Gene Shalit

Last updated

Gene Shalit
Geneshalit.JPG
Shalit on Today, 1973
Born (1926-03-25) March 25, 1926 (age 98)
New York City, U.S.
Education Morristown High School
Alma mater University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • film critic
  • literary critic
  • television personality
  • author
  • press agent
Years activec. 1960–2010
Television Today
Spouse
Nancy Lewis
​
​
(m. 1950;died 1978)​
Children6, including Willa

Eugene Shalit (born March 25, 1926) is an American retired journalist, television personality, film and book critic, and author. After starting to work part-time on NBC's The Today Show in 1970, he filled those roles from January 15, 1973, [1] until retiring on November 11, 2010. [2] [3] He is known for his frequent use of puns, his oversized handlebar moustache and fuzzy hair, and for wearing colorful bow ties.

Contents

Early life and education

Shalit was born on March 25, 1926, in New York City, and raised in Newark and Morristown, New Jersey. [1] Shalit is of Jewish ancestry. [4]

In high school, Shalit wrote a humor column for the school newspaper, which Gannett has identified as "The Korn Krib". [5]

Shalit attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he wrote for The Daily Illini from 1945 to 1949. [6]

Career

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". [7]

Shalit has been involved in reviewing the arts since 1967 and has written 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. [1]

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 . [8]

Shalit announced that he would leave The Today Show after 40 years, effective November 11, 2010. He was quoted as saying "It's enough already", about his retirement. [9] He has largely stayed out of the public eye since then, only appearing once for Willard Scott's retirement from NBC in 2015. [10]

Brokeback Mountain review controversy

In 2005, Shalit gave a negative review to the film Brokeback Mountain , in which he described Jack Twist (the character played by Jake Gyllenhaal) as a "sexual predator" who "tracks Ennis [Heath Ledger's character] down and coaxes him into sporadic trysts."

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) responded by stating: Shalit's "baseless branding of Jack as a 'sexual predator' merely because he is romantically interested in someone of the same sex is defamatory, ignorant, and irresponsible" and that he "used the occasion to promote defamatory antigay prejudice to a national audience." [11] Shalit's son Peter, who is gay, wrote a letter to GLAAD defending his father and stating he had not defamed anyone and was not homophobic, and further said the organization had defamed him by "falsely accusing him of a repellent form of bigotry." [12] Shalit himself apologized for the wording of his review. [13]

Written works

Personal life

Shalit was married to Nancy Lewis from 1950 until her death from cancer in 1978. [14] For much of his career, he lived in Leonia, New Jersey. As of 2012, he resided in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. [15] [16] [17]

Nancy Lewis' and Gene Shalit's children include the artist and entrepreneur Willa Shalit. [15] [18] Another child is Peter Shalit, a physician and recognized authority on gay men's health and living with HIV. [19] [20] [12] Their daughter Emily died of ovarian cancer in November 2012. [14]

On October 24, 2012, Shalit crashed his car in Lenox, Massachusetts, after accidentally falling asleep at the wheel. Misdemeanor charges of negligent driving to endanger were later dismissed after he agreed to stop driving until the dismissal, and he was to follow a "safety condition" approved by his attorney and the police chief. [17]

Shalit guest-starred as the voice, and was portrayed in the form of a fish food critic named "Gene Scallop" in the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "The Krusty Sponge". [21]

Shalit has been parodied in several episodes of Family Guy in cutaway gags, including "Brian Sings and Swings", [22] "The Book of Joe", [23] and "Big Man on Hippocampus", [24] though Shalit did not provide voice acting for the series.

Shalit also voiced a character portraying himself in three episodes of the animated series The Critic . [25]

A Muppet character based on him appeared in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975). [26]

Shalit was portrayed in two episodes of Saturday Night Live by Jon Lovitz, [27] and later in nine episodes by Horatio Sanz in sketches and Weekend Update sequences. [28] [29]

Shalit was also portrayed on Second City Television several times by cast member Eugene Levy. [30]

On Late Night with David Letterman Shalit had his head squashed between two giant comedy hammers during an interview with David Letterman. [31] [32]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Shaffer</span> Canadian musician (born 1949)

Paul Allen Wood Shaffer is a Canadian singer, keyboardist, composer, actor, author, comedian, and musician who served as David Letterman's musical director, band leader, and sidekick on the entire run of both Late Night with David Letterman (1982–1993) and Late Show with David Letterman (1993–2015).

