{"id":2615953,"date":"2026-06-19T05:37:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T09:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gene-shalit-dies-at-100\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T05:41:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T09:41:41","slug":"gene-shalit-dies-at-100","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gene-shalit-dies-at-100\/","title":{"rendered":"Gene Shalit dies at 100"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">10<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgene-shalit-dies-at-100%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2615953&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Gene shalit, a renowned film and book critic, passed away at age 100. Born in New York City in 1926 and raised in Newark, New Jersey, he displayed a talent for humor and words from an early age. Shalit attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, contributing to the student newspaper, and began his professional career in the late 1960s as an arts reviewer, writing for major publications and hosting a popular radio program. His breakthrough on television came in 1970 when he joined NBC\u2019s Today show, where he became a beloved and instantly recognizable critic known for his distinctive appearance-bushy hair, handlebar mustache, colorful bow ties, and glasses-and for his humorous, lighthearted reviews. Over 37 years, he influenced how millions discussed movies and books, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/finding-italys-real-black-gold-traditional-balsamic-vinegar-of-modena\/\" title=\"Finding Italy\u2019s Real ...Black Gold\u2019: Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena\">blending wit<\/a> with thoughtful commentary. Besides TV, he authored books celebrating humor and Hollywood lore and contributed to satire during the Cold War era.Shalit&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >upbeat approach made arts criticism accessible<\/a> and engaging, emphasizing that humor and enthusiasm are vital to cultural conversation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We usually associate <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/movies-and-films\/\">movie critics<\/a> with quiet deliberation in darkened theaters or measured prose on the printed page. But if ever the job of critic was transformed into something unmistakably vivid, audaciously mustached, and alive on the small screen, then that transformation belonged to Gene Shalit, the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/film\/\">film<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/books\/\">book<\/a> critic whose \u201cCritic\u2019s Corner\u201d on NBC\u2019s <em>Today<\/em> became a morning ritual for millions. Shalit died on June 12 at the age of 100.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4613523\/joy-behar-admits-vance-isnt-bad-guy-after-appearance-the-view\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Joy Behar admits Vance isn\u2019t a \u2018bad guy\u2019 after appearance on The View<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4613142\/world-cup-tourists-fall-in-love-america\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>How World Cup tourists have fallen in love with America, and America has fallen in love with the tourists<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4612800\/fox-news-jesse-watters-fudge-too-gay\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Fox News\u2019s Jesse Watters shares cake with Vance, said fudge would \u2018be too gay\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Born Eugene Shalit on March 25, 1926, in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york-city\/\">New York City<\/a>, he arrived in Newark, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-jersey\/\">New Jersey<\/a>, just eight days later. From an early age, Shalit displayed a knack for words and humor. In high school, he wrote a humor column for his school paper and, by his own later account, narrowly avoided expulsion on more than one occasion thanks to his irreverent wit.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he contributed to the student newspaper, the<em> Daily Illini<\/em>. Several years later, another <em>Daily Illini <\/em>writer by the name of Roger Ebert would also go on to take his film-critic talents to television.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shalit began his professional career as a writer and arts reviewer in the late 1960s. He served as senior film critic for <em>Look<\/em> magazine and for twelve years wrote the popular \u201cWhat\u2019s Happening\u201d page for <em>Ladies\u2019 Home Journal<\/em>. His byline also appeared regularly in the<em> New York Times, TV Guide, Cosmopolitan<\/em>, and other national publications. From 1970 to 1982, he delivered a daily radio essay called \u201cMan About Anything\u201d on the NBC Radio Network; the feature became the network\u2019s most widely carried program of its kind, giving Shalit a national platform well before most Americans saw his face on television.