Nearly twenty years after his death, Fred Rogers remains a source of comfort and fond memories for generations who grew up watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Over the course of his career, Rogers revolutionized children's television and changed the way experts thought about the educational power of media. But perhaps his most lasting legacy was demonstrating the power of simply being nice to other people. In this collection of interviews, including his fiery (for him) 1969 senate testimony that saved PBS and his final interview with Diane Rehm, Rogers's gentle spirit and compassionate approach to life continues to be an inspiration. An introduction by David Bianculli provides brilliantly contextualizes the interviews and offers a contemporary reading of Rogers's storied career.
David Bianculli is a television critic, columnist, and guest host on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross. He is a professor of TV and film at Rowan University and founder of the website TVWorthWatching.com. Bianculli has written four books: The Platinum Age Of Television: From I Love Lucy to The Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific (2016); Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (Simon & Schuster/Touchstone, 2009); Teleliteracy: Taking Television Seriously (1992); and Dictionary of Teleliteracy (1996).
"Some people thought Mister Rogers was the biggest nerd on television. To me, he was one of the coolest men on the planet." --Whoopi Goldberg
"All my philosophies go back to Mr. Rogers--kindness, compassion, wanting the other person to be happy." --Judd Apatow