tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455126179375366490.post406506634996511787..comments2023-12-20T11:32:15.997-05:00Comments on Billevesées: Interview: Betty AberlinWilliam V. Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18120331095634473021noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455126179375366490.post-58295838716745553362016-09-01T16:36:38.729-04:002016-09-01T16:36:38.729-04:00Now that I'm an adult watching all the old nei...Now that I'm an adult watching all the old neighborhood episodes with my 18 month old (who won't watch anything else and requests "rogers" every morning), I remember that warm, safe feeling of childhood. It's so special to experience mister Rogers neighborhood again with my child. Lady Aberlin is such a huge part of that show. You can get all the episodes on Amazon, so my son and I have watched lady Aberlin grow up before our eyes. She's beautiful inside and out. It's disappointing to know that it was upsetting for her and other cast mates when Fred said they were actors but he was himself. I always wondered how true to themselves those characters were. I loved that the interview brings up her attitude towards king Friday. Because I have noticed her "correct as usual..." exasperated tone often and it always makes me smile. It's a tiny way for girls to see her feminism/protest in the neighborhood. This interview was a fascinating read. It's so interesting to hear her perspective from working on the show with Fred.... Her comment about fried being against touching is one of the things I always found reassuring about him. But in one of the 1988 episodes he gets "handsy" (for mister Rogers standards) with the Russian kids tv visitor. It made me laugh bc I thought "boy he's really excited that she came all the way over from Russia!" Anyway, Great interview. I'd love to read more from other neighborhood cast members. Sydneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00436972627816336483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455126179375366490.post-75529169048382358962012-12-26T12:37:13.107-05:002012-12-26T12:37:13.107-05:00I am a huge Fred Rogers fan, and I also love Betty...I am a huge Fred Rogers fan, and I also love Betty Aberlin's work on those shows. Thank you very much for this. Most insightful and interesting.Suldoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07778845367184916684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455126179375366490.post-47356150115515087342012-07-31T18:25:20.731-04:002012-07-31T18:25:20.731-04:00Hi,
Excellent interview.
Beautiful woman.
She'...Hi,<br />Excellent interview.<br />Beautiful woman.<br />She'll always be there.<br /><br />I wish I could have that ugga mugga you got.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455126179375366490.post-59131378405977273812011-11-26T06:08:38.673-05:002011-11-26T06:08:38.673-05:00To me, Fred Rogers was and always will be the clos...To me, Fred Rogers was and always will be the closest thing to a saint. The man and his cause/mission/ministry altered the course of educational television for children. The show was pure genius and took into account not only early child educational/didactic development but behavioral development as well. With regard to Betty Aberlin and her part in the show, she was amazing. I would watch the show as much for Mr. Rogers as I did for the entire supporting cast/stars including Ms. Aberlin. In fact, her delicate and tender side was what I gravitated to probably the most. She truly made the show special not just to me but I'm sure to untold other "kids" who are now grown-ups. God bless you, Ms. Aberlin and may God always bless the legacy of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.backcheckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09148092362384012394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455126179375366490.post-17688172758303370682010-12-06T01:09:00.123-05:002010-12-06T01:09:00.123-05:00I scoured the interview for Betty's use of the...I scoured the interview for Betty's use of the "H word" and the only time she says it is when she "ran like hell" after nearly being molested in a library. I'd say under the circumstances, she's entitled to use a bit of language. This ain't no kids show after all.Eric Scaleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12149591952925380521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455126179375366490.post-59997172902337627272010-05-19T16:19:11.975-04:002010-05-19T16:19:11.975-04:00Dear Anonymous: Which "h-word" was that?...Dear Anonymous: Which "h-word" was that? "Here"? Honestly, what warms my heart is that Betty Aberlin manages to carry the Neighborhood virtues out of Make-Believe and into the real world. Consider her attempts to understand and to explain her pre-Rogers existence in Rogers terms. That's incredible, and an indication of the merit of the Rogers philosophy.<br /><br />The real Betty is more complex than the TV character -- and yet, that's a significant part of who she really is. Which means that you and I can be "Neighbors," too.