Albert Freedman (March 27, 1922 – April 11, 2017) was an American television producer who was involved with the
1950s quiz show scandals. He became a central figure in the cheating scandals and was the first person indicted. He was arrested for perjury after lying about giving contestants questions, and then recanted his grand jury testimony which led to the arrests of 14 former contestants. After the quiz show investigations concluded Freedman moved to London to work in pornography publications.
Early life
He was born on March 27, 1922, in
Taunton, Massachusetts
Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount ...
. During World War II he enlisted in the U.S. Marines and was sent to the
Pacific Theater. After the war Freedman went to study at
Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
, and later at the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
. He also studied in Paris at a
film school
A film school is an educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training ...
.
He was married to Esther Katz and had four children with her.
Career
In the 1950s television was just becoming popular, and Freedman moved to New York and got a job with a
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...
show called ''
You Bet Your Life
''You Bet Your Life'' is an American comedy quiz series that has aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show deb ...
'' before becoming a television producer.
He produced a show called ''
Tic-Tac-Dough
''Tic-Tac-Dough'' is an American television game show based on the paper-and-pencil game of tic-tac-toe. Contestants answer questions in various categories to put up their respective symbol, ''X'' or ''O'', on the board. Three versions were produc ...
'' and ''
The Big Surprise
''The Big Surprise'' is a television quiz show broadcast in the United States by NBC from October 8, 1955, to June 9, 1956, and from September 18, 1956, to April 2, 1957. It was hastily created by NBC in response to the ratings success of '' Th ...
''. Quiz shows also gained popularity: CBS started a show called ''
The $64,000 Question
''The $64,000 Question'' was an American game show broadcast in primetime on CBS-TV from 1955 to 1958, which became embroiled in the 1950s quiz show scandals. Contestants answered general knowledge questions, earning money which doubled as the ...
'' and it was immediately very popular.
Dan Enright
Daniel Enright (né Ehrenreich; August 30, 1917 – May 22, 1992) was an American television producer, primarily of game shows. Enright worked with Jack Barry from the 1940s until Barry's death in 1984. They were partners in creating programs for ...
started a show called ''
Twenty-One'' to compete,
it was produced by Entertainment Productions Inc.
Freedman took over producing ''Twenty-One'' in 1956. At the time, the show ''Twenty-One'' had a contestant named
Herb Stempel
Herbert Milton Stempel (December 19, 1926 – April 7, 2020) was an American television game show contestant and subsequent whistleblower on the fraudulent nature of the industry, in what became known as the 1950s quiz show scandals. His rigged ...
who seemed unstoppable. The continuing success of Stempel caused the show's ratings to fall. In response,
Geritol
Geritol is a United States trademarked name for various dietary supplements, past and present. Geritol is a brand name for several vitamin complexes plus iron or multimineral products in both liquid form and tablets, containing from 9.5 to 18&nb ...
(the show's sponsor) sought a new contestant to rival Stempel.
Scandal
In 1956 Freedman found a teacher from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
named
Charles Van Doren
Charles Lincoln Van Doren (February 12, 1926 – April 9, 2019) was an American writer and editor who was involved in a television quiz show scandal in the 1950s. In 1959 he testified before the U.S. Congress that he had been given the corr ...
who he thought could be a rival to Stempel. He planned to do this by helping Van Doren cheat. In a 2008 ''
New Yorker Magazine
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' article Van Doren stated that Freedman told him, "I've thought about it, Charlie, and I've decided you should be the person to beat Stempel. And I'll help you do it." In speaking to the
Archive of American Television in 2000, Freedman would only admit that he told Van Doren what to study prior to the shows. Van Doren debuted on the show November 28, 1956.
in 1958 another contestant on ''Twenty-One'' (
Elfrida von Nardroff
Elfrida von Nardroff (July 3, 1925 – November 11, 2021) was an American game show contestant. In 1958, she won $220,500 () on the game show '' Twenty-One'', more money than any other contestant on the show. Later, it was revealed that there was ...
