Alison Mork: Puppeteer who also provided voices on Pee-wee’s Playhouse.
Mark Mothersbaugh: Composer of the Pee-wee’s Playhouse theme song and for several episodes of the series.
Steve Oakes: Supervising producer for Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986–1987) and cofounder of the animation company Broadcast Arts.
Maceo Oliver: Understudy and provider of voices for the Los Angeles run of The Pee-wee Herman Show (2010).
Wayne Orr: Codirector of Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1987–1989) and Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special.
Gary Panter: Production designer and art director for The Pee-wee Herman Show (1981), Emmy Award–winning production designer for Pee-wee’s Playhouse. He also cowrote a film with Paul Reubens entitled Pee-wee’s Big Adventure that bears little resemblance to the 1985 film of the same title.
Nicole Panter: Actress who played Susan in The Pee-wee Herman Show (1981).
John Paragon: Actor who played Jambi the Genie in Pee-wee’s Playhouse and both productions of The Pee-wee Herman Show. He also codirected Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1989–1991) and voiced Pterri in Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986–1987, 1988–1991) and both productions of The Pee-wee Herman Show. He served as a cowriter on Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986–1987, 1988–1991), Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special (1988), and The Pee-wee Herman Show (2010–2011).
Nick Park: Animator on Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986–1987).
Cassandra Peterson: Member of the Groundlings who served as an usherette for The Pee-wee Herman Show (1981).
Guy Pohlman: Stage crew and puppeteer for The Pee-wee Herman Show (1981).
Alisan Porter: Actress who played Lil’ Punkin on Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1987–1988).
Drew Powell: Actor who played the Bear in The Pee-wee Herman Show (2010–2011).
Dave Powers: Animation director on Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986–1987).
Judy Price: Vice president of children’s programming at CBS throughout Playhouse’s run.
Max Robert: Cowriter on Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986–1988, 1989–1991).
Lance Roberts: Actor who played the King of Cartoons in The Pee-wee Herman Show (2010–2011).
Peter Rosenthal: Supervising producer for Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986–1987) and cofounder of Broadcast Arts.
Carla Rudy: Puppet builder and puppeteer for the Los Angeles run of The Pee-wee Herman Show (2010).
Jeff Sagansky: President of CBS Entertainment during run of Pee-wee’s Playhouse.
Scott Sanders: Executive producer of The Pee-wee Herman Show (2010–2011).
Ken Sax: Still photographer for Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1987–1989).
Brian Seff: Cowriter and actor who played Mr. Jelly Donut in The Pee-wee Herman Show (1981).
Ellen Shaw: One of Cyndi Lauper’s backup singers inaccurately credited for singing the theme song to Pee-wee’s Playhouse.
Steve Sleap: Puppet builder for Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1987–1988).
Van Snowden: Puppeteer for Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1987–1991).
Bill Steinkellner: Director of The Pee-wee Herman Show (1981) and cowriter for both productions of The Pee-wee Herman Show.
Lynne Marie Stewart: Actress who played Miss Yvonne in Pee-wee’s Playhouse and both productions of The Pee-wee Herman Show.
Howard Stringer: President of CBS (1988–1995).
Shirley Stoler: Actress who played Mrs. Steve on Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986–1987).
Alex Timbers: Director of The Pee-wee Herman Show (2010–2011).
Phil Trumbo: Emmy Award–winning animation director for Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986–1987).
Basil Twist: Puppet consultant for the Los Angeles run of The Pee-wee Herman Show (2010) and puppet coordinator for the show’s Broadway run (2010–2011).
Marc Tyler: Puppet builder for Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1987–1988).
Michael Varhol: Cowriter of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986–1987).
Michael Chase Walker: West Coast director of children’s programming for CBS (c. 1985–1986).
Russ Walko: Puppet builder and puppeteer for the Los Angeles run of The Pee-wee Herman Show (2010).
Don Waller: Animator on Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1987–1991).
Stephanie Walski: Actress who played Rapunzel on Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1987–1988).
Shaun Weiss: Actor who played Elvis on Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986–1987).
Wayne White: Emmy Award–winning art director who also voiced and operated puppets on Pee-wee’s Playhouse.
Diane Yang: Young actress who played Cher on Pee-wee’s Playhouse (1986–1987).
Timothy Young: Toy designer for Pee-wee’s Playhouse merchandise.
Acknowledgments
The “big adventure” Pee-wee Herman embarked on to reclaim his bicycle has nothing on the task of conceiving, writing, and preparing a book for release in less than two years. Although my name appears as the sole author of this book, there are many people whose efforts and assistance were instrumental to the successful completion of this project. The list that follows is by no means exhaustive, but provides a glimpse as to the size and scope of the team responsible for getting this project out of my imagination and into your hands.
