Siskel & Ebert: 12-5-87

Note: I've edited it together with the start of the 3 filmstrips bumper while the "Please Stand By" bumper is kept with just a short edited intro of "Siskel & Ebert" due to a technical fault. And I fixed the end credits, too!

Gene Siskel & Roger Ebert reviews "The Duxorcist" (While it did marked the return of Daffy Duck's comeback theatrical animated film short for his 50th Birthday, even after the compilation film, "Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island" (1983) a few years ago. This was an experiment for Warner Bros. to bring back short Looney Tunes cartoons to theatres after 18 years. It made it's feature debut with a Courtroom Drama, "Nuts" with Barbra Streissand and Richard Dreyfuss. (One of the rarest times a short appears on an R-rated film, something WB would get away with. Fox did the same with "The Simpsons" theatrical short before "The War of the Roses" in 1989.) Also, it was made for the following year of "Daffy Duck's Quackbusters" (1988). The final Looney Tunes compilation film with "The Night of the Living Duck" short at the beginning and just about almost a year before Mel Blanc's official death on July 10, 1989. And finally, it's one of the rarest episodes where Siskel & Ebert review a theatrical animated short); "Walker" (A historical Weird Western with Ed Harris, Marlee Matlin, Peter Boyle, René Auberjonois and Xander Berkeley. One of Alan Cox's Worst Films that of course, he did a video of himself burning printed Newspaper articles into the fireplace and kept one of the positive feedbacks. I'm not kidding! Also, Gene spoiled the shocking surprise of Oscar-Winning Deaf Actress, Marlee Matlin's character, Ellen Martin's death in the film. Apparently, it had a Criterion Collection DVD and Blu-ray release! Go figure!); "Manon of the Spring" (Beautiful Romantic film with Emmanuelle Béart from "Mission: Impossible" (1996).); and "The Dead" (John Huston's final Directorial film with Anjelica Huston.)

Home Video segment: Ebert reviews and picks a buried treasure, the caper comedy and remake of the 1973 french film from director, Claude Lelouch, "Happy New Year" with Peter Falk in 3 individual roles with two unconventional disguises! Along with Charles Durning Tom Courtenay and Wendy Hughes. From "Rocky" and "The Karate Kid" director, John G. Avildsen. (Columbia Pictures gave it a limited release on August 7, 1987, received mixed reviews and was nominated for an Oscar in 1988 for Best Makeup. Gene was almost close enough to put this film on his top 10 best list of 1987, but it might have been on the honorable mentions through the rest of the list.) And a recap of Today's program.

Recorded on KGW NBC 8 in Portland, Oregon with Commercials intact.