For 33 years, Mister Rogers area redefined the possibilities of children’s television. Largely due to the sobering, gentle and sincere presence of the titular owner Fred Rogers, a longstanding PBS program has inspired countless children (and adults) to love themselves and be curious about the world. That being said, the show would never have been possible without the help of countless cast and crew members, many of whom were loyal to the program, but some of whom worked on individual episodes and segments from time to time. One guest director in the early years of the show even went on to become a legendary director in a genre completely opposite the spectrum from Mister Rogers.
In 1968, Fred Rogers and George A. Romero were hardly roommates.
Mister Rogers area was filmed at WQED Studios in Pittsburgh, one of the first public television stations in the country. With a background in education and ministry, the 40-year-old Fred Rogers saw untapped potential in using television as a tool to educate the nation’s youth. So he designed his show with a preschool audience in mind, and the first episode aired on February 19, 1968.
That same year, another young Pittsburgh resident released his feature film debut in a long and illustrious film career. George A. Romero was only 28 years old when he delivered Night of the Living Dead. The original black-and-white horror film virtually reinvented the zombie subgenre, and Romero filmed it in a cemetery in Evans City, just thirty miles from Pittsburgh. Like Fred Rogers, Romero remained in Pittsburgh throughout his creative career, creating subsequent zombie classics. Dawn of the Dead And The day of the Deadalong with other horror films such as Crazy, MartinAnd creepshow.
George A. Romero got his start in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood
The two creatives worked in the same city at the same time, but given their different content, it’s unlikely they’ll overlap. In his early years, however, Romero was an energetic young filmmaker with a thirst for work. And so, Pittsburgh had just become the epicenter of an innovative new children’s show that needed talented people behind the camera.
Thus, in his first paid concert, Romero choreographed several segments for Mister Rogers area in the late 60s and early 70s, such as Things with Wheels, Soft Things, and How Light Bulbs Are Made. These are all hand sketches, endowed with nothing more or less than Mister Rogers’ expected exploratory approach to ordinary things. However, Romero directed one episode that stands out from others in the series as there is something slightly supernatural about it, suggesting that the man behind the camera was a horror legend in the making.
It’s a frightening day in the neighborhood in this George A. Romero segment
In 1971 during Mister Rogers On the airing of the fourth season, Mr. Rogers decided to take viewers to the hospital with him so they could see his tonsils being removed. Descriptively titled “Mr. Rogers Gets a Tonsillectomy,” the scene slowly tracks Fred’s visit from the waiting area to the operating room as doctors and nurses prepare him for the procedure. Fred’s soothing voice narrating the entire sequence is clearly meant to show children that hospitals, doctors’ offices, and even surgeries are nothing to be afraid of.
However, there is something repulsive about this segment, and once we realize it was directed by a young George Romero, it gets even scarier. Although made with innocent intentions, some of the shots are quite frightening. Romero approves of the awkward number of angles as Fred, lying in a hospital bed, looks up at the masked nurses and doctors before and after the procedure. Then, as the hospital staff administers anesthesia, we watch our beloved Mr. Rogers pass out with a gas mask and wires sticking out of his mouth. The scene, captured in the grainy, harsh light of a real 1970s hospital, is unnerving. Even Mister Rogers’ hopeful account cannot entirely salvage the situation. In fact, one would reasonably find that Fred’s casual voice contributes to the segment’s haunting atmosphere.
Romero remembers “Mr. Rogers’ neighbors” with fondness and fear
In a 2004 article for Diamond Dead, Romero talked about the time he worked on Mister Rogers area, and specifically noted “Mr. Rogers Gets a Tonsillectomy” as a commemorative project. He called this segment his “first really big production”… and remember that it was after he already did Night of the Living Dead, although this film was made on a limited budget. Moreover, Romero recalls how Mister RogersThe segment “was filmed in a real working hospital. I had to quickly and quietly use my spotlights (the ones from the hardware store) to get lighting in the reception area, Fred’s bedroom, and the operating room.”
All in all, it sounds like high-stakes chaotic filming, especially for a young director. Romero went on to say, “I still joke that ‘Mr. Rogers gets a tonsillectomy’ is the scariest movie I’ve ever made.” It’s really funny to imagine a man who has created so many brutal scarecrows to consider his most scary work as a short play he made for preschoolers, but after watching “Mr. Rogers has a tonsillectomy removed,” you can understand where he came from. However, Romero further explained, “I really mean I was scared the hell out of trying to pull it off.” Clearly so. In 1971, Romero was only 31 years old and was in charge of capturing Mister Rogers’ operation in a quality manner that not only did not frighten the children, but made them understand and feel safe during the observation. Add to that all the location changes in the hospital, and it becomes a challenge for even the most seasoned director.
“Mr. Rogers Gets a Tonsillectomy” thus showcases Romero’s early talent as a director, while also subtly foreshadowing his future in horror. Years later, he would still respect Mister Rogers for the opportunities the show gave him early on. Romero also reflected on how Fred Rogers valued his work beyond what he did for Area. According to Romero, quoted by Mental Floss, Fred “loved” his films and was “always a big supporter”, especially calling Dawn of the Dead “lots of fun.” While it might be hard to imagine that the fittest man in TV history would go to the theater to see Romero’s bloody filmography, the two were creative compatriots, and while their missions may have been different, they both became icons in their respective fields.
Source: Collider
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