Rick Kogan's Chicago Tribune headline today about the death of Roger Ebert was simply "A film critic with the soul of a poet." Roger Ebert spent much of his life, reviewing films from the perspective of a "poet." Ebert spent much of his life in the dark, in movie theaters, and as he emerged from those dark theaters he brought light to those films. Regardless of whether he gave those films his famous "thumbs-up or thumbs-down."
Roger Ebert left us yesterday, after 70 years on earth, as the Chicago Tribune's Rick Kogan eloquently wrote about Ebert, "he was beset by a series of maladies, including cancer, and many operations that robbed him of parts of his face and the ability to speak."
At the heart, Roger Ebert was a "reporter" whose beat was films. 45 of his 70 years on earth, was as a Pulitzer Prize-winning movie critic for the Chicago Sun-Times. Just out of college, Roger Ebert wrote freelance pieces for the Chicago Daily News, including, appropriately enough, an obituary about the death of Brendan Behan, an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, and playwright.
Ebert's big break came when city editor at the Chicago Sun-Times, Jim Hoge, hired Ebert as a reporter and feature writer at the Sun-Times in 1966. After movie critic Eleanor Keane left the Chicago Sun-Times in April 1967, editor Robert Zonk gave the job to Ebert. Sine that day until his death, Roger Ebert was the movie critic for the Chicago Sun Times, surviving good and bad with the paper.
But Ebert's big break came when in 1975, Ebert began co-hosting a weekly film review television show, "Sneak Previews," which was locally produced by the Chicago public broadcasting station WTTW. Three years later, Chicago Tribune movie critic, Gene Siskel, a cross town rival, became a co-host when the show was picked up by PBS for national distribution. The duo became famous for their "thumbs up/thumbs down" review summaries. Siskel and Ebert trademarked the phrase "Two Thumbs Up."
It was that partnership with Gene Siskel, who himself died in 1997, that Ebert will always be remembered. Ebert will also be remembered for the solid partnership of him and his wife, Chaz Ebert.
President Obama said of Roger Ebert, "Michelle and I are saddened to hear about the passing of Roger Ebert. For a generation of Americans - and especially Chicagoans - Roger was the movies. When he didn't like a film, he was honest; when he did, he was effusive - capturing the unique power of the movies to take us somewhere magical. Even amidst his own battles with cancer, Roger was as productive as he was resilient - continuing to share his passion and perspective with the world. The movies won't be the same without Roger, and our thoughts and prayers are with Chaz and the rest of the Ebert family."
Governor Pat Quinn issued the following statement Thursday afternoon from Mexico, where he is on a trade mission:
“I was very saddened to hear today that my good friend Roger Ebert has passed away. I – along with the people of Illinois – offer condolences to his wife Chaz, with whom I had the privilege of spending some time just last week.
“Even in recent years when illness robbed him of his ability to speak, the mere act of raising his thumb brought auditoriums full of people to their feet in applause. One of my best memories was getting a ‘thumbs-up’ from Roger in 2011 when I proclaimed “Roger Ebert Day” at Ebertfest in Champaign.
“Roger Ebert was Everyman with a cinematographer’s eye and an artist’s passion. His unique gift was the ability to communicate with everyday people about all kinds of movies and ultimately, the real values of life. He was one of our best-known and most respected journalists, a winner of the Pulitzer Prize as a Chicago Sun-Times film critic, and a proud and generous graduate of the University of Illinois where he began his journalism career at the Daily Illini.
“The whole state joins me in mourning his passing. Roger Ebert was a great man. No doubt Gene Siskel is saving him a seat in the balcony upstairs.”
Mayor Rahm Emanuel also said, "Our whole city learned with sadness today of the passing of Roger Ebert, whose name was synonymous with two things: the movies and Chicago. In a Pulitzer Prize winning career that spanned more than four decades, thousands of reviews and countless acts of generosity to others, Roger championed Chicago as a center for filmmaking and critiques. With a knowledge of his subject as deep as his love for his wife Chaz, Roger Ebert will be remembered for the strength of his work, respected for his courage in the face of illness, and revered for his contribution to filmmaking and to our city. The final reel of his life may have run through to the end, but his memory will never fade.
Robert Redford called Ebert "one of the great champions of freedom of artistic expression" and said "His personal passion for cinema was boundless, and that is sure to be his legacy for generations to come."[136]
Oprah Winfrey called Ebert's death the "end of an era." Steven Spielberg said that Ebert's "reviews went far deeper than simply thumbs up or thumbs down. He wrote with passion through a real knowledge of film and film history, and in doing so, helped many movies find their audiences and put television criticism on the map."
According to his wife Chaz Ebert, "We were getting ready to go home today for hospice care, when he [Ebert] looked at us, smiled, and passed away." The closing sentence on his final blog post, two days before his death, said, "So on this day of reflection I say again, thank you for going on this journey with me. I'll see you at the movies."
Send John Presta an email and your story ideas or suggestions to johnpresta@att.net.
John is the author of an award-winning book, the 2010 Winner of the USA National Best Book award for African-American studies, published by The Elevator Group Mr. and Mrs. Grassroots: How Barack Obama, Two Bookstore Owners, and 300 Volunteers did it. Also available an eBook on Amazon. John is also a member of the Society of Midland Authors and is a book reviewer of political books for the New York Journal of Books. John has volunteered for many political campaigns.
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