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\">Gene Shalit. (Dave Pickoff\/AP)<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/06\/localimages\/OBIT.062426.jpg?w=696&#8243; height=&#8221;658&#8243; width=&#8221;1024&#8243; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/06\/localimages\/OBIT.062426.jpg?w=696&#8243; alt=&#8221;Gene Shalit obituary&#8221; class=&#8221;wp-image-4615906&#8243; style=&#8221;width:762px;height:auto&#8221;  ><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gene Shalit. (Dave Pickoff\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His national <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tv\/\">television<\/a> breakthrough came in 1970 when he joined NBC\u2019s <em>Today<\/em> as a part-time contributor, initially focusing on books. He became a regular presence in 1973, serving as the show\u2019s film and book critic and arts editor. For the next 37 years,\u00a0until his retirement in 2010,\u00a0Shalit\u2019s \u201cCritic\u2019s Corner\u201d was a staple of the morning broadcast. He reviewed thousands of films, from summer blockbusters and awards contenders to independent releases and classics, while also conducting interviews with prominent actors and directors. His segments fit seamlessly into <em>Today<\/em>\u2019s mix of news, weather, and conversation, offering viewers a literate yet lighthearted guide to what was playing at the local theater or arriving on bookshelves.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Viewers came to recognize him instantly by appearance as much as by voice: the bushy hair, the prominent handlebar mustache, the colorful bow ties, and the distinctive glasses that gave him the air of \u201cDaniel Boone in a bow tie and Groucho [Marx] glasses,\u201d as one newspaper once put it. His reviews were rarely harsh; though if he thought that a movie was truly terrible, his irrepressible humor, whether intentional or not, could have the effect of softening his critique. (Exhibit A: Declaring, upon reviewing the 1987 movie <em>Ishtar, <\/em>that \u201c\u2018Ishtar ish tarrible!\u201d) Reviewing the 1991 thriller <em>The Silence of the Lambs<\/em>, he observed that it \u201cmay be all wool and a yard wide, but it makes a terrific yarn.\u201d When discussing the first <em>X-Men<\/em> film, he advised that it \u201cshould not be taken seriously. In fact, it should be taken with two aspirin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond the <em>Today<\/em> studio, Shalit compiled and edited books that celebrated humor and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hollywood\/\">Hollywood<\/a> lore. <em>Laughing Matters: A Celebration of American Humor<\/em> gathered stories, cartoons, and essays by writers ranging from <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/3820901\/woody-allen-new-book-whats-with-baum-review\/\">Woody Allen<\/a> to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/magazine-life-arts\/1705929\/the-return-of-garrison-keillor\/\">Garrison Keillor<\/a>. <em>Great Hollywood Wit<\/em> collected memorable lines from the silver screen. Earlier, in 1962, he collaborated with illustrator Jack Davis on the satirical <em>Khrushchev\u2019s Top Secret Coloring Book<\/em>, a satirical swipe at <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/cold-war\/\">Cold War<\/a> politics that showcased the same playful spirit he later brought to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-men-who-made-it-cool-to-bicker-about-movies\/\" title=\"The Men Who Made It Cool To Bicker About Movies\">film criticism<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4594273\/nba-coach-rick-adelman-obituary\/\"><strong>RICK ADELMAN, 1946-2026 <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an age when cultural commentary can often feel either overly solemn or reflexively cynical, Shalit\u2019s buoyant presence reminded audiences that engaging with movies and books can be both thoughtful <em>and<\/em> fun. Before the rise of aggregated review sites and social-media hot takes, his segments helped shape how a broad national audience talked about the latest releases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His puns and his personality turned criticism into a shared activity and made the arts a welcoming part of the national conversation. Generations of viewers grew up hearing his voice and seeing his unmistakable silhouette as they prepared for the day, absorbing not just opinions about films but a larger lesson: that humor and enthusiasm are themselves forms of serious engagement with culture. As he summed up a lifetime of turning reels of film into lively talk when he finally stepped away from <em>Today<\/em> after four decades, \u201cIt\u2019s enough already.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Daniel Ross Goodman (@DanRossGoodman) is a <\/em>Washington Examiner<em> contributing writer and teaches theology and religious studies at St. John\u2019s University. His next book, <\/em>Dante\u2019s Guide to Life: How The Divine Comedy<em> <\/em>Can Change Our Fortunes, Our World, and Ourselves, <em>will be published this fall by Angelico Press.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gene Shalit: Vibrant TV critic with mustache and humor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2854,"featured_media":2615954,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/OBIT.062426.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[36238,14890,81424,81425,32229],"class_list":["post-2615953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-celebrity-news","tag-entertainment","tag-film-critic","tag-gene-shalit","tag-obituary"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/OBIT.062426.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2854"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2615953"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615953\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2615957,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615953\/revisions\/2615957"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2615954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2615953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2615953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2615953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}