Pee-Wee’s Playhouse: The Complete Collection
Studio: Image Entertainment
US DVD Release Date: October 19, 2010
Original Broadcast Year: 1986-1991
Rated: Not Rated
Running Time: 1151 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audio: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo)
Subtitles: None
Movie: 3.5 out of 5
After the success of his Los Angeles stage show, The Pee-Wee Herman Show (later recorded for an HBO special) and the Tim Burton directed feature film, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, CBS offered Paul Reubens the chance to bring his iconic, comedic man-child character, Pee-Wee Herman, to the small screen for a weekly Saturday morning children’s show. Reubens took his adult-themed stage show, toned down the innuendos, created some more kid-friendly characters, and amped up the imagination factor with a few life lessons thrown in for good measure to create Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.
The series ran on CBS from 1986 through 1991, producing a total of 45 episodes, as well as a prime-time Christmas special that first aired in 1988. The series would quickly achieve cult status among college students who would watch the show, many creating a drinking game where instead of cheering whenever the weekly “secret word” was mentioned, they would down a shot of liquor. But the real charm of the show was its intoxicating creativity and eye-popping set design and animation, as well as its supporting cast of wacky characters (and, in retrospect, the actors that played them). The late, great Phil Hartman would reprise his stage role as Captain Carl, as would Lynne Marie Stewart as the always beautiful Miss Yvonne and John Paraon as the wish-granting Jambi the Genie. But keep your eyes open for Lawrence Fishburn as Cowboy Curtis, Law & Order’s S. Epatha Merkerson as Reba the Mail Woman, Jimmy Smits as Conky’s repairman, Leslie Jordan as Busby, and Calvert DeForest (better known as Larry “Bud” Melman) as Rusty. Much of the stop-motion animation on the series, including the opening title sequence, was created by a team of animators that included Aardman Animation founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton.
The creativity and imagination of the series would be kicked into high gear with prime time Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special, opening the show with a musical number performed by the USC Men’s Glee Club as the Marines, as well as other numbers performed by Grace Jones (“Little Drummer Boy”), Del Rubio Triplets (“Winter Wonderland”), k.d. lang (“Jingle Bell Rock”), Dinah Shore (“Twelve Days of Christmas”), and Charo (“Feliz Navidad”). Other guest stars included Whoopi Goldberg (being told by Pee-Wee that he did not have room for her in this year’s special), Cher (asking Pee-Wee and Conky what the secret word is), Magic Johnson (who turns out to be Magic Screen’s cousin), Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon (demonstrating how to make your own holiday decorations and cards), as well as Little Richard, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Joan Rivers.
Video: 2.5 out of 5
As with most television series produced in the mid 1980s, to cut costs the show was shot on film but post production was completed on standard definition analog video tape. This gives the shows, particularly the first season, an overall softness with some occasional noise. The image improves somewhat at the beginning of the second season (and continuing through the holiday special and final season), with slightly improved detail and more vibrant colors. The DVDs in this set were originally authored in 2004, but I doubt the evolution of compression technology would have helped make these episodes look any better.
Audio: 3 out of 5
Although the packaging lists the soundtrack for all discs as Dolby Digital Stereo, the series episodes are presented in what sounds like 2.0 mono. When playing back in Pro-Logic mode, the soundtrack was confined to the center channel for the entire series. Encoded at 224kbps, fidelity is very good, free of pops and hiss, and clear dialogue. The holiday special is, however, presented in 2.0 stereo, confining dialogue mostly to the center channel, with music and effects spread out over all channels, free of pops and hiss.
Special Features: 2 out of 5
The only special features on this set occur on the holiday special, consisting of two audio commentaries. The first commentary features Paul Reubens, co-writer John Paragon, animation producer Prudence Fenton, and Miss Yvonne herself, Lynne Marie Stewart. The four discuss making the special on a tight schedule, working with all of the guest stars, and also delve a bit into the making of the series, as well. The second commentary features the puppeteers Alison Mork, Wayne White, Ric Heitzman, Kevin Carlson, George McGrath, and John Paragon. The six discuss the different puppett techniques used throughout the special and series, and how Kevin was often left inside Conky and forgotten.
Overall: 3 out of 5
There is nothing new on these discs, so if you already own the series, this bundle is not for you. Fans who have never purchased any of the series sets will be pleased with the drastically reduced pricing on this 11-disc bundle.
