'Mr. Dressup' pays tribute to 'Mister Rogers'
Tiny Dancer
'Mr. Dressup' pays tribute to 'Mister Rogers'
By ANDREA BAILLIE
Canadian Press
TORONTO (CP) -- Mr. Dressup says he owes his career to Mister Rogers,
the soft-spoken American children's TV icon who hangs up his cardigan
for the last time Friday.
"I really learned a lot from working with Fred Rogers," Ernie Coombs
said recently. "He taught me so much about children's TV that you can't
learn in a book."
The final original episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood will run on
PBS this week, wrapping up a run of more than 33 years.
But long before American kids ever heard the gentle strains of Won't You
Be My Neighbor?, Mister Rogers was introduced to Canadians on an early
incarnation of the show that aired on CBC-TV.
"I could probably safely say I owe it all to him," said Coombs, a puppeteer
on that program. "He was definitely a mentor."
The pair first met in the early 1960s in Pittsburgh, where Rogers worked
with puppets on a popular children's show called The Children's Corner.
Eventually, they ended up working together.
"We used to do a noon-time ... program which we'd make up, oh, about
two minutes before air-time," Coombs chuckled.
"(Fred) would frequently make up little songs just before we did the program.
He was amazing in that respect. So I got to know him very well and appreciate
what a great guy he was."
Word quickly got out about Rogers' talent, and before long, the CBC
lured him to Toronto to work on-camera on a Mister Rogers TV show.
In the meantime, Rogers and Coombs had become fast friends. Rogers
even acted as best man at Coombs's wedding.
When the CBC offer came along, Rogers insisted they go to Toronto together.
"At that time I'd been laid off at the television station, had a brand new baby
and no job," Coombs remembered.
"So, it's very typical of Fred that he would say to the people at CBC,
'well I have to have an assistant puppeteer and so I'm going to bring
Ernie Coombs with me.'"
Rogers and Coombs came to Canada in 1963, operating a menagerie of
puppets that included creatures called Daniel S. Tiger, Henrietta Pussycat
and X the Owl.
At the end of the season, Rogers returned to the U.S., while Coombs went
on to host Butternut Square, which evolved into Mr. Dressup.
Rogers and Coombs, both 73, have remained close throughout the years,
exchanging letters and phone calls.
Working with Rogers, Coombs said, taught him valuable lessons that he
employed throughout the 29-year run of Mr. Dressup.
"(He taught me) that you don't have to jump around madly and stand on
your head to hold a child's attention. If you're delivering good material,
they'll be interested."
Rogers has been consistently lauded for that material, and for presenting
a television environment devoid of commercial glitz. He was ordained as
a Presbyterian minister in the '60s, with a charge to serving children and
families through television.
And although his show is believed to be the longest running children's
program ever, when the last new episode airs Friday there will be no
fanfare. Rogers will not announce that he is leaving the neighbourhood
for good.
In fact, he'll promise to be back -- just as he has in every episode. And he
will, as new generations of preschoolers enjoy reruns of the show.
Although his soft-spoken earnestness has been criticized as syrupy by
some, Rogers has insisted the Mister Rogers character is not an act, but
genuinely reflects his personality.
One of his signature lines was even adopted from his grandfather, who
ended their visits by saying: "Freddy, you've made this day a special
day just by being you."
Rogers himself has no plans to retire, keeping active with the Mister
Rogers Web site and other projects.
In the meantime, said Coombs, his utter respect for his pint-sized viewers
leaves a lasting legacy for children's television.
"Just by (Fred's) example, I learned that you have to be totally concerned
with the child in the audience and be able to anticipate any questions they
might have, be careful not to confuse them with any ideas that you're putting
forth," said Coombs.
"(Fred) had deep respect for his audience of children and wrote all of his
programs with definite ideas in mind, to allay a child's fears, to give them
information about problems.
"That's Fred, he cares."
Cheers,
TD
I always loved that guy
and he's not on T.V. anymore
from The Tragically Hip's "The Wherewithal"
For a good time call
http://the70s.cjb.net
The Sesame Street Lyrics and Sounds Archive
http://i.am/tinyd
Dawna
Thnks, Tiny, for posting this!!!!
~~~~Dawna
ti...@idirect.com (Tiny Dancer) wrote in message news:<3b8ec58b...@news.look.ca>...
Jamie
>IMHO, Mr. Dressup surpassed(es) Mr. Rogers all the way! Who'll second that?
I do, I do!! I watched Mr. Dressup from it's humble beginnings. He
would draw something, and it would start with a few simple lines, and
turn into some character he was telling a story about at the time. And
then there was his puppets Casey and Finnegan. I don't really remember
ever watching or even noticing Mister Rogers until I was too old for
the show.
Jamie