Happy 100th Birthday, Gene Shalit

Before Leonard Maltin, before Siskel and Ebert, Gene Shalit was the movie critic with whom I was most familiar. In fact, he was the first movie critic to whom I was ever exposed. Gene Shalit joined Today in 1969, where he occasionally did book reviews. It was in 1973 that he became the full-time movie critic on Today. His segment, called Critic's Corner, would remain a part of The Today Show until he retired from the show in November 2010. Today Gene Shalit turned 100 years old.

My family were loyal viewers of The Today Show for as long as I ca remember, so I was encountered Gene Shalit when I was very young. His appearance would certainly appeal to a youngster With his curly hair, handlebar moustache, glasses and bow ties, he looked more like a comic from the days of vaudeville or an absent-minded college professor than a movie critic. 

What is more, Gene Shalit's style as a critic was very approachable. He clearly loved movies, and was more concerned with letting Today's viewers know if they would enjoy a movie than any intellectual analysis of said movie. His reviews were often peppered with one-liners and often ridiculous puns. Gene Shalit was clearly having fun in reviewing movies. Indeed, in Critic's Corner on The Today Show, he seemed less like a movie critic than an affable uncle letting you know which movies to watch and which to avoid.

Of course, even as a kid, I didn't always agree with Gene Shalit's reviews. I disagreed with him on both The Shining (1980) and Flash Gordon (1980). That having been said, I agreed with him more often than not. Chances are that if Gene Shalit liked a movie, I probably would too. Regardless, even when Gene Shalit disliked a film I turned out to love, I could understand his reasons for disliking the movie. 

Beyond providing movie and book reviews on The Today Show, Gene Shalit also conducted interviews. As might be expected, he was a very good interviewer. He was both warm and curious, and was very good at putting his subjects at ease. An example at how comfortable he was interviewing celebrities is his famous interview with Carol Channing, Miss Channing told a hilarious story of Sir Benjamin and Lady Astor that left Gene Shalit unable to stop laughing.

Gene Shalit has always had an enthusiasm for movies which showed through his many reviews on The Today Show. I think it's quite possible that much of my love for the movies stem from the love he showed for the medium to which I was exposed as a kid. Gene Shalit isn't simply a movie critic. He is a movie fan.