"Violence in the News" Special

[ƃuɐɹǝɯooS]

New here, so I hope I'm not violating protocol by putting this in the "Episodes" section. My questions regard the prime-time special that aired in, I believe, 1981, that dealt with the topic of violence in the news. I remember seeing this special when it aired, and the absolutely incredible, anomalous instance of a death in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. If I remember correctly, it had to do with a magic tree that could talk, and that got a lot of attention from the neighbors as a result. At some point, a larger, more clumsy tree became jealous and struck the little tree, causing its death. The lingering image I have is of Handyman Negri carrying the dead tree with a grave expression on his face.

My questions:

1) Am I the only one in the world who saw this and remembers it? Because no one I know knows anything about it, and the Family Communications people denied any knowledge of it when I was in a position to ask them. (Was a television journalist dealing with children's programming for some years.)

2) Does ANYONE have a recording of this? I think there's an excerpt on the official Fred Rogers site, but it's only a short clip with virtually no sound.

Thanks for any insight on this.

ÆÆ'uɐɹǝɯooS

[ladyelainefairchilde]

I know which special you are talking about which aired in primetime way back in 1981. Only information i have on that is the following listed here.

Mr. Rogers talks with children about the violence they see in the news. He suggests discusing scary things with adults.
In the NOM, on Lady Elaine's news program, Harriet Cow tells about a walking talking tree. After the tree is stolen, Lady Elaine and Producer Edward look for it. Producer Edward finds the tree dead. Lady Elaine reports on the news about the tree. Producer Edward learns that a big tree killed the smaller tree. The killer tree is jailed. Mr. Rogers emphasizes that this has been makebelieve. He talks about the importance of verbalizing feelings and not doing harmful things.

[ASchuelke]

Here's a video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EFe9Vpd3ps&t=13s

[ƃuɐɹǝɯooS]

ASChuelke:

Thanks. For decades, I've been telling my brother about this episode and he just thought it so incredible an occurrence in the Neighborhood that he didn't believe it. The Internet didn't cooperate for a long time, presenting no information on it. I'm just hoping that at some point it will resurface. It isn't as if the news has become less violent over the years.

Again, if anyone out there has a full recording of this episode, please let me know ââ,¬â€ even if it's 2025 when you stumble on this. : )

[Chad123]

The special premiered on May 25, 1981 (Memorial Day, when most parents would be there to watch with their kids).

[Tame Tiger_143]

Hi, neighbors! I'm new to the forum, though I've "listened in" from time to time. I'd heard of this episode, but its only broadcast was well before my time. I'm curious whether any further information is available/has come to light. since this thread started...?

Tim, given that you have most of the other "Talks to Parents" specials now logged in the episode guide, is there any particular reason you haven't been able to view this one?

It appears to be archived on video at the University of Pittsburgh library, if you it look up on their catalogue or on WorldCat. Interestingly, Michael D. Long summarizes and writes about the special in some detail in his book "Peaceful Neighbor", which I read recently. Based on what he has written, Long must have viewed the episode--probably at Pitt. Still, there are lots of small details I'd be curious to know... for instance, if the anthropomorphic trees were actual characters or puppets, who portrayed/voiced them?

The Pitt catalogue entry lists the only neighbors as Betty Aberlin and Maurice Woods. You can find scattered information on the web about a black American actor from NY named Maurice Woods, who passed away at a young age in 1983 (two years after the MRN special). None of sources, including an NY Times obit from '83, mention MRN, but as it's an obscure special that almost no one remembers, so that's hardly conclusive. Going back to Michael D. Long's summary, he mentions a one-time character named Edward, a black newscaster who helps Lady Elaine report on the tree murder. In fact, Long describes the Edward character carrying the dead tree, just as the OP describes Handyman Negri doing, while none of the sources have any mention of Joe Negri being in this episode.

I don't wish to impeach the OP's memory, but it would be incredibly easy, having seen the special only once as a young child, to forget about a random, one-off character as one's memory tries to fill in the blanks decades later. So my current "theory" is that the late Maurice Woods plays Edward while Joe Negri is likely not included in the special at all, with OP's memory banks quite understandably associating the Edward part with the much more familiar Handyman.

That said, I hope more info about the special becomes available. Ideally, all of these programs should be available for families to view. However, based on the descriptions, part of me is glad the "Violence in the News" special NOMB segments have not leaked online. The intent was parent-child viewing, and it does not sound like something one would necessarily want very young kids to stumble across out of context or without appropriate guidance.

[ladyelainefairchilde]

Violence in the News: Helping Children Understand
Mr. Rogers from Family Communications, Inc., 30 minutes. Mark. This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

When you see things that are scary on television, what do you think about that? Sometimes, I think it's not real or could never happen, but if it's on the news, I know I should be careful about how late I stay out because there are weirdos out there. They might harm me or even kill me. Sometimes, I turn off the TV and read a book because I'll have nightmares about being in front of the president when someone gets shot or killed.

There's so much violence in the news worldwide that I felt it was urgent to talk with families about it. This program is not for young children to watch alone. When children see and hear frightening things, it's best for them to have an adult close by—someone who loves them and can comfort them. So please get a grown-up that you love to watch this program with you because we're going to discuss some sad and scary topics.

There are people in the world who are so sick or so angry that they sometimes hurt others, and they are often the ones who end up in the news. Do you remember hearing about John Lennon being shot in New York, President Reagan and his friends in Washington, the Pope in Rome, or the young people being murdered in Atlanta and other places? The people who commit these terrible acts cause a lot of sadness and anger. However, when we feel sad and angry, we know how to handle our feelings without hurting others.

Recently, I spoke with some school children about these issues, and I'd like you to hear what they had to say. One child said, "When I heard about that man who got shot in the head, I ran upstairs to my bed and started praying for him, hoping he would stay alive." Another child, Patrick, responded, "Yeah, I thought it was a little bit scary. I didn't understand why someone would shoot another person." He continued, "Maybe they're lonely or have lost someone in their family, and they want to get back at everyone else."

When I take a walk with my dog, I sometimes worry that someone might jump out from behind a bush and take me away, and I'd never see my family again. We watch TV every day and see something scary, which makes us wonder what happened and who did it.

When I was a boy, I would ask my parents or grandparents about frightening news, and they would share their feelings. My mother would often remind me, "Always look for the people who are helping. You'll always find someone trying to help." So even now, when I read the newspaper or watch the news on TV, I look for those who are helping.

One of the most important parts of growing up is learning to express our feelings. Some people wonder if Mr. Rogers ever gets angry. Of course, I do—especially when I hear about people hurting others or when I am hurt. Using puppets can help us talk about strong feelings. I wondered how we could use the puppets in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe to imagine a story about violence in the news.

Lady Elaine Fairchild has her own TV station, MGR TV. She asks, "Why don't we have a news story about some trees?" The program continues with a charming yet thought-provoking story about a walking, talking tree that brings the community together to discuss their feelings about fear and violence.

By engaging in these stories and discussions, we learn that even when we feel angry or scared, we have the power to choose how we respond. It is essential to talk about our feelings and find healthy ways to express them, ensuring we do not add to the violence we see in the world around us.

For a transcript of "Violence in the News: Helping Children Understand," send $2 to PTV Publications, Post Office Box 701, Kent, Ohio, 44240. Please allow one month for delivery.