>>>
>>> WELCOME BACK. 50 YEARS AGO MR. ROGERS
NEIGHBORHOOD PREMIERED ON TV
AND IT WAS MAGIC.
HE HAD LOVE, SAFETY AND
QUALITY.
QUALITY.
QUALITY. FRED ROGERS WAS THE HOST AND
STAR OF THE SHOW.
IT AFFECTED MILLIONS OF
CHILDREN AROUND THE COUNTRY.
WE ARE STILL IMPACTED BY THIS
HUMBLE MAN AND NOW THE FIRST
FULL-LENGTH IF HE ABOUT HIM IS
OUT.
OUT.
OUT. IT'S
OUT. IT'S CALLED THE GOOD NEIGHBOR:
THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FRED
ROGERS.
ROGERS.
ROGERS. WE HAVE MAXWELL KING JOINING US.
WE HAVE TO START WITH WHAT
HAPPENED THIS WEEKEND AT THE
SYNAGOGUE.
SYNAGOGUE. IT WAS IN THE SQUIRREL HILL
NEIGHBORHOOD.
NEIGHBORHOOD. I UNDERSTAND HE WAS FROM THERE?
>> MY WIFE PATTY AND I LIVE
ABOUT FIVE BLOCKS FROM THE
SYNAGOGUE WHERE THESE SHOOTING
TOOK PLACE.
TOOK PLACE. THE CHURCH WHERE HE WENT TO
CHURCH FOR 30 YEARS IS ABOUT
FOUR BLOCKS AWAY.
IT IS THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE HE
LIVED ALSO.
LIVED ALSO. AND OF COURSE PITTSBURGH IS
STRICKEN BY THE HORROR OF THAT.
THE GOOD THING THAT I THINK
FRED WERE HE ALIVE TODAY WOULD
SAY THAT THE WHOLE COMMUNITY
HAS COME TOGETHER ALREADY.
THEY HAD A CANDLELIGHT VIGIL
SATURDAY NIGHT WITH THOUSANDS
OF PEOPLE.
OF PEOPLE. LAST NIGHT THERE WAS AN
INTERFAITH SERVICE WITH I GUESS
ABOUT 5-6000 PEOPLE.
THE COMMUNITY IS COMING TOGETHER
AND BEGINNING THE PROCESS OF
COPING.
COPING.
COPING. >> AS YOU KNOW, HE NEVER SHIED
AWAY FROM CONTROVERSY.
>> HE WAS VERY BOLD AND VERY
COURAGEOUS ABOUT TAKING ON
TOPICS. I THINK THAT IS ONE OF
THE REASONS THAT HIS MESSAGES
HAVE LASTED AND ARE STILL
COMING UP ON THE INTERNET ALL
THE TIME.
THE TIME.
THE TIME. HE WAS PRETTY COURAGEOUS.
HE WOULD TAKE ON TOUGH ISSUES
AND TOUGH ISSUES FOR CHILDREN.
>> HE TALKED TO FIVE-YEAR-OLDS
THAT YOU THINK THEY SHOULD BE
SHELTERED FROM.
SHELTERED FROM. >> WE HAD SPECIAL PROGRAMS ON A
WAR, LOSS, ON DEATH, HE WAS
VERY GOOD AT DIFFICULT TOPICS.
HE HAD THE ABILITY TO CONNECT
WITH CHILDREN IN A VERY
MEANINGFUL WAY.
MEANINGFUL WAY. HE WORKED REALLY HARD TO FOCUS
PROGRAMMING IN A WAY THAT
DELIVERED MESSAGES ON TOUGH
ISSUES THAT CHILDREN COULD DEAL
WITH AND COULD TAPE HOPEFUL
THINGS FROM.
THINGS FROM. >> I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THIS
BOOK.
BOOK.
BOOK. SINCE YOU ARE FROM THE
NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU MUST'VE KNOWN
HIM?
HIM?
HIM? >>
HIM? >> I
HIM? >> I ONLY MET FRED TWICE.
HAD A COUPLE OF CONVERSATIONS,
ONE VERY LONG CONVERSATION.
I WAS RUNNING A FOUNDATION IN
ITS BRICK WHICH FUNDED KIDS
PROGRAMS.
PROGRAMS.
PROGRAMS. THE PRESIDENT OF THE PRODUCTION
COMPANY THAT MADE MR. ROGERS
NEIGHBORHOOD ASKED ME TO MEET
WITH FRED.
WITH FRED. SO I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A
CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT KIND OF
PROGRAMMING THEY WOULD PRODUCE.
IT WASN'T.
IT WASN'T. WE TALKED ABOUT PARENTS AND
CHILDREN. I TALKED TO HIM FOR
AN HOUR AND 20 MINUTES AND WE
NEVER MENTIONED THE PROGRAM.
