WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? (2018)

Directed by Morgan Neville


Where & When: Los Feliz 3, Los Angeles, CA. June 29. 2018  7:20 PM



I admit I was never a fan of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood". Even as a child, I found the program silly and corny with the host to be a bit of an oddball character. Now with the help of this wondrous documentary by Morgan Neville, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?", I have a better understanding of who Fred Rogers was and a greater appreciation of what he was trying to accomplish with his children's program.

The title of this film comes from the song Mr. Rogers would sing at the start of every episode as he would get comfortable by changing from his jacket and shoes to a cozy sweater and sneakers before starting the show.  While "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" offered children an opportunity to escape in to delightful fun and fantasy, Mr. Rogers also wanted them to receive lessons about loving themselves, being kind and polite to others, coping with childhood fears and a subdued insight on the complicated adult world around them.

Born and raised as a solid mid-westerner in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Rogers had planned to join a seminary to become a minister. And while briefly accomplishing that goal, he became distracted by a relatively new medium; television. Rogers instinctively understood the potential of this technology and while what little he had seen left him underwhelmed, he knew what he could accomplish by somehow becoming involved with it.

Using footage of interviews he had given throughout his lifetime, Rogers explains how he first worked for a local children's program in Pittsburgh, learning to develop characters, puppets and music before being offered to create his own show by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1963. After a few years, Rogers went back to Pittsburgh and with PBS began "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" and the show was on the air for thirty-two years.

Most of Morgan Neville's feature documentaries have focused on important figures in the music industry. Rolling Stones founder, Keith Richards, country legend, Johnny Cash, punk legends, Iggy & the Stooges, cellist, Yo-Yo Ma (who also makes a brief appearance in this doc), James Taylor and Carole King's early years performing at the L.A. club, Troubabour and the unsung heroes of the music biz; the background singers ("20 Feet from Stardom" won Neville an Oscar back in 2013) are just some of the veterans that the director trained his camera on.

Rogers, who leaned to play the piano as a child and wrote many of the songs on his program, did effectively use music to convey complex emotions to children in a way they could understand. Neville has occasionally strayed from the subject of music with the last time being "Best of Enemies" in 2015 which detailed the epic political battle by two intellectuals; Gore Vidal and William Buckley. With "Won't You Be My Neighbor", he focuses on Rogers' fierce determination to make adults understand that education doesn't only involve books. It also needed to involve developing their social and emotional needs. One great example of Rogers using his voice to enact positive change is displayed during a 1969 Senate hearing over funding of PBS amid discussions of budget cuts. He spoke before chairman, John O. Pastore, an impatient, no-nonsense Senator, and after giving an impassioned, unscripted speech, Pastore was visibly moved, essentially approving the funding at that moment.

Throughout the many conversations with people who either knew, worked with or loved him, no one had a single negative word to say about Rogers. He did not smoke, drink or curse, became a vegetarian later in life and swam religiously every morning before starting his day. With an endless goal in trying to help others, Fred Rogers comes across as a really nice guy on and off camera. Almost too good to be true. Yet perhaps that says more about what's going on in our society today. With a world filled with so much turmoil, hostility and cruelty, it's hard to imagine many successful and celebrated figures attempting to use their gifts and resources to improve our condition with respect, graciousness and good humor. Oprah comes quickly to mind but not too many follow.

I must say I was surprised by my reaction to “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” as I found myself either teary-eyed or openly weeping throughout almost the entire film. I guess I was really moved by Rogers' warmth, generosity and tolerance to everyone he came in to contact with. And I guess I may also be saddened by this seemingly conscious lack of charitable spirit in today's volatile climate. The film serves as a reminder of how far we have strayed from civility and how basic compassion is still within our grasp.