Siskel & Ebert Collection on Letterman, Part 1 of 6: 1982-89

This collection is uploaded in multiple parts. This is Part 1.
1. March 1, 1982*
2. January 5, 1983
3. November 21, 1983
4. January 9, 1985. Roger Ebert only
5. September 11, 1986
6. October 2, 1986. Viewer Mail
7. October 29, 1986. New Halloween Costumes
8. August 14, 1987. Viewer Mail
9. May 3, 1989. Chicago cameo backstage
10. May 4, 1989. Chicago Wacky Props
11. September 12, 1989
Previously uploaded:
*March 1, 1982: • Siskel & Ebert on Lett...
Other Parts here:
Part 2: 1990-91 - • Siskel & Ebert Collect...
Part 3: 1992-93 - • Siskel & Ebert Collect...
Part 4: 1994 - • Siskel & Ebert Collect...
Part 5: 1995-96 - • Siskel & Ebert Collect...
Part 6: 1997-2000 - • Siskel & Ebert Collect...

[@Tordogor]

Your compilations are not only magnificent pieces of work, but also acts of devotion to Late Night history. My full admiration and gratitude,!!

[@chonconnor6144]

This is before my time but I was fortunate to be a Late Show Fan from the start, remember when Late nite TV was funny and engaging?

[@ARealPersonNotABot]

I fully agree

[@madcamdisease]

Well said

[@SuiGenerisAbbie]

Don Giller is a terrific Uploader, I have to say.

[@ALLrobotsAreSad]

Yea what he said ⬆️

[@JCSAXON]

All three of these guys meant so much to me when I was a weirdo teenager. They made me feel alright about being an art-nerd, ya know? No cars, no girls; at least I had records, movies, skateboards, comic books, arcades, bmx, poolhalls and television. I would have settled for cars and girls though, however....

[@tylerwhitney3443]

well said friend, glad to know you

[@DJRitty]

Yup.

[@DJRitty]

The theme to their final show just reminds me of being HOME saturday night waiting for 6:30 for them to come on...only better was if that sat was a night the WWF took over nbc...GOD we we're spoiled - even or especially the 'losers' lol We had SO much to fill the friendless void lol

[@docducttape9270]

Damn, you was a dweeb for real

[@MontagZoso]

Yep, I was a film nerd too, still am, and these two guys were a weekly treat for me.

[@timharrod]

21:44 Siskel: "There are NINE sequels set for this coming year." Dave: "Oh, heavens."

[@GrassValleyGreg]

100 Million dollars of production costs!

[@DS8379]

Well one of them was Return of the Jedi 😁

[@Thrifty032781]

People complain today that movies are all sequels, remakes, reboots, or franchises. But this is almost 40 years ago and proves that this is nothing new.

[@MichaelSotoCE]

@@Thrifty032781 it's way different now. About 90% of what is made now is part of an existing franchise.

[@Thrifty032781]

@@MichaelSotoCE It's not different now. People were complaining about the same thing 30 - 40 years ago. It just seems like everything is part of a franchise because those are the things that get the most press. Basic survivorship bias.

I´ve just watched the first interview and it was great. Three people really talking about something, not being interrupted every ten seconds by shouts and fake laughter like in today´s talk shows. Letterman was very clever and let them talk, and even gave his opinion from time to time. (and now I realize two out three of them are dead and one is retired).

[@PazuChill]

:(

[@someguy2135]

I agree! Sounds like Dick Cavett and his style as well.

[@charleswinokoor6023]

It’s a treat seeing their first appearance on the show. It’s also funny how Letterman was so civil and polite back in the early ‘80s. “Ryan O’Neal’s made a lot of really bad films,” says Gene Siskel. One of the great things about him and Roger Ebert was their unflinching honesty.

[@steveconn]

At least he had Paper Moon and Barry Lyndon. Beats 2/3rds of Burt Reynolds awful CV.

[@charleswinokoor6023]

steve conn “Paper Moon” is one of the best movies ever made, in my opinion.

[@sto4713]

I miss the honesty in todays horrible cancel era where everyones frightened to say what they believe.

[@mhmrules]

I love Siskel and Ebert's appearances on Dave. Always a fun watch.

[@cugamer8862]

I love how Dave can drop a question, and then basically vanish as these two take over and talk for the next five minutes. They were a joy to listen to.

