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Gene Shalit
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Gene Shalit
Eugene Shalit (March 25, 1926 – June 12, 2026) was an American journalist, television personality, film and book critic, and author. After starting to work part-time on NBC's The Today Show in 1970, he appeared regularly there from January 15, 1973, until his retirement on November 11, 2010. He was known for his frequent use of puns and his distinctive bushy mustache and Jewfro-styled hair.
Shalit was born on March 25, 1926, in New York City, and raised in Newark and Morristown, New Jersey; he was of Latvian Jewish ancestry.
He attended Morristown High School, where he wrote a humor column The Korn Krib for the school newspaper. Shalit wrote for The Daily Illini at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, graduating in 1949 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in science and letters.
Shalit, according to a Dick Clark interview in The New York Times Magazine, was Clark's press agent in the early 1960s. Shalit reportedly "stopped representing" Clark during a Congressional investigation of payola. Clark never spoke to Shalit again, and referred to him as a "jellyfish".
Shalit began reviewing the arts in 1967 and wrote for such publications as Look magazine, Ladies' Home Journal (for 12 years), Cosmopolitan, TV Guide, Seventeen, Glamour, McCall's, and The New York Times.
From 1970 to 1982, Shalit broadcast a daily essay, Man About Anything, for the NBC Radio Network, which was NBC's most widely carried radio feature.
From January 15, 1973, to November 11, 2010, Shalit served as the film and book critic for NBC's Today, marking a tenure of over 37 years during which he reviewed thousands of films and conducted interviews with prominent actors and directors. Shalit's generally positive assessments of films, often avoiding outright pans, drew both acclaim for accessibility and criticism from peers for lacking rigor, as evidenced by parodies from rival film critics like Siskel and Ebert. Among his notable reviews, Shalit praised John Cusack's performance in the 1989 film Say Anything..., describing the film as an "unpretentious and perceptive little jewel of a movie" that captured the nuances of young romance. He similarly lauded the 1987 Mel Brooks film Spaceballs in an interview with Brooks, highlighting its satirical take on science fiction tropes while noting its modest $20 million budget.
In 1986, Shalit hosted a videocassette and laserdisc collection from MCA Home Video, Gene Shalit's Critic's Choice Video. Four images (five on the laserdisc covers) of Shalit appeared in a filmstrip on the front of the box with his reviews on the back. Titles included Touch of Evil, Destry Rides Again, Double Indemnity, and The Ipcress File.
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Gene Shalit
Eugene Shalit (March 25, 1926 – June 12, 2026) was an American journalist, television personality, film and book critic, and author. After starting to work part-time on NBC's The Today Show in 1970, he appeared regularly there from January 15, 1973, until his retirement on November 11, 2010. He was known for his frequent use of puns and his distinctive bushy mustache and Jewfro-styled hair.
Shalit was born on March 25, 1926, in New York City, and raised in Newark and Morristown, New Jersey; he was of Latvian Jewish ancestry.
He attended Morristown High School, where he wrote a humor column The Korn Krib for the school newspaper. Shalit wrote for The Daily Illini at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, graduating in 1949 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in science and letters.
Shalit, according to a Dick Clark interview in The New York Times Magazine, was Clark's press agent in the early 1960s. Shalit reportedly "stopped representing" Clark during a Congressional investigation of payola. Clark never spoke to Shalit again, and referred to him as a "jellyfish".
Shalit began reviewing the arts in 1967 and wrote for such publications as Look magazine, Ladies' Home Journal (for 12 years), Cosmopolitan, TV Guide, Seventeen, Glamour, McCall's, and The New York Times.
From 1970 to 1982, Shalit broadcast a daily essay, Man About Anything, for the NBC Radio Network, which was NBC's most widely carried radio feature.
From January 15, 1973, to November 11, 2010, Shalit served as the film and book critic for NBC's Today, marking a tenure of over 37 years during which he reviewed thousands of films and conducted interviews with prominent actors and directors. Shalit's generally positive assessments of films, often avoiding outright pans, drew both acclaim for accessibility and criticism from peers for lacking rigor, as evidenced by parodies from rival film critics like Siskel and Ebert. Among his notable reviews, Shalit praised John Cusack's performance in the 1989 film Say Anything..., describing the film as an "unpretentious and perceptive little jewel of a movie" that captured the nuances of young romance. He similarly lauded the 1987 Mel Brooks film Spaceballs in an interview with Brooks, highlighting its satirical take on science fiction tropes while noting its modest $20 million budget.
In 1986, Shalit hosted a videocassette and laserdisc collection from MCA Home Video, Gene Shalit's Critic's Choice Video. Four images (five on the laserdisc covers) of Shalit appeared in a filmstrip on the front of the box with his reviews on the back. Titles included Touch of Evil, Destry Rides Again, Double Indemnity, and The Ipcress File.
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