Posted on 11/09/2010 5:06:06 PM PST by Beaten Valve
One of the longest continuous on-air runs by anyone on a network program in the history of television is about to come to an end. After 40 years, Gene Shalit is saying goodbye to the “Today” show on Thursday — Veteran’s Day.
Known for his pun-laden movie reviews — and his out-sized hair and mustache and bow-tie — Shalit said in a statement obtained by THR, “It’s enough already.” Producers are putting together a retrospective which will air Thursday.
Shalit’s movie reviews have only been turning up occasionally recently, but as this YouTube look-back shows, Shalit once had a prominent role on the show.
“Today” show EP Jim Bell tells TVNewser: “Gene is not just a Today show treasure but a television legend and an American icon. We salute him for his unprecedented 40-year run on a single television program, a feat unlikely to ever be matched.”
Hey! Some of us have big mustaches!
I think the last time I saw him review a movie was when the first Batman with Jack Nicholson came out in 1989. I didn’t know he was still on the show.
Add Al Roker to the mix.
I laughed at the Today Show and stopped watching when Barbara Walters left and they started Jane Pauley with the same beehive hairdo Walters had been wearing for decades.
The hosts on those shows are interchangeable. Except maybe a Gene Shallit.
Gene Scallop.
He's actually a conservative. His daughter Wendy is a rather outspoken conservative.
Hmmm... I quit watching him in the late 70s after he said a couple of snarky things about Gerald Ford, iirc.
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