Sign Language
Fred Rogers studied many languages throughout his life, including French, Spanish, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and American Sign Language. He presented these languages in different ways throughout the Neighborhood series.
Theater for the Deaf
Overview
Chef Brockett introduces Mister Rogers to two people who perform pantomime. The coach, Tim Scanlon, is deaf. Mister Rogers asks him to recite and mime a poem that most children would know. Mister Rogers wonders how his two new neighbors teach people pantomime, and they demonstrate by making an invisible banana split.
Scanlon then appeared in a few Neighborhood of Make-Believe segments as X the Owl’s teacher. Fred and Scanlon remained friends; Scanlon performed in a live stage show celebrating Fred in 1979—Fred’s 25th year in children’s television.
Date
1975
Type
Video
Source
Family Communicatins, Inc.
Related Items
PDF
Fred Rogers Comments
By 1974, Fred Rogers had been working in children's television for twenty years. He started as a puppeteer on Children's Corner with Josie Carey and then made his way in front of the camera in the Canadian version of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
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David Newell Oral History
David Newell played Mr. McFeely for the entire run of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He explains that Mister Rogers' Neighborhood was filmed like a live show, with very long takes. Although Fred was not always comfortable in front of the camera, he would light up when Mr. McFeely came to the door.
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