"People will come up and they'll say how much they enjoyed watching me and how they grew up with me. A lady will be eighty-years-old and she'll say, 'I used to watch you when I was a little girl.' I want to say, 'Honey, they didn't have television when you were a little girl!'"

    About This Interview

    In her over three-hour interview, Josie Carey (1930-2004) discusses beginning her television career as an associate producer on KDKA in Pittsburgh before joining Pittsburgh's then-new public television station WQED, where she hosted The Children's Corner, produced by Fred Rogers. She talks about how concepts, songs, and puppets originally created on The Children's Corner became cornerstones of Rogers' Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Carey talks about moving to South Carolina, where she created and hosted the children's program Whee!. She details her feelings about the then-current state of children's television and concludes by discussing career highlights and regrets. Karen Herman conducted the interview on July 23, 1999 in Pittsburgh, PA.

    All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.
    People Talking About ...
    Thumbnail of Josie Carey

    Josie Carey on collaborating on the songs for The Children's Corner with Fred Rogers, and on their working relationship

    04:04
    Thumbnail of Josie Carey

    Josie Carey on Fred Rogers' puppets on The Children's Corner, and on the other characters on the show

    03:36
    Thumbnail of Josie Carey

    Josie Carey on guests who appeared on The Children's Corner, including Johnny Carson and Charles Schulz

    03:13
    Thumbnail of Josie Carey

    Josie Carey on her favorite moments of The Children's Corner

    07:00
    Thumbnail of Josie Carey

    Josie Carey on her work on the local South Carolina children's show Wheee!

    09:13
    Thumbnail of Josie Carey

    Josie Carey on the legacy of Fred Rogers

    01:40
    Play Full Interview

    Chapter 1

    On her early years and influences; on the impact of World War II on her family as she was growing up; on working on her first television show, Ask the Girls, a local women's service show in Pittsburgh

    15:20

    On the hosts of Ask the Girls, including her mentor Florence Sando; on the format and segments of Ask the Girls; on her title and duties on Ask the Girls

    08:59

    On her earliest memories of television; on being hired by WQED before the station went on the air

    05:27

    Chapter 2

    On the creation of Pittsburgh public station WQED, and on meeting Fred Rogers; on going on the air with The Children's Corner, and hosting the show with Fred Rogers doing characters; on the audience she and Fred Rogers were playing to on The Children's Corner

    15:09

    On working with the cameras on The Children's Corner, and on the logistics of the show with Fred Rogers; on guests who appeared on The Children's Corner, including Johnny Carson and Charles M. Schulz; on a typical production day hosting The Children's Corner and on the creation of "Daniel Tiger"

    13:42

    Chapter 3

    On Fred Rogers' puppets on The Children's Corner, and on the other characters on the show; on hosting the NBC version of The Children's Corner, featuring Fred Rogers; on the differences between the WQED version of the show and the NBC version

    13:27

    On her dealings with NBC when The Children's Corner aired on the network; on collaborating with Fred Rogers on writing songs for The Children's Corner; on hosting Josie's Storyland and The Children's Corner at the same time, for two years

    16:00

    Chapter 4

    On the religious elements of The Children's Corner; on collaborating on the songs for The Children's Corner with Fred Rogers, and on their working relationship; on how Fred Rogers evolved from The Children's Corner to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

    07:34

    On presenting a united front to WQED with Fred Rogers; on winning a Sylvania Award for her work on The Children's Corner, and various other awards; on educators' reaction to The Children's Corner, and on Fred Rogers' religion

    06:54

    On the end of The Children's Corner after seven years, and on Fred Rogers going to do a show for the CBC; on her favorite moments of The Children's Corner; on the cute rivalry between her and Fred Rogers on The Children's Corner

    14:22

    Chapter 5

    On the friendly rivalry between her and Fred Rogers on The Children's Corner, and on using things from her childhood on the show; on various other programs on WQED; on her time at KDKA

