# Ebay's 2014 Peewee Herman's $36,000 bike sale was a fraud!



## Jeff54 (Jun 23, 2018)

This is interesting, the bike that sold on ebay for: $36,600, 4 years ago as "authentic" looks like  a fraud.

IDK maybe this has been covered previously? Or not?

I'd just noticed somebody wondering about this bike and took a browse on the net, only to discover there's so many fakes out there and for $8-36 grand peps say anything. .


Here's a blog or news release of the auctioned bike 1 day after sale ended 2014.
https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Pee-wee-Herman-Bike-Sells-Auction-42016.html


The You tube clip of the sceen in movie. 




This $36,000  bike is NOT the same bike as in the movie. It has a different chain guard chromed inset and it's not 'exactly' the same guard too. See where the crank is on fake verses real" the fake has wider opening over the gear. , different seat with short springs , even the fork is painted differently. The auction fork has a straight, wide, triangle while Peewee's fork dart has a chevron at top and  long narrow  tip.





Plus Peewee's has an extra red bracket attached to the top right side of  fork for old generator , not in that auction.  and some kind of configuration, contraption, of an up-side-down break handle attached (in the movie)  to the top left handlebar with red cable both, are not in that auction. . The spiral on front wheel is half red/white, verses mostly white. the rear 'thing-a-ma-jig' rack, red top is flat verses slight oval . The attached rear saddle compartment's chromed ornamentation is not at all the same.  I'm sure there's more to discover how wrong this bike is but, just the above list is plenty enough.

As I actually built several props during my career in movie and stage, you may find slight differences as movies may require multiple or duplicates during the shoot but, NOT LIKE THIS POS!! If you did? Then, the director would have to have been a complete and total IDIOT to let so many mistakes go by.

So much wrong, it appears, whoever bought it was scammed, major big time.

Ebay fake bike:




Actual bike in movie:


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## cyclingday (Jun 23, 2018)

Yeah, I remember this being discussed back then.
There are a few members here with quite a bit of knowledge about the making of the various movie prop bikes.
Unfortunately, as with all iconic things, there have been numerous recreations over the years, and without iron clad corroboration, you probably shouldn't be paying $36,000 dollars for something that looks so hokey.


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## catfish (Jun 23, 2018)

There were several different bikes made for the movie. If you pay close attention you can see variations threw out the movie.


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## cyclingday (Jun 23, 2018)

I remember during this auction, that the sellers only corroborating provenance, was a photograph of Paul Rubens signing a publicity shot.
All that proved, was that the photograph was indeed signed by Paul Rubens.
Not that the bike was an authentic used in the film movie prop.
It's too bad Gertrude isn't still around, because it would be interesting to hear what she had to say about this bike.


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## fordmike65 (Jun 23, 2018)

@abe lugo


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## catfish (Jun 23, 2018)

Original movie poster. No saddle bags.


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## catfish (Jun 23, 2018)

Opening dream sequence. No tank.


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## catfish (Jun 23, 2018)

You can also see the strap holding the bike as it is being towed.....



catfish said:


> Opening dream sequence. No tank.
> 
> View attachment 828074


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## Jeff54 (Jun 23, 2018)

"There were several different bikes made for the movie. If you pay close attention you can see variations threw out the movie."

Variations, I noticed, mostly though; it's the addition of the fin on rear.





Yet, property master's ( the folks who make 'Props') are fricken anal about details or making spares. I get it that the director may have wanted the shark fin  on rear  for the park scene. (It's not on it in bike clip)  Although, I don't think I ever saw the movie except for the bits availed on you tube. But still, bike on auction is seriously different,   I doubt there's a chance in H that bike was in the movie.

At best? it's a crappy replica made after the movie by an advertiser.


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## catfish (Jun 23, 2018)

They also destroyed at least one bike during the filming. The bad dream scene.


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## fordmike65 (Jun 23, 2018)

catfish said:


> They also destroyed at least one bike during the filming. The bad dream scene.


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## bikewhorder (Jun 23, 2018)




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## bikewhorder (Jun 23, 2018)

fordmike65 said:


> View attachment 828076



Ahh, ya beat me to it!  You "like" whore!


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## Jeff54 (Jun 23, 2018)

2 bikes in that scene, 1st has the correct rear rack thingy and side bags and the final, 'destroyed bike' appears to be an  CWC.

Yet, the auctioned bike?? Not a chance as, the CWC was the bike sent to hell. [grin] Not to leave out, the final bike, each separated  item of it are individual Props, I.E. the whole of that lot was likely never assembled.


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## barneyguey (Jun 23, 2018)

*In 1995, I went to the Iron Ranch swap meet. There are many buildings with different themes, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, tractors etc. They have big steam engines, power plants etc., sitting around outside. It's like a big museum. I love it! Everyone camps over night and has a great time. One of my trips, I made the mistake of camping next to some people that stayed up all night drinking and watching a Pee Wee Herman moving “really loud”. I can still hear that stupid laugh of his and the drunks all laughing at him, to this day! LOL *


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## bikewhorder (Jun 23, 2018)

catfish said:


> Opening dream sequence. No tank.
> 
> View attachment 828074



I guess its okay that those bikes the riders are on are hardly "race" bikes since its a dream and weird things happen in dreams.


