Everyone loves Mister Rogers, right? Well, not quite everyone, according to Jimmy Kimmel.
While Mister Rogers is having a resurgence following last year’s documentary and the upcoming feature film inspired by his life, another children’s television host who preceded him and lasted on TV for even longer hasn’t gotten his due, so says Kimmel: Captain Kangaroo.
Kimmel shared a new (fake) trailer for “A Beautiful Day in a Neighborhood” on Thursday, portraying the dark side of the family TV rivalry and revealing Rogers’ secret enemy.
In the spoof clip, Captain Kangaroo, a.k.a. Bob Keeshan, is informed by his network boss that Mister Rogers is killing them in the ratings and his show is going to have to be canceled.
The news sends Captain Kangaroo into a downward spiral as he breaks down into hysterics on a bathroom fall, before turning to alcohol to bury his sorrows.
When asked by journalist Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) if he considers Mister Rogers to be a hero, Kangaroo explodes: “I’m a f–ing captain in the Australian Coast Guard … I’m the f—ing hero!”
His state of mind worsens from there as Kangaroo escapes from a mental asylum, tortures Rogers’ puppets, and hides in his closet with an ax.
The real Mister Rogers movie, “A Beautiful Day in a Neighborhood,” opens in theaters on Nov. 22.
Marielle Heller (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”) directs the film that’s loosely based on the 1998 Esquire article by journalist Tom Junod, and it’s a story of kindness triumphing over cynicism. The film follows a jaded magazine writer who is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers but is doubtful of Rogers’ optimism. Over time, the two form a friendship and he overcomes his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness and decency from America’s most beloved neighbor.
Watch the video above.