The Pee-wee Herman Show

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The Pee-wee Herman Show is a stage show that Paul Reubens developed in 1980, 5 years before Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and six years before Pee-wee's Playhouse at the Groundlings theatre. After time, it was moved to the Roxy theatre where the HBO cable network taped one of the shows and aired it in 1981. This show was considered more racy and suggestive than the TV series. But as Reubens has stated, by today's standards, there is not much that could be considered racy.

The roots of that stage show were in 1981 when Reubens was one of 22 finalists to be chosen as a regular on Saturday Night Live (the famous first season of an all-new cast, and one of five seasons without Lorne Michaels as a producer). Reubens lost to actor Gilbert Gottfried and believed that his career was over. According to Reubens, he was about to return home when he came up with the idea of a stage show featuring the character he premiered back in 1977, Pee-wee Herman. That year, the character had made his first appearance to a national (but mostly adult) audience when he made a cameo in Cheech & Chong's Next Movie. So with $3,000 (mostly money wired from his parents), and help from 60 people working for him (including his fellow Groundling Phil Hartman), Reubens created the show.

[edit] Plotline

The Pee-wee Herman Show begins with the same routine that Reubens did as Pee-wee when he premiered the character four years earlier (before he started to tell jokes). Pee-wee appears with a paper bag full of different toys which he shows to the audience.

[edit] 12" vinyl cast recording

Originally released in 1981, a vinyl 12" one-sided hand silk-screened picture disc was released of the performance by Fatima Recordz. The cover features a Gary Panter drawing of Pee-wee.

Silk-screening was done by Richard Duardo but the design of the sleeve and of the album was done by Gary Panter. The paper sleeve states that it was recorded at the Roxy Theater, L.A. June 1981. All music composed and arranged by Jay Condom except as noted.

Tracks Include
1. Pee-wee's Playhouse
2. Good Morning Song (Lyrics Paul Reubens)
3. A Sailor's Life (Music & Lyrics Reubens & Hartmann)
4. Most Beautiful Woman in Puppetland
5. Ballad of Hermit Hattie (Composed Edie McClurg)
6. Rub The Top of Jambi's Box (Lyrics John Paragon)
7. I Gotta Go Be By My Self/ Call Me Ms.Bungle
8. He's Gonna Get His Wish - His Way - Whats He Wants
9. Luckiest Boy In The World (Lyrics Reubens & Bill Steinkellner)
10. Volare Pee-wee (Vocal John Paragon)