[@ArianErviti]

H😮theh🎉w🎉m🎉🎉 1:08:54 🎉🎉h🎉enemrhurh

[@ArianErviti]

Nsherhyn🎉deem🎉😢remhreme😢🎉ndmereh

[@ArianErviti]

Nhm🎉d🎉 1:11:03 w😢

[@ArianErviti]

Hereeyedeseddddddedmerdeehkymrdmdddddtymheehmhdeddmdy😂😂memeerses

[@ArianErviti]

Tm🎉dmremg 1:09:16 e 1:09:16

[@CoolhandLukeSkywalkr]

Such a big fan of Siskel and Ebert. No other reviewers come close.

[@isaiahbrooks7271]

These were the real film reviews it's they were alive now .it be beautiful . miss my them both

[@steveconn]

Pauline Kael was a smarter reviewer but never made the transition from print to tv.

[@sun622]

Intelligent, gutsy, funny and unafraid. These 2 guys were my favs every week. Nothing even close exists today.

[@samuelbarber6177]

I love the way Roger yells “NO!” When Letterman says “Meryl Streep can’t act.”

[@davidcarlin3850]

I miss these guys tremendously. I loved their analyzing, thoughtful discussions, the mechanics of how they interpreted a good or bad movie. I believed every word they projected and respected their viewpoints. RIP Gene and Roger 🍿 🎥

[@calvinnigh5489]

This is my second time going through this giant compilation and I just have to say thank you. I freaking love these guys

[@larrydalesowell1016]

I'm doing the same thing. All three of these guys have such great chemistry together. I find myself smiling the whole time.

[@breedlove94]

I like how they get progressively more comfortable with Letterman's banter

[@at1212b]

Letterman genuinely trusted these guys for a segment. He grew to really adore Gene.

[@pmambientworks4727]

It gets totally out of hand in the end, talking over each other non stop. :D

[@Mr.Goodkat]

@@at1212b Why do you single out Gene as one he grew to adore? and how do you know he even did?

[@JorgeTorres-tl7vo]

@@Mr.Goodkat because after gene passed, Roger was only brought on once, and you can sense just how uncomfortable Dave is without Gene.

[@Jamthecoolerator]

Gene Siskel dispatching Neil Simon inside of a minute was a real pleasure to watch. 😂😂

[@gamesdonovan7666]

I think I speak on behalf of us all when I say I am relieved to finally see an in depth discussion of One From The Heart on youtube.

[@steveprice2718]

Started watching these two back in '79 at the age of 14. I sincerely miss my childhood and Siskel and Ebert. Even if I disagreed with either one.

[@willyupshaw]

Holy crap! Late night television was once intelligent!

[@sdot5389]

It was intelligent in the 90s too. Look up Tom Snyder.

[@brianjamesesq747]

Letterman was amazing

[@samuelbarber6177]

I think what makes the two so endearing is their passion and also the fact that there are two of them, most review shows will only give you one critic. One perspective. One big personality. Siskel and Ebert gave you two big personalities, two animated reviewers, so even when they agreed it was interesting to see how they’d react to the sights and sounds of a production.

[@bryansarracino8623]

I miss Roger especially. I couldn’t wait for the Friday paper growing up to read his weekly reviews.

[@fiona4228]

Enjoying watching these so much! Dave clearly loves having them on his show. Intelligent and funny bantering.

[@ralphus44]

This collection is great. I tried never to miss Letterman when Siskel & Ebert were on because they were such entertaining guests.

[@JCO2002]

Just starting to watch the works. Will take a few days as I find the time. Thanks, Don, you're a champ.

[@Krueger303]

Agreed! Thanks Don!

[@1neOfN0ne]

This compilation should remove the dislike button and add another like button. Get it? 👍👍

[@uriahfiiya]

Got your wish

[@inrainbowman]

i don’t get it

[@kirnpu]

I never watched Letterman so I wasn't aware of S&E being regular guests. I can't thank you enough Don Giller for putting this compilation together! I started watching them back when they were on PBS. It's so wonderful to see them again at their peak, reviewing movies I'd forgotten about. And yes, Gene was SO wrong when he said no one would care when he died. Miss them both so much...

[@fifthbusiness1678]

Yes, the outpouring of grief over his death came as a surprise. He was very well-liked and appreciated.

[@randyj420]

Thanks for the compilation! These were my junior high and high school years. Letterman's show was a huge influence on me - and Siskel & Ebert absolutely helped me notice more about movies and even how to be civil when discussing anything artistic with another person - knowing reminding us that if both parties bring some intelligence to the table, then you can't fault someone for not thinking exactly the way you do.

