Upworthy's book GOOD PEOPLE, now available - take a look!

Shop
 Explore 

pee-wee herman

Pop Culture

People are debating the best dance scene in a movie, and John Travolta is everyone's favorite

Don't sleep on Ginger Rogers, Patrick Swayze, and Pee-Wee Herman, though.

via Jim Dooley/Wikimedia Commons

John Travolta at IIFA 2014.

One of the great things about the art of cinema is how it captures dancing in a way no other medium can. Sure, you can see people dancing in a theatrical production, but it's all from one vantage point, and you will never see epically-staged scenes such as Busby Berkeley's 42nd Street or close-ups on fantastic footwork like in Flashdance.

Dancing in films isn’t just about movement; great dance scenes capture emotion, help you understand the characters, and allow the actors to express themselves in ways you can’t capture with dialogue alone. From the golden age of Hollywood to today, filmmakers have used dance to inspire, dazzle, and surprise the audience.

But what is the greatest dance scene in film history? X user Emira Han, who calls himself a "film addict," asked fellow users on the platform to share the best dance scene ever, and over 1.6 million viewed the tweet and 2,100 people responded. Emir chose Jackrabbit Slim's twist contest from 1994's Pulp Fiction, where John Travolta and Uma Thurman danced to Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell" as his favorite.

The Pulp Fiction dance scene is memorable because it provides a wonderful playfulness in a gritty film—specifically, in a scene where Travolta is uncomfortable taking his crime boss’s wife out for a night on the town. Further, after making his career on the dancefloor in iconic films such as Saturday Night Fever and Grease, Travolta’s star had faded by 1994, and seeing him dancing again was a joyous and welcome return to form for the actor.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were divine in Top Hat. His ceiling dance in Royal Wedding was a masterclass in footwork and special effects.

Nobody puts Dirty Dancing in the corner.

Kevin Bacon was electric as the boy who taught a sleepy small town to dance in Footloose.

Even though The Blues Brothers was a comedy, it had some great dance numbers with musical performances by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and, of course, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as Jake and Elwood Blues.

Vera-Ellen and John Bracisa's Tap number in White Christmas was incredible.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Al Pacino's Tango with Gabrielle Anwar in Scent of a Woman helped earn him the Academy Award for Best Actor.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Cab Calloway and the Nicholas Brothers in Stormy Weather is known as one of the most incredible dance scenes ever.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Napoleon Dynamite had the greatest moves of any millennial.

Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner were marvellous in The King and I.

Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens) entertained a rowdy crowd of bikers while dancing to "Tequila" in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

James Cagney, known for starring in gangster films, rebranded himself as a song-and-dance man in Yankee Doodle Dandy, for which his performance earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

By far, the most popular actor in the thread was John Travolta, who had memorable performances dancing in Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease (1978), Urban Cowboy (1980), Pulp Fiction (1994), and Michael (1996). Where did Travolta get all of those moves? According to SlashFilm, he trained "like Rocky" to get in shape for Saturday Night Fever.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

From Your Site Articles

john travolta

Pop Culture

Paul 'Pee-Wee Herman' Reubens went above and beyond to help a fan going through divorce

"Shockingly, he responded with an inspirational message and asked me for my phone number."

via Daniel Benavides/Wikimedia Commons and Alan Light/Wikimedia Commons.

Paul Reubens at the premiere of "Pee-Wee's Big Holiday" and "Pee-Wee Herman" at the 60th Academy Awards.

One of the interesting things that has happened in the social media era is that after someone notable dies, some people come forward with stories about their generosity that no one has heard before. It’s especially common for those who used their fame to spread love and kindness.

One person who did that was Paul Reubens, the beloved comedian and actor best known for creating the Pee-Wee Herman character. Reubens died on July 30 after a six-year secret battle with cancer.

In the wake of his death, Mario Alejandro shared how Reubens reached out to him during a difficult time for himself and his daughter. Alejandro’s story has been seen over 5.4 million times on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Alejandro is a baseball card historian and writer for Wax Haven and Junk Wax Treasure Hunter.

“In 2013, I was going through a nasty divorce and bitter custody battle,” he wrote on Twitter. "My ex-wife took our home, and I had to move into a motel temporarily. To make matters worse, she wouldn’t let me see our daughter except once a weekend in exchange for ‘child support,’”

“During those weekends, I spent every waking minute taking my daughter all over Sarasota, never knowing when I’d be able to see her again,” he continued. “At nights, we’d binge on #PeeWeeHerman for months until she became the world’s youngest Pee-Wee fan.”

After his divorce was finalized, Alejandro gained full custody of his daughter, and he reached out to Reubens to thank him for helping them through such a tough time. Alejandro was shocked when Reubens responded by asking him for his phone number.

“The next day, Paul called, and we talked for 10 minutes about the divorce, my job, my daughter, and of course, his amazing work. He asked me to save his number and to call him next month as he was going out of town for a few weeks,” his story continued.

