Gene Siskel
Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune who co-hosted a movie review television series alongside colleague Roger Ebert.In 1975, he was paired with Roger Ebert to co-host a monthly show called Opening Soon at a Theater Near You airing locally on PBS member station WTTW.[3][4] Siskel was diagnosed with brain cancer in May 1998 but remained in the public eye as Ebert's professional partner until his death the following year.[7] He attended Culver Academies, where he experienced anti-Semitism firsthand when a schoolmate gave him a piece of toast on which jam was spread in the shape of a swastika.[18] The last review published by Siskel for the Chicago Tribune was for the film She's All That, published on January 29, 1999, in which he gave a favorable review, giving it three stars out of four and wrote that "Rachael Leigh Cook as Laney, the plain Jane object of the makeover, is forced to demonstrate the biggest emotional range as a character, and she is equal to the assignment.[2] Their "thumbs-up, thumbs-down" system soon became an easily recognizable trademark,[2][3][4] popular enough to be parodied on comedy shows such as Second City Television, In Living Color, Bizarre, and in movies such as Hollywood Shuffle and Godzilla.[2] In 1986, Siskel and Ebert left Tribune Broadcasting to have their show produced by the syndication arm of the Walt Disney Company.[29] In the segment, the critics instruct the hosts Oscar the Grouch and Telly Monster on how their thumbs up/thumbs down rating system works.[29] Oscar asks if there could be a thumbs sideways ratings, and goads the two men into an argument about whether or not that would be acceptable, as Ebert likes the idea, but Siskel does not.[34] Gene Siskel had an abrasive review style, and claimed his film criticism was an individual exercise that should not be swayed by public taste."[35] In particular, he often gave negative reviews to films that became box office champs and went on to be considered mainstream classics: Poltergeist,[36] Scarface,[37] Beverly Hills Cop,[38] The Terminator, Aliens, Predator, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Thelma & Louise, and Independence Day.Directly addressing his late colleague, Ebert said: "I know for sure that seeing a truly great movie made you so happy that you'd tell me a week later your spirits were still high.From 1969 until his death in February 1999, he and Ebert were in agreement on nine annual top selections: Z, The Godfather, Nashville, The Right Stuff, Do the Right Thing, Goodfellas, Schindler's List, Hoop Dreams, and Fargo.There would have been a tenth, but Ebert declined to rank the 9+1⁄2-hour documentary Shoah as 1985's best film because he felt it was inappropriate to compare it to the rest of the year's candidates.Six times, Ebert's top selection did not appear on Siskel's; these films were 3 Women, An Unmarried Woman, Apocalypse Now, Sophie's Choice, Mississippi Burning, and Dark City.[73][74][75] Siskel did not disclose the severity of his illness to anyone outside of his family; publicly, he said that the surgery removed an unspecified "growth" on his brain, and that he was recovering well.[77] On February 3, 1999, he announced that he was taking a leave of absence from the show, but that he expected to be back by the fall, stating, "I'm in a hurry to get well because I don't want Roger to get more screen time than I.
61st Academy AwardsEvanston, IllinoisWestlawn CemeteryYale UniversityOpening Soon at a Theater Near YouSneak PreviewsAt the MoviesSiskel & EbertCBS This MorningGood Morning AmericaEd SiskelChicago TribuneRoger EbertsyndicatedTribune EntertainmentBuena Vista TelevisionSiskel & Ebert & the MoviesRussian JewishCulver AcademiesPaul MonetteGeorge PatakiPulitzer PrizeJohn HerseyRascalU.S. Army ReserveDefense Information SchoolPlayboyHugh Hefnerthe Walt Disney CompanyChicago Sun-TimesDave KehrShe's All ThatRachael Leigh CookAt the Movies (1982 TV program)At the Movies (1986 TV program)Second City TelevisionIn Living ColorBizarreHollywood ShuffleGodzillasyndicationTribune BroadcastingWGN-TVAt First SightAnother Day in ParadiseThe Hi-Lo CountryPlaying by HeartThe Theory of FlightMartin ScorseseJanet MaslinPeter BogdanovichTodd McCarthyLisa SchwarzbaumKenneth TuranElvis MitchellRichard RoeperThe Late Show with David LettermanThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonThe Oprah Winfrey ShowThe Arsenio Hall ShowHoward SternThe Tonight Show with Jay LenoLate Night with Conan O'BrienSaturday Night LiveSesame StreetOscar the GrouchMonster in the MirrorThe Larry Sanders ShowEntertainment WeeklyThe CriticSleepless in Seattlefilm versionOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestPoltergeistScarfaceBeverly Hills CopThe TerminatorAliensPredatorIndiana Jones and the Last CrusadeThelma & LouiseIndependence DayThe Silence of the LambsUnforgivenSiskel and EbertMy Dinner with AndreHoop DreamsSaturday Night FeverDr. StrangeloveMy Night at Maud'sClaire's KneeThe GodfatherThe EmigrantsDay for NightNashvilleAll the President's MenAnnie HallStraight TimeRaging BullRagtimeMoonlightingThe Right StuffOnce Upon a Time in AmericaHannah and Her SistersThe Last EmperorThe Last Temptation of ChristDo the Right ThingGoodfellasOne False MoveSchindler's ListThe Ice Storm3 WomenAn Unmarried WomanApocalypse NowSophie's ChoiceMississippi BurningDark CityWhite House CounselJoe Bidenbrain tumorleave of absencefuneralNorth Suburban Synagogue Beth ElNorridge, IllinoisChicago BullsWBBM-TV