Ebert & Roeper

Ebert & Roeper (formerly Siskel & Ebert) is a popular movie-review television program starring film critic Roger Ebert and columnist Richard Roeper, both of the Chicago Sun-Times. It airs in syndication in the United States and on CTV in Canada.

Related Topics:
Television program - Film critic - Roger Ebert - Columnist - Richard Roeper - Chicago Sun-Times - Syndication - United States - CTV - Canada

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The show originally starred Ebert and Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune, representing the two largest papers in Chicago. It began as a PBS program produced at Chicago's WTTW titled Coming Soon to a Theater Near You (1975), later Sneak Previews (1978), and quickly became a hit by public television standards. In 1981, asked to agree to an unfavorable syndication contract, the pair decided to produce their own program under Tribune Entertainment titled At the Movies. After brief legal action, PBS continued Previews with different hosts. In 1986 the critics moved on once again to Buena Vista Entertainment, the television division of Disney, and changed the title to reflect the common nickname for their show, Siskel & Ebert. A brief controversy flared questioning whether the critics would retain their integrity while working for a Hollywood studio.

Related Topics:
Gene Siskel - Chicago Tribune - Chicago - PBS - WTTW - 1975 - 1978 - 1981 - Tribune Entertainment - 1986 - Buena Vista Entertainment - Disney

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Roger and Gene often had quite different tastes in movies and directors, and as a result heated arguments and spats were common on the show. Many viewers considered such "fights" to be the highlight of the program. Despite their on-air feuds, the critics maintained a mutual respect off screen, a fact visible in their joint appearances on the talk show circuit, especially on David Letterman's shows.

Related Topics:
Talk show - David Letterman

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Siskel and Ebert would review three recently-released movies per episode, taking turns providing a narrative critique interspersed with studio-supplied clips, moving into a back-and-forth debate over the merits, and beginning with the Siskel & Ebert incarnation, wrapping up the show with each critic giving each film a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" to indicate a gut recommendation. This departed from longstanding tradition in the profession of portraying the recommendation to a number of stars. As the show became more popular, many movie studios would proudly proclaim that their movie got "Two thumbs up" in their commercials when Siskel and Ebert both liked their film. In response, the pair had the phrase trademarked to ensure against fraudulent use that would endanger its credibility.

Related Topics:
Trademark - Fraud

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In addition, the show would recommend films coming on the home video market, which later also included comments on special features included in DVD releases.

Related Topics:
Home video - DVD

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Occasionally, special shows were produced that focus on particular aspects of film or home video. The show gave them a convenient soapbox to feature their opinions on film colorization, letterboxing, the MPAA film rating system, product placement, independent filmmaking, and social issues such as racism. Every year the pair would do an Oscar preview and lobby for their favorites, shows which had some influence in Hollywood.

Related Topics:
Colorization - Letterbox - MPAA film rating system - Product placement - Independent film - Racism - Oscar - Hollywood

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In 1998, Gene Siskel was hospitalized for brain surgery, and the show actually was filmed with Siskel on the telephone for a few weeks, with Ebert in studio doing the movie reviews together. In February 1999, Siskel announced he was leaving the show for further treatment of his brain tumor, and Roger Ebert would have guest critics for Siskel.

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Tragically, less than three weeks later, Siskel died of the complications. Ebert continued the show, with the title, Roger Ebert & the Movies, and used guest critics to join him weekly.

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That decision lasted the remainder of the 1998-99 season and into the 1999-2000 season before Ebert named fellow Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper as the new permanent critic. That led to the September 2000 name change to reflect the new partnership, Ebert & Roeper and the Movies, a title that paid homage to the original title of the Siskel and Ebert series after they joined Disney in 1986, but the show's name was shortened to the current name, Ebert & Roeper, in 2001.

Related Topics:
Richard Roeper - September - 2000

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Recently, the new pair introduced a new gesture, "The Wagging Finger of Shame" to mark films that the film companies have so little confidence of getting positive reviews that they won't allow critics to have a standard advanced screening, generally considered a clear sign of a production of seriously poor quality. An example of this is The Amityville Horror and '.

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