"Thumbs Up" -- My Tribute to Siskel and Ebert

Back in the 1990s when I wrote about fifteen screenplays -- each one a magnificent failure -- I was an avid fan of Siskel and Ebert.  These two distinguished critics had a television program in which they reviewed movies and often argued with each other -- which was part of the fun.  To some, they were simply known as the fat one and the bald one.

I learned a lot about movies and about criticism from these two authors.  And since they loved movies so much, I imagined that it might be quite amusing if they stared in their own movie.  So, I wrote a screenplay called "Thumbs Up."  It's about two rival movie critics who are on the run from the law, framed for a crime they didn't commit, trapped in a ridiculous plot similar to the bad movies they review.

You may have noticed that this script was never made into a movie -- And sadly it will never star Siskel and Ebert since Mr. Siskel passed away in the late 90s, and Mr. Ebert passed away last year after a long battle with cancer.

Still, I didn't want the project to just remain in my office drawer, like so many of my other screenplays. So, I revamped the script and turned it into a stage play.  It was published by Big Dog Plays -- and I'm hoping to watch it at a regional theater someday.

You can read the synopsis and a preview of Thumbs Up at Big Dog Plays.