Happy Birthday, Mr. Rogers: First Trailer For Fred Rogers Documentary Released

Fred Rogers was an important part of millions of children's lives growing up over the decades that his live program appeared on PBS. In fact, if not for Mr. Rogers' heartfelt speech before Congress the Public Broadcasting System might have never existed. "The greatest thing that we can do is to help somebody know that they are loved and capable of loving," Mr. Rogers says in the recently released first trailer for the documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor from Focus Features, slated for release June 8th of this year.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Remembering everyone&#39;s favorite neighbor, Mr. Rogers, who would have turned 90 today. ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/gW8WASKLhS">pic.twitter.com/gW8WASKLhS</a></p>&mdash; People (@people) <a href="https://twitter.com/people/status/976050720347602944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2018</a></blockquote>

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<quote>"Always look for the people who are helping, you'll always find somebody who's trying to help."</quote>

I was one of the countless children who grew up with Mr. Rogers and I even remember watching episodes occasionally with a bowl of sugary cereal with dorm mates in my first year of college. I can also clearly remember when I heard he was retiring and making a point of watching his final episode. Instead of announcing it, he simply signed off saying we'd see him again tomorrow (as always) if only in reruns. The documentary trailer being released today is no accident, it is Fred Rogers' birthday. The kindhearted television personality passed February 27, 2003, but his legacy lives on in the lives of all those children (most now adults) who grew up with his broadcasts.

Rogers was a Presbyterian minister before becoming a legend of children's television and, as mentioned in the trailer, his success is somewhat surprising considering he "broke all the rules" of successful TV. The program was understated, low budget and promulgated a positive moral message that is, sadly, bereft in so much of popular children's entertainment today.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We need a Mr. Rogers in 2018. <br><br>Men and Boys could use a public example for our journey of manhood: how to carry ourselves as men, and share space with others. Who is that for you today? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MindfulManhood?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MindfulManhood</a> <a href="https://t.co/SJ2bxbY9n8">pic.twitter.com/SJ2bxbY9n8</a></p>&mdash; jeff perera (@jeffperera) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffperera/status/973312852516732928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2018</a></blockquote>

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<quote>“I’ve always felt that I didn’t need to put on a funny hat, or jump through a hoop to have a relationship with a child,” Rogers says in the trailer.</quote>

The film will premiere at the 2018 Sundance film festival before it hits theaters worldwide.

Source:

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2018/03/20/fred-rogers-movie-trailer/