MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD: MONKEY'S UNCLE OPERA (TV)
Summary
One in this series of programs for young children, hosted by Fred Rogers, which uses puppets and music to teach patience and cooperation, while providing guidance to help children cope with feelings and frustrations. This episode revolves around the production of a monkey-themed opera in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, and Mister Rogers introduces it with a film about monkeys. Bob Trow visits to give Mister Rogers a banana. King Friday requests that he be allowed to play his bass fiddle in the opera, and so Reardon gives him a solo at the very beginning. The opera, set at a zoo and held in the castle's zoo room, begins, casting Lady Aberlin as a zookeeper caring for the various animals at the zoo. The monkey at the zoo, played by Robert Troll, informs the zookeeper that the organ grinder is feeling sad and is coming to visit. The organ grinder, played by Reardon, arrives with the monkey's nephew, played by Chef Brockett. He laments that his business is bad and nobody seems to want him around. The zookeeper tries to cheer him up by showing him around the zoo, including giving him a safari to see some of the "wilder" animals. When they return, they find that the monkey has turned his organ into a popcorn machine. The organ grinder believes that this will help him get his business back on track, and he accepts an offer from the zookeeper to work at the zoo.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: April 8, 1971 9:00 AM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:28:42
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:28992
- GENRE: Children's programs
- SUBJECT HEADING: Children's programs; Puppets; Opera
- SERIES RUN: WQED (Pittsburgh, PA) - TV series, 1968-1970; PBS - 1971-2001
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Sam Silberman … Producer, Director
- Fred Rogers … Created by
- Johnny Costa … Music by
- Fred Rogers … Host, Puppeteer, Voice, King Friday XIII, Daniel Striped Tiger, Ino A. Horse
- Betty Aberlin … Cast, Lady Aberlin
- Don Brockett … Cast, Chef Brockett
- John Reardon … Cast, Himself
- Audrey Roth … Cast, Miss Paulificate
- Bob Trow (See also: Robert Trow) … Cast, Robert Troll, Himself