Paul Reubens taught my generation that it’s okay to be weird. To celebrate being weird and unique. This movie and “Peewee’s Playhouse” were such a big part of my childhood. Rest In Peace, Paul Reubens.. 😔
My dad and I always impersonated Jambi whenever we would hear someone speak a foreign language. We would look at each other and say Mecha leca hi mecha heiny ho
As a Texan who moved to Florida, my coworkers asked me if the "Deepin the Heart of Texas" scene was true. I had to hang my head in shame and tell them it was true.
I once gave a tour to a school group from Texas, and I started it out by doing that song. Everyone clapping and responding made me tear up. The tour was at Arlington National Cemetery. 😂🤣
E.G. Daily is not just *a* voice actor, she is a *top tier* voice actor (as well lots of live-action work, plus she was the singer in Better Off Dead!). Tommy from Rugrats, Buttercup from The Powerpuff Girls, but there are many more. Love her in this movie too.
Both her and Tara Strong (the voice of Dil Pickles in Rugrats and Bubbles in The Powerpuff Girls) are fantastic singers and are absolute knockouts in their current ages.
Pee Wee may act innocent and naive, but he's oftentimes the smartest person in the room. Kudos to Paul Reubens for creating a completely ORIGINAL character, one that is timeless, really.
As a kid, this whole movie just made sense. I watch this so many time growing up. To this day me and my friends will yell "MY BIKE!" anytime a bicycle rides by.
Ever since this movie came out people have constantly asked staff at the Alamo to see the basement. So after his death the official Facebook account of the Alamo put out a really heartwarming tribute to him.
Interesting fact, most buildings in Texas don't have basements. There are a few reasons for this, but mostly it's due to the water table being close to the surface throughout much of that land, so digging a basement creates high risk of house flooding.
R.I.P. Paul Reubens. He and Cassandra Peterson were good friends since their days learning improv. He cast her in a small part in this movie. She's the redhead "Biker Mama" who squeezes through the biker guys who are about to kill Pee-Wee.
@@awkwardashleigh I was yesterday years old when I learned she was in this movie. (random youtubes video I watched last night) ..and since the 80's, I've watched this a million times.
@@awkwardashleighseriously have you seen peewees playhouse the whole movie is a live action cartoon best seen was when his bike gets destroyed by a t rex😊
Fun fact: Elvira is in this movie. When Pee Wee is at the road house, the red headed lady that says “I say you let me have him first!” That’s Elvira without the costume😂
They were part of The Groundlings, an LA improv group. They were great friends throughout their lives. Others who were part of The Groundlings were John Paragon, who was Jambi and Phil Hartman, who helped write this movie, and wrote and acted (Capt. Carl) in Peewee's Playhouse They were all there at the same time.
Pee-Wee's bar dance to Tequila is one of the most classic dance sequences in film. And the movie is absolutely one of the most off the wall comedies from the 80's and I love it!
The Alamo's official web page had this tribute to Paul Rubens' passing: "Since 1985, not a day has passed without visitors consistently inquiring about the location of the basement at the Alamo. This tradition owes its origins to the comedic acting of Mr. Paul Reubens from the movie 'Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.' We are immensely grateful for his unforgettable contribution to Alamo pop culture. However, we can confirm that while there is not a basement in the Alamo Church, there is one next door, under our gift shop! May he rest in peace.” Ashley, there isn't a basement in the gift shop either, but The Alamo continues to play with Pee-wee.
There are in fat two Basements, one under the gift shop and one under Alamo Hall. According to legend, the idea of installing basements was inspired by the movie. The Alamo needed more space and were stumped as to how do so while protecting the historic grounds, as basements are uncommon in most of central Texas because of the soil. Referencing the joke in the movie they looed into it and found it to be the most affordable option. And for those who still don't believe, here is Pee Wee's tour of the tunnels ua-cam.com/video/dwzbEMPba24/v-deo.html
@@Mauther I can confirm this as I was one of those people that asked the guide “when do we get to see the basement?” and his response was “did you lose your bike?” And told us about the 2 basements. One of them was used to store a bunch of firefighting gear.
Large Marge scared the HELL out of me as a kid! But my family quotes this movie ALL THE TIME. My sister had a teacher in high school who offered a free pass on a test to anyone who would memorize and perform a movie scene in class. She and her friends did the whole meeting in PeeWee's basement, including pointing at the teacher and yelling "is there something you'd like to share with the rest of us, Amazing Larry?!"
1) Large Marge was nightmare fuel for me as a child. 2) what an awesome teacher 3) top three favorite lines, along with “oh really, where are they hosing him down?” and his dream about the snake wearing a vest. 😂
By the time this movie was made, folks had seen him on Letterman, other tv shows, doing stand-up, etc. He was famous already, and this was a big screen expansion of his world. He was a really unique character back in the day. Very endearing.
Elizabethe "EG" Daily is one of the biggest voice actors of the last 30 years. Between Rugrats, Powerpuff Girls, and Babe: Pig in the City, and many others, she has been major part of pop culture.
The Jan Hooks Alamo tour guide scene is one of the best things ever. Apparently Burton just told her to come up with something and she wrote it all herself. Movie magic.
A relative of mine used to write movie reviews for a Hollywood trade magazine in the 80s, and in his review of this movie he highlighted Jan Hooks as being one of the funniest things in it, and a great performance. And she sent him a "Thank You" card.
To be fair to Ashleigh: In order to truly appreciate this movie, a lot of us watched Pee-Wee’s Playhouse every Saturday morning. So we had some context and introduction as to who Pee-Wee Herman was. Going in blind, I think she got just the right amount of enjoyment out of the film.
I think of him as a Manchild. I don't know if there's a better term for it. He's grown up and fully responsible & has as much maturity as any other adult, but he never outgrew his childhood interests & personlity. I'm basically the same. I've been 12 years old for 3 decades & counting (although due to chronic depression & blackpilling from society, my whimsicallness has all but died.)
There were certainly a lot of broken hearts this week with the passing of Paul Reubens. Pee-Wee Herman was a major part of our childhoods. With his Playhouse and most definitely with Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. Thank you for sharing your viewing experience of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure with us. A fitting tribute to an amazing and talented man. RIP Mr. Reubens 🙏
You had to grow up in the 1980s to understand what a cult phenomenon Pee Wee Herman was. It was in theory a kid's show, but huge numbers of teens and pre-teens watched it. I remember in high school people used to imitate the Pee Wee laugh almost as much as they did Beavis and Butthead.
You can’t really categorise Pee-Wee. He’s neither a grown man nor a child. He can be sweet, he can be bitchy, he can be spiteful and he can be caring. It’s such a fun film. So many elements and it stands up to repeat viewings for Gen X.
Pee Wee Herman is the reality of a world that never forces you to grow up. So he still has all the characteristics of a child, both good and bad, and he still possesses the unbridled imagination, stubborn persistence, and ability to brush off mishaps that children enjoy (and parents sometimes hate 😂). The brilliance of the character lay in the twin facts that he could both teach, entertain, and hold the attention of the small children his show was ostensibly meant for *and* come off as endearing and even a bit inspirational to adults. EDIT: And for that matter, even come off as "so uncool he's hyper-cool" to teens.
@@Harv72b You said it so perfectly! I was trying to convey this in my comment to Ashleigh and couldn't get it out as eloquently. There will never be another character like Pee Wee 💞
This was Tim Burton's first full-length film, as well as Danny Elfman's first film soundtrack. You can't question Pee Wee. You just have to take him as he is - a living cartoon character. Expect anything in his films to make as much sense as anything in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. :)
To us older Millennials PeeWee Herman(Paul Reubens) was a huge part of our childhood. Absolutely HAD to watch PeeWee’s Playhouse on Saturdays. RIP PeeWee.. thanks for the laughs!!❤️
I was going to suggest on Monday that you do this film in memory of Paul Reubens, aka Pee Wee. He wasn't just a character, he was an ICON. A couple of fun facts: Not only was this Tim Burton's directorial debut, but it was the beginning of an extremely long and fruitful collaboration with composer Danny Elfman, who also did the singing voice for Jack Skellington in Nightmare Before Christmas (Chris Sarandon did Jack's speaking voice) and at the time was the leader of the band Oingo Boingo, who I consider the most underrated band of the 80s and who you will remember did the theme from Weird Science. I highly recommend seeking out their 1994 farewell concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Paul Reubens developed the Pee Wee character as a member of Los Angeles' Groundlings improv troupe, and it was through The Groundlings that he struck up a lifelong friendship with Cassandra Peterson, who we all know better as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. While he would later trade it in for a scooter (if you know, you know), every kid I knew wanted Pee Wee's bike. As you saw, that thing was a character in and of itself. Large Marge was one of THE defining traumatizing moments for us Gen-X'ers, but it rules because the scene just comes out of nowhere and it's never mentioned again outside the truck stop. It was because of this movie that Pee Wee Herman became an absolute legend when CBS took his comedy act, which was a parody of kids shows and turned it into a real kids show called Pee Wee's Playhouse (which also featured a young Laurence Fishburne as Cowboy Curtis). The act and the Pee Wee character was created by Ruebens with fellow Groundling and comedy genius in his own right, the late Phil Hartman. The original stage act was more adult-oriented and while the more risque humor had to be toned down for the TV show, the TV show was nonetheless subversive and that's what made it awesome. I highly recommend you seek out Pee Wee's Playhouse for yourself to see what I mean.
I'm with you about Large Marge being a traumatizing moment, but I still loved the movie, and me and my friends would joke about Large Marge later and imitate the face to mess with each other.
IIRC, Reubens and Hartman were big fans of both Tim Burton's short films, and the movie Danny Elfman made with his brother Richard, _Forbidden Zone_ , which Burton was also a fan of, so it was like destiny or something.
This movie is actually the most wholesome incarnation of Pee-Wee Herman. As you mentioned, the character was created to be juxtaposed with a raunchy standup routine. Then after this movie, there’s a certain brilliance to the Pee-Wee’s Playhouse TV show, because a little kid could watch it and enjoy it, but it’s really a parody of little kids shows intended for older kids.
@@jamesfowler5100 I think the show was scary for a lot of people as little kids, because parents back then thought that the target audience was much younger, and they showed it to their little kids, when they were too young actually, because while it looked like it was made for toddlers, it was for older kids, like the OP said, parodying toddler shows.
There were so many adult jokes and innuendo in Playhouse. I think its biggest demographic was kids old enough to get some of those jokes and still young enough to appreciate the silliness of it.
Pee Wee was one of those characters who was an immediate hit with some people and who grew on pretty much everyone else. He was silly, chaotic, serious, purposeful, and a total brat...that was absolutely charming. His humor was bi-level in that there was something for kids as well as adults, so regardless of your age, you were the right age. We all immediately learned to talk like him and attempt his laugh. "That's my name, don't wear it out", "Why don't you take a picture, it will last longer," and "I know you are, but what am I" came in from our playgrounds to become iconic. We intentionally played the song Tequila and did the Big Shoe dance...at school dances, proms, and the local bar. Pee Wee was a whole vibe, and we felt it.
I remember being somewhere they were playing "Tequila". A little boy with awe in his voice said, "Dad! They're playing the Pee-Wee Herman song!" The father got upset, saying that Pee-Wee had ruined an iconic song. Bummed me (and probably his child) out that he couldn't enjoy his son enjoying it and had to ruin it.
@@n.d.m.515 Just like there is with anything that "goes viral", only then it wasn't viral, just pop culture. But, for the love of God, he was better than Barney. LOL
The Large Marge moment scared me stupid; the moment when Pee-Wee was hiding in the rodeo was hilarious. Then, of course, came the moment of having Pee-Wee go through the studios and rescue the animals from the fire was hilarious! RIP Paul Reubens AKA Pee-Wee Herman!
I suggest the 1992 movie, Buffy The Vampire Slayer with Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman), Luke Perry, Hilary Swank, etc. The Buffy TV series came about because this movie was so popular. It's great!
