I Know You Are, But What Is He? Five Fun Facts About Pee-wee Herman’s Paul Reubens

As Pee-wee Herman (a.k.a. comedian Paul Reubens) readies for his big Broadway bow in The Pee-wee Herman Show, the gray-suited, red-bow-tied Emmy-winning Playhouse host has been looking back at the roots of his career and signature character in a series of interviews. We took a look and pulled out five revealing facts about Reubens and his alter ego. Enjoy, then get tickets to see Pee-wee at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, beginning October 28.

Mr. Saturday Night?
While TV viewers know Reubens' affinity for shouting out the various “words of the day,” at one time he was almost yelling a different memorable line: “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” Earlier in his career Reubens auditioned to join the show when the original cast members began to depart. “The producers were pulling me aside, going, ‘You should get an apartment right away, you're definitely in,'" Reubens recently told Paper Magazine. “And I didn't get it. I left there so devastated and freaked out that I was going to go from an up-and-comer to a never-been.”

The Origins of Pee-wee
After returning to Los Angeles, Reubens began work on producing The Pee-wee Herman Show for the improv comedy group The Groundlings. The character's voice came while Reubens acted in a production of Life with Father in Florida. “After three months [with the show] I had this cartoon voice,” he told The New Yorker. “It was further proof I was a bad actor.” Groundlings founder Gary Austin gave Reubens the character's gray suit, while Herman’s infectious tequila dance came from a dirty joke told by Reubens' father. “The joke was something you put one thumb in your [Reubens points at his backside] and one in your mouth, and then you switch.” Pee-wee’s genie best friend, Jambi, was named after a favorite sandwich shop on Hollywood Boulevard!

You Like Me, You Really Like Me
“I was so busy the entire time I did it back in the eighties that I never really got any real feedback," Reubens told Paper of the show’s return to Los Angeles before its Broadway run. "Now, 25 or however many years it's been later, the feedback I get from people—it's leveling. It's literally sobering. I can't even talk about it without getting emotional. It turns out, people love me, and I didn't know that. I didn't feel that ever before.”

They Got the Wrong Guy
In 1991 Reubens found himself in a media scandal after being arrested and accused of public indecency. “It was really sad to me that there was any kind of tarnish on Pee-wee Herman," he told Paper. "Me? Put whatever tarnish you want on me. But the headlines all over the world were like, 'Pee-wee Herman Arrested.' Pee-wee Herman wasn't arrested; I was arrested." Reubens pleaded no contest to the charges and subsequent charges of possession of child pornography were dropped.

Pee-wee's Next Big Screen Adventure
In the wake of Pee-wee's successful return to the stage, Reubens is planning his next move: a brand-new big-screen film featuring his signature character. Producer/director Judd Apatow (The 40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny People) is developing the film, inspired by his wife Leslie Mann's enthusiastic reaction to the stage show. "I'd love to make one more Pee-wee movie," Reubens told Paper, adding slyly, "Or two or three."