    11:28

    On the people she worked with at KDKA; on leaving KDKA, and on the changing face of children's television; on the then-current state of children's television

    10:14

    On the shows she let her own child watch; on going to do a children's show in South Carolina

    06:12

    Chapter 6

    On her work on the local South Carolina children's show Wheee!; on the then-current state of children; on then-current projects

    16:54

    On her greatest challenges; on career regrets

    05:58

    On the legacy of Fred Rogers; on advice to an aspiring children's show host; on how she would like to be remembered

    04:30

    Chapter 7

    On B-roll pictures from her career - her album with Fred Rogers "Around the Children's Corner"; with the cast of Ask the Girls including Florence Sando; with Fred Rogers' puppet "Daniel Tiger"; Fred Rogers' puppet "Lady Elaine Fairchild"; King Friday the 13th Calendar; more of Fred Rogers' puppets; with Fred Rogers; with Fred Rogers and his puppet "Daniel Tiger"; dancing with Fred Rogers; the cast of Funsville on KDKA; on the set of Wheee!

    18:25

    Children's Corner, The

    Josie Carey on going on the air with The Children's Corner, and hosting the show with Fred Rogers doing characters

    04:35

    Josie Carey on the audience she and Fred Rogers were playing to on The Children's Corner

    02:50

    Josie Carey on working with the cameras on The Children's Corner, and on the logistics of the show with Fred Rogers

    02:28

    Josie Carey on guests who appeared on The Children's Corner, including Johnny Carson and Charles Schulz

    03:12

    Josie Carey on a typical production day hosting The Children's Corner with Fred Rogers, and on the letters they received

    06:39

    Josie Carey on the creation of "Daniel Tiger" by Fred Rogers on The Children's Corner

    01:21

    Josie Carey on Fred Rogers' puppets on The Children's Corner, and on the other characters on the show

    03:36

    Josie Carey on how she worked with Fred Rogers' puppets on The Children's Corner

    02:38

    Josie Carey on the hosting NBC version of The Children's Corner, featuring Fred Rogers

    05:21

    Josie Carey on the differences between the WQED version of The Children's Corner and the NBC version

    01:52

    Josie Carey on her and Fred Rogers' dealings with NBC when The Children's Corner aired on the network

    04:03

    Josie Carey on collaborating with Fred Rogers on writing songs for The Children's Corner

    01:49

    Josie Carey on hosting Josie's Storyland and The Children's Corner at the same time, for two years

    08:03

    Josie Carey on the religious elements she and Fred Rogers brought to The Children's Corner

    01:45

    Josie Carey on collaborating on the songs for The Children's Corner with Fred Rogers, and on their working relationship

    04:04

    Josie Carey on how Fred Rogers evolved from The Children's Corner to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

    01:45

    Josie Carey on winning a Sylvania Award for her work on The Children's Corner, and various other awards

    02:47

    Josie Carey on educators' reaction to The Children's Corner, and on Fred Rogers' religion

    02:16

    Josie Carey on the end of The Children's Corner after seven years, and on Fred Rogers going to do a show for the CBC

    02:57

    Josie Carey on she and Fred Rogers signing the rights away to some of their early songs from The Children's Corner

    03:04

    Josie Carey on her favorite moments of The Children's Corner

    07:00

    Josie Carey on the cute rivalry between her and Fred Rogers on The Children's Corner

    01:16

    Josie Carey on the friendly rivalry between her and Fred Rogers on The Children's Corner, and on using things from her childhood on the show

    05:39

    Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

    Josie Carey on how Fred Rogers evolved from The Children's Corner to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

    01:45

    Josie Carey on the legacy of Fred Rogers

    01:40

    Advice

    Josie Carey on advice to an aspiring children's show host

    01:20

    Creative Influences and Inspiration

    Josie Carey on the hosts of Ask the Girls, including her mentor Florence Sando

    03:08

    First Big Break

    Josie Carey on being hired by WQED before the station went on the air

    03:22

    Historic Events and Social Change

    Josie Carey on the impact of World War II on her family as she was growing up

    00:47

    Network Creation

    Josie Carey on being hired by WQED before the station went on the air

    03:22

    Josie Carey on the creation of Pittsburgh public station WQED, and on meeting Fred Rogers