I don't recall the movie being all that popular when I was a teen in the 90s. Hardly anyone I knew saw the movie (which I *love*), but most of my friends were huge BTVS tv show fans. Between then and now I've talked about the movie to a lot of people and none of them had ever seen it. But I guess we're even because I didn't like the show and watched maybe 2-3 episodes and never bothered again, heh.
I absolutely loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. I found it hilarious. 😂 I was expecting the tv show to be the same and was surprised to find it much darker. I ended up being a huge fan though.
I don't want to be "actually guy", but actually, the TV show was a response to how badly the movie got Joss Whedon's original premise so wrong that he needed to try to fix it. And the movie WAS so wonderfully bad.
Ashleigh, thank you so much for this ❤ And thank you for editing in a small tribute to Paul. It's okay that it wasn't necessarily your cup of tea 🙂 I love that it made you laugh still and your commentary on many aspects of the film was great as always. A lot of people aren't Pee Wee fans and didn't grow up with this, but I hope many more channels follow suit and watch this movie now that Paul has passed. The news hit me so unexpectedly hard. I saw his Pee Wee Herman account's post of him wearing that classy black velvet suit with the Pee Wee doll in the pocket and just thought "Aw, he looks nice! How fancy!" Then a second later I'm crying and can't stop. It genuinely hurt me that he felt the need to apologize for keeping his cancer hidden from the public. The recent sad news aside, this movie pretty much defined my childhood. I quote it often and have been caught doing the "Tequila" dance in public when a store radio played it. I got a small dog toy with kiss marks on it around the same time that I first saw this movie, and named it Speckled Spots...pretty sure it was because of Speck the chihuahua! ❤ The older I get, the more intriguing Pee Wee as a character is to me. He's a kid in an adult's body and everyone just accepts it. He makes friends wherever he goes. But he's also very selfish and self-serving, and has to learn that he shouldn't push people away so much. I think it's important for kids that they included the scene of him calling Dottie to apologize. As well as the scene where he takes the risk of losing his bike again and getting caught by the WB guards, because the pet store is on fire and the animals need his help. It's not just a nonsensical, zany movie. It has heart and good lessons. Not to mention a fantastic score, set design, and so many fun bit parts. I cherish it so much. RIP P.W. ❤
While in high school, I worked as a projectionist at the local theater. When we got this movie, I think I watched it a thousand times. The world is somehow not as bright now. Farewell, Paul. you made the world so much better while you were in it. Just a bit of trivia, but on the day after Paul Reubens died, the owners of the Cabazon Dinosaur park repainted Mr. Rex to match Pee Wee's classic suit. I saw that picture and just wept.
the combination of Tim Burton's demented style and Pee Wee's spastic weirdness is golden. the beautiful thing is that this movie is great as a kid but just as good (if not better) as an adult. and yeah, large marge scared the hell out of me as a kid
Context: Pee-Wee exists in a world where nobody’s mental maturity ever develops past that of an 8 year old. ALL of the adults have childlike minds. It’s actually a very brilliantly executed premise. It’s a 5 not a 3 - funniest movie ever!
Pee Wee is definitely an acquired taste. He had a Saturday morning TV show call Pee Wee's Playhouse, so by the time the movie came out you knew what to expect from Pee Wee. You went in blind.
@@ingibingi2000No, it's after the kids show. Actually Per Wees playhouse started as a once a week show at an improv club. It was NOT for children, lol. Phil Hartman also had a weekly show there at the same time. His was a detective skit. Can't imagine the network thinking Pee Wee was suitable for children,lol
Tina's tour of the Alamo is one of my favorite things in the whole world. "There are thousands and thousands of uses for corn...all of which I will tell you about RIGHT NOW!" 🤣🤣
The crazy fact of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is that it was the feature directorial debut of Tim Burton! This was the first movie I ever saw of his, and having been exposed to his directorial style since I was a kid, definitely helped mold me into a fan.
Same. I was only 5 years old in 1985, and although the Large Marge scene gave me legitimate nightmares, I had to see it, and all Tim Burton movies, repeatedly after that.
This was Tim Burton’s first movie. He had been fired from Disney for making the short film Frankenweenie. Paul Reubins and a WB executive named Bonnie Lee saw Burton first two short films Vincent and Frankenweenie and decided to hire Burton to direct. Despite overwhelmingly negative reviews, Pee-Wee as a success and Burton was hired to direct Batman.
He wasn’t hired to direct Batman after this. This was his first film and Batman was his third film… Beetle juice was his second film and that got him a job to direct Batman.
@sandramiller1988 Correct, the executives weren't confident in him directing Batman, so he went on to do Beetlejuice for the time being. And when the film became a smash hit for Warner Bros, they immediately hired him as director for Batman.
@@sandramiller1988 At the time, Batman was still going through development hell and they were trying to find a shootable script. Burton even co-wrote a story treatment for Batman dated 1985 the same year this movie came out. So because it took so long to get off the ground, Burton was working on Beetlejuice after being offered dozens of scripts following the success of Pee-Wee which he rejected with the exception of Beetlejuice. Once Beetlejuice was successful that's when Warners gave the green light to Batman.
That's not quite how it happened, Reubens alone chose Burton, without any participation from Bonnie Lee, and then informed WB he wanted him, if anyone wants to know type.. Why Paul Reubens Chose Tim Burton to direct "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" into UA-cam and he will tell you directly, it's a good story.
Large marge definitely scared me as a kid, but I have a vivid memory of my cousin and I watching that scene over and over again laughing our asses off at the animation until it wasn’t scary anymore. I also regularly say “what’s the significance? I DON’T KNOW!” To this day. Haven’t seen it in so long, thanks for watching it!
Maybe it’s just my experience but part of what made Pee-Wee so damn funny as a little kid was how much the adults HATED him. For some reason my parent’s disdain and grandparent’s complete confusion made it seem even more hilarious to my six year old sensibilities.
They secretly like it. My dad (who died last year) loved it. Thought it was hilarious. Yes it's like a live action Loony Toons movie. Pee Wee is the kind of clown we are not scared of (to a point)
@@ericjanssen394 i remember that HBO special. Was surprised my folks let me watch it back then. About the only thing I can remember is how he looked up Miss Yyvones dress with mirrors on his shoes. He was definitely doing an adult parody of Children’s shows like Capt. Kangaroo.
@@ericjanssen394 women absolutely CAN “understand silliness and satire” but if you lack context, gender be damned, for what is being satirized there is a disconnect.
Ashleigh, you are not responsible for ANY of their deaths!!!!!!!! Rob Zombie, Phil Hartman, Laurence Fishburne and others worked on the TV show. PeeWee was such a great character. Paul had a lot more talent than most people gave him credit. great review! and yes, Dottie (Elizabeth Daily), did a lot of voice acting from Power Puff Girls to Rugrats.
As a 'boomer, I still found P.W. a fun distraction from adulthood (Paul was actually 4 years my senior), and I would not miss an episode of Pee Wee's Playhouse - nor his movies! Loved the '80s.
I was ten years old when this came out, and I'll tell ya, 1985 was a hell of a year for movies that appealed to a kid- Back To The Future, Real Genius, The Breakfast Club, Rocky IV, Better Off Dead and Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, and that's just scraping the top layer. But let me take the nostalgia glasses off and just say that the more you watch it, the more you fall in love with it because you start noticing creative quirks. Between Elfman's score and the on-purpose bad special effects, and Paul Reuben's writing and performance, you see a truly weird blend of film-making unlike anything that had come before. The point was the absurdity. This is considered by some film critics to be a perfectly structured film due to its clearly delineated 3 Act structure. Act 1 ends at 30 minutes, Act 2 at 60 minutes, and concludes in 93 minutes total. It would probably also be a cool idea to go back and watch some clips of him on Letterman or of his HBO special for a little context. Reubens was just one of those comedians who struck gold with a character that just resonated in that time and then embodied the character for life, just like Elvira (who was a friend of his and appeared in this film as the Dom Biker Chick), Ernest, Mr. Bean, Cheech & Chong, and- to a lesser extent- Larry The Cable Guy. This is one that despite not seeing when you were a kid, as a person who appreciates film, there's a lot to work with here, and the more you see, the more you really appreciate it. Fun theory: At the end, Dottie wears a purple dress with a familiar zig-zag pattern on it. It looks a little like Charlie Brown's shirt. I theorize that it's a nod to Charlie Brown because he always doted over the Little Red Haired Girl, and it was "unrequited love." Which is exactly what Dottie's state is up until the finale when she finally gets her date at the drive-in. I think its cute ☺
Same age as you and love your movie list... also all on my list. As you say, so many others: Teen Wolf, Weird Science, The Explorers, DARYL, The Heavenly Kid, Just one of the Guys... on and on. Big props on Real Genius, one of my favorites that no one seems to remember, and still why I love "Everybody wants to rule the world" Tears for fears end credits.
Well stated. We’re the same age. We were lucky to be able to grow up on these movies. Almost none of them would or could be made now. I hate when old people play the “everything was better in my youth” card, but when it comes to children’s entertainment, I think it is apt.
The eighties was one of the greatest decades in the history of movies, for sure. And also one of the greatest for music. I'm glad I was just the right age to enjoy both during that time, in my teens.
Tim Burton and Pee Wee was just such a perfect combination. Loved this movie as a kid as well as _Big Top Pee Wee_ . My parents hated Pee Wee/Paul Rubens but I always liked him and thought he was hillarious.
You're right Ashleigh. A lot of people are familiar with Pee Wee so when watching the movie we know what to expect somehow. Paul Reubens helped Tim Burton with the start of his career, as this was Burton's first full length movie, also Shelley Duvall was one of the persons that recommended Tim Burton to Paul Rubens to direct the Pee Wee movie. 👍
Tim Burton's first full-length movie, and Danny Elfman's first film score. Pee-Wee's Playhouse was instrumental to my upbringing. I'll miss Paul terribly. You still need to watch Batman Returns (the sequel to Batman '89). Pee Wee and Simone the Waitress make a cameo in the beginning.
Rip Paul Reubens. You created the beloved man-child, the loner, the rebel, the wonderful PeeWee Herman. Thank you for this wonderful character. I still adore this movie. Thank you Ashleigh. Large Marge sent me!
This was one of my favorite movies growing up. Years later when I worked at Warner Bros Studios, I would walk those studio streets and could "see" the bike chase taking place. In fact, the security entrance where PeeWee laughed his way in... ha in my head I could hear him laugh as I came into work every day. Good times. Fun Fact: The water that PeeWee swings over is the same water used in the Bud-Wis-er frogs commercial. And just behind those trees is where the Tyrannosaurus Rex chase in Jurassic Park was filmed. "Must go faster...must go faster."
Dottie was played by Elizabeth Daily who us 80's kids knew as E.G. Daily, besides her voice work on cartoons she is an amazing singer. She had songs in movies like Summer School ( a fav you would love too) and singing at the school dance in Better Off Dead! Her voice work is legendary but I am still a fan of her singing career and her voice will always be a big part of my childhood.
My friends and I saw this at the theater in 1985 ( and we were 20 yrs old). We laughed so hard that we went and watched it again the next night. Sure it was corny, quirky, and immature but so were we. It’s silliness is also timeless because my kids all watched in the late 90s and my grandsons watched it last year.
I saw it in the theater 0n my 25th birthday. Loved it. We "got it" right away, because we knew Pee Wee. He was well established before this movie came out.
Pee Wee was one of the bachelors in the Dating Game. He was still developing the character but by the end of the show, the other 2 bachelor's were copying his quirkiness to charm the bachelorette. Absolute brilliance!
