Yo…
“The fact that Gene and Roger weren’t quite as polished? It subliminally spoke to an audience and said, “Look, these guys, maybe they’re not the most glamorous dudes, but that says they’re here for another reason. They know their movies and they’re gonna speak with some authority.””
So says my guest Matt Singer, author of Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever.
This My Summer Lair episode requires a DeLorean because we’re going back to November 26, 1975.
Sneak Previews was a film review show created by WTTW (a PBS member station in Chicago). On that 1975 date they broadcast Sneak Previews’ first episode. (Well, originally it was called Opening Soon…at a Theater Near You.)
WTTW stood for…Window To The World. That would prove to be prophetically accurate.
The film review TV show Sneak Previews featured two newspaper critics who presented short clips of movies in current release and debated the movie’s merits (or lack of), energetically defending their remarks if the other critic disagreed.
Of course those two critics were: Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune and Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times.
(“I love watching the bald guy argue with the fat tub of lard.” A Homer Simpson quote that summed up the mainstream appeal of Siskel & Ebert.)
Over time the film review show would evolve, the show’s name would change, they left PBS but at its core it was always Siskel & Ebert discussing and debating cinema’s new releases.
The landscape of film criticism underwent a seismic shift as the show not only refined how films and movies were publicly discussed but also created invitations for how audiences engaged with cinema.
From the title…this part seems aggressive: “How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever.” Yet as you’ll hear in my conversation with Matt, Siskel & Ebert truly did change the movies. Forever.
Yes, obviously: the elegant Thumbs-Up/Thumbs-Down shorthand.
Initially, the show’s rating system was Yes and No. Thumbs-Up/Thumbs-Down wouldn’t be introduced until 1982. I learned those party ready Fun Facts from Matt’s book Opposable Thumbs.
Their dynamic on-screen presence, characterized by snarky spirited debates and the unique Thumbs-Up/Thumbs-Down rating system, eventually sparked a cultural phenomenon that resonated far beyond the confines of traditional film critique.
Especially notable is Siskel & Ebert’s avid use of clips decades before YouTube and easier online access.
I gotta say: one of the fascinating aspects of growing up in the ‘80s is that I rarely if ever saw trailers for beloved movies.
Breakfast Club, Terminator, RoboCop, Rocky, Beverly Hills Cop, Back To The Future…I often don’t know how these movies came into my life. Recommendations from friends maybe? Perhaps there were TV commercials promoting these movies? Maybe that helped?
I certainly never saw a trailer and decided to check em out based on the studio’s marketing. That’s what I do now. That’s not what I did then. Like: what prompted me to take a chance on so many movies?
Aside from being curious and having an open mind…I honestly have no clue.
It’s a strange observation because I blindly parachuted into so many movies without sound intelligence. Often movies which then became cherished classics.
There’s a fascinating section in the beginning of Opposable Thumbs that describes the arduous process of how Siskel & Ebert secured the clips for their review show.
Which is one of the things I was curious about when I picked up the book.
(Anytime I pick up a non-fiction book, I mentally create a list of curiosities. Answering—or failing to address them—informs the quality of the book. After all, a documentary is defined by what’s left out as much as what’s addressed, right?)
Because it was Siskel & Ebert and eh…Entertainment Tonight as the few reliable sources for trailers and movie clips. (Unless you went to the movies often then you saw the Coming Soon…s).
(Even funnier: I still have never seen the trailers for Arnold’s Commando or Stallone’s Rocky but I really dig those movies. I still enjoy em. And when they’re on TV I’ll stop and watch. It’s surreal to enjoy a product without consuming the product’s marketing, isn’t it?)
So yeah; most of the movies I enjoy growing up I rarely if ever saw the trailers or even clips. And I was happy to read about that in Opposable Thumbs.
Thank you Siskel & Ebert for your hard work to make clips happen. I’m grateful.
Can I be candid?
What I’ve relished about growing up in our era was the focus was entirely on the movies.
People rarely discussed the trailers in the ‘80s and even into the ‘90s. Movie conversations were mainly: did you see Star Wars? Nobody sat around talking about the Star Wars trailer.
The movie…the film…was the primary experience. As it should be.
These days half of my YouTube feed are bland trailer reactions whenever Marvel drops a new Deadpool or Avengers trailer. Rampant analysis of the "30 Easter Eggs you missed" in that trailer.
