Pee Wee’s Big Adventure – IAMNOTASTALKER

December 11, 2019December 10, 2019

Pee-wee’s House from “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure”

The internet lit up this week with news that actor Paul Reubens is embarking upon a 20-city 35th Anniversary Tour celebrating Pee-wee’s Big Adventure starting next February. Coincidentally, the house where Reubens’ titular character, Pee-wee Herman, lived in the 1985 comedy has long been on my list of To-Blog Christmas locales. And no, I haven’t completely lost it – I am well aware that the film is in no way holiday-related. But a few years ago, my friend Lavonna suggested I include the abode in my Yuletide postings since it is completely decked out with all sorts of seasonal décor in the movie, including multi-colored lights strung along the roofline, Santa in his sleigh with all eight reindeer perched atop the rafters, a light-up Frosty the Snowman in the backyard, and another large Santa positioned along the picket fence. I ran out to stalk the place shortly after Lavonna’s suggestion (way back in 2014!), but somehow never got around to writing about it. Then when I heard about the tour yesterday, I figured it was the perfect spot to kick off my holiday postings for 2019! So here goes!

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Like so many famous movie houses, Pee-wee’s pad is located on a leafy street in South Pasadena. In person, the dwelling is much plainer than it appeared onscreen, for obvious reasons.

Even without all of Pee-wee’s eccentric accoutrements and yard art, though, and despite the passage of almost 35 years, the place is still incredibly recognizable!

Pee-wee’s rickety detached garage, located at the end of his driveway, remains completely unchanged from its cameo, aside from a missing sconce. And I was thrilled that a white picket fence still lines the property, even though it is slightly different today, boasting a curvature that its movie counterpart did not. The mailbox, though much less colorful than what appeared onscreen, remains in the exact same positioning along the fence, as well!

The residence’s actual backyard also appears briefly in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, though again with a myriad of embellishments.

The Herman pad’s chaotically whimsical interior was, obviously, just a set. While I was unable to track down any photos showing what the inside of the home actually looks like, I can pretty much guarantee there is no fireman’s pole to be found!

In real life, the property, which was built in 1922, boasts 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, 1,298 square feet of living space, a fireplace, and 0.15 acres of land.

Incredibly, per Redfin, the house, which was not used for any of the Pee-wee Herman sequels, last sold on September 13th, 1974 for $15,500! The website measures its current value at $1,005,925! Not a bad ROI!

Big THANK YOU to my friend Lavonna for suggesting I stalk this locale and include it in my Christmas postings!

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Pee-wee Herman’s house from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure is located at 1848 Oxley Street in South Pasadena. Many famous movie locations can be found on Oxley, including Laurie Strode’s (Jamie Lee Curtis) home from Halloween at 1115 Oxley, the Cooper residence from Forever Young at 1724 Oxley, and South Pasadena Public Library from Say Anything . . . at 1100 Oxley. Kaldi Coffee and Tea, another frequent film star, is right around the corner from the library at 1019 El Centro Street.

May 3, 2019May 2, 2019

Disney’s Grand Central Air Terminal

I am one of the few people lamenting the upcoming opening of Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Though renderings certainly look cool (it is Disney, after all!), I fear the massive crowds the new 14-acre land is expected to draw are going to ruin the park. The Happiest Place on Earth is crowded enough! The powers that be majorly blundered on this one, IMHO. Galaxy’s Edge should have been its own park, a la California Adventure, leaving DL a separate entity for purists like myself. One thing The Walt Disney Company did get right recently? The restoration of Glendale’s historic Grand Central Air Terminal. The former airport/prolific film star, now part of Imagineering’s Grand Central Creative Campus, had been sitting boarded-up and vacant for years, as I chronicled in both a 2012 blog post and a 2015 Los Angeles magazine article. When my friend/fellow stalker John informed me that it was finally ready for its close-up once again following a painstaking renovation, I knew I had to get back out there to document its new look.

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Though I covered the history of Grand Central Air Terminal in both my previous articles, I figured a recap was in order here. The land where GCAT is now situated was originally part of what was to be Glendale Municipal Airport, a plan that never really, ahem, got off the ground. In 1928, investors bought the site (which at the time basically consisted of a hangar and a 1,200-foot runway that private pilots had been using since 1923) and began a major overhaul to transform it into a modern commercial airport.

Architect Henry L. Gogerty was brought in to design the main terminal building. His creation combined Spanish Colonial Revival, Art Deco and Zigzag Moderne styles.

The interior boasted such modern amenities as a coffee shop, a checkroom, a spacious waiting area, and, after Prohibition ended, a bar. You can check out what the inside looked like in these historic images, though I am unsure of when exactly they were taken.

