Sneak Previews

Sneak Previews
Title card from Sneak Previews.
Also known as	Opening Soon at a Theater Near You (1975 - 1977)
Genre	Film review
Created by	Thea Flaum[1]
Presented by	Roger Ebert (1975 - 1982) Gene Siskel (1975 - 1982) Neal Gabler (1982 - 1985) Jeffrey Lyons (1982 - 1996) Michael Medved (1985 - 1996)
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
Production
Location(s)	Chicago, Illinois
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	WTTW
Broadcast
Original channel	PBS
Original run	November 23, 1975 – 1996
Chronology
Followed by	At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert

Sneak Previews was an American film review show^[1], running for over two decades on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). It was created by WTTW, a PBS affiliate in Chicago, Illinois. It premiered on September 4, 1975 as a monthly local-only show called Opening Soon at a Theater Near You, and was renamed in 1977 when it became a biweekly show airing nationally on PBS. By 1979, it was a weekly series airing on over 180 stations, and was the highest rated weekly entertainment series in the history of public broadcasting.^[1]

Format

The show featured two critics who would present short clips of movies in current release then debate the merits of the films, energetically defending their remarks if the other critic disagreed. A designated "dog of the week" was also featured, with "Spot the Wonder Dog" barking on cue as an introduction.^[1]

Earlier episodes from the Siskel & Ebert era ended with either Gene or Roger saying, "We'll see you at the movies."

Some episodes were known as Take 2 shows which replaced the review of recently released films with themed topics such as "Women in Danger", and slasher films of the 1970s and early 1980s. On one occasion, Siskel and Ebert invited the viewer into a day in their lives as they screened films.

History

Title card from Opening Soon at a Theater Near You.

The show first aired in 1975 on a monthly basis under the name Opening Soon at a Theater Near You, and after two successful seasons, was renamed Sneak Previews.^[1] The show originally featured Roger Ebert, a film critic from the Chicago Sun-Times and Gene Siskel, a film critic from the Chicago Tribune.

Post-Siskel and Ebert

The success of the show led WTTW to decide to syndicate it to commercial television.^[1] Siskel and Ebert left Sneak Previews in 1982, citing contractual differences with WTTW. They indicated that they were offered a contract and asked to "take it or leave it", and they chose the latter option.^[1] The two critics were soon featured in At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, a similar show created with Tribune Entertainment and replaced in 1986 by a Disney-produced long-running show first known as Siskel & Ebert & the Movies.

In 1982, WTTW quickly signed Neal Gabler and Jeffrey Lyons as replacements for Siskel and Ebert on Sneak Previews. Each post-1982 episode ended with the catch phrase "Don't forget to save us the aisle seats." Neal Gabler left Sneak Previews in 1985, citing philosophical differences with the direction of the show^[2], and was replaced by Michael Medved. Before replacing Gabler, Medved had cameo appearances on the show, presenting the "Golden Turkey Awards," the worst movies of the year.

Cancellation

Although Sneak Previews stayed on the air for 14 years after Ebert and Siskel left, it was never as popular as it was during their tenure.^[2] The show changed its title to Sneak Previews Goes Video in 1989 and concentrated on home video releases but then went back to its old title in 1991. PBS continued to air the show until the 1995-1996 season, and then cancelled it.

See also

• At the Movies (U.S. TV series)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "SISKEL and EBERT". Museum of Broadcast Communications. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
2. ^ ^{a b} "A Siskel & Ebert & Roeper timeline". Chicago Tribune. July 22, 2008. Retrieved 2010-11-30.

External links

• Sneak Previews at the Internet Movie Database
• Sneak Previews at epguides.com