Where to Watch At the Movies (1982)

Summary

At the Movies is a movie review television program that aired from 1982 to 1990. It was produced by Tribune Entertainment and created by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, who had left Sneak Previews the previous year. Siskel and Ebert left in 1986 in a dispute with Tribune Entertainment; they went on to create Siskel & Ebert with Buena Vista Television. They were replaced by film critics Rex Reed and Bill Harris, a gossip correspondent for Entertainment Tonight. Under Reed and Harris, the show expanded beyond movie reviews, adding show business news. Harris left in 1988 and was replaced by former ET host Dixie Whatley. During the Siskel and Ebert run, the two adopted the same format they had used in their previous series Sneak Previews which ran on PBS: two critics from opposing newspapers looking at clips from the week's new movies and then discussing them. During this run they would adopt several elements that would make the show lively. For example, they would bring on Spot the Wonder Dog to help the critics lead into "The Dog of the Week", the week's worst movie. Later, they used another animal Aroma the Educated Skunk. Plus, the critics would also occasionally feature an "X-Ray segment" in which they discussed current trends happening in the movies. None of these extra elements were carried over when the show moved to Buena Vista and the show became Siskel & Ebert.