The Associated Press is reporting that actor Paul Reubens — best known for the character Pee-wee Herman — is in legal trouble again, this time relating to a charge of possessing child pornography. I have only the most casual acquaintance with the guy and know nothing about his sexual interests, past or present, that hasn't been in the newspapers. Still, it struck me that his 1991 arrest (for indecent exposure) was a bit of a raw deal. Whipping it out in an adult theater during a porn movie? I haven't been in one of those places in a couple of decades but I have a hunch that such behavior is not unprecedented and that other patrons are not overly offended. The crime, alas, lent itself to so many jokes that it got more attention than it deserved.
In any case, I think his career history is getting a bum rap here. The AP story linked above contains the following line…
After Reubens' 1991 plea, his children's show was canceled and his star faded, but he has played supporting roles in the films "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Blow."
Not exactly accurate. Almost a year before the arrest, Reubens and CBS had mutually agreed the time had come to close down Pee-wee's Playhouse. At the time of the incident in the theater, its last episode had already had several airings and Reubens had pretty much abandoned the character, as was evident to anyone who saw the mug shot. He had long hair and a beard, and had obviously not played the crewcut, clean-shaven Pee-wee in months. The "scandal" caused advertisers to pull out of the last few scheduled reruns, so CBS dropped them. Instead of all the episodes of the final season having the customary three reruns, a few had only two. Implying that the show was canceled because of the bust is therefore, at the very least, misleading. (A friend of mine who has worked with him maintains that the failure of Reubens' second movie — Big Top Pee-wee — did a lot more to kill off Mr. Herman and Paul's movie career than the arrest.)
Actually, in terms of employment, he hasn't done as badly as the above line would indicate, especially considering that he no longer plays the character that made him a star. Beyond the jobs mentioned in the AP story, he also had nice parts in Batman Returns, Mystery Men, a number of other movies and a recurring role on the TV show, Murphy Brown. For whatever it's worth, the industry buzz is that Reubens is occupied with his own projects and has turned down a lot of offers.
But I guess it makes a better story to say that the kids' show host got busted, his show got axed and his career hit the skids. This new arrest may actually make him unemployable but, considering what some other stars have gotten away with, I wouldn't bet on that.