# Its a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [July 22, 2019, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466 "2019-07-22T17:56:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2019, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466/41 "2019-07-25T07:36:45Z")
[quote=“Wendell\_Wagner, post:40, topic:837466”]
Someone in another thread mentioned the character of Johnny in _Airplane!_. I noticed something relevant to it when I searched YouTube for his scenes. Look at 0:19 to 0:28 in this video:
[/QUOTE]
You mean, to play Mr Rogers?
“Airplane!” was filmed 40 years ago. He would be 72 now. . .if he hadn’t passed in 1986.
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### Author:  [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2019, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466/42 "2019-07-25T08:42:50Z")
Did you watch the video? At one point, Lloyd Bridges’s character Steve McCroskey says, “I want the best available man on this, a man who knows that plane inside and out and won’t crack under pressure”. Stephen Stucker’s character Johnny Henshaw-Jacobs says, “How about Mr. Rogers?”. I know that Stucker is dead and didn’t look like Rogers. Do I need to assume that no one looks at my links?
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2019, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466/43 "2019-07-25T13:48:06Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#):
>
> Hanks doesn’t look all that much like Rogers, but who else could play him?
It’s true, he doesn’t; his face is different, and he’s a much larger man. Both are/were about six feet tall but Mr. Rogers was very thin, and famously worked very hard to keep his weight at exactly 143.
But the really important part is demeanor and voice and holy CRAP, Hanks nails it.
> [@terentii](#):
>
> Just out of curiosity, was anyone here who watched the show as a little kid bitterly disappointed when he or she entered the real world and found it was nothing at all like Mr Rogers’ neighborhood?
I mean, of course not. Does anyone enter the real world and find themselves disappointed it’d not like Sesame Street, or Romper Room, or that hippies don’t actually drive around in the Mystery Machine with a talking dog solving mysteries? Like, who in the world does directly from watching Mr. Rogers to their first job?
I have to agree that this is the kind of comment I would expect from someone who doesn’t actually remember anything about the show - a show that literally once discussed the topic of assassination - but just wrongly assumes, based on cynicism and the image of Mr. Rogers as a kind and gentle man, that he was selling nonsense, when in fact he put an enormous emphasis on honesty and was utterly convinced that children “can spot a phony a mile away,” in his words. It’s similar to people who criticize Dr. Spock’s book who quite obviously haven’t ever read the book.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2019, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466/44 "2019-07-25T14:33:21Z")
My brother and I grew up obsessed with Mr. Rogers. I have fond memories of us watching it together. We were especially excited for his “operettas”. We tried to get his kids into it but they didn’t care too much. But they did get in to “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” the cartoon.
I think Hanks’ accent for the movie is too southern-y (like someone else said, Forrest Gump) but I’ll give him the benefit of a doubt that he studied the real accent and that’s what the whole team settled on. Although Rogers didn’t really have a “Pittsburgh accent” as I know them, surely that is what informed his way of speaking, and I’ve never heard any actor do an actual good Pittsburgh accent, not even [on a show that takes place in Pittsburgh](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35SQEzRquGY). People just default to southern.
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### Author:  [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2019, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466/45 "2019-07-25T16:51:23Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> I think it’s safe to assume that this is going to be the uncensored, true story of Fred Rogers and the many, many affairs that went on in what appeared to be a quiet neighborhood. There was of course, the usual shenanigans among the human residents, but there was all sorts of dalliances amongst the puppet residents as well as inter-species relationships between puppets and humans. I think it’s safe to assume you will be surprised by the true story.
Will it cover his time as a sniper in Viet Nam?
We did not get PBS when I was growing up, so I never saw Sesame Street, Electric Co, or Mr Rogers. But, I can say, when I watched _Won’t You Be my Neighbor_, I had a profound sadness come over me. I felt like I missed something special, that I might have really liked.
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### Author:  [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2019, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466/46 "2019-07-25T17:17:18Z")
> [@Gyrate](#):
>
> On a similar topic, I’m still [loving this meme](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/476/059/491.jpg).
Two guys who both have the name Rogers can lift Mjolnir. Interesting!
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### Author:  [@Hermione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466/47 "2019-07-25T20:09:16Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#):
>
> Concur.
>
> Fred Rogers wasn’t creating a fantasy to hide in. There was divorce and death, bullies and bad guys. Fred just showed us how to deal with such things in a positive, caring manner.
Heh. Reminds me of a promotional spot sometime in the late eighties or so on my local PBS affiliate (WHYY in Philly, or maybe it was NJEA in New Jersey).
Words flashed in white on a black screen while a stern, no-nonsense announcer said, “War. Divorce. Illness. Death. Only one man has the guts to take on these issues. Are you tough enough…for Mr. Rogers?” (Still of a smiling Fred in his cardigan.)
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### Author:  [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2019, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466/48 "2019-07-25T21:00:53Z")
Someone once criticized Fred Rogers with the accusation that he had taught children to expect praise and rewards they hadn’t earned under the banner of “you are special.”
This person was, I guess, also special, but not, so far as I can see, on account of his/her ability to analyze the Mister Rogers television message. The message (excuse me: I watched the first episode at the age of four, and kept up for several years) was _not_ that you deserved any kind of a prize just for existing. A lot of each show was devoted to various people with different talents and skills, regulars or not, and the message I remember was that there are people who can do things very well, and they’re worth paying attention to, but that if you like these things, you should do them too, good or not, as long as it makes you happy.