<i>Weekend Update</i> Saturday Night Live parody newscast

Weekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch and satirical news program that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest-running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typically presented in the middle of the show immediately after the first musical performance. Historically, one or two of the players are cast in the role of news anchor, presenting gag news items based on current events and acting as hosts for occasional editorials, commentaries, or other performances by other cast members or guests. In modern times, dedicated anchors are chosen among writing staff, often lead writers, in lieu of cast or featured players. Chevy Chase has said that Weekend Update – which he started as anchor in 1975 – paved the way for comedic news shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Kattan</span> American actor and comedian

Christopher Lee Kattan is an American actor and comedian. First breaking through as a performer with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Kattan found wider success during his tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2003. He also played Doug Butabi in A Night at the Roxbury, Bob on the first five seasons of The Middle, and Bunnicula in Bunnicula. He's also known for playing the main antagonist Mr. Feather in Undercover Brother (2002).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Fallon</span> American talk show host and comedian (born 1974)

James Thomas Fallon is an American comedian, television host, actor, singer, writer, and producer. Best known for his work in television, Fallon's breakthrough came during his tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1998 to 2004. He was the host of the late-night talk show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014 and became the anchor of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon following his departure from Late Night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horatio Sanz</span> American actor and comedian (born 1969)

Horacio Sanz, better known by his stage name Horatio Sanz, is an American comedian and actor. Sanz was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1998 to 2006.

<i>Saturday Night Live</i> American late-night live TV sketch comedy and variety show

Saturday Night Live (SNL) is an American late-night live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The show's premiere was hosted by George Carlin on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night. The show's comedy sketches, which often parody contemporary American culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers the opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, with featured performances by a musical guest. An episode normally begins with a cold open sketch that is usually based on political events and ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!", properly beginning the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Parnell</span> American actor (born 1967)

Thomas Christopher Parnell is an American actor and comedian. First breaking through as a performer with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Parnell found wider success during his tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1998 to 2006. After leaving SNL, he played the role of Dr. Leo Spaceman on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock (2006–2013). Parnell is also a prominent voice actor known for his deep and distinctive voice. In animation, he voices the narrator on the PBS Kids series WordGirl (2007–2015), Cyril Figgis on the FX series Archer (2009–2023), Jerry Smith on Adult Swim's Rick and Morty (2013–present), and Doug on Fox's Family Guy (2019–2022). His work also extends into commercials, having voiced the Hamburger Helper mascot “Lefty”, appeared in advertisements as “America’s Dad” for Orbit Gum, and is most known for voicing "The Progressive Box" in a series of advertisements by the Progressive Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seth Meyers</span> American comedian and television host (born 1973)

Seth Adam Meyers is an American comedian, television host, actor, writer, producer, and podcaster. He currently hosts Late Night with Seth Meyers, a late-night talk show on NBC. Prior to Late Night, Meyers was a cast member on NBC's sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2014, and served as the show's head writer and anchor of their news parody segment, Weekend Update, from 2006 until his departure in 2014.

<i>Brokeback Mountain</i> 2005 film directed by Ang Lee

Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 American neo-Western romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from the 1997 short story by Annie Proulx, the screenplay was written by Ossana and Larry McMurtry. The film stars Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams. Its plot depicts the complex romantic relationship between two American cowboys, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, in the American West from 1963 to 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">More Cowbell</span> Saturday Night Live sketch

"More Cowbell" is a comedy sketch that aired on Saturday Night Live on April 8, 2000. The sketch was written by regular cast member Will Ferrell and playwright Donnell Campbell and depicts the recording of the song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult. The sketch stars guest host Christopher Walken as fictional music producer Bruce Dickinson, and Ferrell as fictional cowbell player Gene Frenkle, whose overzealous playing annoys his bandmates but pleases Dickinson. The sketch also features Chris Parnell as Eric Bloom, Jimmy Fallon as Bobby Rondinelli, Chris Kattan as Buck Dharma, and Horatio Sanz as Joe Bouchard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norm Macdonald</span> Canadian comedian (1959–2021)

Norman Gene Macdonald was a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, and writer whose style was characterized by deadpan delivery, eccentric understatement, and the use of folksy, old-fashioned turns of phrase. He appeared in many films and was a regular guest on late-night talk shows, where he became known for his chaotic, yet understated style of comedy. Many critics and fellow comedians considered him to be the ultimate talk show guest, while prominent late-night figure David Letterman regarded him as "the best" of stand-up comedians.

<i>Saturday Night Live</i> season 33 Season of television series

The thirty-third season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 29, 2007, and May 17, 2008. Due to the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, there were only 12 episodes produced in this season instead of the usual 20, making this the shortest season in the series run and beating out both the sixth (1980–1981) season and the thirteenth (1987–1988) season, which had thirteen episodes each and were also cut short due to WGA strikes. This is also the only season in SNL history not to have a new Christmas episode, since the WGA strike spanned from November 2007 to February 2008.

<i>Saturday Night Live</i> season 31 Season of American sketch comedy series

The thirty-first season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between October 1, 2005, and May 20, 2006. 19 episodes were produced due to the 2006 Winter Olympic Games and network budget cuts.

The twenty-fifth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between October 2, 1999 and May 20, 2000.

<i>Saturday Night Live</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC from September 18, 1976 to May 21, 1977.

<i>Saturday Night Live</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC from October 11, 1975, to July 31, 1976. The show served as a vehicle that launched to stardom the careers of a number of major comedians and actors, including Chevy Chase, John Belushi, and Dan Aykroyd.

"Anna Howard Shaw Day" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 71st episode of the series overall. It was written by supervising producer Matt Hubbard and directed by Ken Whittingham. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 11, 2010. Elizabeth Banks, Jon Hamm, Shinnerrie Jackson, Douglas Rees, Horatio Sanz, Jason Sudeikis, and Dean Winters guest star in this episode, and there is a cameo appearance by musician Jon Bon Jovi.