<br /><br />And we ought to be.William V. Madisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18120331095634473021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455126179375366490.post-10710917080160669422010-05-19T12:58:06.303-04:002010-05-19T12:58:06.303-04:00Interesting article--I was just shocked that she s...Interesting article--I was just shocked that she said the h-word. Kinda depressing that she would talk that way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455126179375366490.post-74415653430852680952009-04-26T09:07:00.000-04:002009-04-26T09:07:00.000-04:00This is great! I just happened to be watching an o...This is great! I just happened to be watching an old Mr. Rogers on TV this morning. It brought back all my warm memories of watching with my kids when they were pre-schoolers (they're in college and law school now.) <br /><br />Lady Aberlin was always my favorite, so I Googled to see what she might be doing now, and voila! this recent and thoughtful interview. What a cool person! And somehow you could see that in her Lady A character.<br /><br />Thank you!Barbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12350327143401510374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455126179375366490.post-73009342173506748562009-04-12T20:16:00.000-04:002009-04-12T20:16:00.000-04:00Great interview!I am 60 years old and still have a...Great interview!<BR/>I am 60 years old and still have a crush on Lady Aberlin.<BR/>During my four years at Pgh Theological Seminary, I sat in class with Fred Rogers twice. He would drop by his school that he graduated from, every once in awhile. He is the same in real life as we see on TV that is for shure. One interesting thing I found out, was that he could not take written exams, and they all had to be oral.<BR/>I learned love, patience, and gentleness from Fred.<BR/>Thanks,<BR/>Charles Gilbert WrightAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03072965626135955264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455126179375366490.post-87917392296819552542009-04-10T19:27:00.000-04:002009-04-10T19:27:00.000-04:00It was whilst watching Mister Rogers that I first ...It was whilst watching Mister Rogers that I first heard Eric Kloss, a wonderful alto saxophonist.<BR/>I wonder whatever happened to him? <BR/><BR/>I had a pretty serious crush on Lady Aberlin, as I'm sure many of us did.Braling IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14483491843893372823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455126179375366490.post-69585534351334459882009-04-09T14:02:00.000-04:002009-04-09T14:02:00.000-04:00Yes most of the guests were classically trained mu...Yes most of the guests were classically trained musicians, or artists. Even Margaret Hamilton and Lou Ferigno were the only two actors I can think of, though I could be wrong. I would love to see that Margaret Hamilton episode but sadly haven't seen it pop up on youtube yet. It's one I remember very strongly, probably because I wore out a beta "taped from TV" version of Wizard of Oz when i was younger.Eric Scaleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12149591952925380521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455126179375366490.post-69225201085981488292009-04-09T04:25:00.000-04:002009-04-09T04:25:00.000-04:00Thanks for writing! I agree in large measure with ...Thanks for writing! I agree in large measure with your observation about celebrity appearances in the Neighborhood: usually it's not hard to detect a higher purpose to the guest's participation. Margaret Hamilton's visit was designed to help children understand their fascination with and fear of witches. It's a pretty astonishing moment when Hamilton, a kindly grandmother, puts on her Wicked Witch of the West costume: not so scary, after all, because it's only make-believe. And it didn't hurt that Hamilton was a former kindergarten teacher, well-versed in the developmental issues that Fred Rogers liked to explore.<BR/><BR/>Not having seen every episode (especially from the later seasons), I can't say whether every celebrity-guest appearance was quite so successful. But yes, Fred Roger's approach in this, as in so many other areas, is a long way from Sesame Street.William V. Madisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18120331095634473021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2455126179375366490.post-12684242600153695932009-04-09T04:09:00.000-04:002009-04-09T04:09:00.000-04:00Betty's presence on the show was extremely signifi...Betty's presence on the show was extremely significant. I hope she realizes that to many children she was as much an icon as Fred and each of his puppet characters. It's great to hear her thoughts on the show and I wish that she and the other cast had been included in the documentary that PBS did about Mr. Rogers. <BR/><BR/>Regarding her comments about having celebrities on the show, I would say that the famous folk that Mr. Rogers had on his show were on because of their extreme talent in their particular field, never because any parents watching with their kids would get a kick out of seeing someone from Prime Time on the show, as I think was the main motivation on Sesame Street.Eric Scaleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12149591952925380521noreply@blogger.com