Gene Shalit, Beloved And Bushy Film Critic On The ‘today’ Show, Dies At 100

Gene Shalit, nan fast-talking funnyman who reviewed films, plays and books for NBC’s “Today” show has died. He was 100.

Shalit’s family confirmed nan longtime critic’s decease Friday, telling NBC that he “passed distant peacefully aft 100 years of an astonishing life.”

According to a 2010 question and reply pinch Guy Ludwig, Shalit’s shaper for much than 20 years, Shalit was hired arsenic a contributor astatine “Today” successful 1968. He reviewed books erstwhile a period aliases so, but audiences were truthful fascinated by his eccentric characteristic and arsenic unconventional looks that NBC ramped up nan critic’s on-air appearances.

In January 1973, connected nan aforesaid time he was promoted to arts editor, Shalit debuted “Critic’s Corner,” nan conception that would yet make him a family name. In 2010, Shalit retired arsenic 1 of nan past regular movie critics connected a awesome network.

Ludwig referred to Shalit arsenic nan “foxy grandpa” of nan “Today” show.

Shalit trim his teeth successful media arsenic an intermezo columnist for McCall’s magazine, yet landing nan domiciled of elder movie professional for Look mag successful 1968 and penning a joke file for Ladies’ Home Journal. His speedy wit, punchy puns and unsocial sound came done moreover connected nan page, and NBC took notice.

“No 1 astatine NBC had seen him. They’d only publication his stuff. So he walked into this executive’s agency and nan executive took 1 look astatine him and said, ‘Mr. Shalit, person you ever thought of radio?’” Ludwig told “Today.”

“They didn’t cognize really nan nationalist would respond to personification who looked truthful different from group who were typically connected TV successful 1967.”

On “Critics Corner,” Shalit favored joke complete nan highfalutin. He was an everyman’s critic. Of 1997’s action-thriller “Face/Off,” he said, “Now, ‘Face/Off’ is simply a literal title, because some of their faces are taken off. Then each look is put onto nan other’s head. Even their voices are switched pinch microchip implants. In different words, this is an wholly reasonable, logical movie!”

“Many critics will springiness truthful overmuch of nan crippled of a movie distant that they destruct nan movie for nan spectator ... I conscionable don’t springiness distant nan story,” he told the Associated Press in 1993.

During his tenure, he was known to bust up his colleagues, and “Today” anchors ranging from Edwin Newman, Barbara Walters and Jane Pauley to Tom Brokaw, Bryant Gumbel, Katie Couric, Al Roker and Meredith Vieira.

But not everyone appreciated Shalit’s style. In 1989, a leaked in-house memo from “Today” show co-host Bryant Gumbel to Marty Ryan, nan erstwhile executive shaper of nan NBC program, complained that Shalit’s movie reviews “are often precocious and his interviews aren’t very good.”

Eugene Shalit was calved March 25, 1926, successful New York City and grew up successful Morristown, N.J. He launched his simple school’s first newspaper, “The Spotlight,” and purchased a fedora to seal his destiny arsenic a journalist. In Morristown High School he wrote nan schoolhouse newspaper’s joke file “The Broadcaster.” In 1949, he graduated from nan University of Illinois astatine Urbana-Champaign.

Shalit was joined to Nancy Lewis for 28 years until her decease successful 1978 and ne'er remarried. The mates had six children: Peter, Willa, Emily, Amanda, Nevin and Andrew. Emily died from ovarian crab successful 2012.