First and foremost, I have to thank my editor Jen Hale and the team at ECW Press for entrusting a first-time author with a project of this magnitude. You’ve dealt with my never-ending lists of questions and given me the tools to be a better storyteller than I knew I could be. You gave me the opportunity to fulfill one of my life goals, an accomplishment that I am unspeakably proud of. For this you will always have my unending gratitude. I also owe thanks to Crissy Boylan, managing editor extraordinaire, the extremely talented Scott Barrie at Cyanotype for his awesome book cover and interior design, and ECW publishers Jack David and David Caron for their support and belief in this project.
My friend and mentor Chris Ryan, the godfather of this book, deserves a world of credit for encouraging me to forge ahead despite some early setbacks. I hope this makes you proud, and that it is a sizable apology for that story I wrote in seventh grade creative writing class that lives on in Hackensack High School infamy. Thank you for advising me against starting the first chapter of the book in a business meeting — which would have been incredibly boring — and for giving me the best piece of advice I received from anyone during this writing process: “Call Fiona.”
I can say quite literally that this book wouldn’t be in your hands right now if it weren’t for the assistance of Fiona Sarne, one of my best friends who gave me a crash course in publishing and acted as my pro bono literary agent. Your advice was always right and, in every way possible, I owe this to you.
There aren’t enough words to express how much Johanna Calle has been a guiding light through this process. You never complained about being a first-responder to my crises, bursts of enthusiasm, bouts with writer’s block, and occasional audible laughs after I’ve typed something I thought was particularly clever. Your level of support has always been through the roof and I can’t say enough how much I’ve enjoyed sharing this process with you. I love you and thank you for all you’ve done.
Terecille Basa-Ong, Josh Bellocchio, Angela De Gregorio, Rasha Jay, Caroline Krueger, Vanessa “Curly Fries” Matthews, Steven Pfeiffer, and Wendy Salkin have all been soundboards for ideas and gracious enough to provide me with feedback on drafts and the numerous cover designs. I couldn’t imagine having gone through this process without your suggestions and support.
Although this project isn’t an academic text in the conventional sense, I have relied heavily on my collegiate experiences from Rutgers University throughout this process. The tools I have gained in courses with Ann Fabian, Nicole Fleetwood, Susan Keith, Bruce Reynolds, Timothy Raphael, Erica Romaine, and Rob Snyder have been most helpful in researching, engaging with primary sources, conducting ethical and probing
interviews, and writing purposefully.
While I appreciate the contributions of all subjects interviewed for this book, I am extremely grateful for the participation of Gary Austin, Steve Binder, Scott Chester, Dawna Kaufmann, George McGrath, John Duke Kisch, Steve Oakes, Judy Price, and Ken Sax. Your contributions to this project are ample and your assistance and friendship have been heartfelt. Thank you for your candor and for making yourselves available for “one more quick question.” I’ve heard that writing a book is a lonely task, but you’ve certainly helped make the process more bearable.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank a number of Pee-wee fans I’ve met over the course of writing this book. People like Regina Burke, Brandon Hall, Christina Henriquez, Don Holcomb, Beau Kelley, Mitchell Klooster, Brittany Lynch, Dennis Manochio, Birgit Schuetz, Summer Violett, Ben Zurawski, and my pals on Facebook (www.facebook.com/caseengaines) were constant reminders of why this project matters. I thank all of you for your friendship and hope you enjoyed taking a look behind the scenes of one of your favorite television shows.
Most importantly, thanks go out to my parents for continuing to be behind me 110 percent. I can only imagine what goes through your minds half the time when I tell you what new project I’m tackling, but I credit you both with never making me feel like I’m biting off more than I can chew, even when I am. Thank you for encouraging me to live my dreams and loving me as always. I love you back.
Ronald Reagan’s quote that begins the Introduction is from Proclamation 5549, which was filed with the Office of the Federal Register on October 14, 1986. Peggy Charren’s quote in the introduction is from Martin Booe’s article, “Television Awareness Week Looks at Education, Commercialism — Toying with Children’s Programming,” from the October 11, 1986, edition of the Daily News of Los Angeles. The quote about Pee-wee’s Playhouse being “utterly magical” is from Tom Shales’ article, “The New Season — ‘Law’ Power NBC’s Electrifying Look at Legal Life” from the September 15, 1986, edition of the Washington Post.