Ashleigh, thanks for doing this, Pee Wee was huge in the 80s, adults loved him to. You might recall in the 80s movie, OVERBOARD, Pee Wee was referenced twice, once by the one of the boys talking like him and then by one of the crew members on the yacht. That should give you an idea how popular he was. The dinosaur scene is filmed in an actual place, called Cabazon in California, about 15 miles west of Palm Springs. The two dinosaurs Rex and Denny ,have been there for 60 years and are now iconic and beloved and a fun road trip stop. You can actually climb up in Rex. After Paul 's death, they painted a heart on Rex with his name on it. The hair on Large Marge was supposed to be like the boxing producer Don King according to Paul in later interviews. I think with time you will love Pee Wee too, and of course we love you regardless even if your tastes in this film is not quiet like ours.
I'm so glad you saw this before Paul passed away because this movie shouldn't be watched with sadness. My first thought was "Now Ashleigh's reaction video to Pee-Wee's Big Adventure will be sad" but it wasn't! You saw it just in time and released it just in time (when we all needed it) ♥🚲
This is a movie that grows on you over time. When I watched it for the first time in the 1980s I would have probably given it three out of 5 stars. I would really encourage you to watch it again. It gets funnier every time you watch it. Now it's one of my favorite movies!
The Large Marge scene gave me nightmares for months afterwards. And now as an adult, it makes me laugh that it frightened me so much and I have a fondness for it. Also, I feel like this is one of those movies that benefitted from multiple watches(which you did because it was one of 5 movies the family owned). You go into the next watch already understanding the tone and the humor and then you start to pick up the subtleties. Fun, unique, wild movie from some icons of weird humor. Cameos from Cassandra Peterson, John Paragon, and co written by Phil Hartman.
Paul Reubens' very child-like TV show was called "Pee-wee's Playhouse", and it ran on CBS in the late 80's. Before this, Reubens had done an HBO special with his Pee-wee character. Although the character was the same child-like person, the humor in that special was not a lot but a little bit more adult. Before that, he had auditioned for SNL, who was hiring for the first replacement cast after Lorne Michaels and the remaining members of the original cast had left the show after 5 years. Although Reubens was a finalist, he was passed over for Gilbert Gottfried, who then became a cast member in the 6th season.
@@JustWasted3HoursHere Yup. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live_(season_6) It was the infamous 6th season in 1980-1981 with Gottfried, Charles Rocket, Denny Dillon, Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy, with everyone being fired at the end of the season except those last two of course. Toward the end of that season Dick Ebersole had taken over the show, and then ran it for the next 4 seasons, before Lorne Michaels returned for the 11th season.
@@JustWasted3HoursHereThat period of SNL was a disaster... Lorne Michaels left the show and it fell apart, with Eddie Murphy being the only standout for a couple seasons.
The screen debut of Pee-Wee was in, of all things, a Cheech and Chong movie where he definitely is not kid-friendly... It is a Cheech and Chong movie after all. Then he played a different character in the next Cheech and Chong movie.... And he snorts cocaine! I honestly think that if he hadn't done a kid's TV show, nobody would've cared about his 1991 arrest.
@@ryanjacobson2508 i didn't realize the cheech & chong appearances were before his hbo special. i'll have to dig those out again, I haven't seen them in a long time
I remember seeing this in the theater back in 1985, at 11 years old and being mesmerized, the sequel leaves a lot to be desired but its not a terrible film, Paul was definitely unique as well as being a decent human to everyone who met him, some of the anecdotal stories that people have shared will make you realize that Reubens was one of the good guys, he even did some stand-up as well, before this film made him more famous. Watching your review made me quite nostalgic about my pre-teen years spent in The South, I remember a great deal, life is pretty incredible, it's important to remember that.
RIP to Paul Reubens. With Pee-Wee, he truly showed just how much child innocence can be in an adult. It’s cool to see you react to this film. This is also Tim Burton’s first film and he put Reubens at the beginning of Batman Returns as the Penguin’s father, which is pretty cool.
No one wanted to watch this movie because the poster was so ridiculous! But a few people saw it and kept saying how great it was until eventually everyone saw it - and we're so glad we did - Paul Reubens is forever in our hearts! ♥
A few years ago my sister and her husband rented a theatre for a birthday and watched this movie. So nostalgic! My sister and I grew up watching Pee Wee's Playhouse and this movie on repeat. And yes Large Marge scared me as a kid but I always closed my eyes during that scene lol
As someone who was born in 82, I grew up with this movie and his show. I’ve seen this movie more times than I can count and my family and I quote it constantly to this day. I’m a loner, Ashleigh. A rebel.
I was born in 81, and the same with me. I played this movie over and over on VHS, watched the tv show all the time, and even had the pull string Peewee doll. After his arrest, when stores pulled all the dolls and the internet wasn’t a thing yet, those dolls became super valuable.
The trick gum scene, large marge, and the clown nightmare were some of the scariest movie memories I had as a child. This movie is good when your young, and so much better when you’re older. Glad you gave it an average score, even if it took a while to get. He’s weird, but he fit the times.
The Large Marge scene was HILARIOUS... Bruh, my friends and I watched this at a birthday party for one of our elementary school friends, and we literally rewound that scene like 10 times to rewatch it 'cause it was so damn funny... We were absolutely rolling on the floor laughing. It's like the more you watch it the funnier it gets.
@@MGmirkin Oh, I agree 100%. I didn’t hang out with a super funny group of friends. I was also a huge wimp. Here’s the thing. Even though I was scared of those scenes every time, I saw that movie so much that my parents hate it.
James Brolin plays Pee Wee in the end film- his biggest film was 'Amityville Horror'. Also, the father of Josh Brolin from 'Goonies' and is married to Barbra Streisand. The actress playing Dottie in the end film is Morgan Fairchild- a big late-night Soap star from the 80s.
Large Marge scared the heck out of me when I saw this as a kid, Pee Wee was so much fun and I loved his morning show. Such a crazy and fun movie, I'm glad you ended up getting into it, the humor is very zany. RIP Paul Reubens
This came out when I was 8, which is pretty much the perfect age to embrace the weirdness and pure joy of it. From all of us ageless kids, thank you for giving it a try. RIP, Paul Reubens.
RIP Paul Reubens. He was so good at this. He never went in public without staying in his PeeWee character. He lived that role. He was a wonderful, funny man. Did lots of movies other than PeeWee. I enjoyed watching him make people laugh.
I''m so very pleased you reacted to this movie. This movie, along with "Big Top PeeWee", are both up there on my list of childhood formative films. Ernest was in there as well. This was Danny Elfman's first taste of scoring films - and we see how he is the #1 orchestrator of the western world. When I hear this music, it's like something is activated in my DNA. It brings back that fleeting essence of childhood that you can sometimes feel if you really think hard about being young again. PeeWee was amazing to me as a kid. He was so subversive. You knew as a kid that this guy was a little "off", a little "different", and he was celebrated for that. I just love him.
OMG PeeWee was on what seemed like CONSTANTLY at my house!!! We watched PeeWee's Playhouse every Saturday morning with all the other cartoons that were on. He contributed to core memories that were made and the fact that my brother and I always thought we were cutting each other down the biggest when we fought if we said "I know you are but what am I?" So many great memories With PeeWee....RIP Paul Reubens
I am in my mid 40s, so I grew up with Pee-wee. This was the first thing I saw and when I got a bit older, I found his 1982 HBO special with is tailored towards adults (though all of the adult themes is mostly innuendo). And yeah, the Large Marge part, as well as the nightmares did frighten 10 year old me.
Pee Wee's Playhouse was to me as a child what Blues Clues was to my nieces, nephews and kids. Paul dying this week had me crying more than I like to admit.
Ashleigh at 19:48 - What were people on when they made this film? What was Pee Wee Herman on when he created the character Pee Wee Herman? Me remembering the Pee Wee PSA: This is crack! Rock cocaine!
My favorite thing about this movie was I attended college with the guy who played Francis. The scene where he was playing with the toys in the bathtub I previewed in the Green room back in the day. Mark was always picking up objects and improved silly scenes just like what you saw. It brought back such memories,
The Large Marge sequence was inspired by mountains of urban legend. I first encountered it as a story told by a private pilot lost on a foggy night who sees and follows a bright yellow plane with huge running light to a safe landing at a local airstrip. The pilot asks the guy in the fight office about the yellow plane. "Oh, that's Dave. He crashed in a fog fifteen years ago, but his ghost guides planes safely down on nights like this." "Does this happen often?" The pilot asks. "You're third third one he's brought down tonight."
Hadn't ever heard that about the PeeWee character, but ERNEST (Jim Varney) got his start as a pitch man for hire to all kinds of different businesses. Well, I think the character FIRST appeared as a gag in Doctor Otto And The Riddle Of The Gloom Beam. That was Jim Varney's movie, but Ernest just appears once as a random one off. EDIT; That's Mark Holten, he was Ozzie in two Leprechaun films, only the first of which I personally acknowledge. RE-edit; Large Marge very loosely based on the legend of the Phantom 309, stemming from a real truck crash-- only the driver's name is said to be "Big Joe", and is just a friendly trucker who helps the stranded-- there's a song about it.
Just want you to know that I literally clap-clap-clap-clapped along with everyone else deep in the heart of Texas. As someone turning 45 in just a couple weeks, this movie is indeed a deep part of my childhood. RIP Paul.
I was so happy that you were doing this film! What a strange accidental timing. Also, my mom came home REALLY drunk once and entertained us by doing "the Peewee Herman" dance. 😅
I really enjoyed the film as a child, I watched it again recently. It's cool that you have Elvira and the Autographed Pee-wee's Big Adventure film near each other. Paul and Cassandra were good friends and Cassandra has a small cameo in the film. I think your review is fair. Lastly if you think the movie is bizarre, the tv series takes it to ELEVEN.
It's not for everyone, but this movie has so many quotable lines and memorable scenes for me. A staple of my childhood. Glad you reacted to it. Rest in peace, Paul Reubens (a.k.a., Pee-Wee Herman) and also Phil Hartman (the news reporter) and the actress who played "Teena", the tour guide at The Alamo (Jan Hooks).
It was wracking my brain trying to figure out where I knew Jan Hooks from - I know i've seen clips from her time on SNL, but i would have been too young to remember her from that... It finally hit me - she was the recurring girlfriend character of French Stewart on 3rd Rock from the Sun. Had no idea she had passed in 2014.
I enjoyed your unbiased review. I'm GenX and watched this in my youth. Large Marge scared the heck out of me. and yes, one of my favorite movies. It's on my nostalgia list. A keeper in my book.
How could you NOT comment on "Is this something you can share with the rest of us, Amazing Larry?!?" The Large Marge bit was a riff off an old urban legend. This movie is just fun. And don't feel guilty about Paul Reubens' passing -- he wouldn't mind going if it meant another generation of people were entertained by this masterpiece.
I first saw this back in the 80s as a little kid- the Large Marge scene scared the crap out of me, lol. I grew up on Pee Wee's Playhouse and didn't see the movie until several years later when it played on TV. So by then I was already ready for Pee Wee- being 8-10 probably helped. Heh.
Same. Large Marge scared the sh*t out of me. I was fully into the Playhouse before I watched this movie. I was always upset because nobody from the Playhouse was in the movie. Personally I loved Big Top Pee Wee more than the original.
I was already an adult when Pee Wee rose to fame, but I still watched Pee Wee's Playhouse show regularly. A few years later I was living in Nashville and my roommate worked for Paul Reuben's sister Abby, managing her law office. That's my tiny connection to Pee Wee Herman.
26:29 I notice you have some Elvira, Mistress of the Dark merch in your collection. Appropriate, because in case you missed it, Cassandra Petersen (Elvira) played the biker chick in this movie.
It's a type of humor you get or you don't. I was a teen when the Pee Wee HBO special came out, and when Pee Wee was making appearances on the David Letterman show. David was more like Ashleigh, he didn't quite get the humor, but he couldn't help laughing either. I love that Pee Wee was campy, creative, and so attuned to childhood thinking, which made his humor adjustable to a children's show. And amazingly, his comedy could tell a touching story with the help of the wacky characters that filled his world. It had heart, along with amazing laughs. Thank you for all the smiles, and RIP Paul Reubens.
