After knocking on the door of Fred Rogers’ television neighborhood home more than one thousand times, actor David Newell now spends his time traveling to communities promoting the benefits of public television. His Mr. McFeely character tagline of “Speedy Delivery” is said as much today as it was 50 years ago when the Mr. Rogers Neighborhood series began.
The release of the documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor has Newell delivering details about his personal and professional friendship with Mr. Rogers, a man who trolleyed us into the land of make-believe and created a safe place for young children to hear conversations about difficult topics.
Newell was in Utah recently to introduce a showing of the documentary and to discuss the PBS children’s program Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood by Fred Rogers Productions.