) went on to have a long run on the show and earned $220,500 in winnings. Shortly after her appearance on the show, an investigation into quiz shows was begun by
Manhattan District Attorney
The New York County District Attorney, also known as the Manhattan District Attorney, is the elected district attorney for New York County (Manhattan), New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws ...
,
Frank Hogan
Frank Smithwick Hogan (January 17, 1902 – April 2, 1974) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He served as New York County District Attorney for more than 30 years, during which he achieved a reputation for professionalism and ...
.
The investigation was prompted by a standby contestant who had hoped to be on the television show ''
Dotto
''Dotto'' was a 1958 American television game show that was a combination of a general knowledge quiz and the children's game connect the dots. Jack Narz served as the program's host, with Colgate-Palmolive as its presenting sponsor. ''Dotto'' ...
''. The contestant complained to the New York District Attorney's office about irregularities.
The Manhattan district attorney's investigation discovered that ''Twenty-One'' had been paying some contestants to lose. The trouble began when a losing contestant did not receive compensation that was promised to him. The man went to the media and revealed the game show's scheme.
A
grand jury was convened on September 17, 1958, to look into allegations which were made regarding quiz shows. The Grand Jury heard from more than 200 witnesses over a nine-month period.
On November 7, 1958, Freedman became the first person indicted and arrested in the quiz show scandal.
He became the central figure in the quiz show scandals.
When Freedman was previously before the grand jury he had denied that he supplied contestants with answers, and when he was led out of court after his testimony he stated, "Everything I told the grand jury is the truth."
Van Doren stated that Freedman tried to extort $5000 from him as payment for Freedman helping him win: a charge which Freedman denied.
In September 1959 Freedman admitted he had lied to the grand jury and he was indicted for
perjury
Perjury (also known as foreswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an inst ...
.
He was arrested and then recanted his testimony to the grand jury in order to avoid a conviction.
He was facing two counts of perjury and 10 years in prison.
Faced with the prospect of prison, he finally admitted that he had given contestants answers.
On October 7, 1959, he testified before the
House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight
The House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight was a special subcommittee of the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, responsible for the oversight of federal regulatory agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission. Dur ...
and admitted that he assisted contestants on the show "21" about 50% of the time.
In 1962, von Nardroff pleaded guilty to second-degree perjury and Van Doren pleaded guilty to perjury.
Twelve other former contestants were also arrested in the scandal.
Later life
Freedman relocated in London and worked for ''
Penthouse
Penthouse most often refers to:
*Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building
*Penthouse (magazine), ''Penthouse'' (magazine), a British-founded men's magazine
*Mechanical penthouse, a floor, typically located directly u ...
'' and other pornography publications.
In 1981 Freedman went on to earn a Ph.D. from the
Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality.
He later remarried to his second wife, Nancy Blumberg, and took on her two children as stepchildren. Freedman died of heart failure on April 11, 2017.
At the time of his death he lived in
Greenbrae, California
Greenbrae is a small unincorporated community in Marin County, California. It is located south-southeast of downtown San Rafael, at an elevation of 33 feet (10 m), located adjacent to U.S. Route 101 at the opening of the Ross Valley. Part of ...
.
Popular culture
In 1994, the film ''
Quiz Show'' was released and it depicted the events of the 1950s quiz show scandal. It was directed and produced by
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the List of awards and nominations received by Robert Redford, recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Awards, Academy Award from four nomi ...
and Albert Freedman was portrayed by
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert Azaria ( ; born April 25, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is known for voicing many characters in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), most notably Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, ...
.
Freedman said he did not enjoy the movie, because it made it seem as if there was more cheating than there actually was on "Twenty-One".
References
External links
Youtube - Albert Freedman discusses Charles Van Doren(
The Interviews: An Oral History of Television)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freedman, Albert
1922 births
2017 deaths
People from Greenbrae, California
People from Taunton, Massachusetts
Businesspeople from Massachusetts
Military personnel from Massachusetts
Boston College alumni
Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality alumni
University of Southern California alumni
Penthouse (magazine) people
American television producers
20th-century American businesspeople
United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II