Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Fred Rogers and Pittsburgh

From an article on Fred Rogers and Pittsburgh, seven years after Rogers’ death and two years after PBS stopped offering Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as a daily show (shame on you, PBS):

In November, WQED, the local public television station here, decided to reinstall the Neighborhood of Make-Believe set at its studio where Mr. Rogers filmed his show from 1968 to 2001, with the intention that a couple of hundred people might show up to reminisce. Instead, a line stretched down the sidewalk, and more than 5,000 people over two days took the tour.
Read more:

Sean D. Hamill, Pittsburgh Keeps Alive the Legacy of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (New York Times)

One bright note: PBS has online a handful of excerpts and complete shows. Go to PBS KIDS, and navigate through the Flash until you find a list of shows. The Neighborhood offerings include two complete operas, Spoon Mountain and Windstorm in Bubbleland (here called Neighborhood Opera).

Related posts
Blaming Mister Rogers
“The Essay Writing Song”
Lady Elaine’s can (with a comment from Betty Aberlin!)

comments: 2

Elaine said...

I can't stand for there not to be a comment here. When Fred Rogers died, our daughter phoned home from college, near tears. Someone rushed into class, almost late, and blurted out, "Mr. Rogers died!" Mourning, I take it, was universal.

I agreed with her: we needed a lot more than 70-something years of Mr. Rogers. And I can't tell you how many people speak of 'the crayons' as their favorite clip ever from his show. Magical....

Michael Leddy said...

Thanks, Elaine. I feel sad for all the kids who probably will never get to see Fred Rogers on a daily basis.