Grand Central Air Terminal opened to the public on February 22nd, 1929 and quickly cemented itself as Los Angeles’ main airport. Its tenure didn’t last long, though.

During WWII, the site was transformed into a military base and its runway extended to accommodate large P-38 fighters. The move would have been crucial to GCAT’s survival, but when the war ended, the city demanded the runway be returned to its previous length, which was too short for modern jets, essentially rendering the facility obsolete. Commercial air travel migrated to the larger Hollywood Burbank Airport and Los Angeles International Airport and GCAT was finally shuttered in 1959. Its runway was subsequently removed, as were several ancillary buildings, but the terminal was left intact and transformed into offices. Walt Disney Imagineering leased much of the space in 1961 before purchasing it in its entirety in 1997. Following the acquisition, plans were announced to redevelop the former airport into a 125-acre creative campus featuring 3.6-million-square-feet of offices, production space, and soundstages. Local citizens balked at the idea, though, and plans were stalled, leaving the once grand terminal building boarded-up and vacant. I visited the locale in May 2012 and found it looking like this.

In 2013, the city finally approved a new renovation plan and Disney got to work. The revamped Grand Central Air Terminal, which consists of a visitor center, event space and offices, was completed in late 2015. As you can see, the finished product is phenomenal! What a difference!

Unfortunately, the property is not open to the public, but tours are offered monthly. You can find out more information on visiting GCAT here and you can check out some post-renovation interior photos on the Disney Tourist Blog here.

Considering its proximity to Tinseltown and its gorgeous architecture, it is no surprise that location scouts came a-knocking on Grand Central’s doors from the beginning. The place was such an onscreen stalwart in the ‘30s and ‘40s, in fact, that for those partial to Old Hollywood, it should be deemed a must-see.

Grand Central Air Terminal pops up at the beginning of the 1933 drama Air Hostess.

Thomas (Walter Johnson) and Shirley Blake (Shirley Temple) pick Adele Martin (Judith Allen) up there in 1934’s Bright Eyes. (Off subject, but could Shirley Temple have been more of a doll?!? Talk about adorable!)

Rosero (Luis Alberni) lands at GCAT, said to be in Texas, in the 1936 comedy Hats Off.

Ronny Bowers (Dick Powell) also lands there in 1937’s Hollywood Hotel.

That same year, GCAT portrayed the Le Bourget Airport in Stolen Holiday.

Thanks to fellow stalker Constant who commented on my 2012 post, I learned that the terminal also appeared in the 1939 thriller Five Came Back.

I am unsure if the interior shown in the movie was Grand Central’s actual interior or a set, but portions of it do seem to match these images.

GCAT very briefly masked as Transatlantic Airway’s London Terminal in 1943’s Sherlock Holmes in Washington.

Grand Central has appeared in more recent productions, as well. In the 1985 comedy My Science Project, it portrayed the Carson Police Department.

That same year, in arguably its most famous role, the terminal popped up as the Texas bus station where Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens) ran into Simone (Diane Salinger), who was finally on her way to Paris, in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.

GCAT also played a bus station in the Season 6 episode of Simon & Simon titled “Ancient Echoes,” which aired in 1987.

And in 2004’s The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, the terminal served as the inspiration for Genovia International Airport, which was actually just a backdrop. For whatever reason, the orientation of the building was flipped for the scene. You can check out a photo that shows a matching (but non-flipped) angle of Grand Central for comparison here.

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Big THANK YOU to fellow stalker John for letting me know the renovation of this location was complete!

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Disney’s Grand Central Air Terminal is located at 1310 Air Way in Glendale. You can find out more information about tours of the property here.

September 12, 2011September 11, 2011

The Cabazon Dinosaurs from “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure”

On our way out to visit my parents in Palm Springs two weekends ago, the Grim Cheaper and I made a little stalking stop at the Cabazon Dinosaurs – the two legendary roadside sculptures located just outside of Palm Springs which were featured in the 1985 movie Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, among countless other productions. And even though I had passed by the humongous prehistoric creatures countless times on my way too and from the Coachella Valley, for whatever reason, I had never thought to stalk them until just recently.

The infamous Cabazon Dinosaurs were originally designed by a Knott’s Berry Farm portrait artist/sculptor named Claude Bell who was looking for a way to attract diners to the Wheel Inn, his roadside restaurant which opened in 1958. He had visited Lucy the Elephant while growing up in Atlantic City and the image of the six-story tin elephant had stuck with him.