I don’t know know who you are so…I dunno why I’d click on a stranger’s Easter Eggs YouTube video. How would they know what’s worth focusing on in a 2 minute movie trailer? How would they know what’s a red herring? And what is a foreshadowing? Only the production knows that. Or maybe even watching the whole movie.
There’s no value or benefit to clicking on that video.
If you’re excited for a movie after the trailer…fantastic. That’s the designed task of the trailer. Congratulations: you just proved bench advertising works!
Look, even bad movies get good trailers. Trailers doesn’t really mean anything in the grand scheme of things. Trailer reactions are even more worthless.
Let’s talk about the movie…unpack it like luggage after a long trip. Or unpack it like…you know: Siskel & Ebert did. That’s the joyous value of going to the movies.
And going to the movies is something else I was reflecting on as I read Opposable Thumbs.
Like most movie nerds back in that era, I watched Siskel & Ebert.
An unpleasant experience the book doesn’t really adequately explore is: The Gap.
For many years I was a casual Siskel & Ebert fan viewer partly because The Gap was so formidable.
I watched and enjoyed movies like Godfather, Star Wars, Poltergeist and Jaws. Eventually.
I’m sure the TV critics covered these and other blockbusters on their popular review show.
Thing is…they’re reviewing those seminal films, that opening weekend: I wouldn’t be able to see those movies for like what? Maybe a year? Way longer than that, even. That’s The Gap. I got lost in The Gap.
I saw The Shining for the first time on some late night cable channel. I didn’t know what a Stanley Kubrick was. I was barley starting to know what a Stephen King is.
It was a creepy horror movie when it started so I was like okay I’ll watch this. It was probably heavily edited. But that I’m seeing it on late night cable in that era meant at least…what a year (really…years) since its theatrical release? That’s The Gap.
The Shining by Stephen King was published on January 28, 1977.
The Shining a Stanley Kubrick film was released on May 23, 1980.
And the U.S. network television premiere of The Shining (on the ABC Friday Night Movie of May 6, 1983) started with a placard saying, “Tonight’s Film Deals With the Supernatural, As a Possessed Man Attempts to Destroy His Family.” I can only hope that’s true.
That wasn’t the broadcast I watched, I wasn’t old enough in 1983 or into horror just yet.
Rather, I saw The Shining on late night cable putting it closer to the late ‘80s maybe early ‘90s.
Which means it was almost 10 years after the film has been released. Almost 10 years since Siskel & Ebert reviewed The Shining on their TV show. And with no way for me to go back and see what they said.
These days we gauge social currency by trending…10 years later everyone had moved on. I joined The Shining party 10 years too late. The Gap, yo.
Making The Gap difficult to traverse was the simple fact: it took a while for me to be a regular cinema goer. For a while going to the cinema was still an event like going to a concert. I only became regular until about high school or so. Heh.
So, even if I heard about a cool movie…from Siskel & Ebert I couldn’t just put on pants and go to the cinema. Or it could have been rated R. I was in the bus stop stage of life and had to wait for the next one.
These days Wi-Fi and satellite internet providers are key to closing the digital divide. We can (and should) close that gap for many rural counties and regions. In the late ‘80s I had no way to close The Gap. Except wait. And wait.
I suppose I coulda befriended that one weird kid with the way too relaxed parents who let him stay up late and watch Rated R movies:
I’ll close The Gap between my ‘80s experiences and this My Summer Lair episode.
Attached is my lively conversation with Matt Singer, author of Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever.
A snapshot of topics Matt and I cover:
-Behind the Scenes and Show Gimmicks (using a live skunk on set for Stinkers of the Week!)
-Speed 2 Cruise Control: A Notable Mention
-Taste and Changing Opinions
And much more.
If you were a member of the Secret Siskel & Ebert Clubhouse you’ll enjoy these shared experiences.
Check out Matt’s book, it’s fresh.
Check out this conversation, it’s fresh.
And let me know what you thought. I’ll see you at the movies…
“So put your hands down my pants and I’ll bet you’ll feel nuts
Yes, I’m Siskel, yes, I’m Ebert and you’re getting two thumbs up…”
Filthy!
And yet...so bad it becomes good.
That’s the kind of taste even Siskel & Ebert can appreciate. I mean they did give Speed 2 Cruise Control Two Thumbs Up.
This is a (Filthy) Fresh Friday Flashback:
Statler & Waldorf > Siskel & Ebert…
Sammy Younan
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair podcast: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
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