    07:44

    Pivotal Career Moments

    Josie Carey on being hired by WQED before the station went on the air

    03:22

    Josie Carey on the hosts of Ask the Girls, including her mentor Florence Sando

    03:08

    Television Industry

    Josie Carey on being hired by WQED before the station went on the air

    03:22

    Josie Carey on the creation of Pittsburgh public station WQED, and on meeting Fred Rogers

    07:44

    Josie Carey on the then-current state of children's television

    02:15

    Josie Carey on advice to an aspiring children's show host

    01:20

    War

    Josie Carey on the impact of World War II on her family as she was growing up

    00:47

    World War II

    Josie Carey on the impact of World War II on her family as she was growing up

    00:47

    Children's Show Host

    Josie Carey on advice to an aspiring children's show host

    01:20

    Hosts

    Josie Carey on advice to an aspiring children's show host

    01:20

    Children's Programming

    Josie Carey on hosting The Children's Corner, with Fred Rogers doing characters

    21:07

    Josie Carey on hosting The Children's Corner

    29:27

    Josie Carey on hosting Josie's Storyland

    10:07

    Josie Carey on hosting The Children's Corner, featuring Fred Rogers

    28:50

    Josie Carey on going to do a children's show in South Carolina

    02:55

    Josie Carey on her work on the local South Carolina children's show Wheee!

    09:13

    Service Shows

    Josie Carey on working on her first television show, Ask the Girls, a local women's service show in Pittsburgh

    16:09

    Johnny Carson

    Josie Carey on guests who appeared on The Children's Corner, including Johnny Carson and Charles M. Schulz

    03:12

    Fred Rogers

    Josie Carey on the creation of Pittsburgh public station WQED, and on meeting Fred Rogers

    06:01

    Josie Carey on going on the air with The Children's Corner, and hosting the show with Fred Rogers doing characters

    04:35

    Josie Carey on the audience she and Fred Rogers were playing to on The Children's Corner, and on their on-air personas

    02:50

    Josie Carey on working on the cameras, and on the logistics of the show with Fred Rogers

    02:28

    Josie Carey on a typical production day hosting The Children's Corner, and on Fred Rogers' role on the show

    06:40

    Josie Carey on the creation of "Daniel Tiger" by Fred Rogers on The Children's Corner

    01:21

    Josie Carey on Fred Rogers' puppets on The Children's Corner, and on the other characters on the show

    03:36

    Josie Carey on how she worked with Fred Rogers' puppets on The Children's Corner

    02:38

    Josie Carey on the hosting NBC version of The Children's Corner, featuring Fred Rogers

    05:21

    Josie Carey on collaborating with Fred Rogers on writing songs for The Children's Corner

    01:49

    Josie Carey on presenting a united front to WQED with Fred Rogers

    01:50

    Josie Carey on collaborating on the songs for The Children's Corner with Fred Rogers, and on their working relationship

    04:04

    Josie Carey on how Fred Rogers evolved from The Children's Corner to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

    01:45

    Josie Carey on educators' reaction to The Children's Corner, and on Fred Rogers' religion

    02:16

    Josie Carey on the end of The Children's Corner after seven years, and on Fred Rogers going to do a show for the CBC

    02:57

    Josie Carey on she and Fred Rogers signing the rights away to some of their early songs from The Children's Corner

    03:04

    Josie Carey on the cute rivalry between her and Fred Rogers on The Children's Corner

    01:20

    Josie Carey on the friendly rivalry between her and Fred Rogers on The Children's Corner, and on using things from her

    05:39

    Josie Carey on the legacy of Fred Rogers

    01:40

    Charles M. Schulz

    Josie Carey on guests who appeared on The Children's Corner, including Johnny Carson and Charles M. Schulz

    03:12

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