Inside Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Untold, Unauthorized, and Unpredictable Story of a Pop Phenomenon [Paperback]

When I was a kid, there were certain shows that I loved as a kid that, unbeknownst to me, were full of inside, adult jokes and double entendres that were quite funny . . . if I had known what they were talking about.

I'm referring to shows like Batman, The Monkees and The Wallace and Ladmo Show that had my parents laughing at comments that I had no clue what they meant.

Fast-forward to the mid-80's. My lovely wife and I are the proud, doting parents of our toddler daughter. One of the Saturday morning TV shows that our daughter adored was Pee-Wee's Playhouse. She delightfully scream "AH-AH-AH-AH!!!" whenever that episode's "secret word" was spoken. (Oh, and the secret word for today is "purchase")

My wife and I started watching the show right along with her and, I can't speak for my wife, but I kinda got the vibe that there was lots of inside jokes in the show but I wasn't hip enough to catch on. I just knew it in my knower. I mean, c'mon! This "man-child" dressed real dweeby - I mean, this kid-man would've been heckled and pounded at the schools I went to. I know because I was and, if I was, the Pee-Wee fella sure as heck would have.

Well, eventually, I bought the "How To Be Hip Enough To Understand Pee-Wee's Playhouse For Dummies" book and became hip to the Hermster's vibe (or however I'm supposed to say it). The more in tune I was, the more hysterical the show was to me.

Movies, toys, and phrases from the show all became part of the jargon of the 80's. All from a quirky comedian whose real name is Paul Reubens and who knew that he was quite the marketing empire guru?

Well, there was lots more to this Pee-Wee Herman phenomena than met my four eyes and author Caseen Gaines spews out all sorts of "secret words" about the behind-the-scenes world of Pee-Wee's Playhouse in his incredibly good book, Inside Pee-Wee's Playhouse: The Untold, Unauthorized and Unpredictable Story of a Pop Phenomena.

Gaines meticulously details the rise and fall of Reubens' alter ego and the show and movies that was built around it. It's hard to imagine that the person who my daughter adored as a child could be a cold and calculating son of a gun. Pee-Wee was also accused to be ruthless in his scheming to allegedly cut some of the show's key creative influences out of credit and compensation for their work. I'll leave that to the readers to decide. I'm still a Pee-Wee fan.

Oh, and Gaines also opens the barn door, so to speak, on the infamous "incident" involving Pee-Wee and his, uh, um, er, "Herman" in 1991 as well as being accused of possessing child pornography in 2002 and the impact these incidents had on his career. Regarding the '91 incident Gaines writes what I'm trying to determine is another inside joke that I'm not hip enough to get: "Toy stores were yanking merchandise off the shelves . . ." I couldn't find any reference to it in my Dummies book, though.

The book is chock full of unpublished photos and never-before-told anecdotes about the show. There is also incredible episode guide that summarizes some of your favorite Playhouse shows.

I mean, seriously, it's pretty cool reading and is a must read for pop culture fans as well as Pee-Wee Herman/Paul Reubens fans. All those reasons and more are certainly why I have the book in my library.

So, why don't put this book on your Christmas list of things to purchase?

AH-AH-AH-AH!!!

Boomerocity.com

A word that always has me worried when it's in a title is "unauthorized." Generally, that means that someone important did not endorse the book. In this case, Paul Reubens, a.k.a. Pee Wee, has not endorsed Caseen Gaines' book. Too bad for him, because this book is well researched and is possibly the closest thing to the truth behind the playhouse that fans will ever read. The book is set chronologically as it follows Reuben's career as a Groundlings theater student to his "indecent" in the 1990s, and ending with Pee Wee's resurrection on Broadway. The book is filled with interviews by former cast members and former managers. The coolest feature is an episode guide to the five seasons of Pee Wee's Playhouse, with each one including a synopsis, trivia, and facts.
I grew up in the time of Pee Wee's popularity, so it was a treat to go back and revisit old friends and learn new things. I found Gains' narration to be unbiased, as he was a fan of the show as well. Some of the interviews may case Reuben in an unpleasing light, but Gaines was thoughtful enough to always include counter arguments to make it fair. The story really focuses on the politics and micromanaging that went on behind the scenes. The book is a great nostalgic trip and will be wonderful for any fan, new or old.

*Originally published for San Francisco/Sacramento Book Review*

Being 25 years old and having been a fan of Pee-wee Herman since I watched Pee-wee's Playhouse and Pee-wee's Big Adventure from my playpen, I can't believe I've went this long without all of this information. Never before have I been able to find so many facts about the birth and resurrection of Pee-wee Herman all in one place than this book. It really shows how many people went into making the Playhouse be the success it was, and without each and every one of these individuals it just wouldn't have been everything it was. A lot of times with many names and titles it's hard to keep track of who's who, but Caseen Gaines writes in such a way that's easy to follow and never makes you look back in the book to see exactly who the person is that he's referring to. Many times a book full of facts can be boring or even make it feel like you're reading a list, but Caseen makes this a very interesting read and really sucks you in. More than a few times I found myself stopping in the middle to say to my girlfriend "oh wow I never knew that....." in reference to something he wrote about the Playhouse (and I had thought myself something of a Pee-wee expert already!).
Especially when referring to the latest run of The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway, it brought me right back to those seats and the curtain waiting to be opened that I sat in front of myself, I love that I now have that experience documented in this book.
The episode guide also has so many interesting fun facts that I never would've been able to find without the help of Caseen.
I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Pee-wee, or been curious of the character at all, it will not disappoint...and I guarantee no matter what level of a Pee-wee fan you are, you will be learning a lot of facts about the process of this show that you never knew before!