It took 40 years, however Pee-wee’s bike is now on the Alamo. Simply not the basement.
The Alamo introduced final week it had acquired and would show the long-lasting bike from the 1985 Tim Burton movie, “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.”
The San Antonio landmark performs a key function within the movie chronicling Pee-wee Herman’s seek for his stolen bicycle when a devious fortuneteller tells him the bike is positioned within the Alamo’s basement. Pee-wee, performed by the late Paul Reubens, learns the Alamo does not have a basement, however hasn’t stopped vacationers from tongue-in-cheek inquiries.
“It’s the most common question our guest services team hears is, ‘Where is the basement at the Alamo?’” mentioned Jonathan Huhn, senior communications director for the Alamo Belief, Inc., the nonprofit group that oversees the Alamo’s operations. “It’s an iconic piece of Alamo pop-culture history.”
The red-and-white bike — or as Pee-wee calls it within the film, “the most effective bike in the entire world” — is adorned with streamers on the handlebars and a lion emblem on the entrance. Huhn mentioned it was acquired from an public sale in Los Angeles.
The bike will function a centerpiece within the Mays Household Legacy Gallery, which examines the the Alamo’s cultural affect, a part of a brand new customer middle and museum slated to open in fall 2027. It is going to be a part of different popular culture objects together with memorabilia from the 1960 film concerning the Alamo that starred John Wayne.
“It is actually a popular culture bridge” that may carry individuals to be taught concerning the Alamo’s historical past, Huhn mentioned.
However earlier than then, the bike will go on show for a restricted time on the Ralston Household Collections Heart. The Alamo additionally plans to host a free public screening of “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” in Plaza de Valero. Extra particulars about dates for the show and the screening can be launched later.
In contrast to the Alamo, the constructing the place Pee-wee’s bike will ultimately be positioned does have a basement. However, earlier than you ask, that is not the place the bike can be.
