"Girls and boys like to play witches, don't they?" Mr. Rogers interviews Margaret Hamilton, aka the Wicked Witch of the West

[LurkingGrue]

I love the fact that she played Morticia Addams mother Granny Frump.

[FGD135]

Mr. Rogers could have invited Satan himself, and it would have been a nice and pleasant chat.

[Brainspore]

@gracchus

The late 1960s and early 1970s were a generally bad time in U.S. history, what with assassinations, Watergate, societal bigotry…

The bigotry didn’t get any worse in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it just got dragged out into the light of day where everyone was forced to see it. We’re far better off as a society today for having had those confrontations about race, feminism and LGBT issues.

[gracchus]

@Brainspore

The bigotry didn’t get any worse in the late 1960s and early 1970s

They were worse than they are today, which was part of my larger point.

[FrontierJustice]

I’m too scared to watch this.

[manybellsdown]

I appreciate being tagged in this

[Melizmatic]

@gracchus

I’m talking not only about the great Mr. Rogers, but also Sesame Street, the Electric Company, Free to Be You and Me, Schoolhouse Rock, ABC Afterschool Specials, Where Did I Come From , the books of Judy Blume

Amen.

As a kid who grew up on reruns of all that good stuff, I can attest that ‘back in the day’ there was definitely much more reverence for actually educating and enriching children’s minds in our society.

[nungesser]

@Melizmatic

As a kid who grew up on reruns of all that good stuff, I can attest that ‘back in the day’ there was definitely much more reverence for actually educating and enriching children’s minds in our society.

Those programs were special because they were the first generation of childrens’ television developed and supervised by child psychologists and people truly invested in helping kids. It was revolutionary at the time and having people like Henson, Joe Raposo, and well, the government’s funding on board certainly helped.

There’s tons of excellent children’s TV on these days, but it’s all second-generation, created by kids who grew up on Sesame Street and Electric Co and are desperate to make something as awesome as that while also sort of winking at it. So it’s still worthwhile but doesn’t have the sheer freshness of something exploring new territory fearlessly.

[TobinL]

Finally getting around to seeing this… Margaret Hamilton was one kick ass lady.
The other movie of note that I have seen her in is 13 Ghosts where she plays the house keeper and has fun with the fact she is known for her role as a witch.

[PhasmaFelis]

Yeah, reading the interview I thought that someone is going to spin this as Mr. Rogers being homophobic, but it sounds to me more like he was recognizing the tragic reality of the world and the sacrifices it requires.

François Clemmons had a choice: he could be romantically and sexually fulfilled, or he could be a symbol of a brighter future for millions of children. He chose to sacrifice his personal happiness for the public good. It’s awful that he had to make that choice, but he made it of his own free will. All Fred Rogers did was put the choice to him directly.