Fred Rogers

From Free net encyclopedia

(Difference between revisions)
Revision as of 01:13, 21 April 2006
Jaxl (Talk | contribs)
Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/138.89.61.55|138.89.61.55]] ([[User talk:138.89.61.55|talk]]) to last version by Azumanga1
Next diff →

Current revision

Image:Fred Rodgers.jpg 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

[edit]

Life and Career

Rogers was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, about 3 miles (50 km) southeast of Pittsburgh. Following secondary school, he studied at Dartmouth College in Hanover 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.

During this period, for eight years 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 succumbed to stomach cancer a short time after his retirement at the age of 74. His remains are entombed in a family crypt in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

[edit]

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.Image:Mister Rogers and Big Bird.jpg

The show's target audience was chiefly 1-3 year old children and 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.

Image:Fred Rogers and Yo Yo Ma.jpgGuests 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 thought children were people and deserved shows as good as anything else on TV.

Image:Mister Robinsons Neighborhood.jpgHis 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 [1]). 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 broadcasts also ran parodies of Rogers.

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!" (see[2]).

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).

[edit]

Fred Rogers' Puppeteering Work

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

  • Cornflake S. Pecially
  • Daniel Striped Tiger
  • Donkey Hodie
  • Edgar Cooke
  • Grandpere
  • Henrietta Pussycat
  • King Friday XIII
  • Lady Elaine Fairchilde
  • Queen Sara Saturday
  • X the Owl
[edit]

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 at the trial level of the case that became known as Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. noted that he did not object to home recording of his television programs, as, 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.

[edit]

Mister Rogers and PBS Funding

In 1969 Rogers appeared before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Communications, which was a subcommittee of the Committee of Commerce. His goal was to support funding for PBS, in response to significant proposed cuts. In about fifteen 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 twenty million dollars." The following congressional appropriation, for 1971, increased PBS funding from $9 million to $22 million.

[edit]

Speeches, Honors, and Memberships

On March 5, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed S.Con. Resolution 16 to commemorate the life of Fred Rogers.
"Fred gave so many people similar gifts, and he did it merely by speaking to them in an open, honest, non-threatening way;" Teresa Heinz 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."
[edit]

Family

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

[edit]

Trivia

  • In an episode of Family Guy, Mr. Rogers is killed by Stewie in a dream, and then comes back disguised as Lois to kill Stewie. This is also however revealed to be a dream.
  • In the episode called "Nighttime," Mr. Rogers and Mr. McFeely watch a film called "How People Make Flashlights" on Picture Picture. In the Neighborhood of Make-Believe segment, Lady Aberlin is using one of the flashlights made in the Picture Picture film.
[edit]

External links

Template:Quote

Retrieved from "http://www.netipedia.com/index.php/Fred_Rogers"