Jim Judkis

Fred Rogers created "Mister Rogers Neighborhood" to give kids an alternative to "demeaning" TV.

We all have our complaints when it comes to the state of things on the boob tube. But whether we're bothered by too much reality programming, too much violence, not enough educational content or just the overall quality of all of it, most of us never really do anything about it.

Sure, we might flip the channel or even get so tired of it that we -- gasp! -- just turn the TV off. What we don't do is fix it. 

Of course, we can't all be like Mister Rogers.

When Fred Rogers decided that he "hated" what the small screen had to offer, he did something about it.

"I got into television because I saw people throwing pies at each other's faces, and that to me was such demeaning behavior. And if there's anything that bothers me, it's one person demeaning another," he confessed to Amy Hollingsworth, author of "The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers." "That really makes me mad!"

Those of us who grew up with Rogers' gentle presence might have a hard time imagining him so angry, but we benefited from that anger all the same.

On Feb. 19 1968, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" premiered nationwide and introduced children to a different sort of television show -- one focused on boosting self-esteem, understanding challenges unique to childhood and satisfying the sense of curiosity kids of all ages possess.

That's a tall order for a modest show, but thanks the minister-turned-songwriter-turned-puppeteer-turned-TV-changer at the helm, "Mister Rogers Neighborhood" did all that and more.

From his upbeat greeting -- complete with song, sweater switcheroo and shoe change -- to his candid way of engaging a national audience as though he was speaking to just one child, to his willingness to tackle tough topics in an anything-but-tough manner, Mister Rogers found a way to make a difference using the medium he originally found so offensive.

The change went beyond his own show. In 1969, while still relatively new to the national spotlight, Rogers went to Washington to fight for funds to keep the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in business.

His impassioned plea to Congress, memorialized in a now-viral video, gave no-nonsense Senator John O. Pastore goose bumps.

"Looks like you just earned the $20 million," Pastore said when it was over.

That money would eventually go toward quality programming far beyond the "Neighborhood."

Now, 45 years after Mister Rogers first became a household name, television still features scenes the he would have no doubt find "demeaning" and -- let's face it -- far worse than pies to the face, but it also carries on his legacy by offering kids many alternatives.

What are your favorite memories from"Mister Rogers' Neighborhood"? Tell us on our Facebook page.

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Everett Collection

John Ratzenberger as Cliff Clavin.

No Saturday mail delivery? It's a little-known fact that bills delivered on Saturday don't count. Well, that's not exactly true, but neither were half the facts spat out by television's favorite mailman, Cliff Clavin of "Cheers."

"Cheers" went off the air 20 years ago, but Cliff remains the most beloved postal employee ever seen on the big or small screen. In memory of weekend mail delivery, we revisit some of entertainment's men who delivered.

1. Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger), 'Cheers'
Poor Cliff. Were he still working in this era of no Saturday mail, we suspect he'd have something to say about it, as he did anything relating to his profession. "Many of our ancient wonders are postal-related," he once told his barfly friends. "The pyramids for example, they were post offices. And the Sphinx, that was a late-night drop-off." He also made toasts in a postal way, raising his glass and saying, "As they say down at the post office, 'Here's looking up your address.'" And even his name fell into postal lore, as an employee at another branch once divulged. "Just the other day, I messed up," the man said. "And my supervisor told me to get my head out of my Clavin."

2. Newman (Wayne Knight), 'Seinfeld'
Cliff was a friendly bumbling postman, but Newman on "Seinfeld," ah, he was downright malevolent. He's the one who told Jerry's parents their son was making out with his girlfriend during "Schindler's List." When Jerry's stereo was smashed in the mail, it was Newman who grilled him in an interrogation that left Jerry cool and calm, but almost killed Newman. But perhaps his most famous episode is postal-related: He and Kramer cram a mail truck with cans and bottles to drive to Michigan and take advantage of their high bottle-deposit payout. To no one's surprise, it does not end well. Do not mess with the mail.

3. The Postman (Kevin Costner), 'The Postman'
Perhaps Kevin Costner's 1997 flop, "The Postman," gets a bad rap. The world has been all-but destroyed (in 2013 no less, so get ready). When Costner's character finds a postal uniform on a skeleton and puts it on, he inspires the ragtag survivors with tales of a new nation rising and prepared to restore mail delivery. A statue is later built in his honor of Costner in a mail uniform delivering a letter to a small boy. No, we're not kidding. Why would we make this up? Seriously, you can Google it. OK, maybe the bad rap isn't that undeserved. In 1999, "The Simpsons" ran a parody of it showing Costner just walking around randomly while the actor personally apologizes to Lisa for the movie. But he does give a heartfelt tribute to the letter carriers that rings true today. "Getting a letter made you feel like you were part of something bigger than yourself. I don't think we ever really understood what they meant to us until they were gone."

4. Mr. McFeely (David Newell), 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'
Dear old Mr. McFeely, who took his last name from Fred Rogers' middle name, epitomized "Speedy Delivery." Oh, OK, so he didn't actually work for the post office -- it seemed like he did. Similar uniform, dapper hat, always making sure Mr. Rogers got his packages, somehow always finding time to stop in for a craft project or just a chat. We lost Fred Rogers in 2003, but Newell lives on, and a 2008 documentary shows that he's still speedy-delivering Rogers' message of love.

Who's your favorite letter carrier? Tell us on Facebook.

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