Some of the big names in Pee-wee's Playhouse TV show from 1986 til 1991 were Laurence Fishburne, Phil Hartman, S. Epatha Merkerson, Gregory Harrison, Jimmy Smits, Sandra Bernhard, and many more....
Pee Wee Herman is the inner child that we all have and lives in his own world, one that we wish could be brave enough to have. You should definitely look up some episodes of Pee Wee's Playhouse, an absolutely wonderful show for both children and adults. I was in my mid 30s and would get together on Saturday mornings with friends to watch it every week. The recent loss of Paul is like losing one's childhood, the innocence, the fun, and the joy that he had given back to us.
Ashleigh, thank you so much for reacting to this one. RIP Paul, for a lot of people, he was their childhood, I definitely remember his show Peewee's Playhouse, then he did Big Top Pee Wee. Years later, he did his own show live in a Broadway fashion. This is such a classic movie. "Good morning Pee Wee!" "Good morning, Mr. Breakfast!" LOL still makes me laugh. If you would like to hear his voice in another film, I suggest Flight Of The Navigator (1986). Five out of five stones for this film. He was involved in Buffy The Vampire Slayer with Kristy Swanson in 1992.
12:14 This literally gave me nightmares as a kid. I was terrified anytime this part of the movie came up, I'd be out of the room in an instant waiting for it to pass. Looking at it now, it is so hysterically tame compared to what my young brain saw. 😱
It was on HBO a lot after it came out, and I always watched it. Same thing, as soon as the Large Marge part started, I would leave the room. I’d listen for the scene to end before I came back in. Once I tried changing the channel and waiting to turn it back, but I turned back too soon, and landed right on the scary animation!
Believe it or not, this was Tim Burton's breakthrough as a director. The Ernest-character was played by Jim Varney (who also voiced Slinky Dog in Toy Story 1 and 2). Varney also sadly passed away of cancer... The kid actor was in Wonder Years and in the 1st Back to the Future. He was in a couple of movies in the 80's.
Glad you finally got to see this one, Ashleigh! Fun fact time: Reubens actually designed & accessorized the bicycle himself, with items he found in toy stores in Little Tokyo, in Los Angeles (he was a vintage toy collector, and most of the toys & gadgets used in the film were from his personal collection). The production crew built about a dozen copies of it for the film: some were wrecked & destroyed, the survivors were sold off (and they're all over the country), but Reubens kept the original. The truck stop was a place called The Wheel In, and was west of Palm Springs, near a town called Whitewater, if I recall correctly. The truck stop was demolished around 2010 or so, but the two dinosaurs are still there, but can now barely be seen from I-10, due to an outlet mall being built along the frontage road in front of them. A co-worker & I stopped at The Wheel In for dinner one night a few years before it closed, and I couldn't help but tell the (18 or 19 year-old) waitress that "Large Marge sent us": she put her hands on her hips and says "You have any idea how many people tell me that!?!?"! She had no idea what the meaning of it was, until I explained it to her, and it turned out that she was the daughter of the owner, who not only never mentioned the movie having been filmed there to her (she hadn't seen it), but also, there was no memorabilia of the film in the entire place! Miss that place, they had these cool t-shirts of an animated T-Rex eating a semi truck, lol! If you missed it, the actor playing "P.W." in the "movie" at the end, was James Brolin - Josh's daddy, who also did some pretty cool films in his day (including "A Cape Town Affair", and "Capricorn One"), and the "movie Dottie", was Morgan Fairchild, also pretty well established by this time.
@@johnhawk1089 Yes, I did! Robert Heyges, who was famous for playing Juan Epstien on "Welcome Back, Kotter", played one of the bikers, and one of the kids on the BMX team at the beginning, was arrested about 10-15 years ago for either murder, or attempted murder...I don't remember which one of the kids it was. And, of course, the musical score was one of the very first by the great Danny Elfman, former lead singer of Oingo Boingo.
@@stevenandcarminabeedle9089 I agree! I looked around, and eventually asked why, and she didn't have a clue. As for her not having seen the film - she was born after it was released...'nuff said.
Since this film, not a day goes by at the Alamo that a visitor doesn't ask to see the basement. This film was Tim Burton's directorial debut, and it brought him together with composer Danny Elfman (Oingo Boingo). So without "Big Adventure," we wouldn't get "Nightmare Before Christmas." Paul Reubens developed the Pee-Wee character as a member of The Groundlings comedy troupe in LA. In the live "Pee-Wee Herman Show," fellow Groundling, Phil Hartman, played Captain Carl, a role he reprised in "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" on TV.
This was not just my first movie, it is STILL my favorite movie ever. I have a cherry red schwinn, all pics of me as a kid are doing his dance, etc… it really is my whole life’s love in a movie. Also, weird coincidence, Ernest is my other childhood influence (my puppy is named rimshot, and I’m saving up for a St. Bernard I’m gonna name speck).
I think the thing about Pee Wee that so many younger people or those who were born after this don't seem to get is that Pee Wee is neighter a man or a child; he's a cartoonish character. Yes, we see a grown man but for me I just saw him as Pee Wee, an eccentric person who never got to grow up and be a kid...I think that's why so many kids growing up found him funny and appealing. We were raisedon that tom and jerry, looney tunes kind of humor...so seeing it in live action wasn't a stretch. Plus look at the movies during that time the 80s were wild taking so many fantasy and "adventure" type of stories. We watched movies knowing it wasn't going to be realistic at all. It's just a fun movie nothing more or less.
I love your reactions! Fun to see the Elvira doll in front of the Pee Wee photo on your wall. Cassandra Peterson, Ms. Elvira herself, is in the “roadhouse” biker scene. She’s the woman who wants him all to herself. Paul Reubens was great!
I was 10 when this came out. This remains one of my top 5 movies of all time. Tim Burtons first movie. Danny Elfman score is amazing. There will never be another Pee-Wee Herman. He was brilliant. Paul Reubens was the nicest most caring man. I have watched this movie at least 100 times. When you reacted to when large Marge did the scary face I cried laughing. Absolutely hilarious. This movie will always hold a special place in my heart because Pee-Wee was such a big part of my childhood.
Indeed. Maybe it was because I was just a young teenager, or maybe it was because I saw it with my best friend Matt, or maybe it was because we saw it as part of a double feature with Back to the Future(!), but this definitely ranks as the movie I laughed the hardest at when I first saw it in the theater. So many ridiculous but hilarious moments. "Don't believe I'm in Texas? Listen: The stars at night, are big and bright!...{deep in the heart of Texas!!}" So silly but so well played.
E.G. Daily is my favorite part of the film. I always though it was criminal how little exposure she got in Hollywood; if you've not seen "Better Off Dead," she contributes two songs to the sound track, and i love those two songs, "A Little Luck" and "One Way Love."
I watched horror with no issue as a kid, but Latge Marge caught me by surprise because I thought it was just a sily movie. I think you'll like this more on a 2nd watch because you're letting your bafflement get in the way of your enjoyment.
RIP Paul Reubens... he actually was capable of a lot more characters than Pee-Wee, but after it became a hit that's what he was mainly known for. I haven't actually watched this movie since the 80's, as I knew I probably would only enjoy it as a middle-aged adult if I was high on something.
My first time seeing Pee Wee was on Late Night With David Letterman. He was a guest many times and was hilarious and fascinating. Someone has kindly collected all those clips and posted them here. By the time this movie came out Pee Wee was like a crazy friend, and I enjoyed this film and still like to watch it every so often.
I loved your reaction and totally agree with your 3 out of 5 rating. I've never been a big fan of Pee-Wee, but they packed so much into this movie it was worth the money i paid to see it in the theater.
I was a teen during Pee Wee’s Playhouse and this movie. Never was a fan. I appreciate the creativity, and a couple of funny moments, but just never found it overall entertaining. I even own it on DVD, but never watch it.
Paul Reubens taught my generation that it’s okay to be weird. To celebrate being weird and unique. This movie and “Peewee’s Playhouse” were such a big part of my childhood. Rest In Peace, Paul Reubens.. 😔
But it’s not okay to masturbate in a porn theater.
The Spleen!
My dad and I always impersonated Jambi whenever we would hear someone speak a foreign language. We would look at each other and say Mecha leca hi mecha heiny ho
Exactly
yup I'm weird too that's how I got friends
As a Texan who moved to Florida, my coworkers asked me if the "Deepin the Heart of Texas" scene was true. I had to hang my head in shame and tell them it was true.
From Texas myself, born and raised. It is true. At most places if you start singing it there's almost always a group that will clap and finish it.
WTF shame - whatever lol
I once gave a tour to a school group from Texas, and I started it out by doing that song. Everyone clapping and responding made me tear up.
The tour was at Arlington National Cemetery. 😂🤣
See, I would assume you were joking if I hadn't lived in texas!
It is???? I have always wanted to try it while I was there! Oh I just love that!
E.G. Daily is not just *a* voice actor, she is a *top tier* voice actor (as well lots of live-action work, plus she was the singer in Better Off Dead!). Tommy from Rugrats, Buttercup from The Powerpuff Girls, but there are many more. Love her in this movie too.
Don't forget singer. I love her song Mind Over Matter from the Summer School soundtrack.
And she performed at the dance in "Better Off Dead"
Don't forget she also starred alongside Nicholas Cage in Valley Girl
Both her and Tara Strong (the voice of Dil Pickles in Rugrats and Bubbles in The Powerpuff Girls) are fantastic singers and are absolute knockouts in their current ages.
She was a hooker in The Devil's Rejects.😂
Pee Wee may act innocent and naive, but he's oftentimes the smartest person in the room. Kudos to Paul Reubens for creating a completely ORIGINAL character, one that is timeless, really.
As a kid, this whole movie just made sense. I watch this so many time growing up. To this day me and my friends will yell "MY BIKE!" anytime a bicycle rides by.
well now I'm gonna yet my bike!
@@awkwardashleighit’s my favorite movie saw it on Disney channel i was 11 in 1995😊
Now I’m wondering if Tom Segura’s old bit was based on this.
@@alltogetherfitandproper4252was based on an episode of scared straight
@@brianlogsdon4824 yes that was the example provided. You’re right tho, I should’ve said ‘inspired by’ rather than ‘based on’
Ever since this movie came out people have constantly asked staff at the Alamo to see the basement. So after his death the official Facebook account of the Alamo put out a really heartwarming tribute to him.
FYI The Alamo actually DOES have a basement...it's just not open to the public lol
@@mutazoiayeah, it's under the gift shop.😊
Interesting fact, most buildings in Texas don't have basements. There are a few reasons for this, but mostly it's due to the water table being close to the surface throughout much of that land, so digging a basement creates high risk of house flooding.
R.I.P. Paul Reubens. He and Cassandra Peterson were good friends since their days learning improv. He cast her in a small part in this movie. She's the redhead "Biker Mama" who squeezes through the biker guys who are about to kill Pee-Wee.
I didn't even recognize her.
@@awkwardashleigh I was yesterday years old when I learned she was in this movie. (random youtubes video I watched last night)
..and since the 80's, I've watched this a million times.
@@awkwardashleighseriously have you seen peewees playhouse the whole movie is a live action cartoon best seen was when his bike gets destroyed by a t rex😊
@@awkwardashleigh - He also plays 'The Spleen,' in the movie 'Mystery Men.'
@@JayM409 And has one of the best coping with an injury scenes as a vampire gang member in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Fun fact: Elvira is in this movie. When Pee Wee is at the road house, the red headed lady that says “I say you let me have him first!” That’s Elvira without the costume😂
They were part of The Groundlings, an LA improv group. They were great friends throughout their lives. Others who were part of The Groundlings were John Paragon, who was Jambi and Phil Hartman, who helped write this movie, and wrote and acted (Capt. Carl) in Peewee's Playhouse They were all there at the same time.
@@vapoet RIP Phil Hartman
I came here to say this too because she had to pick up the Elvira doll to get to the autographed photo after she was done watching.
Diane Salinger, the woman who played Simone was also a groundling.
