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Mister Rogers

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Fred Rogers on the set of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
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Fred Rogers on the set of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
The Reverend Frederick McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003) was the host of the internationally acclaimed children's television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, in production from 1968 to 2001.  Mister Rogers, as he became known to millions of viewers, was an ordained Presbyterian minister who lived and worked in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area for most of his life. Throughout his life, he was a tireless advocate for the education and welfare of children.
Contents

Life and career

Mr. Rogers was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles (50 km) southeast of Pittsburgh. Following secondary school, he studied at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire between 1946 and 1948 before transferring to Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. He received a BA in music composition there in 1951. In 1954, he began working at WQED Pittsburgh as a puppeteer on a local children's television series, The Children's Corner. For the next seven years, he worked with host Josie Carey in unscripted live TV, and developed many of the puppets, characters and music used in his later work, such as King Friday the XIII, and Curious X the Owl.

For eight years during this period he gave up lunch breaks to study theology at nearby Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He had planned to enter seminary after college, but had been diverted into television. Rogers, however, was not interested in preaching, and after his ordination as a Presbyterian minister in 1962, he was specifically charged to continue his work with children's TV. He had also done work at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Child Development.

In 1963, Rogers moved to Toronto where he was contracted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ("CBC") to develop a 15 minute children's television program: 'MisteRogers', which would be Fred's debut in front of the camera. The show was a hit with kids, but only lasted for three seasons on the network. Many of his famous set pieces such as the trolley, Eiffel Tower, the 'tree', and 'castle' were all created by designers at the CBC. While on production in Canada, Fred brought with him his friend and understudy Ernie Coombs who would go on to create "Mr. Dressup" a very successful and long running children's show in Canada which in many ways was similar to the Rogers' program; Mr. Dressup had also used some of Mister Rogers' songs on his program.

In 1966 he acquired the rights for his program and moved the show to WQED in Pittsburgh, incorporating parts of the CBC program into the new show he developed for the Eastern Educational Network to cities including Boston, Massachusetts, Washington, DC and New York City. Distribution of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood began on National Educational Television on February 19, 1968. The following year the show moved to the PBS network, where it continues today. The last set of new episodes was taped in December 2000 and began airing on August 2001. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood has the distinction of being the longest running program on PBS.

Rogers is quoted as saying, "I got into television because I hated it so. And I thought there was some way of using this fabulous instrument to be of nurture to those who would watch and listen."

After returning to Pittsburgh, Rogers was an active congregational member in the Sixth Presbyterian church in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. He died from stomach cancer a short time after his retirement at the age of 74.

Rev. William P. Barker presided over a public memorial, and attendees included Teresa Heinz, former "Good Morning America" host David Hartman, Elsie Hillman, PBS President Pat Mitchell, Arthur creator Marc Brown, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar author-illustrator Eric Carle, as well as about 2,700 other people stuffed into a near-capacity Heinz Hall. Speakers remembered Rogers' love of children, devotion to God, enthusiasm for music, and quirks. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, on a concert tour overseas and clad in a red sweater, played on video, and violinist Itzhak Perlman played in person. Outside the hall, about a half-dozen demonstrators from Fred Phelps' anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas protested Rogers' tolerance of homosexuality. About 150 members of gay rights and peace groups marched in counter-protest, singing songs from Mr. Rogers' Neighorhood.[link]

During the 1998 Daytime Emmys, a Lifetime Achievement Awarrd was presented to Rogers. The following is an excerpt from Esquire Magazine's coverage of the gala, written by Tom Junod:

"...Mister Rogers went onstage to accept the award -- and there, in front of all the soap opera stars and talk show sinceratrons, in front of all the jutting man-tanned jaws and jutting saltwater bosoms, he made his small bow and said into the microphone, 'All of us have special ones who have loved us into being. Would you just take, along with me, ten seconds to think of the people who have helped you become who you are. Ten seconds of silence.'

And then he lifted his wrist, looked at the audience, looked at his watch, and said, 'I'll watch the time.' There was, at first, a small whoop from the crowd, a giddy, strangled hiccup of laughter, as people realized that he wasn't kidding, that Mister Rogers was not some convenient eunuch, but rather a man, an authority figure who actually expected them to do what he asked. And so they did. One second, two seconds, three seconds -- and now the jaws clenched, and the bosoms heaved, and the mascara ran, and the tears fell upon the beglittered gathering like rain leaking down a crystal chandelier. And Mister Rogers finally looked up from his watch and said softly, 'May God be with you.' to all his vanquished children."

Rogers' remains are entombed in a family crypt in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

Each show began the same way, with Mister Rogers coming home and singing his theme song, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" and changing into sneakers and a zippered cardigan sweater. One of these sweaters is on display at the Smithsonian Institution, a nod to Rogers' influence in American culture.

Mister Rogers visits Sesame Street and meets Big Bird.
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Mister Rogers visits Sesame Street and meets Big Bird.

The show featured none of the animation or fast pace of Sesame Street. Rogers composed all the music for his show. A typical episode might see him have an earnest conversation with his television audience, interact with live guests, take a field trip to a nearby place like a bakery or music store, or watch a short film on "Picture Picture," where typically the subject matter was a video short of how some inanimate object works or is manufactured. Each show always included a session with the puppets of Rogers' "Neighborhood of Make-Believe." The neighborhood featured a trolley (with its own chiming theme song), a castle and various citizens of the kingdom, including King Friday the XIII. Often, the make-believe sessions allowed further development of thematic elements that were being discussed in Mister Rogers' "real" neighborhood. Typically, each week's worth of shows explored a major theme, such as going to school for the first time.

