Mister Rogers: Total Awesomeness

7:44 pm EST May 29th, 2007 | News | 12 Comments

By far the best tv show of my childhood.

When the government wanted to cut Public Television funds in 1969, the relatively unknown Mister Rogers went to Washington. Almost straight out of a Capra film, his 5-6 minute testimony on how TV had the potential to give kids hope and create more productive citizens was so simple but passionate that even the most gruff politicians were charmed. While the budget should have been cut, the funding instead jumped from $9 to $22 million. Rogers also spoke to Congress, and swayed senators into voting to allow VCR’s to record television shows from the home. It was a cantankerous debate at the time, but his argument was that recording a program like his allowed working parents to sit down with their children and watch shows as a family.

(via)

UPDATE: I love Youtube. Mister Rogers (and Mr. McPheely) visits the set of The Incredible Hulk Movie.

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12 Responses to “Mister Rogers: Total Awesomeness”

  1. S. Oelek says:
    May 30, 2007 at 1:44 am

    People can say what they want about Fred Rogers.

    I maintain that it was a better world when he was still in it.

  2. Jake says:
    May 30, 2007 at 11:28 am

    I’m proud to say that I graduated from the same college as Mr. Rogers, Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.

  3. Thad says:
    May 30, 2007 at 12:11 pm

    Fred Rogers was one-of-a-kind. The world is a richer place for his having been a part of it.

  4. Duros62 says:
    May 30, 2007 at 12:43 pm

    I hate to say it, though, if he tried to get on TV today, he’d have a hard time getting by the Dobsons and Falwells.

  5. andy k says:
    May 30, 2007 at 3:40 pm

    His speech to congress is so freaking amazing. Brings a tear to my eye every time.

  6. fd10801 says:
    May 30, 2007 at 4:18 pm

    Duros: That is truly silly… What would someone like Dobson or Falwell find offensive, that they didn’t find offensive the whole time the show was in?

    I was too old for his show. But you all, especially you, Duros, might be surprised to know that “In 1963, he was ordained a Presbyterian minister with a charge to continue his work with children and families through television.”

    Surprised you didn’t get turned into Bible thumping robots, eh?

    Hehe

  7. peachy says:
    May 30, 2007 at 5:08 pm

    I met Fred in about 1975. He was exactly the same in person as we was on screen. I brought my then 4-year-old son to the studio to watch a taping (I was a journalism prof at the time). Learning there was a young child in the studio, Fred stopped his work on a puppetry routine and came out to meet him. He immediately crouched down so he could see my son eye to eye, and spoke with him briefly. No one could relate to kids like Fred could. Sesame Street got all the attention, and it certainly deserved a lot, but Fred kept it simple and real.

    And he liked us all just the way we were.

  8. IMU says:
    May 31, 2007 at 12:06 am

    Fred Rogers is the man. God bless his soul. And thanks for the clip. It did make me a little vaclempt (sp?)

  9. fd10801 says:
    May 31, 2007 at 12:12 am

    verclept

  10. Mike says:
    May 31, 2007 at 11:12 pm

    Nope, it’s “verklempt.”

  11. fd10801 says:
    June 1, 2007 at 1:56 am

    There was only one way I was going to be sure — to put down what I thought was the right spelling, and wait for someon to correct me.

    Suddenly — 11 hours later — Mikey!

    Strowbridge: How could you have missed this?

  12. fd10801 says:
    June 1, 2007 at 1:57 am

    There was only one way I was going to be sure — to put down what I thought was the right spelling, and wait for someone to correct me.

    Suddenly — 11 hours later — Mikey!

    Strowbridge: How could you have missed this?