Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Mr. Rogers Has Died at 74

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Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 02-27-2003, 10:05 AM:

PITTSBURGH (Feb. 27) - Fred Rogers, who gently invited millions of children to be his neighbor as host of the public television show ``Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' for more than 30 years, died of cancer early Thursday. He was 74.

Rogers died at his Pittsburgh home, said family spokesman David Newell, who played Mr. McFeely on the show. Rogers had been diagnosed with stomach cancer sometime after the holidays, Newell said.

``He was so genuinely, genuinely kind, a wonderful person,'' Newell said. ``His mission was to work with families and children for television. ... That was his passion, his mission, and he did it from day one.''

From 1968 to 2000, Rogers, an ordained Presbyterian minister, produced the show at Pittsburgh public television station WQED. The final new episode, which was taped in December 2000, aired in August 2001, though PBS affiliates continued to air back episodes.

Rogers composed his own songs for the show and began each episode in a set made to look like a comfortable living room, singing ``It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood,'' as he donned sneakers and a zip-up cardigan.

``I have really never considered myself a TV star,'' Rogers said in a 1995 interview. ``I always thought I was a neighbor who just came in for a visit.''

His message remained simple: telling his viewers to love themselves and others. On each show, he would take his audience on a magical trolley ride into the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, where his puppet creations would interact with each other and adults.

Rogers did much of the puppet work and voices himself. He also studied early childhood development at the University of Pittsburgh and consulted with an expert there over the years.

``He was certainly a perfectionist. There was a lot more to Fred than I think many of us saw,'' said Joe Negri, a guitarist who on the show played the royal handyman in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe and owner of ``Negri's Music Shop.''

Negri said Rogers refused to accept shoddy ad-libbing by guests who may have thought they could slack off during a kid's show.

But Rogers could also enjoy taping as if he were a child himself, Negri recalled. Once, he said, the two of them fell into laughter because of the difficulty they had putting up a tent on the show.

Rogers taught children how to share, deal with anger and even why they shouldn't fear the bathtub by assuring them they'll never go down the drain.

During the Persian Gulf War, Rogers told youngsters that ``all children shall be well taken care of in this neighborhood and beyond - in times of war and in times of peace,'' and he asked parents to promise their children they would always be safe.

``We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility,'' he said in 1994. ``It's easy to say 'It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.'

``Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.''

Rogers came out of broadcasting retirement last year to record public service announcements for the Public Broadcasting Service telling parents how to help their children deal with the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

``If they see the tragedy replayed on television, they might think it's happening at that moment,'' he said.

Rogers' show won four Emmy Awards, plus one for lifetime achievement. He was given a George Foster Peabody Award in 1993, ``in recognition of 25 years of beautiful days in the neighborhood.''

At a ceremony marking the show's 25th anniversary that year, Rogers said, ``It's not the honors and not the titles and not the power that is of ultimate importance. It's what resides inside.''

The show's ratings peaked in 1985-86 when about 8 percent of all U.S. households with televisions tuned in. By the 1999-2000 season, viewership had dropped to about 2.7 percent, or 3.6 million people.

As other children's programming opted for slick action cartoons, Rogers stayed the same and stuck to his soothing message.

Off the set, Rogers was much like his television persona. He swam daily, read voraciously and listened to Beethoven. He once volunteered at a state prison in Pittsburgh and helped set up a playroom there for children visiting their parents.

One of Rogers' red sweaters hangs in the Smithsonian Institution.

Rogers was born in Latrobe, 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Early in his career, Rogers was an unseen puppeteer in ``The Children's Corner,'' a local show he helped launch at WQED in 1954. In seven years of unscripted, live television, he developed many of the puppets used in his later show, including King Friday XIII and Curious X the Owl.

He was ordained in 1963 with a charge to continue his work with children and families through television. That same year, Rogers accepted an offer to develop ``Misterogers,'' his own 15-minute show, for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

He brought the show back to Pittsburgh in 1966, incorporating segments of the CBC show into a new series distributed by the Eastern Educational Network to cities including Boston, Philadelphia and Washington.

In 1968, ``Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' began distribution across the country through National Educational Television, which later became the Public Broadcasting Service.

Rogers' gentle manner was the butt of some comedians. Eddie Murphy parodied him on ``Saturday Night Live'' in the 1980s with his ``Mister Robinson's Neighborhood,'' a routine Rogers found funny and affectionate.

Rogers is survived by his wife, Joanne, a concert pianist; two sons; and two grandsons.

Todd Spangler C. Associated Press

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 02-27-2003, 10:14 AM:

He's taking the trolley to the neighborhood of make-believe in the sky.

My 3 year old son loves watching the re-runs and I used to watch Mr. Rogers when I was a litte one too.

R.I.P.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 02-27-2003, 10:37 AM:

http://www.cosi.org/visit/theaters/movies/planetarium/mrRogers/

Posted by Bill Langfield (Member # 818) on 02-27-2003, 10:55 AM:

Never heard of Mr Rogers, SORRY, May he RIP.

But Ginger Rogers nephew watched 'Gangs of New York' tonight.
(He thought it was good, but too long)

Thats as famous as I can get. Besides the football players, that show up from time to time.
(Usually because they are doing shopping mall promotions)

Bill!

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 02-27-2003, 03:30 PM:

Another sad day for TV -- especially as it has become the vast wasteland Newton Minow warned of all those years ago.

Mr. Rogers' passing reminds me of a parody called "Mr. Rambo's Neighborhood". Imus did that as a recurring skit on his show on 66/WNBC in New York in the summer of '85. That of course was long before Imus went national.

