Pee-wee as Himself hit Max this week to tell the late Paul Reubens’ story, both in his own words and in snippets and recollections from his friends and family.
This documentary was run much like any other Reubens project over the course of his career—under his watchful eye. That was even explained in the two-part series because, as Reubens recalled, he was told that typically, a documentary isn’t handled by the person it’s about.
Perhaps Reubens’ attempt to shut it all down right before the project was completed is proof of why the subject shouldn’t be in control but coming up on two years shy of his death, the documentary was released and it helped complete the puzzle that was a very complex and complicated man whose fall from grace was entirely unfair.
Gen X knew and loved Reubens as Pee-wee Herman, the larger-than-life child-like man-boy known best for his grey suit, red bow tie, and white loafers. He lived in a playhouse and spent time with characters that included Miss Yvonne, Cowboy Curtis, and the floating blue genie head named Jambi.
He had iconic lines that are still quoted to this day, including the obnoxious “I know you are, but what am I?” and “That’s my name, don’t wear it out” that were repeated ad nauseum on playgrounds throughout the 80s and 90s.
The documentary even touched on the gay themes that were carefully crafted into the children’s series and how Reubens was openly gay until he became famous and then retreated back into the closet during a time when being a part of the LGBT community was not accepted in Hollywood
.Keep in mind that Ellen DeGeneres came out on her sitcom in 1997, a full seven years after Pee-wee’s Playhouse was canceled and that was a landmark moment
Pee-wee’s Playhouse ran for five seasons on CBS — from 1986 to 1990 — before being canceled suddenly following Reubens’ arrest after he was caught pleasuring himself in an adult theater.
The press coverage was savage, and in Pee-wee as Himself, we see how the near-career-ending controversy affected Reubens as a man and impacted his career. For starters, it abruptly ended his beloved Saturday morning kids show despite having five more seasons filmed and ready to go.
Despite that, Reubens was able to recover his acting career somewhat with roles in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, The Blacklist, and Gotham, among many others.
But Reubens’ name was marred by that one arrest and then, later, by accusations that landed him briefly on the sex offenders list, which ultimately prompted him to work on this documentary.
He died a week before a final interview was set after he initially tried to end the project before changing his mind. But just one day before his death, he left a voice memo that summed up the entire reason he wanted to share his very private life with the world.
“More than anything, the reason I wanted to make a documentary was to let people see who I really am and how painful and difficult it was to be labeled something that I wasn’t . . . a pedophile” Reubens said. “I wanted somehow for people to understand that my whole career, everything I did and wrote, was based in love.”
Pee-wee as Himself is streaming on MAX.
