The character of Pee-Wee Herman underwent a great deal of change in his first decade of existence. Conceived by the late Paul Reubens and his friend and fellow Groundling Phil Hartman, the character was originally a bad stand-up comic who was also rather surly (this iteration of the character can be seen in 1980's Cheech and Chong's Next Movie, where you can hear Reubens, in his Pee-Wee voice, yell "fucking assholes" while being arrested). By 1981, Reubens had decided to soften the character considerably and turn him into an overenthusiastic overgrown kid, as seen in the stage show that was taped and aired that year on HBO. That iteration was considerably less vulgar than the Cheech and Chong version, but still engaged in numerous double entendres and, at one point, "hypnotized" a woman into taking off her dress. After the surprise success of 1985's Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Reubens accepted CBS's offer to produce and star in a live-action Saturday morning series, based heavily on the stage show (though without the double entendres or stripping women, of course).
Pee-Wee's Playhouse turned out to be a surreal and wild breath of fresh air when it arrived in the fall of 1986, an era when Saturday mornings were still dominated by the Smurfs and the latest variation of Scooby-Doo. Clever, weird, and educational, it would win 15 Emmys during its five-year run (alas, never for Outstanding Children's Program, nor for writing or directing, nor for Reubens's performance). The show was so popular that in 1988, CBS commissioned an hour-long primetime Christmas episode.
In many ways, Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special is very much like a regular, Saturday morning episode of the show. The various regulars (including future stars Laurence Fishburne and S. Epatha Merkerson) stop by, there's a secret word, Jambi grants a wish, there are segments involving the magic screen and a Penny short, and so on. On the other hand, it is very much a Christmas special, with a huge number of special guest stars, who in classic Christmas special fashion, drop by for a couple of minutes at the most.
The guests are a mixture of then-current major celebrities, such as Oprah Winfrey and Magic Johnson, and older icons, like Charo and Dinah Shore. The only ones to stay for more than one segment was Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, who appeared several times during the second half (Shore also appeared more than once, as part of a running gag in which she sang multiple verses of "The Twelve Days of Christmas". The special's biggest get, Cher, at the time less than a year removed from her Oscar win, was a complete surprise, not being even teased in the list of guest stars at the beginning of the special.
The plot, such as it is, has Pee Wee slowly but surely learning throughout the special that Christmas is not about getting but about giving, despite his hundreds-pages-long letter to Santa. Of course he might have learned that lesson earlier as each and every one of his friends, in another running gag, gift him with a fruitcake for Christmas, much to his chagrin. Along the way, we discover that Pee-Wee's friend Mrs. Rene (Suzanne Kent) is Jewish, as are the dinosaurs living in the walls, which makes sense, given that they're prehistoric and all (Reubens himself was also Jewish).
In all honesty, cut out the celebrity cameos, and this could have easily fit on Saturday morning. That pretty much makes Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special, like the actual show, an acquired taste. Even though I do like the show, I can understand how a little bit of it goes a long way. Still, I was constantly entertained and never bored by the show. If you want to see a holiday episode of one of the weirdest, most original shows to ever grace kids TV, this is a pretty good one to choose.
Next time: If your special is stuck premiering on Christmas Eve, might as well have a couple of powerhouse performers with you.
No comments:
Post a Comment