@@josephcasanova1975she also played Mrs. Cobbelpot in Batman returns alongside Paul Reubens.
Pee-Wee's bar dance to Tequila is one of the most classic dance sequences in film. And the movie is absolutely one of the most off the wall comedies from the 80's and I love it!
That bar that it was filmed at is literally right up the street from my house. It’s a little Mexican bodega now called Mi Tierra.
@@jmuduke99before clown dream was in Tim burton pee wees big adventure Tim burton in 1985 in 2023 before New years
The Alamo's official web page had this tribute to Paul Rubens' passing: "Since 1985, not a day has passed without visitors consistently inquiring about the location of the basement at the Alamo. This tradition owes its origins to the comedic acting of Mr. Paul Reubens from the movie 'Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.' We are immensely grateful for his unforgettable contribution to Alamo pop culture. However, we can confirm that while there is not a basement in the Alamo Church, there is one next door, under our gift shop! May he rest in peace.” Ashley, there isn't a basement in the gift shop either, but The Alamo continues to play with Pee-wee.
So, they didn't mention the...
*"I remember the Alamo"* scene?
(after the rodeo) 😅
aww, now that was upstanding of them.
AWESOME
There are in fat two Basements, one under the gift shop and one under Alamo Hall. According to legend, the idea of installing basements was inspired by the movie. The Alamo needed more space and were stumped as to how do so while protecting the historic grounds, as basements are uncommon in most of central Texas because of the soil. Referencing the joke in the movie they looed into it and found it to be the most affordable option. And for those who still don't believe, here is Pee Wee's tour of the tunnels ua-cam.com/video/dwzbEMPba24/v-deo.html
@@Mauther I can confirm this as I was one of those people that asked the guide “when do we get to see the basement?” and his response was “did you lose your bike?” And told us about the 2 basements. One of them was used to store a bunch of firefighting gear.
Large Marge scared the HELL out of me as a kid! But my family quotes this movie ALL THE TIME.
My sister had a teacher in high school who offered a free pass on a test to anyone who would memorize and perform a movie scene in class. She and her friends did the whole meeting in PeeWee's basement, including pointing at the teacher and yelling "is there something you'd like to share with the rest of us, Amazing Larry?!"
That's, well, amazing! 🤣
1) Large Marge was nightmare fuel for me as a child.
2) what an awesome teacher
3) top three favorite lines, along with “oh really, where are they hosing him down?” and his dream about the snake wearing a vest. 😂
By the time this movie was made, folks had seen him on Letterman, other tv shows, doing stand-up, etc.
He was famous already, and this was a big screen expansion of his world.
He was a really unique character back in the day. Very endearing.
Elizabethe "EG" Daily is one of the biggest voice actors of the last 30 years. Between Rugrats, Powerpuff Girls, and Babe: Pig in the City, and many others, she has been major part of pop culture.
@awkwardashleigh She was the singer in the movie Better Off Dead, so technically, you have seen her. Lol
@@luisbeltran3701 Don't forget Valley Girl!
Should watch, Dutch, for thanksgiving, she's in it too
And as the tag along in Streets of Fire ... Another great movie ...
I thought she was tommy!! I'm glad I wasn't wrong!! Lol
The Jan Hooks Alamo tour guide scene is one of the best things ever. Apparently Burton just told her to come up with something and she wrote it all herself. Movie magic.
I always adored Jan Hooks. What a under appreciated talent.
some of her line readings are just burned into my memory forever. "...with lots of paint and glaze."
@@dalebales4408 Phil Hartman co-wrote this movie and I can just picture him and Jan busting out laughing at this bit.
A relative of mine used to write movie reviews for a Hollywood trade magazine in the 80s, and in his review of this movie he highlighted Jan Hooks as being one of the funniest things in it, and a great performance. And she sent him a "Thank You" card.
It's terrific writing. Hilarious, well-delivered, and most of all I can 100% believe that's the real tour.
To be fair to Ashleigh:
In order to truly appreciate this movie, a lot of us watched Pee-Wee’s Playhouse every Saturday morning.
So we had some context and introduction as to who Pee-Wee Herman was.
Going in blind, I think she got just the right amount of enjoyment out of the film.
Pee Wee is a grown up. He was just very whimsical. And eccentric. The kind of adult who never stopped using his imagination. RIP Paul Reubens ❤
👏
Excellent description!
I think of him as a Manchild. I don't know if there's a better term for it. He's grown up and fully responsible & has as much maturity as any other adult, but he never outgrew his childhood interests & personlity. I'm basically the same. I've been 12 years old for 3 decades & counting (although due to chronic depression & blackpilling from society, my whimsicallness has all but died.)
There were certainly a lot of broken hearts this week with the passing of Paul Reubens. Pee-Wee Herman was a major part of our childhoods. With his Playhouse and most definitely with Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. Thank you for sharing your viewing experience of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure with us. A fitting tribute to an amazing and talented man. RIP Mr. Reubens 🙏
Yes! being born in 80 he was a childhood hero of mine. all boys for that matter. And ernest..if only they quit smoking yrs ago. Fuck cancer!
You had to grow up in the 1980s to understand what a cult phenomenon Pee Wee Herman was. It was in theory a kid's show, but huge numbers of teens and pre-teens watched it. I remember in high school people used to imitate the Pee Wee laugh almost as much as they did Beavis and Butthead.
"I know you did, but what did I do?? Hehehehehe..." :P ;)
I never grew up in 80s, only in the 90s and and I also understood.
By 1987, the guy in the Pee Wee suit at the high school dance was the one who had his first threesome at the after party...
You can’t really categorise Pee-Wee. He’s neither a grown man nor a child. He can be sweet, he can be bitchy, he can be spiteful and he can be caring. It’s such a fun film. So many elements and it stands up to repeat viewings for Gen X.
Pee-Wee was a chaotic imp. Classified.
A live action cartoon character?
PeeWee wouldn't be out of place among Yakko, Buggs, and Woody.
(The woodpecker, not the sheriff.)
Pee Wee Herman is the reality of a world that never forces you to grow up. So he still has all the characteristics of a child, both good and bad, and he still possesses the unbridled imagination, stubborn persistence, and ability to brush off mishaps that children enjoy (and parents sometimes hate 😂). The brilliance of the character lay in the twin facts that he could both teach, entertain, and hold the attention of the small children his show was ostensibly meant for *and* come off as endearing and even a bit inspirational to adults. EDIT: And for that matter, even come off as "so uncool he's hyper-cool" to teens.
@@Harv72b You said it so perfectly! I was trying to convey this in my comment to Ashleigh and couldn't get it out as eloquently. There will never be another character like Pee Wee 💞
This was Tim Burton's first full-length film, as well as Danny Elfman's first film soundtrack.
You can't question Pee Wee. You just have to take him as he is - a living cartoon character. Expect anything in his films to make as much sense as anything in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. :)
Think of Pee Wee as the boy who's dreaming of what his life would be if he were a grown up.
To us older Millennials PeeWee Herman(Paul Reubens) was a huge part of our childhood. Absolutely HAD to watch PeeWee’s Playhouse on Saturdays. RIP PeeWee.. thanks for the laughs!!❤️
I was going to suggest on Monday that you do this film in memory of Paul Reubens, aka Pee Wee. He wasn't just a character, he was an ICON. A couple of fun facts:
Not only was this Tim Burton's directorial debut, but it was the beginning of an extremely long and fruitful collaboration with composer Danny Elfman, who also did the singing voice for Jack Skellington in Nightmare Before Christmas (Chris Sarandon did Jack's speaking voice) and at the time was the leader of the band Oingo Boingo, who I consider the most underrated band of the 80s and who you will remember did the theme from Weird Science. I highly recommend seeking out their 1994 farewell concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
Paul Reubens developed the Pee Wee character as a member of Los Angeles' Groundlings improv troupe, and it was through The Groundlings that he struck up a lifelong friendship with Cassandra Peterson, who we all know better as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
While he would later trade it in for a scooter (if you know, you know), every kid I knew wanted Pee Wee's bike. As you saw, that thing was a character in and of itself.
Large Marge was one of THE defining traumatizing moments for us Gen-X'ers, but it rules because the scene just comes out of nowhere and it's never mentioned again outside the truck stop.
It was because of this movie that Pee Wee Herman became an absolute legend when CBS took his comedy act, which was a parody of kids shows and turned it into a real kids show called Pee Wee's Playhouse (which also featured a young Laurence Fishburne as Cowboy Curtis). The act and the Pee Wee character was created by Ruebens with fellow Groundling and comedy genius in his own right, the late Phil Hartman. The original stage act was more adult-oriented and while the more risque humor had to be toned down for the TV show, the TV show was nonetheless subversive and that's what made it awesome. I highly recommend you seek out Pee Wee's Playhouse for yourself to see what I mean.
I'm with you about Large Marge being a traumatizing moment, but I still loved the movie, and me and my friends would joke about Large Marge later and imitate the face to mess with each other.
The TV show also semi-launched another legend, because Rob Zombie was a PA on the show.
@@SAVikingSA That would explain why Zombie's aesthetic is basically an even more deranged version of Pee-wee's world
IIRC, Reubens and Hartman were big fans of both Tim Burton's short films, and the movie Danny Elfman made with his brother Richard, _Forbidden Zone_ , which Burton was also a fan of, so it was like destiny or something.
@@christopherwall2121 yeah he was super young and it had a big influence on him
This movie is actually the most wholesome incarnation of Pee-Wee Herman. As you mentioned, the character was created to be juxtaposed with a raunchy standup routine. Then after this movie, there’s a certain brilliance to the Pee-Wee’s Playhouse TV show, because a little kid could watch it and enjoy it, but it’s really a parody of little kids shows intended for older kids.
Peewee's Play House was scary as crap when I was a kid. On the other hand, I found the puppets of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood to be scary as well.
Yeah I remember the shoe mirrors bit.
@@jamesfowler5100 I think the show was scary for a lot of people as little kids, because parents back then thought that the target audience was much younger, and they showed it to their little kids, when they were too young actually, because while it looked like it was made for toddlers, it was for older kids, like the OP said, parodying toddler shows.
There were so many adult jokes and innuendo in Playhouse. I think its biggest demographic was kids old enough to get some of those jokes and still young enough to appreciate the silliness of it.
Pee Wee was one of those characters who was an immediate hit with some people and who grew on pretty much everyone else. He was silly, chaotic, serious, purposeful, and a total brat...that was absolutely charming. His humor was bi-level in that there was something for kids as well as adults, so regardless of your age, you were the right age. We all immediately learned to talk like him and attempt his laugh. "That's my name, don't wear it out", "Why don't you take a picture, it will last longer," and "I know you are, but what am I" came in from our playgrounds to become iconic. We intentionally played the song Tequila and did the Big Shoe dance...at school dances, proms, and the local bar. Pee Wee was a whole vibe, and we felt it.
There was a point where he was everywhere, and it got annoying. There was a pushback for a short time against him.
I remember being somewhere they were playing "Tequila". A little boy with awe in his voice said, "Dad! They're playing the Pee-Wee Herman song!" The father got upset, saying that Pee-Wee had ruined an iconic song. Bummed me (and probably his child) out that he couldn't enjoy his son enjoying it and had to ruin it.
@@DennisCarwyr Small minded. I knew the song before Pee-Wee danced to it.....I don't know how it's now so solidly attached to him....?
@@n.d.m.515 Just like there is with anything that "goes viral", only then it wasn't viral, just pop culture. But, for the love of God, he was better than Barney. LOL
To this day, I am proudest of my white platform disco shoes!
They double well with "Zombie Clark Griswold" for you cosplayers...
The Large Marge moment scared me stupid; the moment when Pee-Wee was hiding in the rodeo was hilarious. Then, of course, came the moment of having Pee-Wee go through the studios and rescue the animals from the fire was hilarious! RIP Paul Reubens AKA Pee-Wee Herman!
