Watch: New trailer for Mr. Roger biopic with Tom Hanks - "It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood"

Coming Up: "It’s Such A Good Feeling: The Best Of Mister Rogers" TV sountrack

Out Oct. 4 from Omnivore

Details:

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood premiered on television over five decades ago. While to some it seems like just yesterday when it was brand new, it’s heartening to know how much it has been a part of the lives of countless children and adults who experienced and learned from the show over the decades.
While its staying power never lapsed, Academy®- and Grammy®-winning director Morgan Neville’s 2018 documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, reawakened our love for Fred Rogers, and introduced a new generation to him. With the upcoming November release of A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood (starring Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers), the beloved Mister Rogers and his neighborhood will once again be front and center in the hearts, minds, and ears of everyone.
It’s Such A Good Feeling: The Best Of Mister Rogers collects 23 songs from the beloved broadcaster (backed by long-time collaborator and pianist Johnny Costa, Carl McViker on bass, and percussionist Bobby Rawsthorne). Containing classics like “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” “You Are Special,” and the title track, this release also features five previously unissued tracks including the show’s original closer, “Tomorrow.”

CD packaging contains photos, an introductory note from Neville, and an essay from Pittsburgh television critic (and long-time USA Today contributor) Robert Bianco.

Two weeks after the release of It’s Such A Good Feeling, four digital-only album releases from Mister Rogers will also be made available: Bedtime, You’re Growing, You Are Special, and Coming And Going.

So, hop on the trolley for the Land Of Make Believe, because it really is such a good feeling.

Tracks:

1. Today Is A Very Special Day*
2. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
3. I Think I’m Going To Like Today*
4. Look And Listen
5. Be Brave, Be Strong
6. Then Your Heart If Full Of Love
7. Pretending
8. You Can Never Go Down The Drain
9. I Like To Take My Time
10. Sometimes People Are Good
11. You Are Special
12. I’m Looking For A Friend*
13. Some Things I Don’t Understand
14. The Clown In Me
15. It’s The Style To Wear A Smile
16. I’m Taking Care Of You
17. It’s You I Like
18. Once Upon Each Lovely Day*
19. Wishes Don’t Make Things Come True
20. You’re Growing
21. Tree, Tree, Tree
22. It’s Such A Good Feeling
23. Tomorrow*

* Previously unissued.

First look: Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers

A pic of the actor in character for the upcoming bio-pic about the groundbreaking children's television host. More via The Hollywood Reporter.

Review: "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"

How well do you know your neighbors?

As a pre-schooler, I knew Mr. Rogers as a friendly guy who appeared on weekday afternoons on the family Zenith. In black and white.

He'd walk in his front door, greet us with a smile while singing a cheerful, welcoming song. He'd take off his suit jacket, put on a comfy sweater and switch out of his Oxfords into what looked to me like a pair of J.C. Penney sneakers.

From there, Mr. Rogers would feed his fish and talk to Picture Picture - sort of a proto-iPad mounted on his wall, which shared pictures and information - and fire up his model trolley for a trip to the Land of Make Believe.

I always thought the trolley was the coolest part.

Millions of American kids joined Mr. Rogers in this daily routine, which continued for more than 30 TV seasons. And, fittingly, it's how this new documentary of Fred Rogers' life opens.

It's easy to make assumptions about Mr. Rogers from his show. He's dorky. A square. His TV house looks simple and cheap. The Land of Make Believe looks more low-budget than the play area of the nearest McDonalds. But, like he kept telling us, Mr. Rogers was special. And Morgan Neville's film demonstrates the many ways how.

Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister who found his calling not in a church, but on children's television. And we see how he thoughtfully, and sometimes shrewdly, taught the values of respect, responsibility, acceptance and, indeed, universal love, through his daily program.

During some of the most violent and challenging moments of the Civil Rights struggle, he brought on an African American cast member and, in one now-famous segment, invited him to cool his feet in the same wading pool.

Following the murder of Robert F. Kenney, Rogers knew that kids would have seen news coverage of the event orheard the word "assassination," and he addressed their confusion, fear and questions in a segment of his show. He also helped children work through the emotions of a pet dying or meeting someone with disabilities.

The film uses vintage clips to detail these moments and includes interviews with the show's cast and crew and Rogers' wife and two sons.

We learn how Rogers went to bat for PBS funding in the networks early days and likely saved it from a budget-cutting Senate panel. We see him calmly face down the stony faced politicians, melting their cold hearts with his description of his program and why it mattered to kids.

Urban legends surrounding Rogers - that he was a Navy SEAL or an Army sniper or that he was gay - are all addressed openly in the film and dismissed. This isn't a whitewash, but an honest portrait. We learn that, despite his calm and kindly demeanor, Rogers could get pissed off. And he would sometimes doubt his abilities and effectiveness.

We see how Rogers was attacked later in life, both by the Westboro Baptist Church and by rightwing pundits who blamed him for supposedly enabling a generation of youth who had the nerve to view themselves as "special" due to his show's refrain of accepting and valuing oneself. It's an interesting perspective, given that Rogers was a lifelong member of the Republican Party and espoused Christian values throughout his decades on public television.

By saying kids were special, he wasn't suggesting that they abdicate responsibility or expect a free ride in life. He was teaching them to respect who they were in life and to respect others, no matter how they might differ from you.

That message, and this film, come at a perfect time, given the world's current political polarization and demonization of "the other." Rogers demonstrated a wisdom, patience and willingness to listen that many or our leaders would do well to emulate.

Like most TV-watching kids of the late 1960s and early 70s, I moved on quickly from "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" to "Sesame Street" - a hipper, more lively part of town. But I was glad to know my neighbor, Fred Rogers, and glad to know him, now, even better.

New trailer for Mr. Rogers documentary