As Pee-wee Herman, Paul Reubens was a performance artist hiding in plain sight in mainstream popular culture. His fictional character, a hyperactive, bow-tied man-child, provided subversive messages ...

In 1986, CBS offered Reubens a Saturday morning kids show — “Pee-wee’s Playhouse ... However, that same year, his film follow-up, “Big Top Pee-wee,” was a maligned flop ...

Reubens also co-wrote the script with Phil Hartman and Michael Varhol. It spawned two sequels, Big Top Pee-wee (1988) and Pee-wee's Big Holiday (2016).

A sequel, “Big Top Pee-wee” (1988), was less successful but ... another Jewish comedian whose 1960s kids show also managed to appeal to children as well as adults who were in on the joke.

It was Paul Reubens' second turn at bat. The actor, then 35, had already rocketed to fame as Pee-wee Herman, the ...

Elizabeth Daily, who played Dottie in 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure,' film writer Larry ... brilliant about being able to feel like you’re a kid again. Pee-wee’s Playhouse was really successful ...

Reubens is candid and perhaps regretful about some of his controlling behavior on the show, and its eventual demise; ditto some of the choices made on Big Top Pee-wee. It’s in the frequently ...