May 20, 2007

I meet people all day long who say to me, 'I’m an artist because of you,' really cool-looking young people."

"I just want to burst into tears."

9 comments:

Judith Brodhead said...

Doesn't this photo of Pee-Wee, where he sports a cropped haircut, blue shirt, and jeans, and sits on a metal railing in a place with plyboard walls, look like a prison photo? It's a sympathetic article, though.

Palladian said...

Pee Wee on Letterman. Watch as Letterman doesn't know what to do with Pee Wee. He slips into a disdainful sneer and manages to ask Pee Wee if he's ever had a date. Oh, brilliant question! Hilarious! Pee Wee manages to make the best tossed-off joke of the appearance out of that lame line. A shame that Letterman is earning millions and Reubens is doing autograph shows. Such is life.

Gahrie said...

There is an early version of the Pee wee Herman character in one of the Cheech & Chong movies (Next Movie I believe)

Ann Althouse said...

Palladian: That was hilarious, but I kind of think Letterman was playing his dumb square guy role. I think the date question was planned -- because Pee-wee had a good answer. And it's not like Letterman's show pre-empted Pee-wee's. Pee-wee got himself in trouble (not that I think he deserved what he got for his indiscretion).

Palladian said...

Ann, that certainly occurred to me. I don't really watch (though, strangely, I actually attended a live taping in the early 1990s) so I sort of forgot that Letterman's straight man role was usually a bit belligerent. Still, I think he was a little surlier than he should be.

I kept thinking what Pee Wee would have been like on Steve Allen's show. Or maybe Dick Cavett.

Unknown said...

Wow Palladian, you did it for my imagination. Pee Wee Herman on the old Steve Allen Tonight show, just throw in Professor Irwin Corey.

To paraphrase Wanda Sykes: The only actor in Hollywood practicing safe sex and they burn him at the stake.

George M. Spencer said...

I rented the Pee-Wee morning show DVDs for my kids.

Like, totally no response. A little too fey, perhaps...

TMink said...

We have both movies and the complete Playhouse on dvd chez TMink. I do the most amazing PeeWee imitation in the world. Uncanny. And funny as hell as I am a bearded fat man.

Paul's sister is my divorce attorney, she saved me and my daughter from being separated. There is a photo of her and Paul as yong children on halloween in her office.

She is dressed as a pirate, and he a ballerina.

Trey

blake said...

Hmmm. This article repeats the canard that Pee Wee's XXX Adventure resulted in the cancellation of his series, or at least implies it heavily.

The series had already been canceled by mutual agreement. This brought an end to the repeats (which was stupid in itself, I think).

Five seasons is a lot for a SatAM show.