A month later, Reubens invited Alejandro and his daughter to his home in Sarasota, Florida. Reubens showed them props from his TV shows and movies and fed them juice and snacks by his private lake. Reubens told them that he built his home for his mother, who was at the house at the time, and he loved showing off all the ducks and birds on the property.

“The entire visit was extremely wholesome,” Alejandro said.

“We didn't want to overstay our welcome so we left within the hour, but I will never forget the day my daughter and I got to hang out with the person who showed us just how fun even the most mundane activities could be with a little imagination,” Alejandro said.

Alejandro wishes he had a photo of the day he and his daughter hung out with Reubens, but he didn’t ask for a picture during their time together because he didn’t want to be rude.

This wasn’t the only story to come out about Reubens's genuine kindness after his death. Writer Todd Spence shared how Reubens was incredibly kind to a “Jimmy Kimmel Live” employee and invited him over to his home.

From Your Site Articles

celebrity

Pop Culture

Pee-Wee Herman creator Paul Reubens passes away at 70. He left a final 'apology' to fans.

He secretly battled cancer for years.

via Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons and Alan Light/Wikimedia Commons

Paul Reubens, creator of the iconic Pee-Wee Herman character, has passed away at 70.

Actor Paul Reubens, best known for creating the iconic character of Pee-Wee Herman, died on July 30, 2023, at the age of 70. His death shocked many as he kept his six-year battle with cancer a secret.

Pee-Wee Herman ranks among television and film history's most popular and imaginative children’s characters. In a world where many of Hollywood’s ideas are recycled, the Pee-Wee character was unlike any that came before or after.

He had the signature look of a red bow tie, drainpipe pants and a flat-top hairdo. He was part man, part child, and he lived a life of pure whimsy and kindness. But, occasionally, when driven to anger, he could become maniacal, like a kid throwing a tantrum. As we learned in “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” never mess with Pee-Wee’s bike.

Entertainment Weekly perfectly summed up the character’s uniqueness and wide appeal.

“...he was more than a kid-show host, or a pop-culture oddity, or a tongue-in-cheek, time-warped fusion of Pinky Lee and the bratty kid next door. He was all of these at once. Anarchic, creative, obnoxious, and liberating, Pee-wee appealed to all sorts: to kids and to parents; to mainstream stars like David Letterman, and to maverick artists like Batman director Tim Burton and Playhouse designer Gary Panter. Pee-wee struck a chord with any perplexed soul who has ever echoed his famous cry, ‘I know you are, but what am I?’”

Reubens left a final note to fans that was shared on Instagram.

“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years. I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.”

The Pee-Wee Herman character began as the star of a show for adults that played at midnight at the Groundlings Theatre in Los Angeles in 1981 and later became an HBO special. In the character's first full-length theatrical film, 1985's “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” directed by Tim Burton, Reubens played a kid-friendly version of the character. The surprise hit film would lead to a sequel, “Big Top Pee-Wee” (1988), and a critically acclaimed children’s TV show, “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse,” which ran from 1986 to 1990.

“Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” earned 22 Emmy awards during that run, with Reubens being nominated for 14.

After an incident at a Sarasota, Florida, adult theater on Friday, July 26, 1991, Reuben’s image as a children’s TV host was tarnished, and CBS pulled all reruns of “Pee-Wee's Playhouse.” However, public opinion was decidedly pro-Reubens, with surveys showing that 9 out of 10 Americans supported him in the scandal.

Reubens reappeared as Pee-Wee at the MTV Movie Awards later that year, where he bravely poked fun at the controversy.

The scandal led Reubens to reinvent himself as a character actor, and he had scene-stealing roles in “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “Blow, “ Batman Returns,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “30 Rock.”

He revived the Pee-Wee character for a successful Broadway run in 2010 and a final film, “Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday,” for Netflix in 2016. “Big Holiday” was a success with critics and fans, earning an 80% rating on “Rotten Tomatoes.”

Before his death, Reubens was putting the finishing touches on two new Pee-Wee scripts.

“Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer, and producer whose beloved character Pee-Wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness,” his reps wrote on Instagram. “Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit. A gifted and prolific talent, he will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit.”

From Your Site Articles

celebrities

pee-wee herman

People are debating the best dance scene in a movie, and John Travolta is everyone's favorite

Don't sleep on Ginger Rogers, Patrick Swayze, and Pee-Wee Herman, though.

Paul 'Pee-Wee Herman' Reubens went above and beyond to help a fan going through divorce

"Shockingly, he responded with an inspirational message and asked me for my phone number."

Pee-Wee Herman creator Paul Reubens passes away at 70. He left a final 'apology' to fans.

He secretly battled cancer for years.

Passenger on 274-day cruise is surprised to learn the one word you can't say on the ship

Man finds genius loophole to beat squatters at their own game. Homeowners say he's a hero.

Married couple says the '3-Hour Night' hack has totally improved their marriage

The longest — and probably largest — proof of our current climate catastrophe ever caught on camera.

Dad's brilliant hack reduced toddler's drawn-out bedtime routine from 90 minutes to just 15

Hospice nurse reveals the exact time most people die and the reasons why are fascinating