[@katherinea.rodgers8366]

This is just fabulous! Thank you.

[@arrowguy173]

THANK YOU for your amazing channel and all of the time spent putting these collections together. Born in 73 and great memories of Dave’s show which I grew up with in the 80s. The zany, random humor he and Conan have been known for has resonated with me more than any other host (though thankful that my parents always watched Carson who was on his own level and just a class act all around). I’ve enjoyed going back through several of your compilations and I was glad to see the Siskel and Ebert segments - hard to believe they’re gone and I wish we had their perspective on much of today’s unnecessary remakes coming out of Hollywood.

[@dongiller]

Thanks!!

[@Funz2022]

Imagine this level of discussion happening on Colbert or Kimmel? Not a chance.

[@sto4713]

Agreed then again those two spend a lot of their show time ranting about the ex president we get it you hate Trump now say something funny or at least entertaining.

[@RosebudKane41]

Internet has made late night shows irrelevant, no need for them anymore in this vast media landscape

[@Thrifty032781]

@@sto4713 Are they still doing that? Jesus guys, get over it. The bad man is gone now and he can't hurt you anymore.

[@josephine1465]

The only talk show hosts worth watching are Letterman, Conan, Carson, Cavett, and Ferguson. By the way, Fallon is the worst.

[@pronkb000]

@@Thrifty032781 Trumpism is still a major issue in this country. He's out of office but he's not "gone" as long as there's the threat of him running again in '24 and there's the idea that no Republican can win without kissing his ring.

[@bijibadness]

you get to see a great many wonderful things happen throughout these awesome Don Giller Siskel & Ebert / David Letterman compilation videos. you get to see not only all three guys become dear friends and cherished appearances but we also get to see Siskel & Ebert become bigger and bigger stars. we see the applause continue to expand.

[@PixelNotesMusic]

I have no idea why, but I just started watching this collection for at least the 5th time. Something in me must love something in this very much.

[@amberpaigejames9054]

I love these guys! And i love Letterman! This is so good. Thank you for uploading.

[@johndalton3180]

It's collections like this that are invaluable. And would not exist without Don. Thank you, Don!

[@Archerjr1]

I love Gene's reference at 28:45. It means we both used to watch channel 5 (Chicago) at midnight every Saturday (technically Sunday). For the younger crowd, that would mean SCTV.

[@PC4USE1]

R IP-Roger and Gene-when we actually cared about films and trusted these guys opinions.

[@tbx59]

These two were amazing on Stern as well --- Great comedy team.

[@rubbersoul3723]

We are all deeply indebted to you Don-thanks a million-early Letterman show and it's guests were the best.

[@77konky]

Thanks for uploading. I really miss Siskel and Ebert, but we have so much video footage of them

[@ertertwert1]

Thanks for uploading this.

[@SkolneyVikings]

Wow this whole thing is hours of S&E! I gotta set aside a whole afternoon for this.

[@blooglspash]

Yes! I've been thinking about requesting this, but you did it anyway! I love old Siskel and Ebert appearances, they're like movie time capsules.

[@tuz0wils0n]

Wow! This is gonna be epic!

[@ImpulseGenerator]

Wow dude this is spectacular! Thanks so much for uploading this.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

I honestly wish Siskel and Ebert lived long enough to do Podcasts. A looser format would have trumped the quality of their TV shows.

[@jidori2258]

They were the best movie reviewers ever 😢

[@halfabeet]

It's more like Letterman is a guest on Siskel & Ebert :D

[@jedblaugrund597]

WOW! A dream come true! THANK YOU!

[@pmointernet]

So glad I grew up watching these two. They were a national treasure.

[@shanebrennan8250]

I miss these days so much.

[@chonconnor6144]

Especially now....take me away, I don't mind, just wanna go back, in, time.

[@66jediknight]

Rest in peace Gene and Roger, thank you for being you, your passion your love of film and joining us at the movies. There has never been another pair like you, nor there ever will be. You are missed.

[@Sibealove]

I've wanted this collection for a long time. And it's as amazing to watch as I imagined. Thank you for your work and for sharing!!

[@JP-uu8vf]

This is great! Thanks for posting.

[@edub9930]

Ye is the greatest compiler of late night TV thine eyes have ever seen. Thank you good sir 👏

[@marychocolatefairy]

Nawwww, in the last interview Gene says no one in the film industry would care when he died- but he was certainly proven wrong!. I've been a huge fan of them since I was a kid, and it was interesting to see their very first appearance on Letterman. At some points when they were talking he seemed to be seriously listening, like he was learning things from them. Also, Gene and Roger seemed a lot calmer with each other (especially Gene) and less argumentative than in later years.

