“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (Fred Rogers documentary) in theaters June 8th

I’m a few years behind you but on this front my experience growing up was essentially the same. As a kid I never cared for the show (except the trolley... LOVED the trolley). In my teens, I’m certain that when he was occasionally referenced we thoughtlessly mocked for his telegraphed purity. I know because something of that feeling still echoes to this day. As an adult, I don’t know if I’ve ever given him more than a passing thought except learning a few years ago from a girlfriend who has a very young daughter that there’s this thing called Daniel Tiger somehow spun off from Mr. Rogers. Even that didn’t inspire me to do so much as a cursory Google or YouTube search. (In my defense, I’d just survived My Little Pony bootcamp.)

When I first saw the trailer in theaters a few months ago, I had no clue this was in the pipeline. Like many here, I’m hardly genteel and am hyper-aware of manipulative marketing techniques. I’m also deeply skeptical of nostalgia (with a few very specific exceptions). Beyond that, like you, my underlying belief system doesn’t align with his. Nothing in this documentary’s DNA should have evaporated all these barriers — I had glassy eyes, lumpy throat... the works — so I can only say that what moved me was this undeniable sense that, whatever may be downplayed or omitted from this documentary, here was a real mensch.

Cue the knee jerk defensive crouch in preparation of contemporary “tell-all clickbait”.

Only after you mention the “burn in Hell” signs does any of that ring a faint bell. It should shock me but in 2018 such vehement corrosion and hyperbolic call-to-division is simply wearying and dishearteningly de rigeur. Such voices of emotional moderation, tolerance, modest generosity of spirit, self-control, self awareness, and dignity that can cross ideological lines (not necessarily political, mind you) seem sorely missing. T’was ever thus, I’m sure, but we have certainly learned how to streamline mental processing time down to nanosecond “hot takes” laced with pseudo-irony that are anathema to the languorous bonhomie of a man singing “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” while changing from his outdoor shoes to his indoor pair. I say all this as someone born as averse to rose-colored glasses and the apparent allure of golden-hued days of yore as I am to either Pollyannaism or “end is nigh, old man yelling at cloud”-ism. That this genial pastor’s essential philosophy — with its religiosity boiled away to welcome those outside its gated garden — could and did penetrate this dour humanist’s defenses is no small miracle. All the more I hope to see it this week before it joins my purgatorial Netflix queue.

Long as I’m posting here, last week I took a moment out of a day to watch this. I recommend it, though it genuinely seems out of some never-filmed cliché Capra movie called Mr. Rogers Goes to Washington. If only.

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I certainly hope you do get the chance to see it. The senate hearing, edited a bit from what you include here, does feature prominently. In regards to the "Mr. Rogers Burns in Hell" protest, one of his colleagues described it as people who were "intolerant to his tolerance".

 

Those were the cretins from the Westboro Baptist Church - the least Christian people to ever claim to be Christians. They protested the funerals of decorated military, Swedish vacuum cleaners and my friend Tim. For them to show up and picket your funeral is a badge of honor.

 

He truly was.

He lived the Golden Rule that is the essence of every religious, moral and ethical system worth living by. That it seemingly made him an anomaly is a sad comment on modern life.

 

The day after I saw this, PBS in Pittsburgh showed a documentary hosted by Michael Keaton which was pretty good. Very different, but good. Went into some detail of his work on the show.

Only problem for me is I saw them so close together in time that I am confusing my memories of what was in each.

 

I also liked Zoom and Hodge Podge Lodge, but I usually got called down to dinner before that was through. Of course that was back when kindergarten was only half a day and 5 year olds weren't given homework.

 

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Picked up this collection [4 DVD's] 30 hand picked episodes 1979 - 2001 (14.5 hours) $9.99 @ Best Buy

* includes the 1st Premiere Program [B&W]

 

I need to see if that DVD set has the Peggy Fleming episode.

Saw the documentary recently while on a trip to Chicago, brought back memories. I watched Mr. Rogers and most of the other PBS kids shows from the late '70s- 80s.
But I highly recommend even if you didn't watch Mr. Rogers as a kid.

 

I’m on my way back from watching this wonderful film. What a beautiful man.

 

Just saw the film. Really moved me. Profound film, i think. The end trying to bring his philosophy of Love to today just seemed perfect.

As someone mentioned earlier i've always looked up to Mr. Rodgers as well as Jim Henson and a few others for similar reasons. But, i feel so uninformed in my previous perception. This film gives a great historical and personal angle.

I really thought the film was well made. And used his whole person to show how it informed his work. So much thought going on in me. I'm very moved. A very profound film.

 

This. I am a better person for have knowing Mr. Rogers.

He was. On and off camera.


And if you have problems/issues with Fred M. Rogers, then please seek professional help, IMMEDIATELY. And not just a regular psychiatrist. You need help on an institutional level.

 

Just wait til the shipping notices start coming in.

 

This echos what I've heard from everyone who had ever met the man- that he was as kind, and genuine as he appeared on TV.

