Mickey Loewenstein, set designer for Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel on TV, dead at 90

Using design wizardry, Mickey Loewenstein built the cozy neighborhood movie theater set for WTTW-Channel 11 that helped launch the television careers of dueling movie critics Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times and his Chicago Tribune counterpart Gene Siskel.

Mr. Loewenstein made it look like they were sitting in a movie theater balcony. It really was a tiny television studio set.

He fooled the human eye by using a design technique known as forced perspective, according to scenic designer Mary Margaret Bartley, who worked with Mr. Loewenstein at WTTW and at M and M Production Design, a company they co-founded.

"He was a master of it," she said.

Nearly everything around the two critics, including the glowing-red exit sign, was built about one-third the size it would be in an actual theater.

The show, which debuted in 1975 as "Opening Soon ... at a Theater Near You," changed names and broadcast affiliates over its decades-long run. But the set that Mr. Loewenstein created, or variations of it, remained a staple.

"I wanted them sitting in the movies like anyone else, not in some directors chairs or anything, and, by God, Mickey figured it out," said Thea Flaum, who produced the show. "He was a genius."

Mr. Loewenstein died of natural causes Aug. 20 in Florida, where he spent part of the year. He was 90.

Mr. Loewenstein was inspired by the ornate design of the movie theater he grew up going to in Highland Park.

His 40-year career as a scenic designer with WTTW began in 1959 and ended in 1999, when he retired.

For much of that time, Mr. Loewenstein had a sizable budget and the creative freedom to do what he needed. This was an era, before cable TV and the Internet provided infinite viewing and entertainment options, when WTTW was a powerhouse, presenting a wide range of programming.

From 1974 to 1985, his work included designing sets for WTTW's groundbreaking live-music show "Soundstage," a program that featured performances by big names including Bob Dylan and Ella Fitzgerald and many lesser-known acts.

For his work on the classic Chicago children's puppet show “Kukla, Fran and Ollie,” critiques were delivered, oddly enough, by the show's creator Burr Tillstrom through the puppets he wore on his hands.

His design for a ballet production for WTTW of "The Merry Widow," which featured dancers from the New York City Ballet in 1983, included a painted-glass ceiling that allowed in light. The production won a Peabody Award. It sat next to his six regional Emmys on display at his Evanston home.

He also worked on "Kup's Show," hosted by former Sun-Times columnist Irv Kupcinet and the "Chicago Tonight" set for former host Phil Ponce, and he designed sets for WTTW productions of "Bleacher Bums" and "Say Goodnight, Gracie."

On his first day of work, Mr. Loewenstein was walking up the steps leading to the station's former space at the Museum of Science and Industry and passed architect Frank Lloyd Wright and poet Robert Frost, who were coming down the steps.

"He thought to himself, 'I think this is the right place for me,' " said his wife Susan Newman.

Mr. Loewenstein was born Nov. 25, 1933, to Martha and Richard Loewenstein. His father worked in real estate. His mother owned a bookstore.

He attended Highland Park High School and majored in theater at the University of Colorado before serving two years in the Army, where he designed sets for Special Services, the entertainment branch of the military.

In college, he enjoyed climbing. Later, he climbed the Matterhorn, an experience that changed his life.

"There was a storm, and he thought he was going to die, and he had an encounter with God that gave him a sense of incredible peace, and he got through it and got home OK," Bartley said.

His wife said he would have been an actor, but he didn't think he had the voice for it.

Jack Ginay, a director who worked with him at WTTW, said Mr. Loewenstein was a great mentor.

"He taught me so much about the way sets support content and the use of lenses and light to make your backgrounds work," Ginay said.

The Chicago History Museum has a collection of his sketches and drawings.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Loewenstein is survived by sons Dave and Tim Loewenstein and three grandchildren.

A memorial service is planned at 11 a.m. Oct. 19 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Evanston.