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Early years The show originally starred Robert Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times 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. Eliot Wald (1946-2003) created the show. In 1981, when 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 & The Movies. A brief controversy flared questioning whether the critics would retain their integrity while working for a Hollywood studio. Popularity Roger and Gene often had notably divergent tastes in movies and directors, and as a result heated arguments and spats were what gave the series popularity. Many viewers considered such "fights" to be the highlight of the program. Despite their on-air debates, the critics maintained a mutual respect and friendship off screen, a fact visible in their joint appearances on the talk show circuit, especially on David Letterman's shows. Despite the popularity of their arguments, statistics have shown that Siskel and Ebert only actually disagreed (whether in a positive or negative fashion) about 30% of the time. The end of the Siskel era In 1998, Gene Siskel was hospitalized for treatment of a brain tumor. For a few weeks, the show was filmed with Siskel on the telephone (from his hospital bed) and Ebert in studio. In February 1999, Siskel announced he was taking a leave of absence for further treatment of the tumor, fully expecting to return. Less than three weeks later, Siskel died from complications of the surgery. The weekend following Gene Siskel's death, Roger Ebert devoted the entire half hour as a tribute to his memory. On the show were various clips from show's past as well their history together as journalists and then on television. The last show that Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert hosted together aired on January 23, 1999. On that particular show they reviewed: At First Sight, Another Day in Paradise, The Hi-Lo Country, Playing by Heart, and The Theory of Flight. Roger Ebert & the Movies Ebert continued the show, with the title, Roger Ebert & the Movies, frequently joined by guest critics. The guests were allowed to try out their wits with Roger Ebert and test the possible chemistry. This format continued through the end of the 1998-99 season and into 2000 before Ebert named fellow Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper as his new permanent co-host. Critics who filled in after Siskel died Critics who filled in for Ebert, post-surgery The Roeper era That led to the September 2000 name change to reflect the new partnership, Ebert & Roeper at the Movies, a title that paid homage to the original title of the Siskel & Ebert series after they joined Disney in 1986, but the show's name was shortened to the current name, Ebert & Roeper, in 2001. Eberts health problems In 2004, it was Ebert's turn to fight cancer. Despite debilitating radiation treatments for tumors on his thyroid and a salivary gland, he would write 274 reviews that year, plus 26 essays on great movies and 26 installments of his column The Movie Answer Man. He even covered various film festivals (including Cannes) and the Oscars. Unfortunately, complications from that surgery led to an emergency operation in 2006, which has interrupted his reviewing schedule, although some reviews were written or taped in advance; the show will continue with guest hosts during his recuperation. As of the week of October 13, Ebert has recovered enough to write a published review of The Queen, which he watched on a DVD sent to him, and he stated that he is confident he will be able to return to his show by early next year. Review style The hosts review a number of 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. Siskel and Ebert were especially known for sharp criticism that veered close to personally attacking each other, although they insisted this was largely a television persona rather than a feud. The show also recommends films coming on the home video market, later including comments on DVD special features. Two Thumbs Up Beginning with the Siskel & Ebert incarnation, the show wrapped up with each critic rating the films with a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" as a bottom-line recommendation. "Thumbs up" means three stars or higher. This system departs from the longstanding tradition of star ratings. As the show became more influential, studios would proudly advertise when their movie got "two thumbs up". In response, the phrase was trademarked to ensure against fraudulent use that would endanger its credibility. The Wagging Finger of Shame From 2005 to 2006, the show experimented with a "Wagging Finger of Shame" feature, denoting films which were not made available for a standard advance screening. Generally this is considered an indicator of low confidence by the distributor in the production. Films so highlighted included The Amityville Horror, The Fog, In the Mix, Æon Flux, Underworld: Evolution, and Date Movie. The segment was discontinued when Ebert decided the studios were not taking it seriously. Roeper has commented that too many films (eleven in 2006 by April, compared to two by that date in 2005) are being withheld from critics. * Special programming Occasionally, special shows are produced that focus on particular aspects of film or home video. The show gives the hosts a convenient soapbox to feature their opinions on such issues as film colorization, letterboxing, the MPAA film rating system, product placement, independent filmmaking, and social issues. Every year, they do an Oscar preview and lobby for their favorites; these shows do appear to have some influence in Hollywood. Also, at the end of every year, the two run down their top 10 films from that year, followed the week later by their rundown of their 10 worst films from that year. In addition, when circumstances warrant, the regular episodes sometimes devote a few minutes for the hosts to give their opinions of a current issue or pay tribute to something. Pop culture Some films and TV episodes have included references to Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, and later, Richard Roeper: Films TV Other | |||||||||
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