Tribune critic Siskel dies
Ebert's 'lifelong friend' succumbs to brain tumor
Siskel had been operated on last May and soon thereafter returned to the nationally syndicated "Siskel & Ebert at the Movies." But earlier this month, he announced he was taking a leave of absence to recuperate.
"Gene was a friend and a colleague, but most of all, a gentleman," said Howard Tyner, vice president and editor of the Chicago Tribune related in the paper's obituary for Siskel. "People might've thought he only felt passionately about film. But his first love was his family, whom he loved as much as he hated injustice and bigotry.
"We appreciated his incredible loyalty to the Tribune for nearly 30 years. His television career made his a household name nationally, but his first allegiance was always to the Tribune."
In addition to his contributions to the Tribune and television duties with Ebert, Siskel also served as film critic for TV Guide, on CBS' "This Morning" and Chicago's WBBM-TV.
Ebert's 'lifelong friend'
"Gene was a lifelong friend and our professional competition only strengthened that bond," Ebert wrote in a prepared statement.
The rival Chicago critics first began reviewing on television in 1975 via Chicago public television's "Sneak Previews" -- originally tagged "Opening Soon at a Theater Near You." The following year it was playing on PBS outlets nationally but the duo had a falling out with the pubcaster and went independent. In 1982, "Siskel & Ebert the Movies" was nationally syndicated and later bought by the Walt Disney Co. Their contentious arguments over current movies often made the show more entertaining than the films they were dissecting.
The show made them both rich and influential. They were so well known that they were often referred to under the collective name "Sisbert." Yet, unlike many other television pundits, their personalities never overshadowed their critical acumen. Their opinions were closely followed and their influence on a film's success, particularly in the Chicago metropolitan area, was powerful. They were more than populist film critics, often championing independent and foreign films, and even movies they felt were being overlooked by the public.
They were never averse to attacking the Hollywood establishment either. Siskel in particular was no friend of the Academy Awards, implying that the statuettes could be bought through expensive advertising campaigns.
Tribune critic at 23
A Chicago native, he was born Eugene Kal Siskel on Jan. 26, 1946. Orphaned by the age of 10, Siskel attended Culver Military Academy in Indiana and received his bachelor's degree in philosophy from Yale U. in 1967 with the intention of becoming a lawyer. After winning a public-affairs fellowship, he joined the Army Reserve where he wrote press releases for the U.S. Dept. of Defense Information School. It sparked an interest in journalism. And upon returning to Chicago, he was hired by the Tribune in January 1969. He initially worked as a news reporter and staff writer for the paper's Sunday department. But shortly thereafter, he reviewed his first movie, a Disney family effort, "Rascal." That September he was named the Tribune's film critic at the age of 23.
Ebert was already ensconced at the Sun Times and the rivalry between the critics soon became Chicago legend. Ebert admits that the two personally disliked each other as well, even after they joined forces to air their disputes on public television. "We had lots of big fights," Ebert admitted in a WLS-TV interview. We were people who came together one day a week to work together and the other six days of the week we were competitors on two daily newspapers and two different television stations. So there was a lot of competition and a lot of disagreement."
"Opening Soon at a Theater Near You" was created by WTTW producer Eliot Wald, who in 1975 had the idea of pairing the two rivals.
"These are two men who never would have chosen each other for friends," Thea Flaum, the show's executive producer, told the Tribune. "They have no natural affinity for each other. But TV forced them to find a way to work together.
Siskel, Ebert go national
Under the title "Sneak Previews," their show reached a national audience when PBS syndicated it in 1978 to the highest ratings ever on public television. By 1982, they signed with Tribune Entertainment, expanding their national reach (the show was then known as "At the Movies"). Four years later, the show, now "Siskel & Ebert at the Movies," was bought by Buena Vista Television and has been running continuously since then.
Despite his many responsibilities and his well-known fiercely competitive nature (in 1970 he challenged Tribune readers to outpick him in the annual Oscar derby), Siskel said in one interview that he viewed himself as basically lazy. "I don't have the greatest work habits. I'm not a natural like (Ebert). I'm more of a plugger. I have a set of responsibilities that Roger doesn't have, and that's my family. It's the sustaining pleasure of my life. And if that means that I can't work as much as (Ebert), I'll take that deal anytime."
Since 1980, Siskel had been married to the former Marlene Iglitzen, whom he had met when she was producer of WBBM's afternoon newscasts for which he provided reviews. She survives him as do their three children, two girls and a boy.
Bulls, 'Fever' fan
Siskel had other passions: tennis (he was an avid and fiercely competitive player) and especially the Chicago Bulls.
He was ubiquitous at their games, both home and away. Another obsession was the 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever," which he claimed to have seen 18 times. In the 1980s he bought the famous three-piece white disco suit John Travolta wore in the film and kept it in his closet until 1995, when it sold for $145,000 at a Christie's auction.
Tom Shales, a syndicated critic for the Washington Post, was recently announced as one of a series of co-hosts for Ebert during Siskel's convalescence. The Walt Disney Co. has not yet announced its long-term plans for the show or a possible replacement.
