Fred Rogers on Letterman, February 17, 1982

thank you very much for close to 20 years millions of television viewers have been visiting mr. Rogers neighborhood is calm cool and flappable demeanor is now legendary take a look at this piece of videotape see that looks a little like a teepee doesn't of course the teepee is a real home for some people yeah [Music] [Laughter] I'll have two people to put these guys [Applause] [Music] try it once more [Applause] [Music] thank you this is for me yeah it's very nice here this is mr. Rogers t-shirt there's a trolley sweater and here's some shoes to bring some for everyone yes now that sort of thing I was surprised to see that you that ever happens it much of that go on behind the scenes in your show goof-ups sometimes things don't go right in the neighborhood but I did get that good but often things are not often but occasionally things get a little goofy yes in that next program that they're going to show on that blooper business there's a chimpanzee that gets out of hand what was you have provided hours and hours of entertainment and education for young people what was your own childhood like your early years like I was an only child until my sister came when I was 11 years old and I had to make up a lot of my own play my own friends and so I would dip into my bag of puppets and make them talk I came Friday the 13th you know who speaks like this and lady elaine fairchilde would be glad to be here did did this bother mom and dad you know that I would speak to myself yeah you were sitting in the room maybe talking to yourself happily it didn't what is then you got into television early didn't you after 30 years ago I came right here mm-hmm to NBC and was a floor manager right in these studios I remember the horn and Hardart Children's Hour in this studio it was terrible people would bring their little children and make them perform you know I don't remember that was it a network show or a local show at least local and they would just bring kids in and let him yeah any other shows that you worked on the well the hit parade I'm up in 8h and the NBC offeror theater my degree was in music you know I write all the music for the firm incidentally call we don't have enough time for that song yeah that's what they told me told you not enough time for the song well maybe you can Paul can get together after the show I mean if you rehearsed it no sense in wasting this song now it's interesting I believe you pointed out the irony of the fact that in this building now where you started out your broadcasting career there is now a show that occasionally has a performer doing an impression or an imitation of you that's right I just met him a little bit ago do you think we could see that well certainly Eddie Murphy hmm [Applause] it's mr. Rogers there in the now how do you react to that uh we talked to Andy Rooney about someone doing an impression of him and he didn't seem too keen on it but some of them weren't very funny but I think that that a lot of them are done with with real kindness in their heart do you think that there is one person on radio that really bothers me though I've heard it's somewhere in the in the mid-south and he tells children in my voice to do such things as get their mothers hair spray and their father's cigarette lighter and put them together and he thinks that he's talking to adults but he's really talking with children and I I think that could cause a lot of fires yeah that would that's right you're exactly right would blow up yeah it would burn on the highly volatile you have I'm sorry you're out here so late I would like to ask you to come back and you have a show coming up on PBS just briefly if you want to mention the nature of the week on discipline and there's a parent special on discipline and the whole week of children's programs the first week of March undisciplined you know discipline is caring and just like love is caring and they're both as important well see other I want to thank you for being here and I hope you come back [Applause] [Music] [Applause]

Channel: Don Giller

Views: 2,475,183

Rating: 4.8692951 out of 5

Keywords: Fred Rogers

Id: XKjKZKpEkVY

Length: 6min 59sec (419 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 14 2015

Reddit Comments

[u/Mrsparklee]

I really wish they had time for that song

[u/[deleted]]

At first I thought the people were laughing at Fred's earnest comments too much, but then I remembered that a classmate of mine said she went to the Late Show once & the audience was told to laugh at every joke.

[u/retrogradeprogress]

Did you see Mr. Rogers drops the T-shirt on the floor ans causally kicks it forward. He then pick it up and it's the 1st thing he talks about.

[u/[deleted]]

[removed]

[u/NumberNine2016]

Haha. That's Mr. Rogers on the, uh, the left.