# RIP Paul Reubens {July 30,2023} **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [July 31, 2023, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880 "2023-07-31T17:11:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2023, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/121 "2023-08-02T19:06:00Z")
Yup. He was credited as Paul Mall. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2023, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/122 "2023-08-02T23:00:01Z")
Ok, I was today years old when I learned this. But I can still hear the voice and how I never put that together is beyond me. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/123 "2023-08-03T00:19:00Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > Reubens could have gotten married, or had a string of girlfriends, or a string of boyfriends, or whatever he wanted to do. But I don’t think that he ever had a partner. Something would have come out. Google tells me that he had a relationship with Debbie Mazer, but she has described it as dating without sex. And he apparently pretended to marry Chandi Heffner. So who knows? > **[What We Know About Paul Reubens' Complicated Dating History - Nicki Swift](https://www.nickiswift.com/1353826/paul-reubens-complicated-dating-history/)** > > Paul Reubens had a complex life, but his dating history was a bit of a mystery. Here's what we know about the reported leading ladies in his life. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/124 "2023-08-03T06:17:47Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Google tells me that he had a relationship with Debbie Mazer Wow, you spelled both her names wrong. Impressive! > **[Debi Mazar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debi_Mazar)** > > Deborah Anne Mazar Corcos (/ˈmeɪzɑːr/; born August 13, 1964) is an American actress and television personality who plays sharp-tongued women. She began her career with supporting roles in Goodfellas (1990), Little Man Tate (1991) and Singles (1992), followed by lead roles on the legal drama series Civil Wars and L.A. Law. She portrayed press agent Shauna Roberts on the HBO series Entourage. She also starred as Maggie Amato on TV Land's longest running original series, Younger, and alongside he ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2023, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/125 "2023-08-03T23:56:48Z")
Especially considering the only reason he was there was because he was visiting his parents and was just getting out of the house. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/126 "2023-08-04T00:32:56Z")
LOL. Because that’s where everyone goes when they’re just getting out of the house. ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/127 "2023-08-04T00:38:25Z")
It’s about as “un-mom and dad” as it gets. [Avoids this situation](https://youtu.be/b1QAsPLNDVc) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/128 "2023-08-04T00:38:32Z")
> [@caligulathegod](#): > > Especially considering the only reason he was there was because he was visiting his parents and was just getting out of the house. I read a piece about him, maybe in The New Yorker(?), that said the same thing. You’re stuck visiting your aging 'rents in Florida, and you want to get out and attend to your own needs. Where else are you going to go? Had he gone to a strip club, nobody would have batted an eye. ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/129 "2023-08-04T00:54:31Z")
I’d like to add something positive. I’ve often bemoaned that no one would ever dropped the incident 20, 30 years later and I made my first joking reference to it. I found this a while back. It’s his first appearance and is probably the purest example of the concept behind the character. He was supposed to be a new stand-up comedian and wasn’t that good at it yet. This is the only video I’ve seen of it that actually references it yet. [Pee wee’s first TV appearance.](https://youtu.be/2YRJEN5OsP4) ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/130 "2023-08-04T00:55:34Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > LOL. Because that’s where everyone goes when they’re just getting out of the house So, if you visited a strip club, it would be fair for others to infer that strip clubs were the extent of your sex life? Or does this logic only apply to movie theaters? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/131 "2023-08-04T01:23:14Z")
[Here’s a delightful interview](https://youtu.be/ABf8WRyME5Q). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/132 "2023-08-04T02:02:32Z")
> [@caligulathegod](#): > > This is the only video I’ve seen of it that actually references it yet. > > [Pee wee’s first TV appearance.](https://youtu.be/2YRJEN5OsP4) Part of that did not age well. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/133 "2023-08-04T03:29:32Z")
“Peanut gallery” is an old theatrical term for the cheapest seats in the highest balcony. _Howdy Doody_ definitely employed it (I know; I was there). I can’t say which of the two TV shows used it first. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/134 "2023-08-04T03:33:24Z")
On Wednesday, the _NY Times_ had a brief article on the Pinky Lee connection. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2023, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/135 "2023-08-04T13:36:46Z")
I was lucky enough to see Rubens before his Pee-Wee character was fully developed. He was an improv actor at the Goundlings on Melrose in Los Angeles. He was part of the regular cast, not as Pee-Wee, but just another improv cast member for the first half of a show. Then the second half was devoted to Pee-Wee entirely. He obviously had improv talent, whether in or out of special costume! ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2023, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/136 "2023-08-06T19:45:21Z")
I saw both that his toy dog was named “Speck” which was his dog’s name in _Big Adventure_, and the beginning of what became the Tequila dance. Amazing! ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/137 "2023-08-07T03:18:19Z")
And this is so early, he still has the black bow tie. He’s pretty much fully formed already. I love how he gets impatient with the audience for laughing. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/138 "2023-08-07T04:25:04Z")
Never a big fan of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse…heart in the right place but just too sophomoric for my tastes…but his run as the snippy Andrew J Lansing III on Murphy Brown was really good. Seeing the man seamlessly transform from an awkward overgrown boy to a corporate shill with a vindictive streak a mile wide was eye-opening. Really showed just how good an actor he was. Aw, heck, MAYBE I’ll pick up Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/139 "2023-08-07T06:01:57Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > Aw, heck, MAYBE I’ll pick up Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Maybe. I don’t think I ever watched an episode of \*Pee-Wee’s Playhouse". I did see _Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure_, once, on VHS, when it first came out. I decided to retry it this past week. It was okay, I guess. _Big Top Pee-Wee_ wasn’t, though. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880/140 "2023-08-07T11:10:33Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > his toy dog was named “Speck” which was his dog’s name in _Big Adventure_ I found a tiny stray dog years ago. My gf’s coworker ended up taking the dog, who I’d been calling “Speck” and they kept the name. Years later she asked if I’d named the dog after PeeWee’s dog. I told her no, I’d named him after Richard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-paul-reubens-july-30-2023/987880.md?page=8)