When I first noticed the show Sneak Previews on PBS, even as a kid I found myself siding with him over the better known Gene Siskel (my parents had a subscription to the Chicago Tribune). As I got older, I always wondered what were their backgrounds to give them the right to say which movies sucked and which were allegedly brilliant. Seems Siskel was always a critic while Ebert had written three screenplays before joining the Chicago Sun Times. So in my opinion, he always had more legitimacy with his reviews because he actually had participated in the process of making movies, even if they weren’t pretty dreadful.
I think the story about him and Siskel being mortal enemies was probably fiction, especially when Siskel died in 1999, Ebert did appear pretty sad. They may have worked for rival papers but their relationship, reviews and arguments propelled both of them to fame and a place in American Pop Culture. A fact they probably, wisely knew in order to keep their “attacks” professional, never personal. Only these two could pull off one of the better episodes of The Critic too. They were also a source of pride for the Midwest because Chicago and the surrounding region are often dismissed as cultural backwaters by the elitists of NYC, LA and Toronto (film cities) despite the Windy City being the third largest city in the US. Meanwhile Siskel & Ebert went from a weekly PBS show in 1978 to appearances on SNL in the Eighties and were then parodied on SCTV, The Simpsons and other shows, making them bigger than the movie critics of the those “greater” cities.
Enough chest thumping for the Midwest v. Boringwood-New Yawk. Sadly, Mr. Ebert isn’t looking too great as his ongoing battle with cancer takes its toll. I stumbled upon a news story about how he can’t speak much due to the treatments. On the upside, he is still capable of writing and using his trademarked thumb even if TV appearances are out of the question. I don’t think taking Richard Roeper as his new co-host was wise since this guy is a tool; critic for the Fox station in Chicago as well as the Sun Times after Murdoch acquired it.
Happy Birthday to him. Maybe one day he’ll take my advice and let Joe Bob Briggs, nee John Bloom, inherit his rightful place as a great film critic.