The comedian Paul Reubens, a.k.a. Though Pinky Lee is an unfamiliar name today, it would not have been to a man of Mr. Reubens’s generation. Pee-wee Herman was born Paul Rubenfeld in 1952 in Peekskill, NY; Mr. Lee was born Pincus Leff in 1907 in Saint Paul, Minn. Rubenfeld, who was a talented child actor, would rename himself Reubens and become an improv comic. His early work with the The Groundlings in Los Angeles, notably in a Pinky parody skit, would eventually form the basis for one of the more indelible characters in show business. Mr. Lee came up through the ranks as a tap dancer on the vaudeville circuit.

---

Persons: Paul Reubens, Herman, Pinky Lee, Reubens, Paul Rubenfeld, Lee, Pincus Leff, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, palomino, Trigger Organizations: Minn Locations: Peekskill , NY, Saint Paul, Rubenfeld, Los Angeles, Caliente