Posted by Hillary Charles (Member # 769) on 02-27-2003, 04:17 PM:

There was a documentary on Fred Rogers a few years ago, and they showed some clips from that early show, "Children's Corner." It was very funny, the banter intelligent like "Kukla, Fran and Ollie." Truly and good and talented man.

He was an original and television is the worse for losing him. [Frown]

Posted by Glenda Cockrum (Member # 542) on 02-27-2003, 04:39 PM:

I had the honor of meeting Fred Rogers several times over the past 25 years; as a keynote speaker he was incredible and moving , as a person as kind and gentle as his on screen persona. Since I have grown up in the Pittsburgh area, I "grew up" in the "Neighborhood" and yes, I cried a bit today; he was a true gentleman and a true friend to all children from 1 year olds to those of us in our late 40's. I will miss him. [Frown]

But I think he has given those of us that watched him as children and understood him as adults a lasting legacy of courtesy, kindness and love.

Posted by Christopher Seo (Member # 7) on 02-27-2003, 04:51 PM:

That's sad. I grew up with "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" and had no idea it had been running for so long.

Something like this makes me realize I'm not a kid anymore....

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 02-27-2003, 06:12 PM:

I watched him every morning growing up in Chicago. I would always pretend that I was there in his house, and he was talking to ME, which is what Fred was trying to achieve. It didn't feel like I was watching a TV show, it felt more like I was going to his house to visit. [Smile]

It was truly a quality show for young children. Gentle, kind, and a shining example of everything that was good in the world.

My aunt would always watch it with me, along with The Price Is Right which came on after it. It's hard to believe now that I'm 21, my aunt is gone, Mr. Rogers is gone, and eventually Bob Barker will be gone, and my childhood will have completely withered away. [Frown]

How time flies...

=TMP=

Posted by Daniel Boisson (Member # 1027) on 02-27-2003, 06:14 PM:

I grew up watching this man......he was very kind person, even in real life.......he will be missed.

Posted by Gerard S. Cohen (Member # 994) on 02-27-2003, 08:45 PM:

Glenda's post above expresses my feelings about Mr. Rogers better than I could. Thanks for posting.

I just watched an hour-long tribute to Mr. Rogers [1928-2003] on PBS that conveyed his mission to children via interviews and excerpts from his programs in Pennsylvania, Canada, and in his major US studio. It showed him developing his puppets, whose voices he did himself; his writing, composing and directing his daily programs, and the origins of the characters on his show.
Everyone spoke of him in the present tense (the show must have been made a while ago, as he was taping his shows as late as last Christmas.) Memorable sequences were his meeting with a most
enthusiastic audience at Yale, some of whose members brought their little children, and a conversation Mr. Rogers had on live TV with a handicapped child, and then the child, now a college student, recalling the event.

Moving and scary--I am only a year his junior...

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 02-27-2003, 08:45 PM:

Truly a remarkable man. It is a shame people like this have to pass on. I am sure many will miss him.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 02-27-2003, 09:14 PM:

[Frown]

Poor Mr. Rogers, this is sad news. America has lost an institution today. I remember the show when it said "NET" at the end, on top of one of the buildings, and I kept wondering why it didn't say WQED... I was 6 or 7. (And who wouldn't have wanted a neighborhood deliveryman as dedicated and efficient as Mr. McFeeley?) [Smile]

Mr. Rogers was cool, too. He always visited neat factories and stuff, and showed us how things worked.

What a kind man.

Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 02-27-2003, 09:55 PM:

I never knew Mr. Rodgers, however at lunch with my wife today she told how much Mr. Rodgers helped her in rearing our children as they were growing up.They all loved Mr. Rodgers.

When his show was on they were mesmerized. Glued to the TV. She could clean, Talk on the phone or take a rest. My First born Rob in 1966 was in on the beginning as was Kara, born in 1969. Now Ed, born in 1978 many years later than his siblings thought is was the greatest. AND he was.

May God Bless Him, and his family.

Posted by Bill Mantz (Member # 754) on 02-27-2003, 11:57 PM:

I think Glenda specks for milloions of us and people who whatched his show it will bring tears for everyone who has watched his show in the past in the future with reruns he was truly a remarkable man and thank god we have him on film to show kids of the future how to be kind to others. [Frown]

Posted by Bill Mantz (Member # 754) on 02-28-2003, 12:00 AM:

I think Glenda speaks for milloions of us and people across america who whatched his show it will bring tears to everyone who has watched his show in the past in the future with that he is no longer with us he was truly a remarkable man and thank god we have him on film to show kids of the future how to be kind to others. [Frown]

Posted by Randy Loy (Member # 112) on 02-28-2003, 10:02 AM:

I am really saddened by Fred Rogers death also. I very much appreciate what he did for millions and millions of children and for our culture. I also always wanted to meet him and tell him how much I appreciate what he has done.

Several years ago my wife and I got a tour of WQED's production facility in Pittsburgh. Filming for "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" was shut down for the season but we got to see some of the sets that were used. One of the things that fascinated me was that such items as King Friday's Castle and the owl's tree had small video monitors mounted beneath or behind them so that the puppeteers could see the special guests' faces as they talked to them.

Mr. Rogers' show was on at my house a lot when I was a kid, since my sister and brother were at the right age to watch it. I have always appreciated Fred Rogers' ability to lend some calmness to our very hectic and stressed world and even today, when I find an episode of his show on PBS as I'm channel surfing, I'll stop and watch for awhile. Its always guaranteed to make me smile.