Mr. Rogers
Thu., February 27, 11:06 AM
It was the first news I heard this morning: Mr. Rogers is gone. I have to add my comments on this because, even though I was grown up when his show began, Mr. Rogers taught me too.
His tone of voice nearly kept me from ever watching that show. I remembered adults – most often teachers – who talked that way when I was a kid, and I hated it. It sounded condescending, I guess, although I came to know that
Mr. Rogers never meant it that way. “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood” aired after “Sesame Street,” and the kids wanted to watch it. Since I monitored whatever they watched, I saw it too.
Almost immediately, I realized that the guy had something. Kids sat quietly throughout the show. Through the years he presented regular people, like the baker and the postman, as well as the occasional celebrity. I remember seeing Rita Moreno singing “It’s You I Like” – a very important concept – and Margaret Hamilton, the witch from “The Wizard of Oz,” who offered another point of view about nasty people.
The show wasn’t perfect. I wasn’t crazy about the puppets, for example, and I hope I never again hear that stupid Henrietta Pussycat. It’s a matter of opinion, of course, but I think the kids found her kind of silly too.
In time, I even got my mother to listen to “You Can Never Go Down the Drain.” She loved it. “Do you remember how your brother…?” Of course I did, that’s why I wanted her to hear it.
My favorite morning guy, Ray Andrewsen of WQUN, used “It’s a Beautiful Day…” to lead into songs like “Young at Heart” and “What the World Needs Now.” He also played a lovely thing by Johnny Mathis called Children Will Listen, which I hadn’t heard before.
CBS News carried the word of Mr. Rogers’ passing as the lead story, even over the Dan Rather interview of Saddam Hussein. It’s fitting, I think. It goes with something Fred Rogers said: “There’s more than one way to say I love you.”
