Rogers confessed to David Letterman that he thought imitations like Murphy’s could be downright dangerous. One radio guy in particular irked Rogers with an imitation that directed children to combine mom’s hairspray with dad’s cigarette lighter. “He thinks he’s talking to adults but he’s talking to children,” Rogers said over Letterman’s cackling audience. “I think that could cause a lot of fires.”
Rogers had a similar issue with Murphy. While Rogers thought Eddie was very funny, he insisted that “it just always needs to come from a good place.” Ebersol spent about ten minutes trying to reason with “this friendly but firm fellow,” then decided that the only way to deal with the issue was to tackle it head-on. That meant introducing Freddie to Eddie.
It could have been awkward when they got to the writers’ room–except that Eddie was so excited to meet his famous visitor. “‘The real Mr. Rogers,’ Eddie exclaimed with a giant smile. And he immediately went in for a hug.”
Rogers was unrelenting, Ebersol said on a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast. He (gently) laid into Murphy and the comedy writers: “It’s not that I have anything against you young men but it’s disrespectful to what I’ve created and I just can’t have it.”
But it’s unclear if Rogers’s lecture had any effect. SNL went ahead with another Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood sketch that very weekend, so if Rogers was hoping for a moratorium, he didn’t get it. Did Eddie soften his approach? It’s hard to say, though even Mr. Rogers would admit that Murphy’s impression was always done with a great deal of affection. And even if Rogers didn’t get his way, he did leave 30 Rock with a Polaroid to commemorate the meeting of giants:
For more ComedyNerd, be sure to check out:
15 Now You Know Facts About The Clerks Franchise
What Andy Kindler Thinks Of Your Favorite Comedians (It Ain’t Good)
Comedians And Children’s Animation: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
For ComedyNerd exclusive content and more, subscribe to our fancy newsletter:
Top image: Broadway Video