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## fordmike65 (Jun 23, 2018)

bikewhorder said:


> I guess its okay that those bikes the riders are on are hardly "race" bikes since its a dream and weird things happen in dreams.



I see "race" and "track" bikes just like those all the time...


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## Jeff54 (Jun 23, 2018)

bikewhorder said:


> I guess its okay that those bikes the riders are on are hardly "race" bikes since its a dream and weird things happen in dreams.




Those big guys in race scene are 'hardly' race bike riders too. They're 'Bullies', for  dramatic or traumatic [grin]  effect.


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## Saving Tempest (Jun 23, 2018)

Pee-Wee has to be asleep the whole time, his bike is constantly changing and at least all the Trans Ams in Smokey And The Bandit or the General Lees match.


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## bikewhorder (Jun 23, 2018)

Since I didn't actually get to see any of @fordmike65 's bikes when I paid him a visit I can only imagine that this is how he accesses his collection.  He's probably a little more flamboyant than this though.


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## fordmike65 (Jun 23, 2018)

bikewhorder said:


> Since I didn't actually get to see any of @fordmike65 's bikes when I paid him a visit I can only imagine that this is how he accesses his collection.  He's probably a little more flamboyant than this though.



That's my morning ritual.


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## 49autocycledeluxe (Jun 23, 2018)

I had a buddy that was into Pee Wee Herman and Pee Wee's Playhouse so much when he passed away he was buried in his Pee Wee suit he had worn for Halloween with his Pee Wee doll by his side. he did not have a Pee Wee bike though.


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## abe lugo (Jun 23, 2018)

Hey guys not sure why this came back up again.  Anyhow, I feel like I helped some of the resurgence in interest in this bike about 10 years ago. I found a thread in a movie replica site called the ther therpf.com.  Anyhow I continued doing research and posted all my findings and posted all exact parts for this bike. 
As you see in any site there are scumbags out to make a buck.  And the they do existing that that site sometimes this one. So that is why you will see some bike labeled as a real movie prop bike. 
I used the rpf thread as a build thread and once I was done with my project I left the thread. Currently it keeps going on with others building their bikes. I sold off my spares long ago. 

As for the movie bike
I think we went through the exercise and found in the range of 5-10 unique bikes in the movie.  If you are well versed in it you can spot the differences, just like fake auto cycles.  Further research showed that the pedal pusher claimed to have built 15ish bikes.  I believe that they built a couple, a hero bike and a stunt bike. And the rest would have been duplicated by the prop department. I have only seen about 4 legit bikes sold. 
I personally saw and sat one that was at an officially movie auction.  There also one on permanent display in the Hollywood Movie museum and in the bike museum of America. For the BIke museum one, I believe a member of those board sold the bike on eBay and got about 15k for it.  It was incomplete and once I knew about it, I dontated a bunch of missing parts to help complete it. 
The 36k one from about 5 years ago was not one of them. I remember how much of the was suspect and moved on. 
In the Tarzan scene there is also one with what looked to be a motorbike prewar frame and off springer.  

There is one that apparently claims lineage but there is not actual proof tracing it back to a studio lot.  Or screen shots proving the paint scuffing matches or anything.  
That said I have probably built one most faithfully movie replicas available.  And never claim it to be real.  
I went so far as to build a Dottie bike for
My wife and was looking to build and Warner Brothers lot chase bike for fun. 

There are Builders male infertility replica se that were better than the movie bike. But that is not point. 

For those who don't care about this movie or this bike, you should have stopped reading above. Also just  ignore me.  If you cannot appreciate that this is one bicycle movie that probably keeps vintage/classic bicycle interest going. Please just hermit yourself in a cave or a cabe, haha.  

Building my replica led me to here and now I have a vast appreciation for prewar, TOC and just bicycle history in general. 
I know there are haters. But you will be long gone and people will find this tread and appreciate all of it. All the bikes.


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## catfish (Jun 24, 2018)

Good Info !!!!!



abe lugo said:


> Hey guys not sure why this came back up again.  Anyhow, I feel like I helped some of the resurgence in interest in this bike about 10 years ago. I found a thread in a movie replica site called the ther therpf.com.  Anyhow I continued doing research and posted all my findings and posted all exact parts for this bike.
> As you see in any site there are scumbags out to make a buck.  And the they do existing that that site sometimes this one. So that is why you will see some bike labeled as a real movie prop bike.
> I used the rpf thread as a build thread and once I was done with my project I left the thread. Currently it keeps going on with others building their bikes. I sold off my spares long ago.
> 
> ...


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## OC_Rolling_Art (Sep 24, 2020)

The Pedal Pusher in Newport Beach, CA made 13-14 bikes for the Warner Bros. movie. My friend Charlie who worked for them during that time said more than one were destroyed.


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