Fred Rogers

Children's Television Show Creator / Host

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The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

About this interview

In his four-and-a-half-hour interview, Fred Rogers (1928-2003) describes his work as the creator and host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which began its run in 1968. He describes the show's evolution, which started with Misterogers, which he produced in Canada for the CBC. He describes each aspect of the show including the origin of his trademark sweaters. He recounts his early years in television working as a floor manager for NBC on shows including NBC Opera Theatre, The Kate Smith Hour, and The Gabby Hayes Show. Rogers details his move into public television in 1953 with his work as the program director for WQED, Pittsburgh. He describes his first children's program, The Children's Corner (1954-61 WQED; 1955-56 NBC), which introduced several puppets later used on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He talks about the importance of children's programming and his longevity as a children's show host. Karen Herman conducted the interview on July 22, 1999 in Pittsburgh, PA.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

"I'd like to be remembered for being a compassionate human being who happened to be fortunate enough to be born at a time when there was a fabulous thing called television that could allow me to use all the talents that I had been given."

People Talking About ...

Highlights

Fred Rogers on the creation of "Daniel Tiger"

02:14

Fred Rogers on his favorite memories of The Children's Corner

04:43

Fred Rogers on creating the puppets eventually used for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and on their puppeteers

05:13

Fred Rogers on doing episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood that dealt with serious topics like death and divorce

03:31

Fred Rogers on his outside of the studio segments on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

01:47

Fred Rogers on how he'd like to be remembered

00:52

Full Interview

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Chapter 1

On his early years; on the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood character "Lady Elaine" (with puppet)

On his interest in photography when he was growing up; on radio and movies he watched when he was growing up; on deciding what he wanted to do when he grew up

Chapter 2

On his college education; on the value of television as a teaching tool for children; on working at NBC in the early '50s

On working as floor manager at NBC on NBC Opera Theatre; on his duties as a floor manager at NBC

Chapter 3

On Kate Smith as a performer on Kate Smith Hour; on stage managing The Gabby Hayes Show; on David Sarnoff and Sylverster L. "Pat" Weaver

On his early impressions of television; on having Michael Keaton as a floor manager on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood; on how he now views his years at NBC as a page

On being hired at WQED to work in educational television; on the creation of "Daniel Tiger"

Chapter 4

On his WQED show The Children's Corner starring Josie Carey and featuring the puppet "King Friday XIII"; on his duties as a programmer at WQED while he was also working on The Children's Corner; on the challenges of live television; on Josie Carey, the host of The Children's Corner

On composing songs with Josie Carey, host of The Children's Corner; on the format of The Children's Corner; on the puppets of The Children's Corner, including "Daniel Tiger," "King Friday XIII," and "Lady Elaine Fairchild"

On the set of The Children's Corner and on Ernie Coombs; on his CBC series Misterogers, a precursor to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood; on the educational aspects of The Children's Corner and on specific segments of the show

Chapter 5

On The Children's Corner moving over to NBC; on the end of The Children's Corner and on parting ways with Josie Carey; on his favorite memories of The Children's Corner

On becoming an ordained a minister of the United Presbyterian Church through the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary; on starting Misterogers on the CBC in Canada, a forerunner to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

Chapter 6

On dealing with copyrights and on owning the characters and material he created; on creating Misterogers, the Canadian forerunner to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood; on casting Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

On creating the puppets eventually used for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and on their puppeteers; on the process of putting together an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

On the format of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood; on his outside of the studio segments on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood; on the trolley on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

Chapter 7

On the trolley and Neighborhood of Make Believe on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood; on addressing the assassinations of President Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood; on doing episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood that dealt with serious topics like death and divorce

On doing Mister Rogers' Neighborhood episodes about television; on the music of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

On starting to do subjects across several episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood; on taping the Neighborhood of Make Believe segments on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood; on the behind-the-scenes crew of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

Chapter 8

On Mister Rogers' Neighborhood executive producer Peter Taft; on the then-current production schedule for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood; on taking Mister Rogers' Neighborhood to the Soviet Union in 1987

On his non-profit corporation Family Communications; on appearing on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman; on his "gift of silence," where he encourages people to think about those who helped them become who they are

