Big Top Pee-wee—and BJ’s Circus Career!
BOOTLEG COMICS • A little movie history with BJ
Pee-wee Herman
Mace Montana
Winnie
Director
Portraits from different years, rather than film stills.
Well, folks, my circus interview is over. Apparently, holding a coffee cup does not qualify as a balancing act. And if they want me to wear those clown shoes, somebody had better explain the pension plan!
Our comic borrows its circus setting from Big Top Pee-wee, released July 22, 1988. After the success of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure in 1985, Paul Reubens returned with another feature built around his bow-tied character. This time, Paramount released the picture, with Reubens and George McGrath writing the screenplay and Reubens producing alongside Debra Hill.
Instead of searching for a stolen bicycle, Pee-wee lives on a fantastical farm, conducts botanical experiments, and shares his world with a talking pig named Vance. A storm deposits a traveling circus on his property. That brings performers, animals, and romantic complications involving his fiancée Winnie and trapeze artist Gina. I complain when leaves blow into my yard. Imagine finding an entire circus!
Paul Reubens plays Pee-wee, Kris Kristofferson plays circus boss Mace Montana, Penelope Ann Miller is Winnie, and Valeria Golino is Gina. Director Randal Kleiser already had Grease and Flight of the Navigator behind him. Danny Elfman supplies the music. Paramount lists the PG comedy at approximately 85 minutes.
Three things you might not know
1. One kiss needed a serious trim.
The American Film Institute reports that an early version of Pee-wee and Gina’s screen kiss lasted more than three minutes. Audience and exhibitor discomfort led to it being shortened to about ninety seconds. That is still a long time to leave your coffee unattended!
2. The little town was a big construction job.
The production built an entire town set at Disney’s Golden Oak Ranch in Newhall, California. Filming ran from January 4 through March 10, 1988, with Antelope Valley also used. Those storybook surroundings took real carpentry and planning, even when the comedy made everything look delightfully ridiculous.
3. Gina’s “introducing” credit meant something.
Golino had already acted in European films, but AFI identifies this as her American film debut. Her trapeze artist helped introduce her to American movie audiences. A circus romance was quite an unusual calling card!
For me, this is a chance to enjoy Pee-wee’s peculiar world and its playful nonsense. Now settle in for the movie. I’ll stay on the ground with my coffee—and let somebody with better insurance handle the trapeze.
—BJ
Movie history sources and picture credits
American Film Institute: history, filming and three facts
Paramount: synopsis, cast, crew and running time
Directors Guild: Kleiser’s career
Paul Reubens: Photo: Gage Skidmore • CC BY-SA 3.0.
Kris Kristofferson: 1978 publicity portrait • Magna Artists.
Penelope Ann Miller: Photo: MingleMediaTVNetwork • CC BY-SA 2.0.
Randal Kleiser: Portrait: Directors Guild of America.
CC BY-SA 3.0 • CC BY-SA 2.0. Portraits resized, not cropped.
Read Old School's introduction
Clip source
Big Top Pee-wee — full movie on Internet Archive. Watch free while available. This movie is not presented as public domain.
No comments:
Post a Comment