RIP, Paul Reubens. He’s known for quite a few different roles but none more recognizable than that of the lovable rogue Pee-Wee Herman from the classic and endlessly quotable 1985 film Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.
No one knew this little film that could end up being so popular. It featured an actor that’s never carried a film before in Reubens, a brand new, untested director named Tim Burton, and a virtually unknown composer named Danny Elfman.
While critics were kind of divided on the film, audiences couldn’t get enough, and it became one of the most unconventional box office smashes of its time. As someone old enough (woof) to remember when the movie came out, so many lines from the movie just got baked into the popular vernacular.
Let’s go over ten of the best.
10. Why don’t you take a picture? It’ll last longer
This scene involves Pee-Wee dressed up as a woman and Mickey Morelli (Judd Omen), an escaped fugitive who tells Pee-Wee he ripped a tag off a mattress. They approach law enforcement, and Morelli realizes he’s going to be recaptured, so he takes out his gun to end his own life.
However, Pee-Wee saves the day but dressing up as a woman at the last minute. When asked to get out of the car, he twirls and says the famous line. Classic!
9. Be sure and tell ’em Large Marge sent you
This famous quote comes from a scene where Pee-Wee is picked up late at night by a woman driving a semi-truck. It’s a short scene, about 3 minutes, but it’s a memorable one.
One thing that stuck out to me was the part where she turns into a monster for a moment, which I can’t lie; it really scared me as a kid. Now that I’m a man, it only kinda scares me.
After she drops him off, she says the famous words and then cackles her way into the moonlight. The actress who played Large Marge, by the way, was a veteran character actress named Alice Nunn, who died in 1988 at 60.
8. Let’s talk about your big but
A little bit of, but it goes a long way. Some clever wordplay in the script made this line one of the more memorable ones in the whole movie. Simone, played by Diane Salinger, plays a truck stop waitress who has a special moment with Pee-Wee at the T-Rex roadside attraction.
During a quiet moment, she talks about something and then says “but,” and the script takes this to its logical conclusion. Say what you will; it turns a tender moment into hilarious in an instant.
7. Is there something you could share with the rest of us, Amazing Larry?
Amazing Larry only appeared in the scene briefly, but it was so memorable that people still talk about it to this day. Larry is an older man with an incredible, colorful mohawk who appears during the basement scene.
Larry is just there and talking, and Pee-Wee calls him out for it. One of the best things about this scene is we don’t really have much context for why Larry’s hair is like that.
Turns out, there was a previously deleted scene where Larry had normal hair and asked for advice on how to spruce up his act (he’s a magician). The payoff was the hair, but we only got that part of the scene. Still works!
6. That’s my name. Don’t wear it out
This iconic line was repeated ad nauseam for a certain generation of kids. I can remember annoying friends yelling it at each other constantly. The thing is, the Pee-Wee line was borrowed from Grease, which John Travolta used so effectively in that film.
This time it comes after a back-and-forth between Pee-Wee and Francis after the latter tells him he wants Pee-Wee’s bike for his birthday, which causes Pee-Wee to break down in hysterics.
5. I know you are but what am I?
Honestly, this is maybe the most annoying retort ever created. It was made for back-and-forth bickering and used extremely effectively in the same scene referenced above.
It’s no way to end an argument and only serves as a way to infuriate someone and make sure that you keep bickering for eternity. I wish I could say I never used it, but I am a product of my own upbringing.
4. You don’t wanna get mixed up with a guy like me. I’m a loner, Dottie. A rebel
Girls love a bad boy, and the ultimate bad boy is… Pee-Wee? Pee-Wee enters a bike shop to get a custom-made horn from Dottie, who works in the store. She obviously likes him and tries to use the horn to entice Pee-Wee into a conversation.
She asks him to come along to the drive-in, and he rolls his eyes. He then warns her, telling her there are things she “couldn’t” and “shouldn’t” understand about him before dropping the all-time classic letdown line.
3. Go ahead, scream your head off! We’re miles from where anyone can hear you!
This is one of the more pivotal scenes in the movie, where all of Pee-Wee’s pent-up aggression comes out when he finally decides to go after Francis. Right after he says the line, he jumps into the water like a hungry shark. Well, you know what I mean.
2. I don’t make monkeys. I just train them
This is another gem from the classic scene early on between Francis and Pee-Wee – which sets the stage for everything to come. This two-minute argument gave the children of America so many annoying ways to argue with each other.
This was after Francis tells Pee-Wee to “make me.” The retort is simple and effective, and honestly, it should make a comeback. Why not?
1. I meant to do that
This is one that I’ve probably used myself. Not as an adult, of course. Well, maybe. But as a kid, for sure. Mostly because I was prone to accidents. This snappy retort exemplifies the true irreverent spirit of the character, and it’s a reminder of what we lost.
When are they going to reboot this thing already?