Siskel and Ebert statue planned for Prudential Plaza in Chicago, honoring "precursor to Letterboxd"
A life-size bronze sculpture of Chicago film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert is planned for Prudential Plaza, where visitors will be able to sit in theater seats and pose with them. The plaza's owner says it plans to install the statue, and film producer Pam Kasper is leading the effort to build it.
The sculpture is titled "Siskel and Ebert: Two Thumbs Up," a nod to the rating system the two critics made famous. At 6-foot-5, it will show Siskel and Ebert standing side by side, each giving a thumbs up, behind two metal theater seats. It's expected to be in place in early 2028.
Kasper, who has spent two years working on a Siskel and Ebert documentary with director Michael Bonfiglio, said she got the idea after seeing the statue of Ebert outside the Virginia Theatre in Champaign.
"Despite how popular and influential they became, they never left Chicago," Kasper said. "They were on the air for 25 years nationally, and they could have left."
Siskel was the Chicago Tribune's primary film critic for 30 years until his death in 1999. He also joined CBS Chicago in 1974 as the movie critic for Channel 2 News, and the critics' best-known show was later taped at the station's former headquarters. Clips of Siskel on the Channel 2 News are in the CBS Chicago Vault. Ebert worked for the Chicago Sun-Times for 46 years until his death in 2013.
The statue will stand at Prudential Plaza, 130 E. Randolph St., a spot chosen for its visibility and its closeness to where the critics once worked. Kasper said the property's ownership was quickly open to the idea. Preston Jackson, an Illinois sculptor and professor emeritus of sculpture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, is creating the piece.
Kasper is aiming to raise $230,000, working with Chicago Gateway Green on corporate sponsorships and public donations. Fundraising started Thursday.
A Hollywood memorabilia auction will also help pay for the project. Items donated by studios and celebrities include an apron signed by the cast of "The Bear," a "Toy Story" Jessie doll signed by Evanston native John Cusack and a "Caddyshack" lobby card signed by Evanston native Bill Murray. Others are two "Mad Men" costume renderings signed by designer Janie Bryant, a cast-led tour of the renovated "Brady Bunch" house in Los Angeles and a 30-minute Zoom call with Lee Eisenberg, a head writer for "The Office."
Kasper said the rating system itself deserves remembering.
"Even just the 'Two Thumbs Up' rating system, that was the precursor to Letterboxd and Rotten Tomatoes," she said.
She also wants people to remember that the critics were known for spirited debate but also for listening to and respecting each other. The seats are meant to make the statue interactive.
"I thought it would be so cool to have something where people … could go and interact with Roger and Gene in theater seats and put their own thumbs up," Kasper said.
The city honored the 50th anniversary of the critics' TV pairing last November with a series of screenings at the Chicago Cultural Center.
Kasper said she hopes it will be "just a fun thing for the city," a place to stop for a photo near Michigan Avenue and Millennium Park. Crain's Chicago Business first reported the news Thursday.