What to Stream: Beyond Pee-wee Herman, Paul Reubens has other memorable roles
The actor and comedian Paul Reubens died on Monday, after a long, private battle with cancer. Best known for his character Pee-wee Herman, whom he developed at the Groundlings Theater in Los Angeles in the late 1970s, the mischievous and gleeful Pee-wee was a massive cultural figure in the 1980s, thanks to his HBO comedy variety show “The Pee-wee Herman Show,” the children’s show “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” and two feature films, “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and “Big-Top Pee-wee.”
By all accounts an incredibly kind and nice person, many people shared their unique memories and personal experiences of Reubens Monday on social media, including David Hasselhoff, who revealed that he and Reubens were roommates at CalArts (a fun bit of trivia to keep in mind). Many also shared the ways that Pee-wee Herman shaped their senses of humor and approaches to comedy and creativity, having watched the delightfully wacky and anarchic “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” as kids. One of the best ways to remember Reubens is through his performances, both as Pee-wee and in other memorable roles. Here’s where to find the best of his work on streaming.
Of course, start with “The Pee-wee Herman Show” (1981), streaming on Max, and then progress to “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” (1985), directed by fellow CalArts alum Tim Burton, and following Pee-wee’s journey to repossess his bike, which he believes is in the basement of the Alamo. Rent it on all streaming services.
“Pee-wee’s Playhouse” (1986) is only available to buy on iTunes and Amazon, but you can stream it on Hoopla as well. Keep an eye out for guest stars like Lawrence Fishburne, S. Epatha Merkerson and Reubens’ pal Phil Hartman, a fellow Groundling, who helped him develop the Pee-wee character. The 1988 film “Big Top Pee-wee” directed by Randal Kleiser wasn’t as big of a hit as “Adventure,” but it pays tribute to his childhood love of the circus that he developed as a kid in Sarasota, Florida, growing up near the Ringling Brothers circus. Stream it on Prime Video or rent elsewhere.
In the 1990s, Reubens stepped away from Pee-wee, though he made a triumphant return as the character in 2016 for the holiday special “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday” on Netflix.
He reunited with his “Adventure” director Burton for a brief, wordless appearance in “Batman Returns” (1992), as Tucker Cobblepot, the Penguin’s father (stream it on Max), and he also has a memorable turn as one of the vampires Buffy slayed in the original “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” movie, directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui, and starring Kristy Swanson. Reubens’ death scene is an all-timer. Stream it on Max. In 1999, he co-starred as Spleen in the superhero comedy “Mystery Men,” now streaming on Peacock, and in 2001, he co-starred opposite Johnny Depp in Ted Demme’s cocaine-trafficking epic, “Blow,” streaming on Tubi or available to rent.
You can put together a fun marathon of Reubens’ best comedy guest star appearances too. He memorably guest-starred in the first season of “30 Rock” (Episode 12, “Black Tie,” streaming on Hulu) as the inbred Prince Gerhardt, the last of the Habsburgs, who romances Jenna Maroney at a benefit. He also popped up a couple of times in the project of fellow Groundlings alumni, “Reno 911!” In this “C.O.P.S.” spoof, Reubens plays a citizen investigator, Rick, who keeps foiling the sheriff’s department at every murder scene, in Season 4, Episode 4, “Rick’s On It.” He also cameos in the movie “Reno 911! Miami” as Sir Terrence, the father of Reno sheriff’s office bugaboo Terry (Nick Swardson). Stream “Reno 911!” on Paramount+ and “Reno 911! Miami” on Starz. Finally, he reprised his memorable “Buffy” role on the vampire sitcom “What We Do In the Shadows,” alongside several other famous vampires from movies and TV for a vampire tribunal in Season 1, Episode 7, “The Trial,” streaming on Hulu.