Editing Roger Ebert (section)

=== 1975–1999: Stardom with ''Siskel & Ebert'' ===
[[File:Gene Siskel at the 61st Academy Awards cropped.jpg|alt=Color photo of a man in a tuxedo.|thumb|left|upright|Co-host [[Gene Siskel]] at the [[1989 Academy Awards]]]]
In 1975, Ebert received the [[Pulitzer Prize for Criticism]].<ref name="Salt Lake Tribune death" /> In the aftermath of his win, he was offered jobs at ''[[The New York Times]]'' and ''[[The Washington Post]]'', but he declined them both, as he did not wish to leave Chicago.{{sfn|Singer|2023|p=28}} That same year, he and [[Gene Siskel]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' began co-hosting a weekly film-review television show, ''Opening Soon at a Theater Near You'',<ref name=NYTObit/> later ''[[Sneak Previews]]'', which was locally produced by the Chicago [[public broadcasting]] station [[WTTW]].<ref name="s&e mbc">{{cite web|url=http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=siskelandeb|title=Siskel and Ebert|website=[[Museum of Broadcast Communications]]|first=Joel|last=Steinberg|access-date=June 17, 2022|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204224136/http://museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=siskelandeb|archive-date=December 4, 2010}}</ref> The series was later picked up for national syndication on [[PBS]].<ref name="s&e mbc"/> The duo became well known for their "thumbs up/thumbs down" reviews.<ref name="s&e mbc"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20129634,00.html |last=Gliatto |first=Tom |title=Despite the Loss of Film-Critic Buddy Gene Siskel, Roger Ebert Gives Life a Thumbs-Up |magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]] |date=November 1, 1999 |access-date=April 20, 2010 |archive-date=February 5, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205021101/http://people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20129634,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> They trademarked the phrase "Two Thumbs Up."<ref name="s&e mbc"/><ref name=Statement />

In 1982, they moved from PBS to launch a similar [[Broadcast syndication|syndicated]] commercial television show, ''[[At the Movies (1982 TV program)|At the Movies With Gene Siskel & Roger Ebert]]''.<ref name="s&e mbc"/> In 1986, they again moved the show to new ownership, creating ''[[At the Movies (1986 TV program)|Siskel & Ebert & the Movies]]'' through [[Disney-ABC Domestic Television|Buena Vista Television]], part of the [[Walt Disney Company]].<ref name="s&e mbc"/> Ebert and Siskel made many appearances on late night talk shows, appearing on ''[[The Late Show with David Letterman]]'' sixteen times and ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' fifteen times. They also appeared together on ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show]]'', ''[[The Arsenio Hall Show]]'', ''[[The Howard Stern Show]]'', ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]'' and ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]''.

Siskel and Ebert were sometimes accused of trivializing film criticism. [[Richard Corliss]], in ''[[Film Comment]]'', called the show "a sitcom (with its own noodling, toodling theme song) starring two guys who live in a movie theater and argue all the time".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Corliss |first=Richard |date=March–April 1990 |title=All Thumbs: Or, Is There a Future For Film Criticism? |work=[[Film Comment]] |url=https://www.filmcomment.com/article/richard-corliss-all-thumbs-or-is-there-a-future-for-film-criticism/}}</ref> Ebert responded that "I am the first to agree with Corliss that the Siskel and Ebert program is not in-depth film criticism" but that "When we have an opinion about a movie, that opinion may light a bulb above the head of an ambitious youth who then understands that people can make up their own minds about movies." He also noted that they did "theme shows" condemning [[film colorization| colorization]] and showing the virtues of [[letterboxing (filming)|letterboxing]]. He argued that "good criticism is commonplace these days. ''Film Comment'' itself is healthier and more widely distributed than ever before. ''[[Film Quarterly]]'' is, too; it even abandoned eons of tradition to increase its page size. And then look at ''[[Cineaste (magazine)| Cinéaste]]'' and [[American Film (magazine)|''American Film'']] and the specialist film magazines (you may not read ''[[Fangoria]]'', but if you did, you would be amazed at the erudition its writers bring to the horror and special effects genres.)"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |title=All Stars: Or, Is There a Cure For Criticism? |work=[[Film Comment]]| date=May–June 1990 |url=https://www.filmcomment.com/article/roger-ebert-richard-corliss-cure-for-criticism-of-film-criticism/}}</ref> Corliss wrote that "I do think the program has other merits, and said so in a sentence of my original article that didn't make it into type: 'Sometimes the show does good: in spotlighting foreign and independent films, and in raising issues like censorship and colorization.' The stars' recent excoriation of the MPAA's X rating was salutary to the max."<ref>{{cite news| last=Corliss| first=Richard| title=Then Again| date=May–June 1990| work=Film Comment| url= https://www.filmcomment.com/article/richard-corliss-roger-ebert-cure-for-criticism-of-film-criticism/}}</ref>