The pet store is so funny! Every time he looks at those snakes 🤣🤣🤣
That moment along with that scene in the Neverending Story….left some emotional baggage lol
I had the VHS, I would skip that part most of the time as a kid lol.
Greatest bits!
When I was a kid it scared the hell out of me too.
I suggest the 1992 movie, Buffy The Vampire Slayer with Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman), Luke Perry, Hilary Swank, etc. The Buffy TV series came about because this movie was so popular. It's great!
I don't recall the movie being all that popular when I was a teen in the 90s. Hardly anyone I knew saw the movie (which I *love*), but most of my friends were huge BTVS tv show fans. Between then and now I've talked about the movie to a lot of people and none of them had ever seen it. But I guess we're even because I didn't like the show and watched maybe 2-3 episodes and never bothered again, heh.
Not that great when cast members referred to it as "Buffy The Career Slayer"...
Still fun to watch, though
I absolutely loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. I found it hilarious. 😂 I was expecting the tv show to be the same and was surprised to find it much darker. I ended up being a huge fan though.
I don't want to be "actually guy", but actually, the TV show was a response to how badly the movie got Joss Whedon's original premise so wrong that he needed to try to fix it. And the movie WAS so wonderfully bad.
@@Britcarjunkieseemed to work out okay for Hilary Swank.
Ashleigh, thank you so much for this ❤ And thank you for editing in a small tribute to Paul. It's okay that it wasn't necessarily your cup of tea 🙂 I love that it made you laugh still and your commentary on many aspects of the film was great as always. A lot of people aren't Pee Wee fans and didn't grow up with this, but I hope many more channels follow suit and watch this movie now that Paul has passed. The news hit me so unexpectedly hard. I saw his Pee Wee Herman account's post of him wearing that classy black velvet suit with the Pee Wee doll in the pocket and just thought "Aw, he looks nice! How fancy!" Then a second later I'm crying and can't stop. It genuinely hurt me that he felt the need to apologize for keeping his cancer hidden from the public. The recent sad news aside, this movie pretty much defined my childhood. I quote it often and have been caught doing the "Tequila" dance in public when a store radio played it. I got a small dog toy with kiss marks on it around the same time that I first saw this movie, and named it Speckled Spots...pretty sure it was because of Speck the chihuahua! ❤ The older I get, the more intriguing Pee Wee as a character is to me. He's a kid in an adult's body and everyone just accepts it. He makes friends wherever he goes. But he's also very selfish and self-serving, and has to learn that he shouldn't push people away so much. I think it's important for kids that they included the scene of him calling Dottie to apologize. As well as the scene where he takes the risk of losing his bike again and getting caught by the WB guards, because the pet store is on fire and the animals need his help. It's not just a nonsensical, zany movie. It has heart and good lessons. Not to mention a fantastic score, set design, and so many fun bit parts. I cherish it so much. RIP P.W. ❤
While in high school, I worked as a projectionist at the local theater. When we got this movie, I think I watched it a thousand times. The world is somehow not as bright now. Farewell, Paul. you made the world so much better while you were in it.
Just a bit of trivia, but on the day after Paul Reubens died, the owners of the Cabazon Dinosaur park repainted Mr. Rex to match Pee Wee's classic suit. I saw that picture and just wept.
I was coming on here to say the same thing
I live very close to those dinosaurs 😎 they've always reminded me of this movie😎
Lol, Honey you didn’t kill Loretta and you didn’t kill PeeWee! You’re fine, and you’re opinion is fine either way.
the combination of Tim Burton's demented style and Pee Wee's spastic weirdness is golden. the beautiful thing is that this movie is great as a kid but just as good (if not better) as an adult. and yeah, large marge scared the hell out of me as a kid
Context: Pee-Wee exists in a world where nobody’s mental maturity ever develops past that of an 8 year old. ALL of the adults have childlike minds. It’s actually a very brilliantly executed premise. It’s a 5 not a 3 - funniest movie ever!
Pee Wee is definitely an acquired taste. He had a Saturday morning TV show call Pee Wee's Playhouse, so by the time the movie came out you knew what to expect from Pee Wee. You went in blind.
Think the movie was before peewees playhouse. He had an hbo special and did several appearances on letterman, MTV and more
@@ingibingi2000No, it's after the kids show.
Actually Per Wees playhouse started as a once a week show at an improv club. It was NOT for children, lol.
Phil Hartman also had a weekly show there at the same time. His was a detective skit.
Can't imagine the network thinking Pee Wee was suitable for children,lol
@@FloridaMugwump peewees playhouse started on 86
Big Adventure came first though. Playhouse would come along a little bit later out of the success of the film.
The HBO special was before the movie. The Saturday morning show was after.
Tina's tour of the Alamo is one of my favorite things in the whole world. "There are thousands and thousands of uses for corn...all of which I will tell you about RIGHT NOW!" 🤣🤣
@@thisspaceforrent5737 same. Pretty sure me and my friends had it pretty much memorized 😂
The crazy fact of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is that it was the feature directorial debut of Tim Burton! This was the first movie I ever saw of his, and having been exposed to his directorial style since I was a kid, definitely helped mold me into a fan.
Same. I was only 5 years old in 1985, and although the Large Marge scene gave me legitimate nightmares, I had to see it, and all Tim Burton movies, repeatedly after that.
This was Tim Burton’s first movie. He had been fired from Disney for making the short film Frankenweenie. Paul Reubins and a WB executive named Bonnie Lee saw Burton first two short films Vincent and Frankenweenie and decided to hire Burton to direct. Despite overwhelmingly negative reviews, Pee-Wee as a success and Burton was hired to direct Batman.
Yeah I was going to say it is obvious the bits that stray from the playhouse style is clearly a lot of Burton.
He wasn’t hired to direct Batman after this.
This was his first film and Batman was his third film…
Beetle juice was his second film and that got him a job to direct Batman.
@sandramiller1988 Correct, the executives weren't confident in him directing Batman, so he went on to do Beetlejuice for the time being.
And when the film became a smash hit for Warner Bros, they immediately hired him as director for Batman.
@@sandramiller1988 At the time, Batman was still going through development hell and they were trying to find a shootable script. Burton even co-wrote a story treatment for Batman dated 1985 the same year this movie came out. So because it took so long to get off the ground, Burton was working on Beetlejuice after being offered dozens of scripts following the success of Pee-Wee which he rejected with the exception of Beetlejuice. Once Beetlejuice was successful that's when Warners gave the green light to Batman.
That's not quite how it happened, Reubens alone chose Burton, without any participation from Bonnie Lee, and then informed WB he wanted him, if anyone wants to know type.. Why Paul Reubens Chose Tim Burton to direct "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" into UA-cam and he will tell you directly, it's a good story.
Large marge definitely scared me as a kid, but I have a vivid memory of my cousin and I watching that scene over and over again laughing our asses off at the animation until it wasn’t scary anymore. I also regularly say “what’s the significance? I DON’T KNOW!” To this day. Haven’t seen it in so long, thanks for watching it!
Maybe it’s just my experience but part of what made Pee-Wee so damn funny as a little kid was how much the adults HATED him. For some reason my parent’s disdain and grandparent’s complete confusion made it seem even more hilarious to my six year old sensibilities.
They secretly like it. My dad (who died last year) loved it. Thought it was hilarious. Yes it's like a live action Loony Toons movie. Pee Wee is the kind of clown we are not scared of (to a point)
@@ericjanssen394 i remember that HBO special. Was surprised my folks let me watch it back then. About the only thing I can remember is how he looked up Miss Yyvones dress with mirrors on his shoes. He was definitely doing an adult parody of Children’s shows like Capt. Kangaroo.
@@ericjanssen394 women absolutely CAN “understand silliness and satire” but if you lack context, gender be damned, for what is being satirized there is a disconnect.
Ashleigh, you are not responsible for ANY of their deaths!!!!!!!! Rob Zombie, Phil Hartman, Laurence Fishburne and others worked on the TV show. PeeWee was such a great character. Paul had a lot more talent than most people gave him credit. great review! and yes, Dottie (Elizabeth Daily), did a lot of voice acting from Power Puff Girls to Rugrats.
She was also in better off dead and dutch. Loved those movies
And in Valley Girl (Elizabeth Daily)
And auditioned on The Voice under the name E.G. Daily
Man for a second I thought you said Rob Zombie died
@@shilohstore6086lol me too, then it was "holy crap, Fishbourne died too?"
As a 'boomer, I still found P.W. a fun distraction from adulthood (Paul was actually 4 years my senior), and I would not miss an episode of Pee Wee's Playhouse - nor his movies! Loved the '80s.
I was ten years old when this came out, and I'll tell ya, 1985 was a hell of a year for movies that appealed to a kid- Back To The Future, Real Genius, The Breakfast Club, Rocky IV, Better Off Dead and Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, and that's just scraping the top layer. But let me take the nostalgia glasses off and just say that the more you watch it, the more you fall in love with it because you start noticing creative quirks. Between Elfman's score and the on-purpose bad special effects, and Paul Reuben's writing and performance, you see a truly weird blend of film-making unlike anything that had come before. The point was the absurdity. This is considered by some film critics to be a perfectly structured film due to its clearly delineated 3 Act structure. Act 1 ends at 30 minutes, Act 2 at 60 minutes, and concludes in 93 minutes total.
It would probably also be a cool idea to go back and watch some clips of him on Letterman or of his HBO special for a little context. Reubens was just one of those comedians who struck gold with a character that just resonated in that time and then embodied the character for life, just like Elvira (who was a friend of his and appeared in this film as the Dom Biker Chick), Ernest, Mr. Bean, Cheech & Chong, and- to a lesser extent- Larry The Cable Guy.
This is one that despite not seeing when you were a kid, as a person who appreciates film, there's a lot to work with here, and the more you see, the more you really appreciate it.
Fun theory: At the end, Dottie wears a purple dress with a familiar zig-zag pattern on it. It looks a little like Charlie Brown's shirt. I theorize that it's a nod to Charlie Brown because he always doted over the Little Red Haired Girl, and it was "unrequited love." Which is exactly what Dottie's state is up until the finale when she finally gets her date at the drive-in. I think its cute
☺
Reubens in Cheech and Chong is such a classic moment in movies!!!
Same age as you and love your movie list... also all on my list. As you say, so many others: Teen Wolf, Weird Science, The Explorers, DARYL, The Heavenly Kid, Just one of the Guys... on and on.
Big props on Real Genius, one of my favorites that no one seems to remember, and still why I love "Everybody wants to rule the world" Tears for fears end credits.
Well stated. We’re the same age. We were lucky to be able to grow up on these movies. Almost none of them would or could be made now. I hate when old people play the “everything was better in my youth” card, but when it comes to children’s entertainment, I think it is apt.
The eighties was one of the greatest decades in the history of movies, for sure. And also one of the greatest for music. I'm glad I was just the right age to enjoy both during that time, in my teens.
Tim Burton and Pee Wee was just such a perfect combination. Loved this movie as a kid as well as _Big Top Pee Wee_ . My parents hated Pee Wee/Paul Rubens but I always liked him and thought he was hillarious.
You're right Ashleigh. A lot of people are familiar with Pee Wee so when watching the movie we know what to expect somehow. Paul Reubens helped Tim Burton with the start of his career, as this was Burton's first full length movie, also Shelley Duvall was one of the persons that recommended Tim Burton to Paul Rubens to direct the Pee Wee movie. 👍
Tim Burton's first full-length movie, and Danny Elfman's first film score.
Pee-Wee's Playhouse was instrumental to my upbringing. I'll miss Paul terribly.
You still need to watch Batman Returns (the sequel to Batman '89). Pee Wee and Simone the Waitress make a cameo in the beginning.
Rip Paul Reubens. You created the beloved man-child, the loner, the rebel, the wonderful PeeWee Herman. Thank you for this wonderful character. I still adore this movie. Thank you Ashleigh.
Large Marge sent me!
