Traumafession: Brian K. on Mister Rogers and a Dead Tree

February 6th, 2019 by unkle lancifer · 7 Comments

Okay, you ever have one of those childhood memories where you think ‘That couldn’t possibly have happened, I must have misremembered it?’ But then it turns out it did happen?

I recall an episode of Mr. Roger’s neighborhood that must have aired in the very early 80s. The citizens of the Neighborhood of Make Believe are delighted to meet a tree that could both walk and talk. And then…SOMEONE MURDERS THE TREE! I distinctly remember one of the human characters grimly walking through the neighborhood, CARRYING THE TREE’S CORPSE, a la the father in Frankenstein carrying his dead daughter’s body through the village. I assumed I’d just hallucinated this, but I did a google search and apparently, it happened just as I remembered it: HERE.

This allegedly was Rogers’s response to children having to deal with a lot of high profile murders and attempted murders at the time (John Lennon, Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul). But what the hell, man? Really?

Did anyone else see this episode? Does anyone have a clip?
Love the website.
Brian K.

Tags: Traumafessions

7 responses so far ↓

1 unkle lancifer // Feb 6, 2019 at 1:52 pm

Thanks for this excellent Traumafession Brian! I don’t recall this episode but now I really want to see it! Loved the recent Mister Rogers documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”.

PS: I count myself among the many who found Lady Elaine Fairchild consistently freaky.
2 bdwilcox // Feb 6, 2019 at 2:26 pm

“On a very special episode of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood…”
3 ChiefferSutherbong // Feb 6, 2019 at 2:30 pm

Here’s the intro:
4 chainman // Feb 6, 2019 at 6:54 pm

I think if you are going to view it again, you are going to have to visit your library and ask if they can help you with an inter library loan. Even then I’m not at all certain they will be able find a tape that you’ll be allowed to borrow. https://www.worldcat.org/title/mister-rogers-talks-to-parents-about-violence-in-the-news-special-05/oclc/12958833
5 Brian Katcher // Feb 7, 2019 at 11:51 pm

Thank you, Chieffer and Chainman! I’m a librarian myself, I’ll have to use my resources to track down this holy grail of the Neighborhood.

Lancifer, did you know Lady Elaine got married after the show ended? In new show, ‘Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,’ she’s now married to a musician and has a child.
6 chainman // Feb 8, 2019 at 12:35 pm

I’m glad that ChiefferSutherbong and myself got you half way to your goal of rewatching the fir tree funeration. Wait a minute you’re a LIBRARIAN? If I had known that salient substantiation I wouldn’t have assisted you in the slightest with your search. Your ill-tempered ilk made my life and countless others a living hell in lyceum with the legion of limping laps that your kind made us run. On second thought those were grotesque gym teachers and not lighthearted librarians. LOL

Conan the Librarian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZHoHaAYHq8

Not Safe for Work, around children or childish adults.
(STRONG LANGUAGE, so use headphones if you are around others. A great line by a black hitman in the TV series The Wire. If you haven’t seen The Wire, don’t click on link.)
The Wire – The Most Dangerous Thing in America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRCyZydgqdc

FICTION
https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/827172360427958273-png__700.jpg
7 Chuckles72 // Feb 9, 2019 at 10:23 am

Wow, what a great traumafession. This appears to have aired some time after I stopped watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, but if I had seen it as a kid I am sure that it would have been seared into my memory.

And Unk, yeah, Lady Elaine Fairchild was freaky.

When I read this post I though “Why did it have to be the tree? Why couldn’t it have been Lady Elaine Fairchild?”