Mr. Dressup star Ernie Coombs forged a friendship with Fred Rogers over the shared belief that children were important, and that kids’ television could be a force for good, says the director of a new documentary film about Coombs.
Mr. Dressup star Ernie Coombs forged a friendship with Fred Rogers over the shared belief that children were important, and that kids’ television could be a force for good, says the director of a new documentary film about the iconic Canadian performer.
The beloved television personality whose program was a mainstay at CBC for 29 seasons, first met the Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood host in Pittsburgh, and over time the two became the “Lennon and McCartney” of children’s entertainment, says Rob McCallum.
The London, Ont., filmmaker is the director of Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month.
And when he had an opportunity, literally a few days after finishing seminary school, to come up to Canada and develop his program the way he saw fit — because it wasn’t going the way he wanted in Pittsburgh — he chose Ernie Coombs.
Those two guys started a friendship over a belief that children were important and could be nurtured and use television to make them into great people.
If you’re a kid and your life isn’t maybe so great at home, you could watch a half-hour Mr. Dressup, feel safe, learn a few things, and then you could go to your tickle trunk, which might just be the bottom of a closet, a box in the basement, or maybe some clothes that you stuffed under your bed.
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Mr. Dressup star Ernie Coombs forged a friendship with Fred Rogers over the shared belief that children were important, and that kids’ television could be a force for good, says the director of a new documentary film about the iconic Canadian performer.
The beloved television personality whose program was a mainstay at CBC for 29 seasons, first met the Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood host in Pittsburgh, and over time the two became the “Lennon and McCartney” of children’s entertainment, says Rob McCallum.
The London, Ont., filmmaker is the director of Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month.
And when he had an opportunity, literally a few days after finishing seminary school, to come up to Canada and develop his program the way he saw fit — because it wasn’t going the way he wanted in Pittsburgh — he chose Ernie Coombs.
Those two guys started a friendship over a belief that children were important and could be nurtured and use television to make them into great people.
If you’re a kid and your life isn’t maybe so great at home, you could watch a half-hour Mr. Dressup, feel safe, learn a few things, and then you could go to your tickle trunk, which might just be the bottom of a closet, a box in the basement, or maybe some clothes that you stuffed under your bed.
The original article contains 1,074 words, the summary contains 232 words. Saved 78%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
Ringo Starr was the Ringo Starr of kids TV
He really was great
Wow, amazing that Mr. Dressup had a similar show on TV in Canada for nearly 30 years and this is the first time I’ve heard of him.
The man is truly one of Canada’s greats. His work influenced/spanned 3 generations.
Basically changing Canada through its children.
Fred Rogers is another, truly.
Yep. He’s our Mr Rogers.
Yep, it was a staple of my childhood.
The Friendly Giant needs some props too.
Don’t forget about The Polka Dot Door, and Polkaroo too…
@Bonehead @sik0fewl @zeppo @owenfromcanada @fattymungo Geez, I still remember The Polka Dot Door song.
The Elephant Show was another big one for me. Got to meet Sharon, Lois, and Bram when I was too young to appreciate it.
Under the Umbrella Tree was another.
Mr. Dress up was a self-centered asshole?