On his greatest challenge; on "Captain Kangaroo," Bob Keeshan; on television's responsibility to children

Chapter 9

On imitations of him on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live; on his family and on his children watching him on television; on what he envisions is the then-future of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

On how he'd like to be remembered; on various people he worked with in his career

Shows

Amahl and the Night Visitors

Fred Rogers on working as floor manager at NBC on NBC Opera Theatre which put on "Amahl and the Night Visitors"

09:47

Children's Corner, The

Fred Rogers on his WQED show The Children's Corner starring Josie Carey and featuring the puppet "King Friday XIII"

04:08

Fred Rogers on his duties as a programmer at WQED while he was also working on The Children's Corner and on the challenges of live television

01:16

Fred Rogers on Josie Carey, the host of The Children's Corner

01:08

Fred Rogers on composing songs with Josie Carey, host of The Children's Corner

04:36

Fred Rogers on the format of The Children's Corner

03:19

Fred Rogers on the puppets of The Children's Corner, including "Daniel Tiger," "King Friday XIII," and "Lady Elaine Fairchild"

03:53

Fred Rogers on the set of The Children's Corner and on Ernie Coombs

02:54

Fred Rogers on the educational aspects of The Children's Corner and on specific segments of the show

03:34

Fred Rogers on The Children's Corner moving over to NBC

04:10

Fred Rogers on the end of The Children's Corner and on parting ways with Josie Carey

02:45

Fred Rogers on his favorite memories of The Children's Corner

04:43

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

Fred Rogers on appearing on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

02:26

Gabby Hayes Show, The

Fred Rogers on stage managing The Gabby Hayes Show

05:49

Kate Smith Hour

Fred Rogers on working as floor manager at NBC on The Kate Smith Hour

02:42

Fred Rogers on Kate Smith as a performer on Kate Smith Hour

01:11

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

Fred Rogers on the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood character "Lady Elaine" (with puppet)

01:51

Fred Rogers on having Michael Keaton as a floor manager on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

02:15

Fred Rogers on his CBC series Misterogers, a precursor to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

03:21

Fred Rogers on starting Misterogers on the CBC in Canada, a forerunner to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

07:32

Fred Rogers on creating Misterogers, the Canadian forerunner to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

03:16

Fred Rogers on casting Betty Aberlin and Emily Jacobson for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

02:45

Fred Rogers on casting Joe Negri, Robert Trow, and Chuck Ebert for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

05:03

Fred Rogers on creating the puppets eventually used for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and on their puppeteers

05:13

Fred Rogers on the process of putting together an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

05:46

Fred Rogers on the format of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

01:58

Fred Rogers on his outside of the studio segments on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

01:47

Fred Rogers on the trolley on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

00:33

Fred Rogers on the trolley and Land of Make Believe on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

02:06

Fred Rogers on addressing the assassinations of President Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

04:40

Fred Rogers on doing episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood that dealt with serious topics like death and divorce

03:31

Fred Rogers on doing Mister Rogers' Neighborhood episodes about television

05:05

Fred Rogers on the music of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

05:32

Fred Rogers on starting to do subjects across several episodes on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

02:25

Fred Rogers on taping the Land of Make Believe segments on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

03:06

Fred Rogers on the behind-the-scenes crew of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

02:47

Fred Rogers on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood executive producer Peter Taft and on getting the show funded

03:01

Fred Rogers on the then-current production schedule for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

03:25

Fred Rogers on taking Mister Rogers' Neighborhood to the Soviet Union in 1987

02:06

Fred Rogers on what he envisions is the then-future of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

02:59

NBC Opera Theatre

Fred Rogers on working as floor manager at NBC on NBC Opera Theatre which put on "Amahl and the Night Visitors"

09:47

Saturday Night Live

Fred Rogers on imitations of him on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live

03:24

Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The

Fred Rogers on imitations of him on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live

03:24

Topics

Bloopers

Fred Rogers on working as floor manager at NBC on The Kate Smith Hour

02:42

Characters & Catchphrases

Fred Rogers on the sweaters he wore on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

01:35

Fred Rogers on the creation of "Daniel Tiger"