[@GrassValleyGreg]

Three cheers for Don Giller. AND two thumbs up

[@healthcarelouisiana7947]

Thank you for compiling this!

[@patsstudio]

I love the thought of these having the best job in the world in the 80's, just getting to go to empty movie theatres in all seasons and weathers, having some popcorn and reviewing movies, while everyone else is out doing actual jobs. Something about it makes me feel all fuzzy and warm inside. :D

[@RyanAlexanderDiduck]

There's a special spark amongst these three guys. Or as they say in Indiana: spatial.

[@trekkiejunk]

While i always found Roger and Gene enjoyable on Letterman, the real interesting part was the discussion about corporate ownership ownership and bias. While more difficult to hide now, it wasn't so transparent 40 years ago, and listening to Gene and Roger kinda blow the cover on that was entertaining and informative.

[@chriscross1424]

The 80's was clearly the best time to be alive

[@ALLrobotsAreSad]

Except for the whole AIDS thing

[@jameswilliams-zr8co]

80's and 90's was so great! the best of times

[@DJRitty]

I watched all the available episodes 2 winters ago - it was like going to film school and it was one of the best things I've ever seen cuz they make you WANT to see a good movie... I suggest to start from the 70's and keep going... this should be available on netflix - every studio benefits from this show so there should be any problem - screw the 'rights'. It should be required viewing for movie lovers... All those movies I never saw I got a briefing on them...it was great entertainment ABOUT entertainment...

[@moclips1]

Thanks so much, once again!

[@brianrodriguez8282]

Love this! I think it's even better than the Meg Parsont series...

[@ltcolumbo9708]

So refreshing to discover all 3 finding their voices and comfort zone. This was Letterman at his guest respecting years before he got too relaxed and irritable smartass

[@bijibadness]

it's really cute how they swap seats each time. did they do that absolutely every time they were on here? fair is fair.

[@bryansarracino8623]

In the first three appearances Ebert sat in the chair closest to Dave.

[@someguy2135]

@@bryansarracino8623 I have only watched the first two so far. I wondered about this, and figured that since Siskel got top billing (Siskel and Ebert) they decided to let Ebert sit closer. He is shorter, so that also makes more sense than Ebert looking around Siskel to see David.

[@someguy2135]

@Dave Davies Interesting! I'm glad they didn't do that. Why mess with the branding? If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

[@mikedarrah6945]

I grew up in Chicago, but moved away at 18 years old. I am now 41, and I go to old clips of Siskel and Ebert for a Chicago fix.

[@steveprice2718]

God, I remember this so vividly like it was yesterday, but no it's been almost 40 years now! And most of those 40 years sucked!

[@chadvee9446]

It’s amazing how much attention span audiences had before internet

[@markmaki4460]

OMG i remember seeing that viewer mail bit with them 24 years ago! God bless their souls for giving us such good memories.

[@Zoetropeification]

It's interesting to me that Siskel and Ebert's first appearance was exactly one month after Late Night first aired. It's surprising to me that they did not appear more often than 11 times during the 1980s. They would have been wonderful guests to have on the show monthly or at least quarterly.

[@darj617]

Now I really want to say to a girl unironically "You are a thirsty flower, but I can water you!"

[@Durhandoni80]

I love how Letterman pronounces Ebert like Ernie from Sesame Street.

[@katiezee2]

'Here kid, have an extension cord & some drill bits.' hahah It was a kick seeing the old 'Let's All Go to the Lobby' full piece, with the dancing candy & popcorn boxes

[@DavidBerlinguette]

"Go to the line and shoot some free throws"... OK, that explains where Fallon took his cue for the format he'd use ON A NIGHTLY BASIS!

[@ariochiv]

Ebert is surprisingly funny.

[@PatTheBatmanFan]

"Disney has less connection to the movie industry than Tribune." I don't know how true that was then- Tribune owned a great deal of media at the time of this interview- and once all the broadcasting deregulation happened in the 90's they expanded even more but to my knowledge they had nothing to do with film production or distribution, other than perhaps broadcasting movies on their TV stations. Either way, certainly not true now!

[@billyshepard5514]

I miss these guys

[@sto4713]

Thank you for putting this classic comp. together. I miss them but miss even more that time when ppl could honestly review movies and not just praise or slam it based on their political beliefs.