So in 1964, Claude set about building a 150-ton, 45-foot tall, 150-foot long Apatosaurus, whom he later dubbed “Dinny” (pronounced Dine-ee), directly behind his eatery. He first built a steel framework of the creature, then covered it over with a metal grid in the shape of a dinosaur, and then finally coated it all with spray concrete. Much of the materials used were procured from scraps left over from construction of the nearby Interstate 10 freeway. Legend has it that a friend of Bell’s painted the entire exterior of Dinny in exchange for $1 and a case of Dr. Pepper. And while I, too, love me some Dr. Pepper, I seriously doubt I would paint a 150-foot long dinosaur in exchange for a case of it. Winking smile

It took eleven years and over $250,000 to complete Dinny and, of his creation which housed a small gift shop, Bell said that it was “the first dinosaur in history, so far as I know, to be used as building”.

In 1981, Bell decided to give Dinny a friend and began construction on a 100-ton, 65-foot tall Tyrannosaurus Rex, whom he named “Rex”. His original plans called for a large slide to be installed on Rex’s back, but that idea never came to fruition. Steps were built leading up into the inside of the Tyrannosaurus’ mouth, though, enabling visitors to climb to the top of the creature. Bell had plans to add more reptiles to his roadside creation, but sadly passed away in 1988 before he could do so. In the mid 1990s, his heirs sold the dinosaurs for $1.2 million to an Orange County developer named Gary Kanter, who, along with a pastor named Robert Darwin Chiles, immediately set about turning the spot into children’s exhibit and museum which would promote the theory of creationism. They added several more dinosaurs, some robotic, to the 60-acre site, as well as an open-air museum, a sand pit where children can dig for fossils, and a non-denominational church. And while I wanted to venture inside the museum and up into Rex’s giant mouth, the GC was, of course, having none of it.

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In Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, truck driver Large Marge (aka Alice Nunn) drops Pee-wee Herman (aka Paul Reubens) off at the Wheel Inn restaurant, where he discovers that he has lost his wallet and ends up having to wash dishes in order to pay for his meal.

The real life interior of the Wheel Inn was used for the filming of the scene.

And, amazingly enough, it still looks pretty much exactly the same today as it did back in 1985 when Pee-wee’s Big Adventure was filmed.

It is while at the Wheel Inn that Pee-wee meets waitress Simone (aka my former acting teacher Diane Salinger), who invites him to watch the sun rise from the inside of Rex’s mouth. That scene was not actually shot inside of Rex’s mouth, though, but on a soundstage at Warner Brothers Studio in Burbank. You can see some great photographs of what Rex’s mouth actually looks like here. In real life, his mouth is not nearly as big as the set replica that Tim Burton created for the film, nor is there a large pink tongue on which to sit.

After watching the sun rise, Simone’s very large and very jealous boyfriend Andy (aka Jon Harris) shows up and chases Pee-wee around the dinosaurs.

Thanks to Diane, I actually got to meet some of the cast of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure a couple of years ago, while attending a screening of the movie at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Pictured above is Diane Salinger, Elizabeth Daily, and the man himself, Paul Reubens.

Thanks to Kim Potts’ fabulous write-up of the Cabazon Dinosaurs for the Moviefone website, I learned that the landmark was featured in quite a few other productions, as well. At the end of 1989’s The Wizard, while driving by the dinosaurs Jimmy Woods (aka Luke Edwards) recognizes them from a childhood visit and jumps out of his step-father’s car and up to Dinny.

The actual interior of the dinosaur was used for the filming of that scene.

Miraculously, little of Dinny’s interior has changed in the 22-plus years since The Wizard was filmed.

In 1984’s Paris, Texas, the Wheel Inn is the supposed-San-Bernardino-area restaurant where Travis Henderson (aka Harry Dean Stanton)and his son Hunter (aka Hunter Carson) stop to use a payphone.

The Cabazon Dinosaurs and Wheel Inn also appeared briefly in the 1985 music video for the Tears for Fears song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, in the scene in which the band’s lead singer Curt Smith stops his Austin-Healey 3000 by the side of the road in order to use a pay phone.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World music video –Filmed at the Cabazon Dinosaurs

You can watch that video by clicking above.

The dinosaurs were featured extensively in the music video for Tonio K’s 1988 single “Without Love”.

Without Love music video–Filmed at the Cabazon Dinosaurs

You can watch that video by clicking above.

They also appeared in the U.S. version of the music video for the 1994 Oasis song “Supersonic”.

Supersonic music video–Filmed at the Cabazon Dinosaurs

You can watch that video by clicking above.

And finally, they made a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance in the 2009 music video for Brad Paisley’s song “Welcome to the Future”.

