DON'T Miss Fred Rogers' Doc. WON'T YOU be MY NEIGHBOR - It's Loved Exactly as It Is

For those who don't remember a time when TV was a tool for talking to children about their feelings and as a guide through life's difficult transitions,  Fred Rogers was the iconic figure that nurtured kindness, empathy & curiosity.  Fred Rogers (b Amer 1928-2003) was an ordained minister & the first to understand & utilize the power of TV to impart important values and messaging to children.  Perhaps, the main message that Mr. Rogers instilled is "Love is at the root of everything; learning, parenting and kindness."  The trope of love and tolerance were a constant and reassuring refrain of Mr. Rogers. "Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people."  The "Mr. Rogers Show" aired on PBS from 1968-2001 with approximately 900 episodes.  Two episodes were written and aired following the assassination of Robert Kenned (1968) & the terrorist attacks (2001) to help children understand events, allow them  to express their concerns and to quell their fears.  Mr. Rogers received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  He's been inaugurated into the TV Hall of Fame & his sweaters mounted in the Smithsonian Institute.  Mr. Rogers deserved a Nobel Peace Prize.  He is credited with saving the funding for PBS in 1968.  Rogers appeared before the Head of the Com. on Communications, John Pastore on Capitol Hill, and spoke briefly & extemporaneously on the trust imparted to children and the care each child receives just by being themselves and liked for being just the way they are. "{Children's} feelings are mentionable and manageable and that is the good service provided."  Pastore was ready to end the session & cut funding but he was awe struck by Mr. Rogers statements.  "I think that it's wonderful.  Looks like you just earned the $20 million."  This was one of many wonderful segments in this thoughtful and tender documentary.  Other memorable moments include Mr. Rogers talking & singing a duet with a boy confined to a wheel chair and a time when Rogers invites a black police officer to cool his tired feet alongside him in his wading pool.  Rogers was peacefully & poignantly fighting against segregation & racial hatred.  Critics may accuse Rogers of hypocrisy for repressing the acceptance of homosexuality.  I argue that tolerance & love was the clarion message and addressing sexual orientation on his show aimed for young children would have been grossly age inappropriate.  Mr. Rogers' show celebrated imagination & the best of humanity is sorely missed today on television which focuses on violence and in our world.  WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR is a film for children & adults.  It nourishes the need for make believe and for believing in yourself.  "The idea that love abounds & can be shared means that you don't have to do anything sensation to make people love you."