Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert are arguably the best known movie reviewers in the history of cinema. The film critics were first brought together in 1976, to host a television show called 'Opening Soon...at a Theater Near You' on Chicago's PBS station. At the time, Siskel and Ebert were bitter rivals.
Roger Ebert (left) and Gene Siskel on 'Opening Soon...at a Theater Near You'
Ebert was the movie critic for the 'Chicago Sun-Times' and Siskel was the movie critic for the 'Chicago Tribune', and they saw each other as more than competitors; they were closer to mortal enemies. "Each considered it an essential aspect of their job to beat the other: to write the best review, to land the biggest interview, to score the best scoops." Nevertheless, the journalists agreed to pair up for the 'Opening Soon...at a Theater Near You' show, which had a lot of possibilities.
In the 1970s, American movies were on an upswing, with films like Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws' and George Lucas' 'Star Wars.' In addition, a written movie review could only DESCRIBE the subject, while a television critic could show clips, "giving the audience a real taste of what the film looked and sounded like." So the time seemed right for a televised movie review program that would appeal to cinephiles.
According to producer Thea Flaum, Roger and Gene were chosen to host 'Opening Soon...at a Theater Near You' because they were both very good critics, very smart, and they played off each other well. For example: In the pilot, Ebert observed that 1975 marked the eleventh year of the 'Chicago International Film Festival', and quipped, "I can remember when it could have been held in a hotel room, so few people turned up." And Gene responded, "I can remember when some of the films they showed deserved being shown in a hotel room." Siskel and Ebert would also good-naturedly mock each other's appearance on air, with Gene calling Roger "fat", and Roger calling Gene "bald."
Over the years, the show's popularity grew, and the program evolved into 'Sneak Previews' in 1978; 'At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert' in 1982; and Buena Vista Television's 'Siskel and Ebert and the Movies' (later renamed 'Siskel and Ebert') in 1986.
Gene Siskel (left) and Roger Ebert in 'Siskel and Ebert and the Movies'
Author Matt Singer did his research, and provides details about the various iterations of the show: the people involved, the construction of the sets, the formats, the movies reviewed, the film clips, how the the thumbs up/thumbs down rating developed, the hosts' salaries, etc.
Roger Ebert (left) and Gene Siskel demonstrating their trademarked thumbs up/thumbs down rating system
Singer also writes about Roger and Gene's ongoing rivalry, which was was never-ending. For instance, Ebert won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1975, and this 'drove Siskel crazy.' One Chicago Tribune editor recalls Siskel's compulsive focus on beating Ebert to stories, often using sneakiness and trickery.
Case in point: Ebert was setting up interviews with George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strasberg all at once. According to Gene, he himself immediately flew to both coasts and a few days later he had interviews with all three actors in the 'Chicago Tribune.' "I have the ability," Siskel bragged, "to look [Roger] straight in the eye and lie to him and he can't tell." Singer writes, "Paying close attention to Ebert's schedule - and sometimes using that information to try to scoop him - was a pastime of Siskel's." For Ebert's part, he would sometimes fake an out-of-town trip to throw Siskel off the scent.
In another illustration of the partners' competitiveness, when Roger and Gene appeared on 'Saturday Night Live', "Ebert had to count every word of dialogue - not lines of dialogue, WORDS of dialogue - to make sure they each had exactly the same-size part.
Gene Siskel (left) and Roger Ebert on 'Saturday Night Live'
And then there was the dispute over whose name came first in the show's title. Roger and Gene had intense debates about this, and Roger agreed to use 'At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert' IF after two years the title was changed to 'At the Movies with Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel.' But somehow the switch never happened.
Part of Siskel and Ebert's success was due to their honest assessments of movies, and to their frequent disagreements - which could be passionate, heated, and fun to watch. By the late 1980s Siskel and Ebert no longer hated each other (and in fact became good friends), but they often projected the sense that they hated each other's OPINIONS. Singer writes, "You can see Roger's or Gene's genuine shock in many of their best debates, when they not only don't agree about the film, but clearly hadn't even considered the possibility that the other might not agree."
Siskel and Ebert often disagreed about films
To illustrate, Siskel and Ebert reviewed the 1990 movie 'Stella' (starring Bette Midler), a remake of the 1930s movie 'Stella Dallas' (starring Barbara Stanwyck).
Both movies were about a single mother who stops at nothing to ensure her daughter's happiness. Roger called the 1990 film "a great tearjerker with a big heart" with "a quality a lot of more sophisticated films lack, which is that it makes us really care about the characters." Gene saw it differently, saying "We have a WILDLY big difference of opinion on this picture. I was really unhappy watching all of this. I was almost embarrassed for the people in the picture!"
To bolster his argument, Ebert noted that when he saw 'Stella' at a local sneak preview in Chicago, "everyone in the theater was blowing their noses, honking." To which Siskel shot back, "Well, there's a lot of flu going around."
In their weekly show, Siskel and Ebert would review four to six movies, and then each man would name the 'Dog of the Week' (or later 'Stinker of the Week') - the worst film they'd recently seen. Singer observes, "Gene or Roger would introduce a clip from a terrible bomb and then rapid-fire one joke after another about the cast, the director, the awful dialogue, or the ludicrous premise."
Siskel and Ebert had a 'Dog of the Week' segment on their show
Siskel and Ebert would also occasionally host "Special Editions", where they would discuss a specific topic, like 'Buried Treasures' (overlooked good films), cult movies, movie trends, Oscar-worthy films, violence in movies, etc.
As Siskel and Ebert became more famous, they branched out to appear on talk shows like Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Oprah Winfrey, etc.
Siskel and Ebert with Johnny Carson
Additionally, when 'Sesame Street' added a recurring parody of their show, Roger and Gene showed up to teach Telly Monster and Oscar the Grouch their "critic exercises, which consisted of chanting Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down! over and over while gesturing accordingly."
Muppets doing Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down
Both Siskel and Ebert eventually died from serious illnesses, Gene from brain cancer in 1999, and Roger from metastatic cancer in 2013, and Singer covers both sad occurrences in depth. During their illnesses, both reviewers were strongly supported by their wives, Marlene Iglitzen (Gene's spouse) and Chaz Ebert (Roger's spouse).
Gene Siskel's wife Marlene Iglitzen
Rober Ebert's wife Chaz Ebert
Luckily, Siskel and Ebert live on in their work, and episodes of their shows can be seen online. I watched some of the Siskel and Ebert programs on YouTube, and they're amusing, entertaining, and informative. It would be great if all the television episodes became available for streaming. (Are you listening Netflix?)
In an appendix, Singer describes twenty-five titles that received two thumbs up from Roger and Gene, but weren't box office hits. The author writes, "This appendix is designed to serve as a print version of one of those 'Buried Treasures' episodes; one more chance for some of Gene and Roger's favorites to find a new audience." You'll have to get hold of the book to learn about these obscure gems.
I liked Siskel and Ebert's television show, and I enjoyed the book. Highly recommended to movie fans.
Thanks to Netgalley, Matt Singer, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for a copy of the manuscript.
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