Kid Show of the Week

Know Your Medal of Honor Recipients:

Private John C. Hunterson (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on June 5, 1862, on the Peninsula, Virginia. His citation reads:

While under fire, between the lines of the 2 armies, voluntarily gave up his own horse to an engineer officer whom he was accompanying on a reconnaissance and whose horse had been killed, thus enabling the officer to escape with valuable papers in his possession.

Sergeant John A. Huntsman (US Army) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on November 9, 1899, at Bamban, Luzon, Philippine Islands. His citation reads:

For distinguished bravery and conspicuous gallantry in action against insurgents.

Captain Henry McLaren Pinckney Huse (US Navy) received his Medal of Honor for his actions on April 21-22, 1914, during the engagements of Vera Cruz. His citation reads:

For distinguished conduct in battle, engagements of Vera Cruz, 21 and 22 April 1914. Under fire, Capt. Huse was eminent and conspicuous in the performance of his duties; was indefatigable in his labors of a most important character, both with the division commander in directing affairs and in his efforts on shore to get in communication with the Mexican authorities to avoid needlessly prolonging the conflict.


Got a big night tonight... My friend Ross is getting married to Ginny (who we'll now call "Yoko" on here unitl I can be 100% sure she won't break us up). I, of course, was asked to direct this wedding but was forced to step down after my idea of having Ross walk out to Highway to Hell was met with some resistance. I kid because I care. Really, I'm happy for them and (more importantly) for me. It's always a good thing when your friend marries someone cool. Fact is, Yoko is the only girl Ross has dated who didn't feel threatened by my "friendship" with him. That might change after she opens the wedding gift we got for them. I'm just sayin...


The I’m just sayin… Kid Show of the Week

Our kids show of the week this week is the classic Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (often shortened to simply Mister Rogers). This is a children's television series that was created and hosted by namesake Fred Rogers. The series debuted in 1966 on EEN, followed by its US network debut on February 19, 1968, and it aired on NET and its successor, PBS, until August 31, 2001. The series is aimed primarily at preschool ages 2 to 5, but has been stated by PBS as "appropriate for all ages". Mister Rogers' Neighborhood was produced by Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA public broadcaster WQED and Rogers' non-profit production company Family Communications, Inc.; previously known as Small World Enterprises prior to 1971, the company was renamed The Fred Rogers Company after Rogers' death.

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood was characterized by its quiet simplicity and gentleness. Episodes consisted of Rogers speaking directly to the viewer about various issues, taking the viewer on tours of factories, demonstrating experiments, crafts, and music, and interacting with his friends. Rogers also made a point to simply behave naturally on camera rather than acting out a character, stating that "One of the greatest gifts you can give anybody is the gift of your honest self. I also believe that kids can spot a phony a mile away." The half-hour episodes were punctuated by a puppet segment chronicling occurrences in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

During the opening sequence of each episode the camera pans slowly over a model of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, while the "Neighborhood Trolley" crosses a couple of streets from left to right. This is the same model electric trolley that later in the program will transport viewers into the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Following that, Fred Rogers enters his television studio house, singing "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" He hangs his coat in a closet, puts on a cardigan zipper sweater, and removes his dress shoes to put on sneakers. One of Rogers' sweaters now hangs in the Smithsonian Institution, a testament to the cultural influence of his simple daily ritual.

In the closing of each episode, Fred sings "It's Such a Good Feeling" as he removes his sneakers and puts his shoes back on, and then switches out of his sweater and back to his coat. At the end of the song, he reminds the viewers that "You always make each day a special day. You know how: By just your being you/yourself. There's only one person in the (whole) world that's like you, and that's you. And people can like you just/exactly the way you are." He then signs off as he walks out the door, usually by saying, "I'll be back next time. Bye-bye!" As the end credits roll (complete with title and episode number), the camera does a reverse pan of his model neighborhood, with the "Neighborhood Trolley" crossing from right to left.

Starting in 1979, episodes were grouped into week-long series, with each series focused on a particular topic. Rogers' monologues throughout the week explore various facets of the topic, and the ongoing story from the Neighborhood of Make-Believe serves as illustration.

Rogers covered a broad range of topics over the years, and the series did not shy away from issues that other children's programming avoided. In fact, Rogers endeared himself to many when, on March 23, 1970, he dealt with the death of one of his pet goldfish. The series also dealt with competition, divorce, and war. Rogers returned to the topic of anger regularly and focused on peaceful ways of dealing with angry feelings.

Mister Rogers always made a clear distinction between the realistic world of his television neighborhood and the fantasy world of Make-Believe. He often discussed what was going to happen in Make-Believe before the next fantasy segment was shown ("Let's pretend that Prince Tuesday has been having scary dreams..."), and sometimes acted out bits of Make-Believe with models on a table before the camera transitioned to the live-action puppet rendition. The miniature motorized trolley (which was known in character form as "Trolley"), with its accompanying fast-paced piano theme music, was the only element that appeared regularly in both the realistic world and Make-Believe: it was used to transport viewers from one realm to the other. Rogers, however, was mentioned from time to time in Make-Believe, particularly by Mr. McFeely, who appeared occasionally in the Make-Believe segments and seemed to form a link between the two worlds. The idea of the trolley came from Rogers. When he was young, there had been lots of trolleys operating in Pittsburgh and he liked riding on them. This reality/fantasy distinction put Rogers' series in sharp contrast with other children's series, such as fellow PBS program Sesame Street, which freely mixed realistic and fantastic elements.

The series featured "Picture Picture", a rear-projection motion picture and slide projector, whose screen is encased with a picture frame. In early episodes, Picture Picture would show various films or slides at Mister Rogers' command; after the material was presented, Mister Rogers would thank Picture Picture, in which it will return a "You're Welcome" on its screen. After 1970 Picture Picture no longer operated magically, becoming merely a projector; Mister Rogers would insert a film, slides or videotape through a slot on the side, then show the material using a wired remote control. When Picture Picture was not used, a different painting would be displayed on its screen. Often it would display the words "Hello" or "Hi" at the opening.

The series was also notable for its use of jazz-inspired music, mostly arranged and performed by Johnny Costa, until Costa's death in 1996, when he was succeeded by Michael Moricz for the remainder of the series. The music was unique in its simplicity and flow that blended with the series' sketches and features. The music was usually played live during taping. Lyrics and melodies were written and sung by Rogers, who created more than 200 original songs.

Production ended on August 31, 2001.

Like all of the shows I spotlight on here, this is a great show to watch with your children.

Thanks for the info Wikipedia…