Comedian Paul Reubens‘ legendary Pee-wee Herman character introduced fans to a wild fact about Texas’ the Alamo in the 1985 film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. In Touch explains how the comedian left his legacy on the landmark amid a new HBO docuseries about the beloved star.

How Did Pee-wee Herman Become Associated with the Alamo?

In Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, the character’s beloved red bicycle was stolen. Pee-wee had a series of escapades trying to travel from California to San Antonio, Texas, after being told by a psychic that his bike was in the basement of the Alamo.

The adventures Pee-wee had along the way became the focus of the film, resulting in terrible disappointment upon arriving at the battle location to discover it did not have a basement..

What Did Pee-wee Herman Do at the Alamo?

In the film, Pee-wee joined a tour group. He asked the guide, “Where’s the basement. Aren’t we going to see the basement?” in hopes of getting to his bicycle’s location faster. The bubbly woman replied, “There’s no basement at the Alamo,” and began laughing hysterically, along with the rest of the tour members.

How Did the ‘There’s No Basement in the Alamo’ Line Originate?

“There is a basement in the Alamo but it’s very misleading. When I wrote Big Adventure and we were looking up the Alamo, that was in the World Book Encyclopedia … and the World Book at the time said, ‘no basement in the Alamo,’” Paul recalled to the Texas Standard in 2016.

He went on to explain how while where there are basements in other structures in the complex, “The actual building that everybody looks at goes, ‘That’s the Alamo,’ does not have a basement.”

Paul and director Tim Burton — who was 26 years old at the time and helming his first feature film — met with members of the Texas Film Commission. While explaining that the two future stars were “nobodies,” he said the commission members “treated us like we were special,” even taking Paul and Tim out to dinner at a local Tex-Mex restaurant.

The next day, the duo got now their famous shot in the blink of an eye.

“We had a camera on a tripod. I put on my suit. I ran into the Alamo and ran out of the Alamo, and we got on a plane and flew away, that’s it. We were very briefly,” he shared with the outlet adding, “But I love Texas, I think that’s clear.”

The Alamo Remembered Pee-wee Herman

The day after Paul’s death was announced on July 30, 2023, following a private battle with cancer, the Alamo’s Facebook page paid tribute to the man who brought so many fans to the famed Texas Revolution battle location.

“Since 1985, not a day has passed without visitors consistently inquiring about the location of the basement at the Alamo. This tradition owes its origins to the comedic acting of Mr. Paul Reubens from the movie Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. We are immensely grateful for his unforgettable contribution to Alamo pop culture,” the site shared.

“However, we can confirm that while there is not a basement in the Alamo Church, there is one next door, under our gift shop! May he rest in peace,” the staff at the tourist attraction added.

Pee-wee Herman Returned to a Different Kind of Alamo

In a tribute to the location, Paul and director Judd Apatow held a special fan screening of Pee-wee’s Big Holiday at Austin, Texas’ Alamo Drafthouse movie theater in March 2016.

What Is HBO Max’s ‘Pee-wee as Himself?’

The two-part docuseries that drops on May 23, 2025, was put together through more than 40 hours of interview footage taken prior to Paul’s death. 1,000 hours of archival footage was also used as Paul tells his own life story even though he died nearly two years prior.

The intensely private star discusses his childhood growing up in Sarasota, Florida, which was home to Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Paul is then chronicled heading west to attend the California Institute for the Arts.

How the actor developed the Pee-wee character through The Groundlings improv troupe is explored in part one of the docuseries, followed by the success Paul had bringing him to a Saturday morning children’s show Pee-wee’s Playhouse followed by the big screen.

Part two includes the actor’s downfall in 1991 after he was arrested at an adult theater, as well as how Paul overcame the scandal to see Pee-wee flourish again in a Broadway revival of his stage show and another film, with 2016’s Pee-wee’s Big Holiday.

The docuseries also features “tens of thousands of never-before-seen photographs from his personal collections,” which should be a treat for fans of the beloved comedian.