TELEVISION PROGRAM

Three separate but virtually indistinguishable half-hour film criticism shows have operated under this title. The first version of At the Movies ran from 1982-90 and was first hosted by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert from 1982-86, after they left their PBS show Sneak Previews. It was later hosted by Rex Reed and Bill Harris from 1986-88; and by Reed and Dixie Whatley from 1988-90.

Siskel and Ebert quit the first At the Movies to start a second competing series in 1986, originally called Siskel & Ebert & the Movies, which morphed through several different titles and hosts with Siskel's death in 1999 and Ebert's cancer after 2006. This second series took the title At the Movies after 2001, with co-hosts including Richard Roeper (2000-08), Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz (2008-09), and Michael Phillips and A. O. Scott (2009-10). This incarnation of At the Movies was syndicated on commercial stations, and canceled after the 2009-10 season.

As soon as the cancellation was announced, Ebert responded with plans to revive At the Movies on public, commercial-free television. This third incarnation of the program, produced by Ebert and his wife and rather clumsily titled Ebert Presents "At the Movies", debuted in January 2011, with Christy Lemire of Associated Press and blogger Ignatiy Vishnevetsky as the main co-hosts. It was among the most popular programs on PBS, but was canceled in 2012 when Ebert was unable to find underwriters.

Name	Occupation	Birth	Death	Known for
Roger Ebert	Critic	18-Jun-1942	4-Apr-2013	Siskel and Ebert
Rex Reed	Critic	2-Oct-1938		At the Movies
Richard Roeper	Columnist	17-Oct-1959		Siskel's replacement
Gene Siskel	Critic	26-Jan-1946	20-Feb-1999	Siskel and Ebert

Do you know something we don't?
Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile

Copyright ©2016 Soylent Communications