Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

Following a successful stage run that included sold out performances at Carnegie Hall and several memorable David Letterman appearances, Paul Reubens' Pee-Wee Herman made his big screen in Burton's first feature film. Pee-Wee leads a life of wonderment in his own private funhouse full of eye-popping neon colors and Rube Goldberg contraptions. But when his beloved Schwinn bicycle goes missing, he hits the road in search of it. A cross-country journey ensues full of delightful non-sequiturs and zany escapades. From an encounter with phantom truck driver Large Marge to a bar-top "Tequila" shimmy to its rollicking finale on the Warner Bros. lot, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is a lasting comedy classic. The film landed Reubens his own hit Saturday morning program that ran for five seasons and made Pee-Wee not only a household name but a character beloved by an entire generation. "Everything about Pee-wee's Big Adventure, from its toy-box colors to its superb, hyper-animated Danny Elfman score to the butch-waxed hairdo and wooden-puppet walk of its star and mastermind, Pee-wee Herman, is pure pleasure… every scene is a marvel of visual ingenuity."—Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.
Bing Theater | $10 general admission. $7 museum members, seniors (62+), students with valid ID. | Tickets: 323 857-6010 or purchase online.

Followed by Frankenweenie
A suburban boy brings his dead dog Sparky back to life. 
1984/b&w/29 min. | Scr/dir: Tim Burton; w/ Barret Oliver, Shelley Duvall, Daniel Stern, Paul Bartel, Sofia Coppola.