The chapter “From the Groundlings Up” was primarily inspired by conversations with Richard Abramson, Gary Austin, Scott Chester, Doug Draizin, Monica Ganas, Joan Leizman, Dawna Kaufmann, Nicole Panter, Guy Pohlman, and Brian Seff. Information on and Paul Reubens’ quotes about his appearances on The Gong Show are from his November 29, 2004, NPR interview on Fresh Air from whhy. Reubens’ Vanity Fair quote is from Bruce Handy’s article “Return from Planet Pee-wee” in the magazine’s September 1999 issue, as is the reference to a “crazy, high-powered kid” from Reubens’ youth. His quote about asking for a hard-boiled egg is from Mary Mozena’s article “Comedy Central” in the October 2004 issue of Los Angeles Magazine, and is used with permission. Tommy Chong’s quotes are from his book, Cheech and Chong: The Unauthorized Autobiography. Finally, the Hollywood Reporter article referenced toward the end of the chapter is from the article “Pee-wee Herman Tapes TV Pilot” in the February 6, 1981, issue.
The chapter “The Pitch and the Hit” was primarily inspired by conversations with Richard Abramson, Kent Burton, Johann Carlo, Scott Chester, Dave Daniels, Prudence Fenton, Kevin Ladson, Monica Ganas, Richard “Golly” Goleszowski, Dawna Kaufmann, Suzanne Kent, George McGrath, Steve Oakes, Nick Park, Guy Pohlman, Judy Price, Brian Seff, Phil Trumbo, Michael Varhol, and Michael Chase Walker. The quotes and information about Gary Panter, Wayne White, and Ric Heitzman designing are from a videotape of the 14th Annual William S. Paley Television Festival honoring Pee-wee’s Playhouse at the Museum of Television and Radio. The assertion that Paul Reubens made specific casting choices because he wanted diversity comes from his December 6, 2004, interview with Elvis Mitchell on KCRW’s The Treatment. S. Epatha Merkerson’s quote is from her June 11, 2008, interview with NPR.
“Puppetland, California” was primarily inspired by conversations with Richard Abramson, Steve Binder, Johann Carlo, Scott Chester, Doug Draizin, Prudence Fenton, Karen Lyons, George McGrath, Steve Oakes, Wayne Orr, Judy Price, Michael Varhol, and Stephanie Walski. All of Reubens quotes and some supplemental information in the merchandising section of this chapter are from Frank Thompson’s article “Pee-wee Herman Talks Toys” from the December 1995 issue of Collecting Toys magazine. Reubens’ quote about Pee-wee’s active libido is from Marilyn Beck’s article “Pee-wee Herman Discovers Sex” in the June 16, 1988, edition of the Chicago Tribune. The quote of the journalist expressing frustration at having to interview Reubens in character is from Bob Thomas’s Associated Press article that was reprinted with the headline “Identifying Paul Reubens Can Be an Adventure” in the August 21, 1988, edition of the Beaver Country Times.
“A Christmas Story” was inspired by conversations with Steve Binder, Prudence Fenton, Joel Fletcher, George McGrath, Wayne Orr, and Judy Price. Unless otherwise cited, quotes from Alison Mork, John Paragon, Lynne Stewart, and Paul Reubens are from the audio commentary track on the Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special 2004 DVD release from Image Entertainment. The Newsday article referred to at the beginning of the chapter is from Joanne Ostrow’s article “An Offbeat Comic Is Saturday’s Hero to the Kidvid Set” in the November 29, 1986, issue. Reubens’ quote about adults feeling “semi-groggy” and getting “a lot of cool new stuff,” along with Dinah Shore and Annette Funicello’s quotes, are from John Milward’s article “A Pee-wee Christmas Playhouse” from the December 20, 1988, issue of Newsday. Reubens’ quote about the special being “thin on plot” is from Lynn Hoogenboom’s article “Mecka-lecka-hi, Mecka-hiney-ho [sic], Now it’s Time for Pee-wee’s Show” from the December 18, 1988, issue of the St. Petersburg Times. Although most of Steve Binder’s quotes come from new interviews, his words about “hardcore Playhouse fans” comes from Matt Roush’s USA Today article “Pee-wee’s Merry Kitsch-Mas,” which ran on December 21, 1988.
The chapter “Foreclosure” comes primarily from conversations with George McGrath and Judy Price. The Newsday article cited early on in the chapter is Jane Wollman’s article “The Real Pee-wee” from December 17, 1989, as is Reubens’ quote about directing, writing, and producing. Lynne Stewart’s quote, along with Reubens’ quotes later in the chapter about learning Spanish and the perception that CBS canceled Pee-wee’s Playhouse, is from Brian M. Raftery’s article “Pee-wee Turns 20” that ran in the September 1, 2006, edition of Entertainment Weekly. Michael McLean’s quote comes from Steve Daly’s article “Gracias, Pee-wee Herman” from the same magazine’s May 3, 1991, issue. Allee Willis’s quote is from Peter Wilkinson’s Rolling Stone article “Who Killed Pee-wee Herman?” that ran on September 22, 1991. The details of Reubens’ sentencing are from Larry Rohter’s article “Pee-wee Herman Enters a Plea of No Contest” in the November 8, 1991, issue of Time.
