This acclaimed Emmy Award-winning anthology series features documentaries and a limited number of fiction films united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement and unflinching visions of their independent producers. INDEPENDENT LENS features unforgettable stories about a unique individual, community or moment in history.
The series is supported by interactive companion Web sites and national publicity and community engagement campaigns. Acclaimed actor and filmmaker Stanley Tucci hosts the series.
"Beauty Is Embarrassing" - If you’ve seen “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse,” you’re already familiar with the off-kilter sensibility of Wayne White. In this program, savor the work of an artist who’s become an iconic auteur of the weird, the silly and the joyfully absurd, from a dancing chicken carcass in a Peter Gabriel video to giant cardboard masks of one-term presidents to wildly successful and often obscene word paintings.
A husband, father and Tennessee native who is happy picking a banjo on the porch swing, White approaches elder statesman territory even as he flatly refuses to grow up.
The film is interwoven with video made by White throughout his career, including never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage of the making of "Pee-Wee’s Playhouse."
The film also features interviews with Matt Groening, Mark Mothersbaugh, Todd Oldham, Paul Reubens, Gary Panter, Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris and many others.
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Watch On a Mission to Bring Humor into Fine Art on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.
