It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

INGRID THOFT

An article in the "New York Times" on Monday caught my eye, 'Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood at 50.'  It's hard to believe that it's been fifty years since Fred Rogers first donned his cardigan and changed his shoes on PBS.  Airing for more than three decades, the show became the gold standard of television programming for children.  The NYT's article quotes show producer Margy Whitmer who said the key values of the show were civility, kindness, empathy, and that it's okay to make mistakes—qualities and a lesson that are just as relevant today, fifty years later.

I have fond memories of watching Mr. Rogers, but I don't remember the "lessons" he taught, which was part of the brilliance of the show.  He never seemed preachy or condescending.  Instead, his matter-of-fact manner enabled him to speak on a whole range of topics, many of which were considered sensitive at the time.  Divorce, secrets, mad feelings, and day care were just some of the issues that Mr. Rogers broached while changing his shoes or chatting with King Friday or Lady Elaine.  His calm approach made it okay to talk about difficult things.

I found myself going down a Mr. Rogers YouTube rabbit hole and revisited some of the more memorable episodes of the show.  His guest list read as a "who's who" of Hollywood, pop culture, music, and science.  In fact, it wasn't unusual for guests to approach the show and pitch a segment in which they hoped to be included.  Mr. Rogers and his talented staff had a knack for pairing guests with lessons they were uniquely qualified to impart to the viewing audience.  Some examples include:

Margaret Hamilton aka The Wicked Witch of the West
Viewers first meet Hamilton as she waited for him on his porch, looking like a harmless old lady from the neighborhood.  Once inside, she and Mr. Rogers discussed her role as the witch and the fact that many kids found her quite scary.  With Mr. Rogers' help, Hamilton donned her witch costume over her clothes, thereby demonstrating that she was just playing make-believe.  Viewers were reassured and also encouraged to explore the possibilities of make-believe.
LeVar Burton
The actor from "Roots," "Star Trek: Next Generation," and "Reading Rainbow" stopped by to talk about why he loved his job as an actor.  His favorite parts were using his imagination, being in touch with his feelings, and reading—scripts and books.  Burton went on to read a book about fathers, which featured fathers of a variety of races and ethnicities.  Mr. Rogers was ahead of the curve when it came to showing how people were different and yet similar at the same time.

Bill Bixby aka David Banner aka The Incredible Hulk
Bixby gave Mr. Rogers and Mr. McFeely a tour of the studio where his show was filmed and talked about his world of make-believe.  In a discussion that must have made parents chuckle, Bixby talked about sometimes feeling angry and strategies for managing anger while not hurting others or oneself.  Turning green and ripping his clothes apart were not part of his approved coping mechanism.

Mr. Rogers was known not only for his decency and kindness, but also for his sense of humor.  He made the rounds of late night talk shows and was always a good sport.  Universally liked, he seemed to be the epitome of the Golden Rule.  His respectful treatment of others made it impossible to dislike him.

A final confession:  Although I grew up loving the show, I had no love for Daniel the Cat, who lived in the make-believe neighborhood.  Mr. Rogers' patience and goodwill were never more apparent than when he was interacting with that annoying cat!

Do you have memories of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" as either a viewer or a parent?  Any favorite guests?

Mary/Liz, you won the Mike Lawson giveaway!  Email me at ingrid@ingridthoft.com with your mailing address.

The Philosphy Quiz

DEBORAH CROMBIE: (Tales from the Road, Part 1) 

As some of you may know, I've been on tour for TO DWELL IN DARKNESS for a month now (today I'm waving at you from Baltimore,) and while it hasn't exactly been On the Road, it's been fun and I've had some lovely and interesting--and surprising--experiences. Here's one I thought I'd share with you.

If you're a writer on tour in a bigger city and your publisher is very nice to you, you might have a media escort. A media escort picks you up at airports, gets you settled in your hotel, takes you to your book signings and media interviews and generally takes great care of you. Over the years, getting to know my media escorts, and often seeing them on subsequent tours, has been one of the real treats of touring. And on this tour, something unusual happened.

As one of my media escorts delivered me to the airport, she handed me a bound journal and opened it to a blank page, then gave me a pen. "Write down your life philosophy," she said. "Don't think about it for more than a few seconds, and don't look at the other entries before you do it. Just a sentence or two."

I wrote the first thing that came to mind, added the date and signed my name.

Only then was I allowed to look back through the other entries, and some of them were pretty amazing. I'm still thinking about what I wrote and what I read.

So here's my challenge, dear REDS: Write the first thing that comes into your mind. Don't think about it for more than a minute. Don't read anyone else's entries until you've written your own, and I won't add mine until everyone else has chimed in. It will, I think, be very enlightening to see what we come up with, and to challenge our readers to do the same.

LUCY BURDETTE: Work like a fiend and keep learning. Surround yourself with kind, generous, funny people. And fur-coated creatures. Eat what you love but exercise accordingly. Give as much back as you can afford.

RHYS BOWEN: My life philosophy is actually John's family motto. Inter Utrumque tene--steer a middle course. Everything in moderation--that means bacon on Sundays, a little chocolate, one glass of wine. As I've aged I'd add two other thoughts. Take time to smell the roses and only do what gives you joy.

HALLIE EPHRON: My philosophy - Of course you can. And (can I have two?) What goes around comes around.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: You never know. 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Money doesn't matter. Not that it isn't very good to have some. But all my best experiences and most worthwhile decisions have happened when I push the concept of money - getting it, keeping it, spending it - to one side.



DEBS:  So what did I write in the book?  Give what you would like to receive. A version of the Golden Rule, I suppose, and of Hallie's "What goes around, comes around," but so interesting what first pops into our heads.
 
I don't know that I always live up to my motto, but it's a nice reminder to try. And I LOVE all of our philosophies.  

So, readers, what about you? You'll have read ours, but without too much deliberation, give us yours, in a nutshell, and we'll see what gems you have to share.