Ethel O' Grady
History of Television
December 3, 1996
A Zipper for Pee-Wee Herman:
Leaders in
childrens television are and always have been concerned about what
programs actually make it on the air. Most early programming for children of school
age
in the 1950's was the western program. Another type was the science-fiction thriller
which
tended to be based on hero's from the radio, comics,
and films. However, a favorite of the
youngest audience was the children's equivalent of the
variety show. This usually
contained circus, puppet, and/or animal segments. "Super Circus", which aired in
1949,
consisted of music, circus acts, animals, and of
course, clowns.
In 1952, yet
another type of program came about which reached a very similiar
audience as the circus variety shows. It was called "The Ding Dong
School". The Ding
Dong School offered the conversation, low-key
instruction, commercials, and
entertainment of Miss. Frances, a professional teacher.
With the help
of these types of shows, a new genre was born.
Children's television
which was a mixture of songs, education, fun, and a
whole lot more. In 1969, the first
airing of "Sesame Street" took place. Sesame Street had programs which were
sponsored
by different letters of the alphabet or numbers each
day, and relied on very short,
animated cartoons with live and puppet segments which
kept the interest of preschool
children. The
show was an instant outstanding success, and still broadcasts today.
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In 1970, "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood" was
born. Mr. Fred Roger's used puppets
and music to teach patience and cooperation, while
providing guidance to help children
cope with feelings and frustrations. Mr. Roger's land of makebelieve's handpuppet
characters interacted with humans in the mythical
kingdom of King Friday XIII. There, the
puppets and humans would deal with their feelings and
emotions as they solve typical,
everyday problems.
This new
genre of programming was a sensation.
The children loved it, and the
parents approved of it. During the following years, many new shows
came about which
still fit this genre.
In the year 1986, yet another show was born into childrens
television.
"Pee-Wee's Playhouse". This series, starring host Pee-Wee Herman
(Paul Reubens) used
animation, puppets, and vintage cartoons to entertain
and educate its audience. Between
Pee-Wee Herman and his extraordinary playhouse,
children were given the opportunity to
let their imaginations go crazy.
The
"playhouse" had no permanent residents, that is, besides the
furnishings. Not
ordinary furnishings, you see, Pee-Wee's furnishings could
move, talk, dance, and sing.
These "characters" could be seen at the
playhouse on a regular basis. Some of
the
favorites were:
Globey, a talking globe who would show Pee-Wee the countries that his
pen-pal's letters came from; Magic Screen, a toy of Pee-Wee's that enabled
him to actually
get "inside the screen" and play a life-size
game of connect the dots; Konkie, a
talking
robot which revealed the secret word of the day; and
of course Genie, who granted Pee-
3
Wee one wish a day.
The playhouse
also welcomed a series of visitors during each episode, which
could
also be seen on a regular basis. Some of these favorites included: Rina the mail-lady,
who
came to deliver Pee-Wee's pen-pal letters
everyday; Miss Yvonne, who Pee-Wee
referred
to the most beautiful woman in Puppetland; and of course the King of Cartoons who
brought the "vintage cartoon of the day" to
Pee-Wee.
Besides the
spectacular furnishings and outrageous visitors, the television show
also
had an unusual daily theme. This theme could have been anything from
"a fire in the
playhouse",
"a trip to another planet", or even "Pee-Wee getting
sick". In all of these
situations, Pee-Wee stressed the importance of
friendship, sharing, and just being nice.
One
particular show, "Monster in the Playhouse", was about being in the
dark.
Pee-Wee explains that when your with your friends, the
dark is less spooky. Suddenly
Mrs. Steve, a neighbor of Pee-Wee's, begins panicking
because she thinks there's a monster
on the loose.
Just then, a great monster with one eye and one leg enters the
playhouse.
His name is Roger, and he stays and plays with
Pee-Wee. All of a sudden Roger's mother
is on the picture-phone saying that Roger is late for
dinner. This show ends with Pee-
Wee's elaborate closing: Pee-Wee mounting his scooter with Roger and
giving him a ride
home.
Unfortunately,
Pee-Wee's Playhouse came to an startling end only five years later.
Why? Well, on
July 26, 1991, Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman) was arrested for indecent
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exposure in a porno-theater. This incident both shocked and worried the
leaders of
children's television programming due to the morals,
ethics, and values of the society
during that time.
Questions flooded the minds of parents, teachers, and officials. People
began to fear that Pee-Wee was perhaps a poor
role-model for their youngsters.
The real
question is this: Should Pee-Wee's
behavior have been such a shock to
society? Lets
look a little deeper into Pee-Wee's Playhouse.
This children's television
show
was actually a refined version of Paul Reuben's
nightclub act: "The Pee-Wee Herman
Show". It
is difficult to imagine that anyone who had seen his nightclub act, actually
agreed to run Pee-Wee's Playhouse during Saturday
morning, children's programming.
The Pee-Wee
Herman Show can best be described as an adult version of Pee-
Wee's Playhouse.
Paul Reubens played the part of Pee-Wee Herman, a boy who acts out
his infantile sexuality by "playing doctor"
with the ladies and looking up women's skirts.
Numerous accounts of sexual innuendo's are made by
Pee-Wee during the entire show.
I don't think
Pee-Wee Herman ever gave the impression that he was a "Mr. Rogers-
Captain Kangeroo" kind of role model for
children. Pee-Wee was who he was: a
creative
comedian who had a clever way of looking at life
through the eyes of a child. Whether he
was a disgusting pervert or just plain human, his
television show and movies were a huge
success.
Though no
longer in syndication, Pee-Wee's Playhouse's fire still continues to burn.
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There is now a collection of video tapes available
which allow Pee-Wee to be where he
belongs: in the
center of family room's across the country.
Long live Pee-Wee Herman!
----------------------------------------------------
Works Cited:
Textbook:
Christopher
Sterling & John Kittros. Stay
Tuned: A Concise History of American
Broadcasting (Revised Edition). (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1990)
The Museum of Television and Radio (NYC):
1. Pee-Wee's
Playhouse: A Fire in the Playhouse
2. Mr. Rogers
Neighborhood: Superhero's
3. Before They
Were Stars III (TV)
4. Comic
Relief, pt. 2 of 5 (1986)
5. Television,
pt 8: The Promise of Television
6. Andrew Dice
Clay: For Ladies Only
7. The
Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years
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