[@fifthbusiness1678]

Great and entertaining compilation, thank you! Interesting that Roger was always sat next to Letterman. ($4.50 to see a film in 1982? Imagine!)

[@dongiller]

I though they would switch back and forth. Will have to watch again.

[@anonymous-ft1xn]

Thanks, Don. These are fantastic. Speaking of Siskel and Ebert and that particular network's late night talk shows, I believe Siskel and Ebert's first national talk show appearance was on The Tomorrow Show on Oct. 4, 1978--just wondering if that one has ever turned up anywhere. Hopefully at the very least that one is still in the network vaults somewhere.

[@dongiller]

I wish I knew.

[@ryangettig274]

anon ymous-I know you can find those early shows at siskelebert.org

[@anonymous-ft1xn]

@@ryangettig274That is an excellent source, but unfortunately a lot of their talk show appearances on non-Letterman shows are unavailable. They weren't shy about going on talk shows over that 20 years, and they weren't exclusive to any one show. Even with a lousy host they could provide an entertaining segment. With the good interviewers like Letterman and Costas they were even better.

[@cliffordshafran9250]

They appeared most frequently on Letterman. But they were on so many other shows such as Carson, Oprah, Joan Rivers, Conan, Costas, and Arsenio. Not sure if they ever appeared on Leno. Yes, they must be hard to find, though there are two very funny appearances on Joan Rivers on KZbin. Their appearances on Letterman were the funniest.

[@TimefortheApocalypse]

Thank you!

[@Bootrosgali]

Saw part two and three first and so interesting to see these first ones and Dave is a totally different guy, basically still in his shell. H

[@maryvertrees5905]

$5 in NYC back in 1982? Damn!!!

[@richardyoon4209]

It was $2 in 1982 where i grew up. Rochester, NY

[@robertstevens1287]

Thanks a lot, I really derive benefit from scoping your channel. I used to dislike Letterman, but now I think he's the best TV host yet. He's actually way nicer than any other talk show guy, which is weird. Quantity and Qual... Qual... what's that word? Hahaha

[@leonardstilwell1894]

Wow. Just WOW, Don. This is going to be great! Thanks again for all your hard, hard work!You've probably been asked these before, so I'm sorry for the repeat questions:1. How do you know from which episodes to pull the clips? Do you have a log which records all the guests, segments, and references in each episode of the show?2. If you don't have a log ... then how are you doing it?!?! :)

[@dongiller]

Databases, databases, and databases.

[@tuz0wils0n]

@@dongiller So a database, a local backup and offsite/cloud backup 👍

[@dongiller]

Several databases, several backups, and one offsite backup. No cloud for me.

[@elviajove8289]

Thank you Don!

[@christianswanson3016]

Letterman angrily screaming "IT'S A JOKE!!!" is a great moment

[@DJRitty]

the best to ever do it...movies without them to me is like movies without my dad...it hasn't worked since they passed. RIP I miss the 80's...

[@spuzzlightyeartoo]

IM ON VACATION! I GET TO WATCH THIS! Anyways, great intro to these guys. Towards the end of this one they really start to polish their act. I wonder what caused that. I think they got comedy advice somewhere along the way.

[@jenniferkirkland569]

Yay!!! Thank you!!!

[@oobrocks]

I love seeing the dates: thank u!

[@SIKE01]

I miss these two guys

[@FQ8]

I still miss these two!

[@TheAathi6]

6:13 Reason why most people don't watch movies in theatres today with families. These men hit it 40 years back...

[@daniverse9625]

Funny enough Gene actually gave Halloween III thumbs up.

[@daniverse9625]

Just realized that while watching the video. Spoke too soon there.

[@RichfilmsRL]

Great job...!

[@Vejur9000]

Gene siskel was brilliant here

[@cliffordshafran9250]

Fini can water you! Now that's Oscar.....err.....Razzie-winning dialogue! I saw "Six Weeks" and agree with Roger on that unbearably sappy movie.

[@darwinblinks]

I liked with just one little comment, Gene exposed how sequels get green lit so easily because if one executive doesn't do it, another will, because it's the safest choice (meaning it was done for monetary gains, not artistic accomplishment).

[@DS8379]

This is Awesome!

[@frank2778]

Heaven's Gate is a masterpiece. Mainstream audiences can't endure slow pacing and the timing of a Western/period film was wrong. Robin Wood has analysed and highlighted its creative achievement.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

The director's cut is superior but it's still a good looking bore and I can handle slow.

[@erwinrogers9470]

Classic interview🔥👏