In 1996, [[W. W. Norton & Company]] asked Ebert to edit an anthology of film writing. This resulted in ''Roger Ebert's Book of Film: From Tolstoy to Tarantino, the Finest Writing From a Century of Film''. The selections are eclectic, ranging from [[Louise Brooks]]'s autobiography to [[David Thomson (film critic)| David Thomson]]'s novel ''Suspects''.<ref>{{cite news| work=[[Publishers Weekly]]| title=Roger Ebert's Book of Film: Fromm Tolstoy to Tarantino, the Finest Writing From a Century of Film| url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780393040005}}</ref> Ebert "wrote to Nigel Wade, then the editor of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'', and proposed a biweekly series of longer articles great movies of the past. He gave his blessing ... Every other week I have revisited a great movie, and the response has been encouraging."<ref>{{cite book| last=Ebert| first=Roger| title=The Great Movies| date=2002| page=xvii}}</ref> The first film he wrote about for the series was [[Casablanca (film)|''Casablanca'']] (1942).<ref>{{cite news| author=Roger Ebert| title=Great Movies: Casablanca| date=September 15, 1996| url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-casablanca-1942}}</ref> A hundred of these essays were published as ''The Great Movies'' (2002); he released two more volumes, and a fourth was published posthumously. In 1999, Ebert founded The Overlooked Film Festival (later [[Ebertfest]]), in his hometown, [[Champaign, Illinois]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ebertfest.com/about.html |title=About EbertFest |website=[[Ebertfest: Roger Ebert's Film Festival|Roger Ebert's Film Festival]] |access-date=January 2, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229103019/http://www.ebertfest.com/about.html |archive-date=December 29, 2016 }}</ref>

In May 1998, Siskel took a leave of absence from the show to undergo brain surgery. He returned to the show, although viewers noticed a change in his physical appearance. Despite appearing sluggish and tired, Siskel continued reviewing films with Ebert and would appear on ''Late Show with David Letterman''. In February 1999, Siskel died of a brain tumor.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/clip/58107353/in-tribute-legendary-film-reviewer/|title=In tribute: Legendary film reviewer leaves thumbprint on a nation of moviegoers|date=March 27, 1999|work=[[The Star Press]]|access-date=June 17, 2022|via=Newspapers.com|archive-date=May 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505132306/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58107353/in-tribute-legendary-film-reviewer/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=February 21, 1999 |title=Gene Siskel, Half of a Famed Movie-Review Team, Dies at 53 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/21/nyregion/gene-siskel-half-of-a-famed-movie-review-team-dies-at-53.html |access-date=June 17, 2022 |archive-date=September 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904210034/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/21/nyregion/gene-siskel-half-of-a-famed-movie-review-team-dies-at-53.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The producers renamed the show ''Roger Ebert & the Movies'' and used rotating co-hosts including [[Martin Scorsese]],<ref name=Scorsese>{{Cite web|last=Ebert & Scorsese|title=Best films of the 90s|date=February 27, 2000|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/ebert-and-scorsese-best-films-of-the-1990s|access-date=June 17, 2022|archive-date=August 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828102353/https://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/ebert-and-scorsese-best-films-of-the-1990s|url-status=live}}</ref>[[Janet Maslin]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Perrone|first=Pierre|title=Obituary: Gene Siskel|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-gene-siskel-1072625.html|website=[[The Independent]] |date=February 23, 1999|access-date=June 17, 2022|archive-date=August 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811003221/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-gene-siskel-1072625.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[A.O. Scott]].<ref name=Scott>{{cite news| last=Scott| first=A.O.| title=Roger Ebert, The Critic Behind The Thumb| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|pages=Arts & Leisure, 1, 22|date=April 13, 2008|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/13scot.html?ex=1365652800&en=f8c0d5eab2237088&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink|access-date=June 17, 2022}}</ref> Ebert wrote of his late colleague: "For the first five years that we knew one another, Gene Siskel and I hardly spoke. Then it seemed like we never stopped." He wrote of Siskel's work ethic, of how quickly he returned to work after surgery: "Someone else might have taken a leave of absence then and there, but Gene worked as long as he could. Being a film critic was important to him. He liked to refer to his job as 'the national dream beat,' and say that in reviewing movies he was covering what people hoped for, dreamed about, and feared."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=February 22, 1999 |title=Farewell, my friend |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/farewell-my-friend |access-date=October 22, 2023 |archive-date=September 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929043129/https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/farewell-my-friend |url-status=live }}</ref> Ebert recalled, "Whenever he interviewed someone for his newspaper or for television, Gene Siskel liked to end with the same question: 'What do you know for sure?' OK Gene, what do I know for sure about you? You were one of the smartest, funniest, quickest men I've ever known and one of the best reporters...I  know for sure that seeing a truly great movie made you so happy that you'd tell me a week later your spirits were still high."<ref>{{cite web| title=Siskel & Ebert: Remembering Gene Siskel| website=[[YouTube]]| date=February 27, 1999| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvlTSxhWGqY}}</ref> Ten years after Siskel's death, Ebert blogged about his colleague: "We once spoke with Disney and CBS about a sitcom to be titled ''Best Enemies''. It would be about two movie critics joined in a love/hate relationship. It never went anywhere, but we both believed it was a good idea. Maybe the problem was that no one else could possibly understand how meaningless was the hate, how deep was the love."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=February 17, 2009 |title=Remembering Gene |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/remembering-gene |access-date=October 22, 2023 |archive-date=February 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130207203819/http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/02/i_remember_gene.html |url-status=live }}</ref>