Hollywood Flashback: ‘Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure’ Had Audiences Rolling
Forty years ago, Paul Reubens and Tim Burton took viewers on a ride to remember with Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.
The film centers on Reubens as titular Pee-wee Herman, whose hunt for his stolen bicycle leads him to the Alamo. As a member of the L.A. comedy troupe the Groundlings, Reubens developed the childlike character and played him in the 1980s in live stage shows, an HBO special and appearances on Late Night With David Letterman. “It dawned on me that I could actually become Pee-wee Herman,” Reubens told THR in 2020 about his alter ego.
During a run of sold-out performances, the comedian landed a deal with Warner Bros. to write a Pee-wee feature. While on the studio lot, Reubens noticed people riding bikes and asked for one of his own. After being taken with the refurbished 1940s Schwinn he was given, Reubens retooled his movie to focus on the bike.
“We had worked for three months, just trying to find a story,” says Michael Varhol, who co-wrote the script with Reubens and another Groundlings standout, Phil Hartman. “We found the bike, and that’s when all the pieces of the puzzle started fitting together.”
After turning down Warners’ suggested director, Reubens was granted a short window to land a better fit; he found it in Burton, who had never directed a feature but whose horror-comedy short Frankenweenie wowed Reubens. Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton and Jan Hooks rounded out the cast, while composer Danny Elfman marked the first of his many collaborations with Burton.
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure hit theaters Aug. 9, 1985, collected $40 million ($122 million today) and became a cult classic that spawned two sequels, including Netflix’s 2016 film Pee-wee’s Big Holiday from producer Judd Apatow. Reubens also played the character for five seasons of CBS’ Pee-wee’s Playhouse.
Big Adventure endures — the Alamo recently acquired Pee-wee’s bike for display. Daily, who played love interest Dottie, told THR that she frequently exchanges lines with fans: “Guys will tell me, ‘I’m a rebel, Dottie.’ And I’ll ask them to the drive-in.”
This story appeared in the July 30 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
