Before his death in 2023, Reubens filmed an HBO documentary in which he explained why he refused to be seen or interviewed as himself for the whole time Pee-Wee Herman was starring in TV and films.

Opening Shot: The actor, out of Pee-wee uniform but tended to by hair and makeup, sits close-up in center of the frame, ...

Matt Wolf's documentary "Pee-wee as Himself" follows the life of Paul Reubens, who came to resent the fame of his own ...

A fascinating and moving profile of entertainer Paul Reubens culls from 40-plus hours of interviews to reveal the inspiration behind his most famous creation, the irrepressible manchild Pee-wee Herman ...

Director Matt Wolf discusses the ups and downs of working with Paul Reubens on an honest film about a private life.

I wanted to jump into my TV and live in that world. REUBENS: My favorite kid shows were absolutely, like, "Howdy Doody," "Captain Kangaroo" and "The Mickey Mouse Club." BIANCULLI: His inspirations ...

Pee-wee as Himself is a fascinating, endearing, and moving portrait of an entertainer who as a child was mesmerized by early children’s TV like Howdy Doody: “I wanted to jump into my TV and ...

Reubens came of age in the heyday of Howdy Doody and I Love Lucy and would press neighborhood kids into service for performances on a stage in his basement. While somewhat enlightening — and ...

Some bio documentaries are carried mostly by the reflective, archival footage that send you back to the subject's heyday.

Before his death from cancer in 2023, Reubens sat for 40 hours of interviews with Wolf. His cooperation is clearly uncertain ...