PBS salutes Fred Rogers with ‘Mister Rogers: It’s You I Like’
For 33 years and nearly 900 episodes, Fred Rogers was a gentle, cardigan-clad presence in the lives of generations of American children, helping them learn about life, process its ups and downs, overcome fears and understand that everyone is indeed special. More than 16 years after his last show, the lessons of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” still resonate in rebroadcasts.
Yet, this unassuming man with degrees in divinity and music composition would insist that he’s not a teacher, just someone who knows how to get children to learn. A half-century after the show’s 1968 premiere, PBS pays tribute to this soft-spoken dynamo with “Mister Rogers: It’s You I Like,” which airs on its stations beginning Tuesday, March 6 (check local listings).
Hosted by actor and former “Neighborhood” stagehand Michael Keaton, the hourlong documentary features clips of the show and recollections and insights from filmmaker Judd Apatow, actor John Lithgow, comedian Sarah Silverman, TV personality Whoopi Goldberg, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and his son Nicholas, opera singer Joyce DiDonato, Rogers’ widow Joanne, and “Neighborhood” cast members Joe Negri (Handyman Negri) and David Newell (Mr. McFeely).
Newell recalls that Rogers originally created the show because he didn’t like the television of the era and its mindless content and thought he could do better.
“His intention with ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,’ ” Newell says, “... he liked to create a library of programming that can be run over and over and over again. Because when you think of it, the neighborhood may be somewhat dated visually, but the messages are never dated. They’re evergreen.”