There’s a great new book out called “Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever” by journalist Matt Singer. It’s a fascinating read (buy it here), with it the definitive account of how Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert teamed up to reinvent modern film criticism through their TV show, “Sneak Previews.”
The book is an honest account of their tenure, not glossing over the fact that Siskel and Ebert’s relationship was often frosty, arguably making them a more dynamic pair to watch on-screen. Both men are portrayed positively, with their various assistants and colleagues admitting both men could be a handful but ultimately were kind and professional.
One interesting story comes from Gene Siskel’s assistant in the nineties, Carie Lovstad. While she admits he wasn’t perfect and could often drive her crazy with his demands, she also says he was capable of astonishing acts of generosity. Case in point: in the early nineties, Siskel became a huge fan of Starbucks Coffee and bought a bunch of Starbucks stock. He kept bugging Lovstad to invest until she finally told him that as an assistant making $20,000 a year, she had no cash to invest. Cut to a year later and Lovstad’s getting married. Siskel’s gift to her is $1000 in Starbucks stock. He urged her to hang onto it for as long as she could, telling her, “If you need to spend it, spend it. But if you don’t, just let it ride.”
Lovstad (wisely) took his advice, estimating that she’d seen more than $160,000 from it and still owned stock.
Siskel passed away in 1999, while Ebert followed in 2013. Despite the animosity that often defined their relationship, the portrait that emerges from the book shows that both men, in their own way, started to care for each other. Even at their worst they never doubted each other’s talent or abilities.