Was Mr. Rogers from PBS in the mafia? Was his arms covered with tattos?

Answer 1

Mr. Rogers was a true gangsta, yo.

Answer 2

No, he was not in the mafia. His arms are not covered with tatoos causing him to wear sweaters incidentally knitted by his mother. This is as much an urban legend so to speak as Mr. Greenjeans from the Captain Kangaroo show being Frank Zappa's father!

Answer 3

Ok that question was just so wrong!!! Fred Rogers was a minister. No tattoos on the arm. When he cleaned the fish tank he always rolled up sleeves. Don't hate on the late friendly neighbor!!!

Answer 4

I believe he was a WWII hero in the Marines.

Answer 5

Mr. Rogers was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles (50 km) southeast of Pittsburgh. Following secondary school, he studied at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire between 1946 and 1948 before transferring to Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. He received a BA in music composition there in 1951. In 1954, he began working at WQED, a Pittsburgh television station, as a puppeteer on a local children's television series, The Children's Corner. For the next seven years, he worked with host Josie Carey in unscripted live TV, and developed many of the puppets, characters and music used in his later work, such as King Friday the XIII, and Curious X the Owl.

For eight years during this period he gave up lunch breaks to study theology at nearby Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He had planned to enter seminary after college, but had been diverted into television. Rogers, however, was not interested in preaching, and after his ordination as a Presbyterian minister in 1962, he was specifically charged to continue his work with children's TV. He had also done work at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Child Development.

In 1963, Rogers moved to Toronto, where he was contracted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to develop a 15 minute children's television program: 'MisteRogers', which would be Fred's debut in front of the camera. The show was a hit with children, but only lasted for three seasons on the network. Many of his famous set pieces, such as the trolley, Eiffel Tower, the 'tree', and 'castle' were all created by designers at the CBC. While on production in Canada, Fred brought with him his friend and understudy, Ernie Coombs, who would go on to create "Mr. Dressup," a very successful and long running children's show in Canada which, in many ways, was similar to "Mister Roger's Neighborhood." Mr. Dressup had also used some of the songs that would later go on Rogers' later program.

In 1966, Rogers acquired the rights for his program, and moved the show to WQED in Pittsburgh. He developed the new show for the Eastern Educational Network. Stations which carried the program were limited; they included educational stations in Boston, Washington, DC and New York City. Distribution of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood began on February 19, 1966. The following year, the show moved to PBS (Public Broadcasting System) The last set of new episodes were taped in December, 2000, and began airing in August, 2001. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood has the distinction of being the longest running program on PBS.

Rogers is quoted as saying, "I got into television because I hated it so. And I thought there was some way of using this fabulous instrument to be of nurture to those who would watch and listen."

After returning to Pittsburgh, Rogers was an active congregational member in the Sixth Presbyterian church in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. He died from stomach cancer a short time after his retirement at the age of 74.

Rev. William P. Barker presided over a public memorial, and attendees included Teresa Heinz, former "Good Morning America" host David Hartman, Elsie Hillman, PBS President Pat Mitchell, Arthur creator Marc Brown, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar author-illustrator Eric Carle, as well as about 2,700 other people stuffed into a near-capacity Heinz Hall. Speakers remembered Rogers' love of children, devotion to God, enthusiasm for music, and quirks. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, on a concert tour overseas, played on video, and violinist Itzhak Perlman played in person. Outside the hall, about a half-dozen demonstrators from Fred Phelps' anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas protested Rogers' tolerance of homosexuality. About 150 supporters of Mr. Rogers from gay rights and peace groups marched in counter-protest, singing songs from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.[1]

During the 1998 Daytime Emmys, a Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Rogers. The following is an excerpt from Esquire Magazine's coverage of the gala, written by Tom Junod:

"...Mister Rogers went onstage to accept the award -- and there, in front of all the soap opera stars and talk show sinceratrons, in front of all the jutting man-tanned jaws and jutting saltwater bosoms, he made his small bow and said into the microphone, 'All of us have special ones who have loved us into being. Would you just take, along with me, ten seconds to think of the people who have helped you become who you are. Ten seconds of silence.'

And then he lifted his wrist, looked at the audience, looked at his watch, and said, 'I'll watch the time.' There was, at first, a small whoop from the crowd, a giddy, strangled hiccup of laughter, as people realized that he wasn't kidding, that Mister Rogers was not some convenient eunuch, but rather a man, an authority figure who actually expected them to do what he asked. And so they did. One second, two seconds, three seconds -- and now the jaws clenched, and the bosoms heaved, and the mascara ran, and the tears fell upon the beglittered gathering like rain leaking down a crystal chandelier. And Mister Rogers finally looked up from his watch and said softly, 'May God be with you.' to all his vanquished children."

Answer 6

Yes. Yes, he was. And yes, they were.