Rogers was concerned with teaching children to love themselves and others. He also tried to address common childhood fears with comforting songs and skits. For example, one of his famous songs explains how you can't be pulled down the bathtub drain—because you won't fit. He even once took a trip to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh to show children that a hospital is not a place to be afraid of. During the Gulf War, he assured children that all children in the neighborhood would be well cared-for, and asked parents to promise to take care of their children. The still timely and reassuring message was aired again by PBS during the media storm that preceded the military action against Iraq in 2003.

Fred Rogers and Yo-Yo Ma discuss how music can be used to deal with angry feelings.
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Fred Rogers and Yo-Yo Ma discuss how music can be used to deal with angry feelings.
Guests on the show ranged from cellist Yo-Yo Ma to actor and bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno of TV's The Incredible Hulk. Guests were often surprised to find that Rogers was a perfectionist who did not allow ad-libbing; he believed that children were thoughtful people who deserved shows as good as anything produced for adults on television.

Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live as Mister Robinson.
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Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live as Mister Robinson.
His gentle manner has been lampooned by some comedians, notably a parody called "Mister Robinson's Neighborhood," on Saturday Night Live by Eddie Murphy in the 1980s. Rogers found the routine funny and affectionate (see [link]). When Murphy and Rogers finally had the opportunity to meet, Eddie embraced Rogers and respectfully pronounced him "the real Mister Rogers." Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion radio has also parodied Rogers, as have Robin Williams (on his album Reality...What a Concept) and National Lampoon (on the album That's Not Funny, That's Sick).

On the eve of the announcement that Mister Rogers' Neighborhood would cease production of new episodes, TV Guide interviewed Rogers and led the story with an anecdote. Apparently, Rogers had been driving the same car for years, an old second-hand Impala. Then it was stolen from its parking spot near the WQED studio. Rogers filed a police report, the story was picked up by local news outlets, and general shock swept across town. Within 48 hours the car was back in the spot where he left it, along with a note saying "If we'd known it was yours, we never would have taken it!" [link].

Rogers' show won four Emmy awards, including one for lifetime achievement. The show also received a Peabody Award in 1968.

Rogers appeared as a guest on some other shows, for example on the children's show Arthur, where he played himself (though he was an aardvark, like Arthur).

Teresa Heinz (who personally knew him) said, "He never condescended, just invited us into his conversation. He spoke to us as the people we were, not as the people others wished we were."

Puppeteering work

Rogers was the puppeteer behind many of the characters in the Neighborhood of Make Believe, including:

Mister Rogers and the VCR

During the controversy surrounding the introduction of the household videocassette recorder, Rogers was involved in supporting the manufacturers of VCRs in court. His 1979 testimony in the case Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. noted that he did not object to home recording of his television programs, for instance, by families in order to watch together at a later time. This testimony contrasted with the views of others in the television industry who objected to home recording or believed that devices to facilitate it should be taxed or regulated.

The Supreme Court considered the testimony of Rogers in its decision that held that the Betamax video recorder did not infringe copyright. The Court stated that his views were a notable piece of evidence "that many [television] producers are willing to allow private time-shifting to continue"; it even quoted his testimony in a footnote:

"Some public stations, as well as commercial stations, program the 'Neighborhood' at hours when some children cannot use it ... I have always felt that with the advent of all of this new technology that allows people to tape the 'Neighborhood' off-the-air, and I'm speaking for the 'Neighborhood' because that's what I produce, that they then become much more active in the programming of their family's television life. Very frankly, I am opposed to people being programmed by others. My whole approach in broadcasting has always been 'You are an important person just the way you are. You can make healthy decisions.' Maybe I'm going on too long, but I just feel that anything that allows a person to be more active in the control of his or her life, in a healthy way, is important."
The Home Recording Rights Coalition later stated that Rogers was "one of the most prominent witnesses on this issue."

Rogers had been a supporter of VCR use since the very early days of the VCR -- in his final week of episodes of the original run in 1976, Rogers used a U-Matic VCR to show scenes from past episodes, as a way to prepare viewers for repeats that would begin the following week.

Mister Rogers and PBS funding

In 1969, Rogers appeared before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Communications. His goal was to support funding for PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in response to significant proposed cuts. In about five minutes of testimony, Rogers spoke of the need for social and emotional education that public television provided. He passionately argued that alternative television programming like his Neighborhood helped encourage children to become happy and productive citizens, sometimes opposing less positive messages in media and in popular culture. He even recited the lyrics to one of his songs.

The chairman of the subcommittee, John O. Pastore, was not previously familiar with Rogers' work, and was sometimes described as gruff and impatient. However, he reported that the testimony had given him goosebumps, and declared, "Looks like you just earned the $20 million." The following congressional appropriation, for 1971, increased PBS funding from $9 million to $22 million. The footage of his plea can be found at [link] [link] [link]

Urban legends

Fred Rogers has been the subject of a few urban legends, among them, ideas that he served in the military around the era of the Vietnam war; was a sniper; or was a Navy Seal. Rumors to this effect are discounted as false on urban legend verification websites[Urban Legends Reference Pages: Mister Rogers]. Not only is military service not mentioned in any biographies on him, but there wasn't a period of time, unaccounted for, where he could have been involved in such. During most of the Vietnam conflict, he was fully dedicated to his television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and before that, around the start of Vietnam, he was working on getting rights for his show and moving it to Pittsburgh.

Speeches, honors, and memberships

Family

Fred Rogers is survived by his wife Joanne Rogers (the former Sara Joanne Byrd), their two sons (Jim and John) and two grandsons.

External links

References

 

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