BUT I DID NOT KNOW HIM WELL.
WHEN I RETIRED FROM THE
ENDOWMENTS, I WENT OUT TO HELP
ST. VINCENT COLLEGE.
I HELP THEM START THE FRED
ROGERS CENTER FOR EARLY LEARNING
IN CHILDREN'S MEDIA AT ST.
VINCENT.
VINCENT.
VINCENT. SO AFTER I HAD BEEN THERE
COUPLE OF MONTHS OF I GUESS THE
PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE AND
HIS WIDOW, WAYS OF THEIR OF
BIOGRAPHY?
BIOGRAPHY? HE'S AN ICONIC AMERICAN FIGURE.
AND WE RAISE MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS TO GET THE CENTER GOING
TO THERE SHOULD BE A BIOGRAPHY.
THEY SAID THAT HE DID NOT WANT
A DOG IF HE AND HE WAS MODEST.
HE HAD SAID NO.
FINALLY JOE AND ROGER SAID OKAY,
YOU ARE RIGHT, YOU WRITE IT.
>> WERE YOU A WRITER?
>> I WAS AN EDITOR OF
NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES.
SO I DID IT.
>> SO YOU KNOW YOUR WAY AROUND
THE PHRASE.
THE PHRASE. WHAT WAS YOUR IMPRESSION?
THAT MUST HAVE FELT LIKE QUITE
A BIT OF A WAIT.
>> I FELT A LOT OF PRESSURE TO
DO A BOOK THAT WAS WORTHY OF
THE MAN.
THE MAN.
THE MAN. AS I WORKED AT THE CENTER AND
AS I RESEARCHED THE BOOK AND
GOT TO KNOW FRED ROGERS HISTORY
, GOT TO KNOW BETTER WHAT HE
REPRESENTED, I CAME TO REALLY,
REALLY LIKE AND ADMIRE HIM.
I HAD A LOT OF PRESSURE TO DO A
BOOK THAT MEASURE.
BUT HAVING BEEN A JOURNALIST
FOR 30 YEARS, I WANTED TO DO A
BOOK THAT WAS FULLY HONEST.
EVERYTHING ABOUT FRED, WHATEVER
ISSUES THERE WERE AND HE DID
HAVE A TEMPER, NOBODY SAW THAT.
BUT HE DID.
HE WOULD GET ANGRY AT
TECHNOLOGY.
TECHNOLOGY. >> WE ALL DO THAT, RIGHT?
>> THERE'S A WONDERFUL STORY OF
HIM COMING INTO HIS OFFICE AND
FIND HIM TRYING TO THE -- SMASH
A TAPE RECORDER.
HE WAS THE SWEETEST MAN.
>> IT WAS SWEET WHAT HE DID ON
THE SHOW.
THE SHOW.
THE SHOW. >> THERE WERE TWO TIMES THAT HE
SAT AT A WADING POOL WITH THIS
BLACK MAN, AND THE SECOND TIME
WAS IN THE 90s AND THERE'S A
LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT RACIAL
INCLUSION AND RACIAL EQUITY.
AT THE END OF THAT SCENE, WHAT
YOU ARE SHOWING NOW, FRED
LEANED DOWN AND HE DRIED
FRANGOISE THE.
FRANGOISE THE. -- FEET.
-- FEET.
-- FEET. IT WAS IN A VERY POWERFUL AND
SYMBOLIC GESTURE.
SYMBOLIC GESTURE. >> JEFFREY ERLANGER WAS A
LITTLE BOY, PROBABLY THE MOST
FAMOUS PIECE OF FILM THAT WAS
DONE.
DONE.
DONE. THEY SANG TOGETHER, THEY TALKED
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. THE WONDERFUL PART OF THIS
STORY IS THAT THERE WAS NO
PREPARATION FOR THAT, NO
SCRIPT.
SCRIPT.
SCRIPT. FRED ROGERS STAFF WAS ASKING
HIM ABOUT THE SCRIPT.
THE PARENTS SAID WHAT IS HE
SUPPOSED TO DO?
AND FRED SAID WE'RE JUST GOING
TO TALK AND SING.
BECAUSE FRED KNEW THIS LITTLE
BOY.
BOY.
BOY. HE
BOY. HE KNEW THAT HE HAD A NATURAL
GRACE ABOUT HIM.
SO HE TRUSTED HIM.
SO THE MOMENT WOULD UNFOLD AND
SO IT DID.
>> I REALLY ENJOYED THAT.
I SAW THE SCRIPT THAT YOU HAD
FROM THE SHOW.
IT DISCUSSES HIS BOOK UP HE
WILL BE DISCUSSING THE BOOK
TONIGHT AT THE SEATTLE PUBLIC
LIBRARY TONIGHT AT 7:00 THAT
YOU CAN