And me as well 🥹
This was one of my favorite movies growing up. Years later when I worked at Warner Bros Studios, I would walk those studio streets and could "see" the bike chase taking place. In fact, the security entrance where PeeWee laughed his way in... ha in my head I could hear him laugh as I came into work every day. Good times.
Fun Fact: The water that PeeWee swings over is the same water used in the Bud-Wis-er frogs commercial. And just behind those trees is where the Tyrannosaurus Rex chase in Jurassic Park was filmed. "Must go faster...must go faster."
Dottie was played by Elizabeth Daily who us 80's kids knew as E.G. Daily, besides her voice work on cartoons she is an amazing singer. She had songs in movies like Summer School ( a fav you would love too) and singing at the school dance in Better Off Dead! Her voice work is legendary but I am still a fan of her singing career and her voice will always be a big part of my childhood.
Can't forget her role in Valley Girl.
She's also in Rob Zombie's 31 👍
Also in Streets of Fire, IIRC.
Loved her musical contributions to Grand Theft Auto III (Flashback 95.6)
wow, I didn't know Tara Strong is her best friend ...
My friends and I saw this at the theater in 1985 ( and we were 20 yrs old). We laughed so hard that we went and watched it again the next night. Sure it was corny, quirky, and immature but so were we. It’s silliness is also timeless because my kids all watched in the late 90s and my grandsons watched it last year.
I saw it in the theater 0n my 25th birthday. Loved it. We "got it" right away, because we knew Pee Wee. He was well established before this movie came out.
Pee Wee was one of the bachelors in the Dating Game. He was still developing the character but by the end of the show, the other 2 bachelor's were copying his quirkiness to charm the bachelorette. Absolute brilliance!
I guess that's better than the actual serial killer who appeared on the Dating Game.
Ashleigh, thanks for doing this, Pee Wee was huge in the 80s, adults loved him to. You might recall in the 80s movie, OVERBOARD, Pee Wee was referenced twice, once by the one of the boys talking like him and then by one of the crew members on the yacht. That should give you an idea how popular he was. The dinosaur scene is filmed in an actual place, called Cabazon in California, about 15 miles west of Palm Springs. The two dinosaurs Rex and Denny ,have been there for 60 years and are now iconic and beloved and a fun road trip stop. You can actually climb up in Rex. After Paul 's death, they painted a heart on Rex with his name on it. The hair on Large Marge was supposed to be like the boxing producer Don King according to Paul in later interviews. I think with time you will love Pee Wee too, and of course we love you regardless even if your tastes in this film is not quiet like ours.
And they colored the dinosaur in Pee-wee Herman's suit after his passing.
@@knowledge-girl I didnt catch that, thanks for sharing!!
I'm so glad you saw this before Paul passed away because this movie shouldn't be watched with sadness. My first thought was "Now Ashleigh's reaction video to Pee-Wee's Big Adventure will be sad" but it wasn't! You saw it just in time and released it just in time (when we all needed it) ♥🚲
This is a movie that grows on you over time. When I watched it for the first time in the 1980s I would have probably given it three out of 5 stars. I would really encourage you to watch it again. It gets funnier every time you watch it. Now it's one of my favorite movies!
The Large Marge scene gave me nightmares for months afterwards. And now as an adult, it makes me laugh that it frightened me so much and I have a fondness for it.
Also, I feel like this is one of those movies that benefitted from multiple watches(which you did because it was one of 5 movies the family owned). You go into the next watch already understanding the tone and the humor and then you start to pick up the subtleties.
Fun, unique, wild movie from some icons of weird humor.
Cameos from Cassandra Peterson, John Paragon, and co written by Phil Hartman.
same, love that it scared me.
Paul Reubens' very child-like TV show was called "Pee-wee's Playhouse", and it ran on CBS in the late 80's. Before this, Reubens had done an HBO special with his Pee-wee character. Although the character was the same child-like person, the humor in that special was not a lot but a little bit more adult. Before that, he had auditioned for SNL, who was hiring for the first replacement cast after Lorne Michaels and the remaining members of the original cast had left the show after 5 years. Although Reubens was a finalist, he was passed over for Gilbert Gottfried, who then became a cast member in the 6th season.
Gilbert Gottfried was an SNL castmember? I totally do not remember that!
@@JustWasted3HoursHere Yup. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live_(season_6) It was the infamous 6th season in 1980-1981 with Gottfried, Charles Rocket, Denny Dillon, Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy, with everyone being fired at the end of the season except those last two of course. Toward the end of that season Dick Ebersole had taken over the show, and then ran it for the next 4 seasons, before Lorne Michaels returned for the 11th season.
@@JustWasted3HoursHereThat period of SNL was a disaster... Lorne Michaels left the show and it fell apart, with Eddie Murphy being the only standout for a couple seasons.
The screen debut of Pee-Wee was in, of all things, a Cheech and Chong movie where he definitely is not kid-friendly... It is a Cheech and Chong movie after all. Then he played a different character in the next Cheech and Chong movie.... And he snorts cocaine! I honestly think that if he hadn't done a kid's TV show, nobody would've cared about his 1991 arrest.
@@ryanjacobson2508 i didn't realize the cheech & chong appearances were before his hbo special. i'll have to dig those out again, I haven't seen them in a long time
I remember seeing this in the theater back in 1985, at 11 years old and being mesmerized, the sequel leaves a lot to be desired but its not a terrible film, Paul was definitely unique as well as being a decent human to everyone who met him, some of the anecdotal stories that people have shared will make you realize that Reubens was one of the good guys, he even did some stand-up as well, before this film made him more famous. Watching your review made me quite nostalgic about my pre-teen years spent in The South, I remember a great deal, life is pretty incredible, it's important to remember that.
RIP to Paul Reubens. With Pee-Wee, he truly showed just how much child innocence can be in an adult. It’s cool to see you react to this film. This is also Tim Burton’s first film and he put Reubens at the beginning of Batman Returns as the Penguin’s father, which is pretty cool.
He also played Penguin's dad in *Gotham,* which may have been the brightest spot of the whole show.
I loved him in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The movie. He was pretty much the highlight of that too lol
@@stevenandcarminabeedle9089 He was the only part of that movie that I enjoyed! Lol
I all i can do is scream "HAMBURGERS!" loved him in cheech and chong thouhght he was halarious.
@@timothyphillips5770 Or "I'm Sorry......"
No one wanted to watch this movie because the poster was so ridiculous! But a few people saw it and kept saying how great it was until eventually everyone saw it - and we're so glad we did - Paul Reubens is forever in our hearts! ♥
A few years ago my sister and her husband rented a theatre for a birthday and watched this movie. So nostalgic! My sister and I grew up watching Pee Wee's Playhouse and this movie on repeat. And yes Large Marge scared me as a kid but I always closed my eyes during that scene lol
As someone who was born in 82, I grew up with this movie and his show. I’ve seen this movie more times than I can count and my family and I quote it constantly to this day. I’m a loner, Ashleigh. A rebel.
I was born in 81, and the same with me. I played this movie over and over on VHS, watched the tv show all the time, and even had the pull string Peewee doll.
After his arrest, when stores pulled all the dolls and the internet wasn’t a thing yet, those dolls became super valuable.
Born in ‘83, and grew up on this movie and his show. Memories, man.
Also, Dotty is E. G. Daily, who is the voice of Tommy from the Rugrats and Buttercup from the Power Puff girls.
oh Tommy! i was thinking Lil. Well at least i was in the right cartoon
I just hear her say "A baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do"
The trick gum scene, large marge, and the clown nightmare were some of the scariest movie memories I had as a child. This movie is good when your young, and so much better when you’re older. Glad you gave it an average score, even if it took a while to get. He’s weird, but he fit the times.
The Large Marge scene was HILARIOUS...
Bruh, my friends and I watched this at a birthday party for one of our elementary school friends, and we literally rewound that scene like 10 times to rewatch it 'cause it was so damn funny... We were absolutely rolling on the floor laughing. It's like the more you watch it the funnier it gets.
@@MGmirkin Oh, I agree 100%. I didn’t hang out with a super funny group of friends. I was also a huge wimp. Here’s the thing. Even though I was scared of those scenes every time, I saw that movie so much that my parents hate it.
James Brolin plays Pee Wee in the end film- his biggest film was 'Amityville Horror'. Also, the father of Josh Brolin from 'Goonies' and is married to Barbra Streisand. The actress playing Dottie in the end film is Morgan Fairchild- a big late-night Soap star from the 80s.
Large Marge scared the heck out of me when I saw this as a kid, Pee Wee was so much fun and I loved his morning show. Such a crazy and fun movie, I'm glad you ended up getting into it, the humor is very zany. RIP Paul Reubens
Large Marge was based on the old song “Phantom 309”. Unlike Marge, it was very sad.
This came out when I was 8, which is pretty much the perfect age to embrace the weirdness and pure joy of it. From all of us ageless kids, thank you for giving it a try. RIP, Paul Reubens.
RIP Paul Reubens. He was so good at this. He never went in public without staying in his PeeWee character. He lived that role. He was a wonderful, funny man. Did lots of movies other than PeeWee. I enjoyed watching him make people laugh.
I''m so very pleased you reacted to this movie. This movie, along with "Big Top PeeWee", are both up there on my list of childhood formative films. Ernest was in there as well.
This was Danny Elfman's first taste of scoring films - and we see how he is the #1 orchestrator of the western world.
When I hear this music, it's like something is activated in my DNA. It brings back that fleeting essence of childhood that you can sometimes feel if you really think hard about being young again.
PeeWee was amazing to me as a kid. He was so subversive. You knew as a kid that this guy was a little "off", a little "different", and he was celebrated for that. I just love him.
OMG PeeWee was on what seemed like CONSTANTLY at my house!!! We watched PeeWee's Playhouse every Saturday morning with all the other cartoons that were on. He contributed to core memories that were made and the fact that my brother and I always thought we were cutting each other down the biggest when we fought if we said "I know you are but what am I?" So many great memories With PeeWee....RIP Paul Reubens
I am in my mid 40s, so I grew up with Pee-wee. This was the first thing I saw and when I got a bit older, I found his 1982 HBO special with is tailored towards adults (though all of the adult themes is mostly innuendo).
And yeah, the Large Marge part, as well as the nightmares did frighten 10 year old me.
Pee Wee's Playhouse was to me as a child what Blues Clues was to my nieces, nephews and kids. Paul dying this week had me crying more than I like to admit.
Ashleigh at 19:48 - What were people on when they made this film? What was Pee Wee Herman on when he created the character Pee Wee Herman?
Me remembering the Pee Wee PSA: This is crack! Rock cocaine!
My favorite thing about this movie was I attended college with the guy who played Francis. The scene where he was playing with the toys in the bathtub I previewed in the Green room back in the day. Mark was always picking up objects and improved silly scenes just like what you saw. It brought back such memories,
The Large Marge sequence was inspired by mountains of urban legend. I first encountered it as a story told by a private pilot lost on a foggy night who sees and follows a bright yellow plane with huge running light to a safe landing at a local airstrip. The pilot asks the guy in the fight office about the yellow plane. "Oh, that's Dave. He crashed in a fog fifteen years ago, but his ghost guides planes safely down on nights like this." "Does this happen often?" The pilot asks. "You're third third one he's brought down tonight."
There's also a Red Sovine song called Phantom 309 that's basically the same story as Large Marge.
19:48 You probably shouldn't be asking that question if it was directed by Tim Burton.
Hadn't ever heard that about the PeeWee character, but ERNEST (Jim Varney) got his start as a pitch man for hire to all kinds of different businesses. Well, I think the character FIRST appeared as a gag in Doctor Otto And The Riddle Of The Gloom Beam. That was Jim Varney's movie, but Ernest just appears once as a random one off.
EDIT; That's Mark Holten, he was Ozzie in two Leprechaun films, only the first of which I personally acknowledge.
RE-edit; Large Marge very loosely based on the legend of the Phantom 309, stemming from a real truck crash-- only the driver's name is said to be "Big Joe", and is just a friendly trucker who helps the stranded-- there's a song about it.
