Gene Shalit cited after car hits pole in Mass.

LENOX, Mass. — Television movie critic Gene Shalit faces a charge of driving to endanger after his vehicle struck a utility pole and came to rest against a home in western Massachusetts.

Lenox police say the 86-year-old Shalit told Chief Stephen O’Brien, who was first on the scene of Wednesday afternoon’s crash, that he fell asleep at the wheel.

Shalit has received a summons to appear before a clerk magistrate in Southern Berkshire District Court in Great Barrington at a future date.

Shalit, known for his bushy hair and mustache, was unhurt. His vehicle was towed and the home suffered minor damage.

Shalit reviewed movies for NBC’s “Today” show from 1973 until he retired in 2010. He lives in neighboring Stockbridge.

A number for Shalit could not immediately be found.