Mister Rogers Neighborhood: Children Television And Fred Rogers [Paperback]

Mark Collins (Editor), Margaret Mary Kimmel (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 11, 1997

Mark Collins and Margaret Mary Kimmel detail the story of Pennsylvania native Fred Rogers and his classic PBS children’s program Mister Roger’s Neighborhood.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For forty years, Fred Rogers has been telling children and the rest of us that he likes us just the way we are. No one else in our lives gives us that message. Now, in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, fifteen essayists show how deeply, and in how many ways, the message has registered. Starting with satirist Bob Garfield's hilarious conversion from Rogers Rejectionism to Rogers Rebirth, through cellist YoYo Ma's respect for Fred's musical messages, through various Fredwatchers' reactions to the depth and honesty of his work, this collection is a reminder of the many and varied lives Fred Rogers has touched, kept sane, kept steady and centered. The book is testimony to this fact: after two score years on television, Fred Rogers remains the best friend America's families ever had."
--National Public Radio

"Discusses the amazing depth of public television's longest-running show with a variety of contexts: aesthetic, developmental, theological, philosophical. Much of that is against a backdrop of a society and an industry that neglects when not exploiting children. . . . The range of commentators, from the  humorous Bob Garfield to the charming Yo-Yo Ma examines and illuminates the many hertofore hidden facets of this Pittsburgh jewel."
--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press (September 11, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822956527
• ISBN-13: 978-0822956525
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,094,946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic, April 27, 2003

By 

Yakov Hadash (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mister Rogers Neighborhood: Children Television And Fred Rogers (Paperback)

i found this book remaindered for a very low price, but it is totally worth the full list price. a respectful, intelligent look at the great man Fred Rogers and his TV show that isn't even a TV show, really... varying points of views. the essayists only occasionally become too weirdly academic or navel-gazing. i like the production values on this hardcover, too -- it's fully cloth-covered with a full cloth, smythe-sewn binding, acid free paper, and neat endpapers. the back cover photo rules, too. 2003 May 3rd is the Mr Rogers memorial ceremony in downtown pittsburgh -- go!

17 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest 20th century entertainers, June 14, 2003

By 

Robin Orlowski "political activist" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mister Rogers Neighborhood: Children Television And Fred Rogers (Paperback)

In 2003, Fred "Mister" Rogers departed this world after a lifetime of public service to all children.

In a day when many people from all points on the political spectrum had eagerly reduced `compassion', `equality' and `pro-child' to catchy, but ultimately divisive and meaningless words, he continued to bring out the best in everybody.

He is one of the few people in this world deserving of all his awards/honors and then much more.

As evidence of his timeless appeal, I never tired of watching his namesake PBS children's show. Even when I was much older (and out of the intended demographic service range), I loved the truly nurturing environment regularly brough into my living room. Well before I realized my parents were not getting along (eventually divorcing), Mr. Rogers "told" me via daily broadcast that good families come in all structures, and the family format is subsequently less important than how the individual members treat eachother and themselves. When my parents finally did divorce in high school, I had been so helped by Roger's work, I immediately flashed back to his reassuring songs.

That the sets were decidedly showing their age in places by the late 1980's, and the cast themselves featured in some segments had died mattered much less than their overall mission of helping ALL kids navigate an often unforgiving world in uplifting and supportive tones.

The mostly male ensemble cast of the neighborhood (although this changed in latter seasons) was not problematic in the long-run for this feminist, because it suggested an alternate male sexuality that was built on empathy and peace as opposed to macho swaggering. It was okay for men of all ages to cry, hug and freely embrace a side of themselves that Western culture remains fixated on suppresing.

At a different developmental stage in the human life-span, kids were smart, and did not deserve the condescending behavior so many other adults (including those on `educational/children's' programming) spew at us in the pursuit of ratings and the almighty American dollar.

Unlike PBS's other "flagship" children's program, Sesame Street (now famous for abandoning the original-audience at-risk urban kids to focus on the offspring of suburban yuppies), Mr. Rogers always remembered his audience, and never sold out or let us down.

Even when growing partisan political battles and budget cuts provided powerful incentive to follow suit, he made sure principles were more than abstract words. All children had an inalienable right to be treated with respect and dignity.

From tackling such edgy subjects as the RFK Assassination to hostages and war, Mr. Rogers always both captured and nurtured his audience's imagination. Talking things out wasn't necessarily high-tech or flashy, but it was unbelievably better when compared to letting personal feelings bottle up inside.

Adding to the quality, Rogers was scrupulous about not parading his religious affiliations (licensed minister in the Presbyterian Church) as the reason his advice should be taken.

For my generation with the unfortunate timing to grow up with the beginnings of a markedly aggressive televangelist craze, his conduct provided a welcome alternative to the less-than-admirable actions of other adults in our world. It was not enough to simply apply religious freedoms to one's self, they belong to every citizen.---including those of differing perspectives and no religious affiliation.

Thus, the most constructive educational pedagogy was one that did not continually promote any religion (or the formal absence) but far more civil neutrality.

As with so many other people, I never got to personally thank him for the gift, but I know I am using it whenever I think both critically and compassionately about the larger world around me. I also know I am not the only one who remembers him through this type of a tribute, and our collective efforts will produce the best kind of off-screen "neighborhood" possible.

The not-so-subtle discounting of this very same instructional idea by self-appointed educational guardians suggests both how far ahead of his time he was and effective Rogers truly remains.

RIP Mr. Rogers.