You've never seen Fred Rogers like this, but don't worry.
That same kind and gentle man who hosted the iconic "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" didn't act much differently once the cameras stopped rolling.
Though there was a depth, a strength and a sense of humor inherent in the cardigan-and-sneakers-wearing Rogers, too, which comes to light in "Won't You Be My Neighbor?", an insightful and timely documentary on Rogers debuting Friday in select theaters (including the Manor in Squirrel Hill) before going to wider release on June 15.
Director Morgan Neville, an Oscar winner for his 2013 "20 Feet from Stardom" documentary on backup singers, mined decades worth of archival footage and conducted extensive interviews with Rogers' widow and son, as well as "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" crew workers and colleagues, to chronicle the story of how an ordained minister from Latrobe created a TV show in Pittsburgh that taught and inspired children worldwide.
Not to be confused with "You Are My Friend," a 2019 movie where Tom Hanks will portray Rogers, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" is a feel-good film, which, like any good documentary, addresses the opposing side. In one quick clip, a conservative TV news commentator assigns blame on Rogers, a lifelong Republican, for coddling children too much, suggesting Rogers made them all feel special, so some didn't feel as if they had to work hard.
As moviegoers, we learn Rogers was aware of the parodies of his program done by TV shows like "Saturday Night Live," "SCTV" and "In Living Color." According to his wife, Joanne, some of those stung more than others.
Though Rogers remained firm in his belief that children should be spoken to honestly and with encouragement, both preparing them for and harboring them from the hardships of adult life.
"Won't You Be My Neighbor?" shows a "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" scene from 1968 in which the Neighborhood of Make-Believe is threatened by bombs until its ruler, King Friday XIII, is persuaded by the people that they want peace. It was Rogers' attempt to help children make sense of the Vietnam War footage broadcast into their homes on the nightly news.
"And that was week one," of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" notes Junlei Li, co-director of the Fred Rogers Center, which carries on Rogers' legacy.
Among the cast members sharing memories is Francois Clemmons, a black actor, singer and playwright, who portrayed a police officer in "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." At a time of segregated swimming pools, Rogers included a scene in which he and Clemmons cheerfully sit side-by-side on a sweltering summer day, soaking their feet in a plastic kiddie pool as the camera zooms in on their different colored ankles.
"My being on the program was a statement for Fred," Clemmons says in the film, adding that Rogers became like a surrogate father to him.
And Rogers was a good sport on the WQED set, where crew members amused each other with pranks that elicited smiles and, in at least one memorable case, participation from Rogers.
You'll see that in the movie.
You'll also gain a sense of what made Rogers tick, and how his show with its low-budget production, slow pace and purposeful quiet moments managed to stand out in a children's TV landscape where the philosophy seems to be the louder the better (as Neville gives us vastly contrasting clips spanning 1950s slapstick TV programs, to the bash-and-dash antics of such cartoons as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.")
"Silence is one of our greatest gifts," Rogers says in an archived video.
The film points to Rogers' growing disillusionment with TV by the dawn of a new millennium, and how he had doubted if he'd be able to help much in the months after the 9/11 attacks, when he came out of retirement for a special program aimed at helping children process that tragedy.
Rogers died in 2003 at the age of 74, though "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" doesn't lay on the sentimentality to draw tears from moviegoers.
The film ends on a positive note, with interviewees and moviegoers themselves asked a question that carries on Rogers' legacy.
Again, you'll see.
Suffice to say, the movie lives up to its tagline, "See how a little kindness makes a world of difference." If you could use a jolt of goodness right about now, make plans to see "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"