plaid suit and small red bowtie. I mean, his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame reads “Pee-wee Herman” and not “Paul Reubens.” If we’re judging success based purely on how inextricably linked our identity is to a fictitious persona we created, that must be a grand slam.
Reubens died after what was termed “a private bout with cancer.” His own statement released on Instagram after his death said, “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.”
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In the caption of the post was written the following: “Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness. Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit. A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit.”
The performer was born Paul Rubenfeld in 1952. It would be more than a quarter-century before his most famous creation arrived on the scene in 1980. Pee-wee Herman came into the world while Reubens was performing with the legendary improv troupe The Groundlings. Writer Rich Procter was a Groundlings member the night that Reubens did Pee-wee for the very first time.
“It was at a Scene Night,” Procter recalled in an email today, “where cast members were able to try out characters and sketches in front of their colleagues. Groundling Phyllis Katz came out and said, ‘We’ve got a first-time comic here tonight, never been on stage. Be kind, cut him some slack.’ Then Reubens came out as Pee-wee. He plopped down his bag of props and said, ‘Hi, my name’s Pee-wee, what’s yours?’ It quickly became obvious that he had no act, and hadn’t given any thought about what he’d do on stage – just like 90 percent of the people who try out at the Comedy Store and the Improv.”
Procter continued, “After two excruciating minutes, it dawned on everyone that Reubens was doing the funniest, most merciless spoof of a terrible wannabe “comedian” ever, and the place went wild. As (David) Letterman used to say, ‘The joke was there was no joke.’ I got to know Paul a bit. The Pee-wee character was the exact opposite of his own character. He was a dour, thoughtful, reflective person. Very smart, analytical, and (like fellow Groundling Phil Hartman) fearless on stage. I watched he and Hartman from the wings and knew I’d never make it. I was a good, workmanlike, funny guy. They were working in another dimension of inspiration and creativity.”
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Years of Reubens’ refining the character ultimately led to “The Pee-wee Herman Show,” performed to sellout crowds at comedy and nightclubs around the country. So dedicated was Reubens to Pee-wee that he committed to it fully in interviews and public appearances, refusing to break character and thus rarely affording us a glimpse of the real guy underneath. The legend continued to build through late-night talk show and public appearances. In 1985, he teamed with Tim Burton (making his feature directorial debut) on the hit “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” (co-written with Hartman).
Three years later, by the time he starred in his second big screen comedy “Big Top Pee-wee,” Reubens – or rather Pee-wee – was already a megastar on TV. “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” proved a Saturday morning revelation for CBS, a show aimed squarely at kids that was plenty subversive enough for grown-ups. It launched in 1986 and was an immediate smash, starring Reubens, as Pee-wee, living in his crazy playhouse astride talking animals, robots and other puppet and human characters. It would be nominated for 59 Daytime Emmys, winning 15, though he never won for top children’s series or children’s show host. It ruled over Saturday morning for the better part of five years.
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But everything came to a crashing halt in 1991 when Reubens was arrested for indecent exposure/public masturbation at an adult theater in Sarasota, Florida. The fact that these movie houses were designed for this sort of behavior regrettably didn’t factor into the humiliation that befell Reubens for being a purported pervert. An unfortunate mugshot piled on the embarrassment. It all resulted in Reubens leaving Pee-wee behind and trying to shift the focus onto the actor as himself. But when that failed to quell the hysteria, he vanished from view altogether.
Even at the time, it was clear that the character assassination and ridicule of Reubens far exceeded the alleged “crime.” CBS immediately stopped airing “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.” Disney-MGM Studios suspended from its studio tour a video that showed Pee-wee explaining how voiceover tracks were made. Toys R Us removed Pee-wee toys from its shelves. Fans and the general public rallied to Reubens’ defense, but the damage was done. It was all pretty insane. The man had not, after all, threatened or harmed anyone or anything save for his own reputation. It was character assassination on a grand scale, much ado about precious little. Better crisis PR would surely have helped.
Perhaps it could in part be traced to the dichotomy between playing such an innocent and eccentric man-child with effeminate traits and sweetly quirky facial expressions, and the harsh reality of a public indecency allegation. But certainly in hindsight, it was the tabloid-level persecution aimed at Reubens for such a victimless infraction that felt most shameful. It’s entirely possible that more than a little homophobia factored into the mix as well.
It happened again to Reubens more than a decade later, albeit even more seriously, in 2002. After turning himself in to West Hollywood Division police, he was charged with a misdemeanor for possessing obscene material depicting children under the age of 18 engaged in sexual conduct. He was released on $20,000 bail amid an admission that he was a collector of “vintage erotica.” The charges were ultimately dropped in 2004 after he agreed to plead guilty to a lesser misdemeanor obscenity charge. Reubens would later have to debase himself by going on television to maintain that he was not “titillated by images of children” and that he wasn’t a pedophile.
Given these twin traumas, it’s small wonder that Reubens grew reclusive for years, occasionally reappearing as a character actor with guest spots on shows including “Reno 911,” “Murphy Brown,” “30 Rock,” “Ally McBeal,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “What We Do in the Shadows” and “The Connors” along with a slew of animated voiceover work. But it was sad, perhaps even heartbreaking, that he was forced to endure much of the past three decades as an alleged perv and semi-pariah. While he was never convicted of possessing child pornography or pedophilia, the verdict was unfortunately much harsher in the court of public opinion.
Despite this, it should be noted that Reubens was able to successfully revive his Pee-wee character, albeit to far more muted acclaim, years later. He brought him back to life in 2010 with “The Pee-wee Herman Show” on Broadway (a seven-week engagement that led to an HBO special) and then in 2016 on Netflix with the film “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday.” In both cases, it felt like we were climbing into a time machine, kinda like seeing a colorized version of “The Andy Griffith Show.” It was sweet and nostalgic, if a bit long in the tooth.
That Reubens’ reputation was profoundly tainted before his passing is undeniable. But no such issues infect Pee-wee Herman, who was such a vivid, wholesome and joyous creation that he stood apart from the flawed human who gave him the breath of life. It’s open to interpretation whether that’s ultimately seen as a triumph or a tragedy.
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