Welcome to the Future music video–Filmed at the Cabazon Dinosaurs

You can watch that video by clicking above.

Until next time, Happy Stalking and Happy Voting – don’t forget to vote for me to be the new face of About Me! Smile

Stalk It: The Cabazon Dinosaurs, from Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, are located at 50770 Seminole Drive in Cabazon. You can visit the official Cabazon Dinosaurs’ website here. While the museum charges an admission fee, the interior of Dinny houses a gift shop which is free to visit. The Wheel Inn restaurant is located directly in front of the dinosaurs at 50900 Seminole Drive in Cabazon.

September 15, 2008February 11, 2009

Lindsay’s Big Adventure

The idea of watching a movie outdoors at night in an LA cemetery might at first seem a little odd to some. And I must admit, it did at first to me, too. But that’s exactly what I did this past Saturday night for a screening of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. My best friend Kylee, who attended the screening with me, said she just couldn’t wrap her head around celebrities and Pee Wee’s Big Adventure all coming together outdoors at a cemetery. I guess it’s just something you have to see to believe. My acting mentor, Diane Louise Salinger, who played Simone in the 1985 cult classic, invited me and my fellow classmates to the Pee Wee screening, which is shown annually at the legendary cemetery.

The cemetery screenings were started in 2001 by a company called Cinespia, which was founded by set designer and classic movie buff John Wyatt. Each Saturday night during the summer season, Wyatt screens old time movies at Hollywood Forever. The movies are projected onto the walls of the mausoleum where Rudolph Valentino is interred. Tickets are $10 per person, and I must say it is $10 well spent. The atmosphere is fabulous and I can’t think of a better way I could have spent a Saturday night with my best friend. Guests bring wine, beer and food and sit on blankets and beach chairs under (and above) the stars, eating, drinking and watching classic Hollywood movies.

Before arriving at the cemetery last night I really had no idea what to expect. While driving there we got stuck in some major traffic on Santa Monica Boulevard and we were joking that all of the traffic must be for the Pee Wee screening. Turns out it actually was!!!! I had no idea what a humongous following Pee Wee had! The line to enter the cemetery literally wrapped around the block. Because we were attending the screening with Diane, we got the total VIP treatment – VIP parking and the best seats in the house!!! Pictured above are my best friend Kylee and up and coming actor Justin Dray (look for him in an upcoming episode of ICarly) hanging out before the show.

While waiting for the movie to start, I got to meet and talk with Jay Boileau, owner of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. In 1998 Jay and his partner, Tyler Cassity, of Forever Productions, purchased the cemetery after it had fallen into serious disrepair and bankruptcy. The California government had even stepped in to cease the further sales of cemetery plots. Jay and Tyler painstakingly refurbished the 62-acre property to its former grandeur and have made it what it is today. Countless celebrities are buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, including Marion Davies, Cecil B. DeMille, former Columbia Pictures president Harry Cohn, Tyrone Power, Mel Blanc, Lana Clarkson, Estelle Getty, Bugsy Siegel, Johnny Ramone, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Peter Lorre, and sisters Norma and Constance Talmadge, among many others. The cemetery has also been featured in countless television and movie productions, including Charmed, The Player, LA Story, Brothers & Sisters, Frasier, Nip/Tuck, Bonfire of the Vanities, Hot Shots!, The Prestige, The Young and the Dead, and Virtuosity.

The highlight of the night for me had to be when, thanks to Diane, I got to meet Pee Wee himself, Paul Ruebens!!!! 🙂 Paul could not have been kinder or more down to earth. I half expected him to be a bit off the wall, like his character, but in reality he was very calm and almost on the shy side. Couldn’t have been a nicer guy! Diane even got him to pose for a photo with me – the only photo he took all night – and I could not have been more excited! 🙂 Also in the photograph is my teacher, Diane, and Elizabeth Daily, who played Dottie in the film.

Before the show, Paul gave a brief introduction, during which he talked about the original premiere of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure back in ’85. I must say it was very cool watching the movie with all of the stars in attendance. Very cool!!! All in all, it was a great night and I highly recommend stalking the cemetery during future summer screenings!! While it may seem strange to be watching movies in a graveyard, after experiencing it for myself, I now actually want to be buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery – eternally resting in the heart of Hollywood while forever watching classic movies under and among the stars. 🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Hollywood Forever Cemetery is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood. The Cinespia screenings are over for Summer 2008, but you can check this website in 2009 for next summer’s schedule. The cemetery is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can purchase a map of the stars’ graves at the flower shop near the cemetery’s main entrance.