“P2K” was primarily inspired by conversations with Kent Burton, Prudence Fenton, Monica Ganas, Sean Johnson, Dawna Kaufmann, Suzanne Kent, Erik Kusha, George McGrath, Carla Rudy, and Brian Seff. Reubens’ quote about “not shooting up” is from Joel Stein’s article “Bigger than Pee-wee” from the April 1, 2001, edition of Time. Reubens’ description of The Pee-wee Herman Story’s plot and it being cowritten with Valerie Curtin is from a videotape of the Museum of Television and Radio’s seminar series celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Groundlings from September 29, 1999. The Esquire quote about Reubens’ performance in Blow is from their April 1, 2005, article “The Blow by Blow.” Reubens’ quotes about the plot of the Playhouse film are from his January 17, 2010, Q&A session after The Pee-wee Herman Show at Club Nokia, as reported by George “El Guapo” Roush for LatinoReview.com. Reubens’ quote about Taylor Lautner is from his December 9, 2009, interview with Access Hollywood. His quote about “riding a bike” is from David Ng’s article “Pee-wee Herman Ready for His Stage Comeback” from the August 10, 2009, edition of the Los Angeles Times, while his quote about Gellar calling him is from the December 11, 2009, Associated Press article “Pee-wee Herman’s Big Comeback.” Scott Sanders’ quote is from David Ng’s article �
��Fans of Pee-wee Herman Angry over Show’s Postponement” from the October 7, 2009, Los Angeles Times. Reubens’ quotes from Dateline are from his interview with Stone Phillips that aired on April 5, 2004. The information about Chris Rock is from the aforementioned Club Nokia Q&A, and the references to S. Epatha Merkerson and Lawrence Fishburne are from Raferty’s Entertainment Weekly article cited for the previous chapter.
All of the information from the chapter “Appraising the Playhouse” is from conversations with Gary Austin, Steve Binder, Kent Burton, Johann Carlo, Kevin Carlson, Scott Chester, Dave Daniels, Prudence Fenton, Monica Ganas, Troy Hughes-Palmer, Vaughn Tyree Jelks, Steve Johnson, Victoria Johnson, Dawna Kaufmann, Suzanne Kent, John Duke Kisch, Glenn Lazzaro, George McGrath, Steve Oakes, Wayne Orr, Judy Price, Ken Sax, Phil Trumbo, Marc Tyler, Michael Chase Walker, and Stephanie Walski.
Notes
Ronald Reagan’s quote that begins the Introduction is from Proclamation 5549, which was filed with the Office of the Federal Register on October 14, 1986. Peggy Charren’s quote in the introduction is from Martin Booe’s article, “Television Awareness Week Looks at Education, Commercialism — Toying with Children’s Programming,” from the October 11, 1986, edition of the Daily News of Los Angeles. The quote about Pee-wee’s Playhouse being “utterly magical” is from Tom Shales’ article, “The New Season — ‘Law’ Power NBC’s Electrifying Look at Legal Life” from the September 15, 1986, edition of the Washington Post.
The chapter “From the Groundlings Up” was primarily inspired by conversations with Richard Abramson, Gary Austin, Scott Chester, Doug Draizin, Monica Ganas, Joan Leizman, Dawna Kaufmann, Nicole Panter, Guy Pohlman, and Brian Seff. Information on and Paul Reubens’ quotes about his appearances on The Gong Show are from his November 29, 2004, NPR interview on Fresh Air from whhy. Reubens’ Vanity Fair quote is from Bruce Handy’s article “Return from Planet Pee-wee” in the magazine’s September 1999 issue, as is the reference to a “crazy, high-powered kid” from Reubens’ youth. His quote about asking for a hard-boiled egg is from Mary Mozena’s article “Comedy Central” in the October 2004 issue of Los Angeles Magazine, and is used with permission. Tommy Chong’s quotes are from his book, Cheech and Chong: The Unauthorized Autobiography. Finally, the Hollywood Reporter article referenced toward the end of the chapter is from the article “Pee-wee Herman Tapes TV Pilot” in the February 6, 1981, issue.
Inside Pee-wee's Playhouse Page 21