 

Finally saw this today.

Two things I did not expect:

Rapper's Delight
Mr Rogers moonwalking.

 

Saw this today also. I had some allergies during the whole movie, really bothering my eyes....My heroes have always been Outlaws and somehow Fred Rogers was always in that group.

About 7 years ago I moved to a new home and within a week someone broke-in and stole stuff. I still had things in boxes, very convenient for thieves to haul away I guess. I lost a box or two of media - CD's and DVD's.

I tried explaining to the "Detective" that my CD's and DVD's were not just run-of-the-mill things. My stuff would be very peculiar and stand-out at pawn shops and used CD stores where thieves try to sell. The detective could not grasp the concept that a street person trying to sell a stack of Velvet Underground/Tom Waits/Zappa CD's would be weird.

One DVD I lost was the old PBS Fred Rogers Documentary narrated by Michael Keaton. It was OOP and a bit expensive even then - currently $89 at Amazon. I was describing it to the detective and he said "Mr Rogers? Wasn't he a Navy Seal? I heard he had tattoos all over his arms." So that myth was really out there and common enough for a bonehead Detective to hear.

Yeah, I never got anything returned and my case was likely closed after our conversation.

 

The Micheal Keaton PBS one has been running quite a bit lately on my PBS channels. It's ok.

I have always seen Mr. Rodgers in the outlaw role. Always been my outlaw. I see Maurice Sendack, Jim Henson and Huel Howser in the same light. They are all seen as light and childish. But their clear wonder with no pandering just gets me. Outlaws to me.

 

Cop: Sorry about the break-in Mr. Seinfeld, we'll call you if we find anything.
Jerry: Do you ever find anything?
Cop: No.

 

In my experience, 90% of all burglary of that type is done by someone who has been in your home, or by a friend of someone who has.

 

The initial release of this goofed up, and instead of the real first episode (which was in black and white), they included the first color episode (the first show of the second year) instead. I grabbed it as I am pretty sure that first color episode had not otherwise been released. (Amazon has a DVD with the entire first week's worth of shows.)

Two things which disappoint me about this DVD collection:

(1) Other than the "bonus episode," every other episode is from 1979 or later, i.e. not from the era when I would have been watching the show. (Hopefully with the success of this documentary, there will be enough interest for them to release more.)

(2) The authoring is really weird. If you hit "play all," they skip the openings and closings on the episodes. If you play a show individually, it starts with the opening from a 1969 episode, complete with NET logo and the show's title as "Misterogers' Neighborhood." Then that fades out and the real episode fades in past the opening. There also is an added fade-out and fade-in before the closing credits.

Other than that, it's great!

The documentary is awesome. Very highly recommended.

 

I saw this film this past Tuesday. It was my first time watching a movie in a theater in six and a half years. I was one of only three people in the seats -- to be fair, it was a mid-afternoon show on a weekday, but I was still surprised there were so few people. Of course, I was pleasantly surprised it showed up in Lynchburg, VA at all.

I was probably the right age when Mr. Rogers first started (I was seven), but I didn't watch it. By then, I was already watching game shows on daytime TV when I wasn't in school. In retrospect, I wish I had spent sone time in his neighborhood. I found myself alternately laughing (I loved the wordplay that gave us King Friday XIII) and wiping my eyes -- I can't remember what part of the movie moved me so deeply, but it wasn't something I saw in the trailer, so it caught me by surprise.

I have a feeling I'll watch this again on a smaller screen some day. I'm glad I went.

 

Wow! Somebody else remembers Hodge Podge Lodge. Watched it but don't remember much about it.

 

It was the first time I’ve cried in a movie theater in years.

Sitting on my bookcase is a Neighborhood Trolley, and most of the puppets. When my girls were little , Daniel, X the Owl or King Friday would put them to bed. I miss that.

 

I grew up with Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street and The Electric Company (as well as Captain Kangaroo). I have a feeling I will enjoy this movie very much. Might want to wait for the dvd since I may get rather misty eyed. One of my favorite parts of the show was watching the opening credits. I loved looking at the model town and seeing how many of the Matchbox cars we had too. In the land of make believe my favorite was that trouble maker, Lady Elaine Fairchild.

Man, I miss that innocence!

 

I cried more than once in the theater. The mailman confessional like scene later in the film was just tearjerker heaven. Unconditional Love. This what he was all about.

 

If it's not too impolite to ask, may I please inquire where you got the puppets? The Trolley is readily available still today but licensed puppets are hard to find as Fred didn't want to over commercialize the show. I have a 70s Lady Elaine puppet. What I'd really love to have, and would pay good money for, is an officially licensed high quality set of NOMB models like we're used on the show. I understand that the show's versions were one of a kind handcrafted by Bob Trow, but in this age of 3D printers and digital imagery there has to be a way to effectively mass produce these. If the Fred Rogers Company would sell them as a subscription series to raise funds for their projects you'd bet I'd buy the whole shebang.