02:14

Fred Rogers on the puppets of The Children's Corner, including "Daniel Tiger," "King Friday XIII," and "Lady Elaine Fairchild"

03:49

Fred Rogers on the parodies of "Mister Rogers"

03:12

Creative Influences and Inspiration

Fred Rogers on the origin of his trademark sweaters and his love of music

04:20

First Big Break

Fred Rogers on being hired at WQED to work in educational television

04:31

Memorable Moments on Television

Fred Rogers on addressing the assassinations of President Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

04:40

Pivotal Career Moments

Fred Rogers on the origin of his trademark sweaters and his love of music

04:20

Fred Rogers on being hired at WQED to work in educational television

04:31

Pop Culture

Fred Rogers on the sweaters he wore on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

01:35

Fred Rogers on the creation of "Daniel Tiger"

02:14

Fred Rogers on the puppets of The Children's Corner, including "Daniel Tiger," "King Friday XIII," and "Lady Elaine Fairchild"

03:49

Fred Rogers on the trolley on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

00:33

Fred Rogers on the parodies of "Mister Rogers"

03:12

Television Industry

Fred Rogers on his early impressions of television

01:42

Fred Rogers on dealing with copyrights and on owning the characters and material he created

02:01

Fred Rogers on television's responsibility to children

00:39

We Cried

Fred Rogers on addressing the assassinations of President Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

04:40

Genres

Children's Programming

Fred Rogers on the value of television as a teaching tool for children

05:29

Fred Rogers on having Michael Keaton as a floor manager on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

02:15

Fred Rogers on The Children's Corner, hosted by Josie Carey

28:09

Fred Rogers on The Children's Corner

14:25

Fred Rogers on starting Misterogers on the CBC in Canada

07:32

Fred Rogers on hosting Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

26:21

Fred Rogers on hosting Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

29:12

Fred Rogers on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

08:32

Drama Series

Fred Rogers on appearing on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

02:27

Music Shows & Variety Shows/Specials

Fred Rogers on working as floor manager at NBC on NBC Opera Theatre

09:47

Fred Rogers on working as floor manager at NBC on The Kate Smith Hour

Fred Rogers on Kate Smith as a performer on Kate Smith Hour

01:11

Fred Rogers on stage managing The Gabby Hayes Show

05:49

Fred Rogers on imitations of him on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live

03:24

Talk Shows

Fred Rogers on imitations of him on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live

03:24

People

Kirk Browning

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Fred Rogers on working as floor manager at NBC on NBC Opera Theatre, directed by Kirk Browning

09:47

Josie Carey

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Fred Rogers on his WQED show The Children's Corner starring Josie Carey and featuring the puppet "King Friday XIII"

04:08

Fred Rogers on Josie Carey, the host of The Children's Corner

01:08

Fred Rogers on composing songs with Josie Carey, host of The Children's Corner

04:36

Fred Rogers on the educational aspects of The Children's Corner and on specific segments of the show (hosted by Josie Carey)

03:34

Fred Rogers on the end of The Children's Corner and on parting ways with Josie Carey

02:45

Johnny Carson

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Fred Rogers on imitations of him on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live

03:24

Ernie Coombs

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Fred Rogers on Ernie Coombs' contributions The Children's Corner and Ernie later becoming the title character of Mr. Dressup

02:16

Michael Keaton

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Fred Rogers on having Michael Keaton as a floor manager on Miser Rogers Neighborhood

02:15

Bob Keeshan

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Fred Rogers on "Captain Kangaroo," Bob Keeshan

01:19

Eddie Murphy

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Fred Rogers on imitations of him on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live

03:24

David Sarnoff

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Fred Rogers on David Sarnoff

04:07

Kate Smith

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Fred Rogers on working as floor manager at NBC on The Kate Smith Hour

02:42

Arturo Toscanini

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Fred Rogers on working as floor manager at NBC on NBC Opera Theatre, conducted by Arturo Toscanini

09:47

Sylvester L. "Pat" Weaver

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Fred Rogers on Sylvester L. ""Pat"" Weaver and on the advent of color television

02:43

Margie Whitmer

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Fred Rogers on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood producer Margie Whitmer; on visiting with children in the studio

02:44