To show kids that she was just a nice person playing a wicked witch, Wizard of Oz actress Margaret Hamilton dropped by Mister Rogers' neighborhood in 1975. Hamilton, a former kindergarten teacher, talked with Rogers about how she dreamed of being a witch when she was a girl and was "thrilled" when the part was offered to her as an adult.
"Sometimes, Mister Rogers, I'm a little unhappy because lots of children are quite scared by her and that always makes me feel a little sad."
Children's shows often include jokes to give a little "nudge nudge wink wink" to grown-ups. I mean, who could forget the subversive bits in Looney Tunes or, say, Pee-wee's Playhouse?
But this compilation by YouTube channel Best of Simpsons Characters is different, because The Simpsons isn't really a show for kids. It's just the Simpsons' jokes that they didn't get when they were little. Read the rest
It's been 50 years since Mister Rogers' Neighborhood premiered on television. Now you can learn the story of Fred McFeely Rogers (played in this episode by Colin Hanks) from comedian Solomon Georgio as he relays it to host Derek Waters -- completely sauced-- in the latest episode of Drunk History.
And, if you've never seen the real footage from 1969 of Mr. Rogers pleading to the Senate for more funding for his then one-year-old television, I recommend that you do:
Gives me goosebumps every time.
Also: There's going to be a Mister Rogers documentary in 2018 Read the rest
There's going to be a feature documentary about Mister Rogers next year. It's aptly titled Won’t You Be My Neighbor? and will showcase "the lessons, ethics and legacy of iconic children's television host, Fred Rogers."
Fred Rogers led a singular life. He was a puppeteer. A minister. A musician. An educator. A father, a husband, and a neighbor. Fred Rogers spent 50 years on children’s television beseeching us to love and to allow ourselves to be loved. With television as his pulpit, he helped transform the very concept of childhood. He used puppets and play to explore the most complicated issues of the day—race, disability, equality and tragedy. He spoke directly to children and they responded by forging a lifelong bond with him—by the millions. And yet today his impact is unclear. WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? explores the question of whether or not we have lived up to Fred's ideal. Are we all good neighbors?
The film will be directed by Morgan Neville, who won an Academy Award for 20 Feet From Stardom.
Mister Rogers Documentary ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’ Acquired by Focus Features
image via PBS Read the rest
From 1991 to 2001, former software analyst David Joyner played the Barney on children's TV show, Barney & Friends. In this interview, he shares how he got the job and what it was like to be man inside the 70 lb. purple dinosaur costume for 10 years.
Sweaty, for one. Zen-like, for two:
Read the restBeing Barney was never an accident. I was supposed to do this character...
Now Barney is about 70 pounds, and it can get over 120 degrees inside. So inside you're sweating profusely. It's a t-rex, so you're basically just up to your elbows in being able to move. And then also, Barney's feet were huge. Now I did have some sneakers inside that were glued to the bottom of the feet.
The head doesn't come off. The head doesn't swivel. There's no facial expressions that can be made. I can only see a certain amount, because of the peripheral of Barney's mouth. And when Barney's mouth is closed, I can't see anything. So what I would literally do is I would walk around my apartment as if I was blind. I would close my eyes, and I would try to feel energy. And try to feel the energy of anything that was around me. And then try to pick things up.
Sometimes, when they took a break, I put a fan in the mouth, I'd sit down on an Apple box, and I'd put my hand on my knees, and I would just close my eyes.
