Daily Herald's Gire joins Ebert's 'At the Movies'
Daily Herald Film Critic Dann Gire will be moonlighting on “Ebert Presents At the Movies,” Roger Ebert's new nationally syndicated movie and current events show that airs locally at 8:30 p.m. Fridays on WTTW.
Gire was selected to be a contributing critic and correspondent. The first show aired Friday, though Gire's first appearance has not yet been scheduled.
“I had to pinch myself when I got an e-mail from executive producer Chaz Ebert, asking me if I'd like to join the staff,” Gire said. “‘Ebert Presents' is the ‘Maltese Falcon' of TV shows. I know it's going to be a lot of work, but I suspect it'll also be a lot of fun.”
The show will be a new approach to Ebert's popular, long-running movie review shows, which began 25 years ago as “Siskel & Ebert” and later was “Ebert & Roeper.”
“At the Movies” has nine supporting cast members, including Gire, and besides movie reviews will feature segments on current events and classic movies.
Other contributors include the “Today” show's Alison Bailes, CBS News Analyst Jeff Greenfield and Nell Minow, the “Movie Mom” from beliefnet.com.
Since thyroid cancer robbed Ebert of his voice, “At the Movies” will be hosted by the Associated Press' Christy Lemire and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of Mubi.com.
Gire and Ebert go way back. In 1978, Gire — who had just begun his film critic job at the Daily Herald — saw Ebert at FACETS Multimedia in Chicago and went up and introduced himself.
“I was like some fanboy who was drooling. I didn't have the sense to be embarrassed by it at the time, so I'll be embarrassed now,” said Gire, whose cubicle is lined with Ebert's books.
Gire, president of the Chicago Critics Association, has been an award-winning reporter and critic for the Daily Herald for the past 35 years. This is not his first foray into television: he spent three years on FOX-TV's morning show, and has also been a contributor to “Chicago Tonight” and CBS's Monsters and Money in the Morning.”
Learn more about the show at EbertPresents.com, and follow Gire on Twitter at @DannGireDHFilm, or on Facebook at the Daily Herald's Time Out page.