The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between October 7, 2000, and May 19, 2001, the twenty-sixth season of SNL.

The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between September 29, 2001, and May 18, 2002, the twenty-seventh season of SNL.

The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between October 4, 2003, and May 15, 2004, the twenty-ninth season of SNL.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Gene Shalit". NBC News . December 10, 2004. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  2. ↑ Dawidziak, Mark (November 12, 2010). "Gene Shalit Signs Off from the 'Today' Show". Cleveland. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Movie Critic Gene Shalit Leaving 'Today' Show". USA Today (Press release). New York City. Associated Press. November 9, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  4. ↑ Scherzer, Carl B. (October 1977). "Early Jewish History in Morristown". Morristown Jewish Center. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021. Gene Shalit is not Morristown's first nationally known television personality of Jewish ancestry.
  5. ↑ "Morristown at a Glance". Gannett . Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved January 27, 2008. Poet Joyce Kilmer once taught at Morristown High School, and film critic Gene Shalit got his start writing a humor column, 'The Korn Krib,' for the high school newspaper.
  6. ↑ "Gene Shalit 2007 Hall of Fame Profile". Illini Media . Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  7. ↑ Goldman, Andrew (March 27, 2011). "Dick Clark, Still the Oldest Living Teenager". The New York Times Magazine : MM14. Archived from the original on April 1, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Home Video Newsline". Billboard . November 29, 1986. p. 45. ISSN   0006-2510.
  9. ↑ "People: Conan O'Brien; Robert De Niro; Gene Shalit; Rachel Weisz; Darren Aronofsky; Neil Young; John Nettles". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . November 10, 2010. Archived from the original on December 10, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Willard Scott's Retirement Brings Rare Gene Shalit Sighting to 'Today'". New York Daily News . December 15, 2015. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Gene Shalit's Brokeback Mountain Review Angers Gay Rights Group". The Advocate . January 7, 2006. ISSN   0001-8996.
  12. 1 2 "Peter Shalit Writes to GLAAD About His Dad". The Advocate . January 10, 2006. ISSN   0001-8996.
  13. ↑ Grossberg, Josh (January 12, 2006). "Shalit Sorry for "Brokeback" Bash". E! . Archived from the original on May 29, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  14. 1 2 "Emily Shalit". The Berkshire Eagle . December 7, 2012. Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018– via Legacy.
  15. 1 2 Kahn, Toby (February 10, 1986). "Gene Shalit's Daughter Willa Has Casts of Characters Ranging from Brooke Shields to President Reagan". People . Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  16. ↑ The Publishers Weekly. Vol. 184. F. Leypoldt. September 26, 2006 [1st pub. 1963]. p. 117.
  17. 1 2 Fanto, Clarence (January 11, 2013). "Gene Shalit's Car-Crash Case in Lenox to Be Dismissed". The Berkshire Eagle . Massachusetts. Archived from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Woman Proves Shopping Can Transform Lives". CNN. September 17, 2008. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  19. ↑ Shalit, Peter (1998). Living Well: The Gay Man's Essential Health Guide. Allyson. ISBN   978-1-55583-444-9.
  20. ↑ Steele, Bruce C. (February 14, 2006). "Q&A: Peter Shalit". The Advocate . p. 4. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  21. ↑ Harnick, Chris (June 18, 2019). "SpongeBob SquarePants Assembles Its Celebrity Guest Stars for One Epic Celebration". E! Online. Archived from the original on June 23, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Brian Sings and Swings". Family Guy. Season 4. Episode 19. January 8, 2006. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  23. ↑ "The Book of Joe". Family Guy. Season 13. Episode 2. October 5, 2014. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  24. ↑ "Big Man on Hippocampus". Family Guy. Season 8. Episode 10. January 3, 2010. Fox Broadcasting Company.
  25. ↑ Yorston, G.W.C.; Lavalie, John (October 25, 2018). "The Critic: an Episode Guide". epguides . Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  26. ↑ Gilchrist, Todd (May 19, 2012). "The Muppet Show – Season One". IGN . Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Gene Shalit Played by Jon Lovitz". SNL Archives. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Watch Gene Shalit Sketches from SNL Played by Horatio Sanz". NBC Universal. Archived from the original on April 1, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Gene Shalit Played by Horatio Sanz". SNL Archives. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  30. ↑ Meisler, Andy (April 17, 1994). "The Satirist Who Landed in a Sitcom". Television. The New York Times . Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  31. ↑ Rami, Trupti; Yuan, Jada; Caldwell, Sean Fitz-Gerald Sarah; Salemi, Vicki; Gilbert, Kylie; Vineyard, Jennifer; Gaffney, Adrienne; Orzeck, Kurt; Gordon, Diane; Peters, Jenny (May 20, 2015). "Conan O'Brien, Tina Fey, and More Celebs Share Their Favorite Letterman Memories". Slate . Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  32. ↑ 'Why We Edit' Collection on Letterman, 1983–92. Giller, Don. March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2022– via YouTube.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.