Television Review: Pee-wee's Playhouse
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that Pee-wee often behaves
disagreeably. He is greedy (when friends come over with
presents, he tells them to "fork it over!") and often rude to
those who visit his playhouse. Some of the show's humor is a
bit subversive, but that part will probably go right over most
kids' head.
Families can talk about whether Pee-wee's behavior is suitable.
Is he a role model for kids? Should he be? How could kids
approach a situation differently, and why shouldn't they
emulate his rudeness?
In PEE-WEE'S PLAYHOUSE, star Paul Reubens pulled off a kind of Bugs Bunny trick -- he entertained the kiddies while giving grownups something to smirk at. The magic of Playhouse was its dual audience: Children noticed only the show's imaginative whimsy, while adults warmed to the sly subversiveness of many of the characters and situations. Mixing live animation, puppetry, animation, and vintage cartoons, the show centers around Pee-wee (Reubens), a smirking man-boy who lives in a playhouse that's equipped with a bewildering variety of toys and gadgets (such as Chairry, the talking chair, voiced by Alison Mork) and visited by a variety of Pee-wee's oddball friends, which include now-well-known actors like Laurence Fishburne playing Cowboy Curtis, or Law & Order's S. Epatha Merkerson as Reba the Mail Lady.
Most of the Playhouse gags still seem amazingly innovative when compared to the stale Saturday morning shoot-outs available on the networks today -- Pee-wee's cooking segments are particularly choice, as are any interactions with Jambi the Genie (John Paragon). Parents will still giggle over Pee-wee's double entendres while wee ones will lap up all the weirdness -- this is one Playhouse where everyone can frolic.
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