I’ve not seen that one; only the other two.
I never got the hoopla about him in the theatre. I mean, I was somewhat younger at the time, but don’t people just do that in adult theaters? I’ve never been to one, so perhaps I misunderstand. I’ve always assumed there was a lot of masturbating going on in that environment. I’ve been to adult video stores and the “preview” rooms I’ve seen have Kleenex in them, so I’ve also always assumed one has a tug in there, too. Maybe I just don’t understand the world.
Yes, but it wasn’t legal. Sometimes the police had nothing better to do than to harass the patrons.
I loved Pee-wee’s Playhouse, and was seriously bummed when it was suddenly taken off the air. As I mentioned in the Death Pool thread, I was young enough that I didn’t understand what he had done; my parents explained it as “he took his pants off in public.”
I’m really enjoying all the stories people are telling about Paul though; I hadn’t followed his later career, and it sounds like he was really a great guy. RIP, Paul.
Honestly, that was mostly it. If his pants were still on, I don’t think he would have been charged.
The difference between a theater and a private booth is that you can offer the person sitting next to you some popcorn from the bucket in your lap.
“Why, that’s not popcorn!” 
“Nope. And that ain’t butter, neither.” 
There is one, you know. It’s just not period. I saw it on the Smithsonian Channel.
Kind of a letdown, really. I was expecting more Living History, not office space!
Pinky Lee was still recognizable as an adult man, though.
I’m not really sure what to say about the presentation of Reubens/Pee Wee Herman. From what I have read about his personal life, he had a couple of public girlfriends, but again with the descriptions there I expect he never expressed his sexuality physically with another person.
Obviously he had desires. It’s just interesting that the real Reubens probably played a lot into his presentations as an actor (as well as to a degree some of the scuzzy characters he played when not in Pee Wee Herman mode.)
I think he was just private about stuff. The movie theater incident was embarrassing, but he never really revealed much about his private life.
A post I could have written. When his arrest was splashed all over the news, I barely knew who he was, but the whole thing felt, as puzzlegal says, “unfair and arbitrary.” Not to mention bigoted against gay people.
That was well before “Me Too” and a lot of genuinely loathsome behaviors came to light, like Bill Cosby drugging women for sex, or Louis CK masturbating in front of powerless women, or Harvey Weinstein requiring sexual favors in exchange for acting opportunities. Harmlessly masturbating in a theatre is nothing like those behaviors. I am happy that Paul Reubens was at least partly able to restore his career afterward.
Fred Rogers was married for more than 50 years. 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. The movie theaters etc. were his sex life.
“Weatherbird shoes for boys and also for girls.” That’s quite the catchy slogan.
And now we can definitively say it’s over.
“Paging Mr. Herman, Mr. Herman you have a telephone call at the front desk”
I don’t think that can be determined based on a single incident. That’s pure speculation.
[hijack] One of the great things about the “Me Too” movement was the realization that the “humor” involved in the “casting couch” wasn’t funny at all. Why did it take that long? I was always uncomfortable with the song from The Producers (musical) “I Want to Be a Producer”, and it took Me Too for my brain to click. I thought it was because the whole thing was out of character for Leo; no, it wasn’t funny to begin with. [/hijack]
OK, back on track. You’re absolutely correct - truly awful things have been known about a number of entertainment moguls, and they kept going. Paul Rubens has one personal event, and the world goes ape-shit. I suppose part of it is because he was known as a children’s entertainer, but it’s not like it was kiddy porn.
His public sex life was unfortunately a matter of interest, but only to the type of minds I won’t categorize at the moment. His private sex life was and still is not our business at all, so nothing to determine or speculate about at all.
I have a Pinky Lee suit (kid’s size, I think it’s supposed to be pajamas)!
I offered to give it to Paul via my sister. He said no thanks, he had enough junk in his house already.
A lot of neat tributes and facts in here. I watched Playhouse as a kid and it’s definitely part of my childhood. But, to this Flight of the Navigator fan, Paul Reubens is, and will always be, MAX.
Wow, I had no idea he voiced Max…