The only universally equal qualities I remember Fred Rogers absolutely insisting all of us have were the ability to feel, and worthiness to receive, love.
**Hermione** , I had aged out of Mister Rogers by then, though not PBS, so I guess I missed the promo, but I’d have loved to see it.
If I had met him, I’d have thanked him for, just in time, taking his show to the barber shop and showing me that my first haircut wouldn’t hurt.
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### Author:  [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2019, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466/49 "2019-07-25T21:16:06Z")
Forgot to say (tried to edit, didn’t work):
Saw the TV show and the Neville documentary, read the **Esquire** article. Might rent this movie, but might react the same way I did as a kid, fighting shy of the department store St. Nick, back when I knew Santa was real. Except this time, I’m not as sure anyone could really be that good.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [July 25, 2019, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466/50 "2019-07-25T21:47:29Z")
> [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](#):
>
> Someone once criticized Fred Rogers with the accusation that he had taught children to expect praise and rewards they hadn’t earned under the banner of “you are special.”
This, IME, is rooted in modern education. You know the sort: adults not keeping score during games, every kid getting some sort of reward, etc. I encountered that during my one-season stint as a volunteer counselor at a summer camp run by the county.
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### Author:  [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2019, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466/51 "2019-07-26T01:18:27Z")
Fred Rogers wasn’t a sniper. He’s obviously not that type. On the other hand, Dr. Ruth (Westheimer) was that type. She was trained as a sniper by the Israeli army, although she never got to do any sniping:
> **[Ruth Westheimer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Westheimer)**
>
> Karola Ruth Westheimer (née Siegel; born June 4, 1928), better known as Dr. Ruth, is a German-American sex therapist, talk show host, author, professor, and Holocaust survivor.
> Westheimer was born in Germany to a Jewish family. As the Nazis came to power, her parents sent the ten-year-old girl to a school in Switzerland for safety, remaining behind themselves because of her elderly grandmother. They were both subsequently sent to concentration camps by the Gestapo, where they were killed. Aft...
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### Author:  [@Dongyang2016](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dongyang2016)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2019, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466/52 "2019-07-26T02:19:20Z")
These types of films have conflicts, did Fred Rogers have conflicts? Seems like the other guy in the trailer is the conflicted one and Fred was his mentor and father figure. Would be nice to know what internal conflicts and problems Fred Rogers had in his life.
Will Mr Rogers get angry at all in this? I am sure at least once, he gets pissed off at the TV station or PBS or his wife or someone. Just saying.
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### Author:  [@Hermione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2019, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466/53 "2019-07-26T02:43:50Z")
> [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](#):
>
> Someone once criticized Fred Rogers with the accusation that he had taught children to expect praise and rewards they hadn’t earned under the banner of “you are special.”
>
> This person was, I guess, also special, but not, so far as I can see, on account of his/her ability to analyze the Mister Rogers television message. The message (excuse me: I watched the first episode at the age of four, and kept up for several years) was _not_ that you deserved any kind of a prize just for existing. A lot of each show was devoted to various people with different talents and skills, regulars or not, and the message I remember was that there are people who can do things very well, and they’re worth paying attention to, but that if you like these things, you should do them too, good or not, as long as it makes you happy.
>
> The only universally equal qualities I remember Fred Rogers absolutely insisting all of us have were the ability to feel, and worthiness to receive, love.
That’s the attitude that _Avenue Q_ satirizes…that kids’ shows like Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers (though the latter is never mentioned in the show) have brought kids up to believe they’re special, and said kids are going to slam up against a brick wall when they start out in the adult world and find out they’re not quite as special as these shows made them believe. But as much as I love _Avenue Q_, I think that’s kind of a misreading. Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers (especially Mr. Rogers) didn’t so much say “you’re special” as “you’re unique”, which is true, and even more so, "you _have value"_. It doesn’t matter if you come from a poor neighborhood…you have value. It doesn’t matter if you’re a minority…you have value. It doesn’t matter if you’re disabled…you have value.
> [@](#):
>
> **Hermione** , I had aged out of Mister Rogers by then, though not PBS, so I guess I missed the promo, but I’d have loved to see it.
>
> If I had met him, I’d have thanked him for, just in time, taking his show to the barber shop and showing me that my first haircut wouldn’t hurt.
I was a teenager myself at the time, but liked to sneak peeks at Sesame Street still, especially since in those days they still ran the old clips I remembered from my childhood. 🙂
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2019, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466/54 "2019-07-26T03:10:52Z")
> [@Dongyang2016](#):
>
> These types of films have conflicts, did Fred Rogers have conflicts? Seems like the other guy in the trailer is the conflicted one and Fred was his mentor and father figure. Would be nice to know what internal conflicts and problems Fred Rogers had in his life.
>
> Will Mr Rogers get angry at all in this? I am sure at least once, he gets pissed off at the TV station or PBS or his wife or someone. Just saying.
Here’s Fred being [angry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKy7ljRr0AA)with the US Government.
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### Author:  [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2019, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood/837466/55 "2019-07-26T13:37:49Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#):
>
> I think Hanks’ accent for the movie is too southern-y (like someone else said, Forrest Gump) but I’ll give him the benefit of a doubt that he studied the real accent and that’s what the whole team settled on.
He didn’t get Walt Disney’s accent quite right, either. He’s good at mannerisms and speech patterns, but distinctive accents? Not so much.
Powers &8^]
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