TV Worth Blogging
by David Thiel, Program Director for WILL-TV
An insider's view of public television programming and the issues that help determine what and how you watch
Movies You'll Want to Remember
Cagney. Eastwood. Nicholson. Kubrick. These names, and many more, figure into the 85-year history of Warner Bros. American Masters brings us its legacy--from The Jazz Singer to Harry Potter--in a three-night miniseries: You Must Remember This.
Airing Tuesday, September 23 through Thursday, September 25 at 8:00 pm, You Must Remember This begins in 1923, when Warner's biggest star was a canine named Rin Tin Tin. What may surprise you most about this look at the early days of the film industry is that it was not as charmingly naive as we prefer to believe. Prior to the Hays Production Code of the 1930s, movie dramas depicted drug abuse, sexual promiscuity and more than a bit of skin. Warner Bros. in particular became famous for its hard-hitting crime stories featuring the likes of James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson (pictured).
While musicals, comedies and family films all make their way into this star-studded documentary, make no mistake: some of the clips--particularly in Wednesday night's episode, which covers the turbulent '70s--are quite violent. Some of the historically relevant and highly influential motion pictures of this era include Bonnie & Clyde, A Clockwork Orange, Dog Day Afternoon and Deliverance. These tantalizing yet disturbing scenes invite viewers to seek out the full-length films. I know that after watching You Must Remember This, I felt the need to visit my local video rental store.
Image: Edward G. Robinson from Little Caesar, ©Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
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It's Hard to Let Go
Effective September 1, PBS dropped Mister Rogers' Neighborhood from its daily kids' lineup. WILL-TV is one of many public TV stations that will continue to air the series on a reduced basis, once a week. (We will air it Sundays at 7:00 am, beginning September 7.) Still, the decision to follow PBS' lead was not an easy one to make for this programmer; I count my one encounter with Fred Rogers as one of the highlights of my 44 years in this world.
It's only been out of the daily schedule since yesterday, but I've already received some e-mail from upset viewers. "Shame on you," one writes, "My children and now my grandchildren love Mr. Rogers. He has taught countless children to be kind and gentle as well as the educational value of his program [sic]."
I don't disagree with that writer's sentiment; the show has long been special to me. Like many, I grew up in the Neighborhood. And as an adult working in public TV, I once again became fascinated with the program. My work for WILL has had me working alongside David "Mr. McFeely" Newell at several station events. And on one occasion, my wife and I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Rogers face-to-face. I described that wonderful moment in a tribute article for the public broadcasting industry's newspaper, Current, on the event of Fred's passing in 2003.
I believe that many of us in public TV felt much the same. To be honest, the fact that the show remained on many stations more than five years after Fred's death and eight years after it went out of production is testament to the very values described by the above viewer. While beloved by many adults, it was watched by fewer and fewer kids over the years. The Neighborhood's intentionally limited production values grew ever more dated. Furthermore, without Fred's absolutely vital presence, it was impossible to produce new episodes that would reflect changes to society or to current educational methods.
In the end, PBS came to the decision that it was time to let go; they ceased their daily satellite feed of the show as of yesterday.
For the past several years, Family Communications--the producers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood--have been trying to figure out a way to incorporate Fred's messages into a new series, and are currently working on a couple of proposals for PBS. Meanwhile, they intend to put the Neighborhood archives online to insure that they remain available for generations to come.
I know that none of this makes the news any easier to take for those of us who grew up with Mister Rogers' comforting personality. If you are one, I hope that you understand that the decision was not made lightly, nor was it done without due consideration of Fred's legacy. And as I mentioned earlier, the Neighborhood will still be there to visit each Sunday on WILL-TV for the foreseeable future.
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