With the passing of time, it's easy to forget the influence and popularity Gene Siskel, film critic for The Chicago Tribune, and Roger Ebert, film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times, enjoyed as hosts of a PBS TV show featuring movie reviews.
Matt Singer, in his engaging and mostly fast-paced book "Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever" (2023) reminds readers Siskel and Ebert once were so influential to the U.S. film industry they made regular appearances on late-night TV talk shows, could make demands of Woody Allen (then at the height of his Hollywood power) and shared a dinner table in 1989 with George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg. Pretty good for two film critics from Chicago.
Singer's book is a good slice of nostalgia and a reliable choice for those seeking some lightweight reading for an upcoming summer vacation.
Singer does a fine job of telling how the two reached their positions at their respective newspapers (I found Ebert's journey more interesting, but that's me.). Singer gives attention to the creation of what was the pair's first effort in TV, "Opening Soon...at a Theater Near You." It was on WTTW, Chicago's public broadcasting station, and featured a cast of three - Siskel, Ebert, and Spot the Wonder Dog. Spot was called on to help introduce the "dog" film of the week.
The production remained at WTTW, but went through a number of name changes as it grew in popularity and influence - "At the Movies," "Sneak Previews," and "Siskel and Ebert." Singer offers details about the internal struggles that accompanied each name change and other show changes, for those interested. Readers learn how Siskel and Ebert came up with the now famous "thumbs up" (or down) manner of endorsing a film for viewing.
He also offers plenty of humorous stories involving Hollywood's famous and self-important, including the time Marlon Brando called the production office to speak to either Siskel or Ebert, but someone concluded he was a prankster and hung up the phone.
Singer does a good job arguing how Siskel and Ebert influenced the way in which a generation of movie viewers looked at movies, but he falls short of convincing readers the two changed movies forever. He shares the criteria each critic attempted to follow when evaluating a movie, noting that each man always asked if a movie was worth the price the average film-goer would pay for a ticket at the box office.
Singer also includes an important piece of advice Ebert once offered to his readers: If a movie doesn't engage you within the first hour, it probably isn't going to get any better, and won't be worth your time.
I enjoyed both Siskel's and Ebert's reviews, and frequently found myself agreeing more with Siskel's. However, there was an aspect of Ebert's reviews I always appreciated and valued, and it was this: Even when offering a less than enthusiastic review of a movie, Ebert would note if the movie was a strong contender in a particular genre.
For example, if the movie being reviewed was a science fiction tale, Ebert might write, "if you're a fan of this type of film, you might enjoy this aspect about this movie ...". I think that qualifier spoke to a specific audience, and said this movie isn't for everyone, but you might find it entertaining. And that is valuable, I think.
Back to Singer's work. He offers an interesting passage from that 1989 dinner Siskel and Ebert shared with Lucas, Scorsese and Spielberg. During the evening's conversation, Spielberg reportedly outlined a detailed (and sadly accurate) prediction of what the future of Hollywood would look like by 2020.
Singer also reminds readers that Siskel and Ebert probably would never have achieved the fame and influence they experienced in the 1980s and '90s without William J. McCarter, the president and CEO of WTTW from 1971 to 1998, considered the station's most creative and successful years. In addition to his work with Siskel and Ebert, McCarter also had a hand in "Soundstage" and "Chicago Tonight."
-- Thank you for reading. Your questions and comments are always welcome. Post them here, or send an email to kbotterman@gmail.com