Just want you to know that I literally clap-clap-clap-clapped along with everyone else deep in the heart of Texas. As someone turning 45 in just a couple weeks, this movie is indeed a deep part of my childhood. RIP Paul.
Same with the claps. So valid.
I was so happy that you were doing this film! What a strange accidental timing.
Also, my mom came home REALLY drunk once and entertained us by doing "the Peewee Herman" dance. 😅
I really enjoyed the film as a child, I watched it again recently. It's cool that you have Elvira and the Autographed Pee-wee's Big Adventure film near each other. Paul and Cassandra were good friends and Cassandra has a small cameo in the film. I think your review is fair. Lastly if you think the movie is bizarre, the tv series takes it to ELEVEN.
It's not for everyone, but this movie has so many quotable lines and memorable scenes for me. A staple of my childhood. Glad you reacted to it. Rest in peace, Paul Reubens (a.k.a., Pee-Wee Herman) and also Phil Hartman (the news reporter) and the actress who played "Teena", the tour guide at The Alamo (Jan Hooks).
It was wracking my brain trying to figure out where I knew Jan Hooks from - I know i've seen clips from her time on SNL, but i would have been too young to remember her from that... It finally hit me - she was the recurring girlfriend character of French Stewart on 3rd Rock from the Sun. Had no idea she had passed in 2014.
I enjoyed your unbiased review. I'm GenX and watched this in my youth. Large Marge scared the heck out of me. and yes, one of my favorite movies. It's on my nostalgia list. A keeper in my book.
How could you NOT comment on "Is this something you can share with the rest of us, Amazing Larry?!?" The Large Marge bit was a riff off an old urban legend. This movie is just fun. And don't feel guilty about Paul Reubens' passing -- he wouldn't mind going if it meant another generation of people were entertained by this masterpiece.
Yeah, there is an old song by the name of Phantom 309.
An old truckers tune. 🚛
Pretty much the whole story.
Big Joe::Large Marge....Phantom 309::???? Did Marge's truck have a name?
I first saw this back in the 80s as a little kid- the Large Marge scene scared the crap out of me, lol. I grew up on Pee Wee's Playhouse and didn't see the movie until several years later when it played on TV. So by then I was already ready for Pee Wee- being 8-10 probably helped. Heh.
Same. Large Marge scared the sh*t out of me. I was fully into the Playhouse before I watched this movie. I was always upset because nobody from the Playhouse was in the movie. Personally I loved Big Top Pee Wee more than the original.
I was already an adult when Pee Wee rose to fame, but I still watched Pee Wee's Playhouse show regularly. A few years later I was living in Nashville and my roommate worked for Paul Reuben's sister Abby, managing her law office. That's my tiny connection to Pee Wee Herman.
26:29 I notice you have some Elvira, Mistress of the Dark merch in your collection. Appropriate, because in case you missed it, Cassandra Petersen (Elvira) played the biker chick in this movie.
It's a type of humor you get or you don't. I was a teen when the Pee Wee HBO special came out, and when Pee Wee was making appearances on the David Letterman show. David was more like Ashleigh, he didn't quite get the humor, but he couldn't help laughing either. I love that Pee Wee was campy, creative, and so attuned to childhood thinking, which made his humor adjustable to a children's show. And amazingly, his comedy could tell a touching story with the help of the wacky characters that filled his world. It had heart, along with amazing laughs. Thank you for all the smiles, and RIP Paul Reubens.
Dave got it, he was just playing the straight man. And I mean "straight" in more ways than one. Dave knew what was going on.
Some of the big names in Pee-wee's Playhouse TV show from 1986 til 1991 were Laurence Fishburne, Phil Hartman, S. Epatha Merkerson, Gregory Harrison, Jimmy Smits, Sandra Bernhard, and many more....
Pee Wee Herman is the inner child that we all have and lives in his own world, one that we wish could be brave enough to have. You should definitely look up some episodes of Pee Wee's Playhouse, an absolutely wonderful show for both children and adults. I was in my mid 30s and would get together on Saturday mornings with friends to watch it every week. The recent loss of Paul is like losing one's childhood, the innocence, the fun, and the joy that he had given back to us.
Ashleigh, thank you so much for reacting to this one. RIP Paul, for a lot of people, he was their childhood, I definitely remember his show Peewee's Playhouse, then he did Big Top Pee Wee. Years later, he did his own show live in a Broadway fashion. This is such a classic movie. "Good morning Pee Wee!" "Good morning, Mr. Breakfast!" LOL still makes me laugh. If you would like to hear his voice in another film, I suggest Flight Of The Navigator (1986). Five out of five stones for this film. He was involved in Buffy The Vampire Slayer with Kristy Swanson in 1992.
12:14 This literally gave me nightmares as a kid. I was terrified anytime this part of the movie came up, I'd be out of the room in an instant waiting for it to pass. Looking at it now, it is so hysterically tame compared to what my young brain saw. 😱
It was on HBO a lot after it came out, and I always watched it. Same thing, as soon as the Large Marge part started, I would leave the room. I’d listen for the scene to end before I came back in. Once I tried changing the channel and waiting to turn it back, but I turned back too soon, and landed right on the scary animation!
Believe it or not, this was Tim Burton's breakthrough as a director.
The Ernest-character was played by Jim Varney (who also voiced Slinky Dog in Toy Story 1 and 2). Varney also sadly passed away of cancer...
The kid actor was in Wonder Years and in the 1st Back to the Future. He was in a couple of movies in the 80's.
Glad you finally got to see this one, Ashleigh!
Fun fact time:
Reubens actually designed & accessorized the bicycle himself, with items he found in toy stores in Little Tokyo, in Los Angeles (he was a vintage toy collector, and most of the toys & gadgets used in the film were from his personal collection). The production crew built about a dozen copies of it for the film: some were wrecked & destroyed, the survivors were sold off (and they're all over the country), but Reubens kept the original.
The truck stop was a place called The Wheel In, and was west of Palm Springs, near a town called Whitewater, if I recall correctly. The truck stop was demolished around 2010 or so, but the two dinosaurs are still there, but can now barely be seen from I-10, due to an outlet mall being built along the frontage road in front of them.
A co-worker & I stopped at The Wheel In for dinner one night a few years before it closed, and I couldn't help but tell the (18 or 19 year-old) waitress that "Large Marge sent us": she put her hands on her hips and says "You have any idea how many people tell me that!?!?"!
She had no idea what the meaning of it was, until I explained it to her, and it turned out that she was the daughter of the owner, who not only never mentioned the movie having been filmed there to her (she hadn't seen it), but also, there was no memorabilia of the film in the entire place!
Miss that place, they had these cool t-shirts of an animated T-Rex eating a semi truck, lol!
If you missed it, the actor playing "P.W." in the "movie" at the end, was James Brolin - Josh's daddy, who also did some pretty cool films in his day (including "A Cape Town Affair", and "Capricorn One"), and the "movie Dottie", was Morgan Fairchild, also pretty well established by this time.
You left a few things out haha
@@johnhawk1089 Yes, I did!
Robert Heyges, who was famous for playing Juan Epstien on "Welcome Back, Kotter", played one of the bikers, and one of the kids on the BMX team at the beginning, was arrested about 10-15 years ago for either murder, or attempted murder...I don't remember which one of the kids it was.
And, of course, the musical score was one of the very first by the great Danny Elfman, former lead singer of Oingo Boingo.
The owner of that diner not having memorabilia and his daughter not having seen the movie shot there is almost a sin lol
The guy that owns the Dinosaur painted it in Pee-Wees suit after his passing!
@@stevenandcarminabeedle9089 I agree! I looked around, and eventually asked why, and she didn't have a clue.
As for her not having seen the film - she was born after it was released...'nuff said.
Since this film, not a day goes by at the Alamo that a visitor doesn't ask to see the basement.
This film was Tim Burton's directorial debut, and it brought him together with composer Danny Elfman (Oingo Boingo). So without "Big Adventure," we wouldn't get "Nightmare Before Christmas."
Paul Reubens developed the Pee-Wee character as a member of The Groundlings comedy troupe in LA. In the live "Pee-Wee Herman Show," fellow Groundling, Phil Hartman, played Captain Carl, a role he reprised in "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" on TV.
This was not just my first movie, it is STILL my favorite movie ever. I have a cherry red schwinn, all pics of me as a kid are doing his dance, etc… it really is my whole life’s love in a movie. Also, weird coincidence, Ernest is my other childhood influence (my puppy is named rimshot, and I’m saving up for a St. Bernard I’m gonna name speck).
A lot of us were terrified by the Large Marge scene as kids, but this movie is still an integral part of my childhood.
Large Marge was the worst part, but the clown doctors was not much better.
I think the thing about Pee Wee that so many younger people or those who were born after this don't seem to get is that Pee Wee is neighter a man or a child; he's a cartoonish character. Yes, we see a grown man but for me I just saw him as Pee Wee, an eccentric person who never got to grow up and be a kid...I think that's why so many kids growing up found him funny and appealing. We were raisedon that tom and jerry, looney tunes kind of humor...so seeing it in live action wasn't a stretch. Plus look at the movies during that time the 80s were wild taking so many fantasy and "adventure" type of stories. We watched movies knowing it wasn't going to be realistic at all. It's just a fun movie nothing more or less.
I love your reactions! Fun to see the Elvira doll in front of the Pee Wee photo on your wall. Cassandra Peterson, Ms. Elvira herself, is in the “roadhouse” biker scene. She’s the woman who wants him all to herself. Paul Reubens was great!
I was 10 when this came out. This remains one of my top 5 movies of all time. Tim Burtons first movie. Danny Elfman score is amazing. There will never be another Pee-Wee Herman. He was brilliant. Paul Reubens was the nicest most caring man. I have watched this movie at least 100 times. When you reacted to when large Marge did the scary face I cried laughing. Absolutely hilarious. This movie will always hold a special place in my heart because Pee-Wee was such a big part of my childhood.
Indeed. Maybe it was because I was just a young teenager, or maybe it was because I saw it with my best friend Matt, or maybe it was because we saw it as part of a double feature with Back to the Future(!), but this definitely ranks as the movie I laughed the hardest at when I first saw it in the theater. So many ridiculous but hilarious moments. "Don't believe I'm in Texas? Listen: The stars at night, are big and bright!...{deep in the heart of Texas!!}" So silly but so well played.
E.G. Daily is my favorite part of the film. I always though it was criminal how little exposure she got in Hollywood; if you've not seen "Better Off Dead," she contributes two songs to the sound track, and i love those two songs, "A Little Luck" and "One Way Love."
I watched horror with no issue as a kid, but Latge Marge caught me by surprise because I thought it was just a sily movie.
I think you'll like this more on a 2nd watch because you're letting your bafflement get in the way of your enjoyment.
RIP Paul Reubens... he actually was capable of a lot more characters than Pee-Wee, but after it became a hit that's what he was mainly known for.
I haven't actually watched this movie since the 80's, as I knew I probably would only enjoy it as a middle-aged adult if I was high on something.
He was great as the Penguins dad in Gotham
My first time seeing Pee Wee was on Late Night With David Letterman. He was a guest many times and was hilarious and fascinating. Someone has kindly collected all those clips and posted them here. By the time this movie came out Pee Wee was like a crazy friend, and I enjoyed this film and still like to watch it every so often.
I loved your reaction and totally agree with your 3 out of 5 rating. I've never been a big fan of Pee-Wee, but they packed so much into this movie it was worth the money i paid to see it in the theater.
exactly!
I was a teen during Pee Wee’s Playhouse and this movie. Never was a fan. I appreciate the creativity, and a couple of funny moments, but just never found it overall entertaining. I even own it on DVD, but never watch it.
A 3 out of 5 rating is absolutely on the money . No more, no less.
3 OUT OF 5?!!! BURN THE WITCH!!! 😉
Nevermind. I think that’s fair. 😎👍