Pittsburgh, PA -- 2004 is shaping up to be a "beautiful day in the neighborhood."

A documentary titled "Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor" will air New Year's Day (Jan. 1) on PBS and reveal some little-known facts -- like why he wore sneakers on set.

Hedda Sharapan, who worked with Mr. Rogers for 37 years, says Rogers' sneaker tradition goes back to his days working on the live TV show "Children's Corner" in 1953.

She says Rogers would play the show's theme song on an organ, then run across to the camera while wearing sneakers and holding the change in his pockets so he wouldn't make noise.

Another little-known fact: Those sweaters Rogers wore were knitted by his mother, but near the end of the series they were so worn and stretched out that he had to buy new ones and dye them to match the originals.

Sharapan also says Rogers had a special ritual for ending a day of shooting: He liked to sit at the piano and play the closing music from the "Movietone News" reels.

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