Gene Shalit, the legendary film critic best known for his long-running NBC “Today” show, died Friday, June 12, NBC reported. He was 100 years old.
Shalit became a favorite of the American media thanks to his unique, emotional performance in the American film – as well as his on-air mannerisms, including his handlebar moustache, glasses and bow ties.
Her career began in newspaper journalism, in publications such as Ladies Home Journal and The New York Times. He joined the Today show as a contributor in 1970 before becoming a full-time book and film critic three years later – and remained in that role for over thirty years.
When he was 100 years old on March 25, Today marked the occasion with a photo of himself in Smuckers jam magazine, a long-running online tradition, with Al Roker sending his former teammate a happy birthday.
Shalit, with his adorable Muppet face, extravagant hair, bows, and big mustache, looked too good to be a critic.
And some people thought he was too good to be a critic.
A film reviewer for NBC’s Today Show from 1973 to 2010, he was sometimes criticized by other critics, who questioned his good reviews of films such as Air balloons. But he was also loved by a large TV audience, when film criticism was considered a professional craft, not a social media poster game.
As a progressive film critic TodayShalit took an approach that was very different from competitors like Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. Where their reviews could be scathing, Shalit often offered amusing and pungent comments from his “Critic’s Corner,” sometimes while smoking a cigarette. Viewers liked his generous approach, but others said he lacked a critical eye.
Even more than a critic, Shalit was a media person. And, said fellow critic Leonard Maltin, good.
“He was a naturally funny guy,” said Maltin, a Teaneck native. “I think sometimes he was more interested in clever tricks than good cinematic judgment. Maybe that’s what his producer wanted.”
Although he approached the work with intelligence and humor and was a true fan of cinema, Shalit did not prevent negative comments. “Two words, Ishtar ish horrible,” he said of the 1987 flop starring Dustin Hoffman.
And his review of Brokeback Mountain caused controversy when he described Jack Twist (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) as a “sexual predator” towards Ennis (played by Heath Ledger). GLAAD spoke out against the review as “ignorant and irresponsible,” and Shalit apologized, adding that he regretted any “emotional pain” he caused.
Shalit, born in New York, was raised in Newark and Morristown. He himself was a longtime resident of Leonia. Isidore’s father founded Shalit’s Drugs in Morristown, a fixture in the town until 1998. At Morristown High School, he created the school’s first paper, The Spotlight.
Shalit graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and began her career as a media agent (for Dick Clark among others) and later wrote for Looks, Ladies’ Home Journal, TV Guide, Seventeen, and The New York Times.
“He was a guy who was known to be funny around the office,” Maltin said. “And somebody said, you’re too funny to do public relations work. I’m going to put you on the air.”
From 1970 to 1982, he appeared on NBC radio, and from 1973 on TV, where he reviewed books and films and also interviewed entertainers. One of them, in the early days, was Maltin – who was then a small critic who had written several books, including a very popular one. Leonard Maltin’s Film Guide (first published in 1969 as TV movies) but had no advertising experience.
“He is responsible for my career in television,” Maltin said. “In particular, I was enrolled in Today show when I was a writer, when I was young. They always conduct an initial interview with you. And he came into the green room with me before (the on-air interview) and said, ‘Do I have to stick to the list?’ And I said no, ask whatever you want.’ And we had a very good conversation.”
In addition to his critical comments, Shalit interviewed many Hollywood stars, from the then-unknown star of “Star Wars” (“the only actor named after two presidents,” he called Harrison Ford) to Oprah Winfrey following her Oscar nomination for “The Color Purple.”
He was married to Nancy Lewis for 28 years before her death from cancer in 1978. They had six children, including Willa Shalit.
His person inspired parodies, including on Saturday Night Live and as a fish food critic named “Gene Scallop” inside SpongeBob SquarePants. But he was just as funny off screen as he was on, Maltin said.
How do I know this? My wife and I were at the show Best Little Animal House in Texas, ” Maltin said. “And my wife leaned over and made wisecracks about how bad the movie was. And sitting behind us was Gene Shalit. He said: ‘Would you like to sit still and block my view again?’ – Rappler.com
