Skip to main content

Albert Freedman papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 123.4838

Collection Scope and Content Note

The Albert Freedman papers contain documentation related to quiz show production, the scandals of the 1950s, and Freedman's role in both. Materials include articles about the 1950s quiz show scandals and congressional hearings, newspaper clippings of Freedman's life, set photographs, correspondence, game show scripts, contestant questionnaires for Twenty-One, and promotional materials (photographs and brochures). Also included are game show scripts ofThe Big Surprise, Tic-Tac-Dough, Juvenile Jury, and a script for the movie,Quiz Show (1994). Additional scope and content information can be found in the Container List section of this finding aid.

The papers have been arranged into four series and are housed in three document boxes and one oversized folder.

Dates

  • Creation: 1955-2008
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1957-1959

Language of Materials

The majority of the collection is in English, with some instances of Italian and French.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for use by staff of The Strong and users of the library and archive.

Conditions Governing Use

Though the donor has not transferred intellectual property rights (including, but not limited to any copyright, trademark, and associated rights therein) to The Strong, they have given permission for The Strong to make copies in all media for museum, educational, and research purposes.

Biographical Note

Albert Freedman was an American television producer. In the 1950s, Freedman moved from the West Coast to New York and found work on the showYou Bet Your Life. AfterYou Bet Your Life, he worked closely with Barry & Enright Productions onTic-Tac-Dough, Twenty-One, The Big Surprise, and others. Freedman was indicted and charged with perjury during the quiz show scandals. After the scandals, Freedman and his family relocated to London where he worked forPenthouse magazine. Freedman earned his PhD from the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in 1981.

In the 1950s, a series of accusations of popular quiz shows being rigged incited the American population and the press. The scandals involved producers and contestants of Twenty-One, Dotto, The Big Surprise andTic-Tac-Dough. In 1956 the quiz showTwenty-One aired on NBC to very low ratings. The show sponsors were unhappy, and producers started rigging the shows to make them interesting. Producers would feed contestants answers, give them categories they were familiar with, or tell them to intentionally answer a question incorrectly.Twenty-One contestant, Herb Stempel, went to the press with allegations of cheating but was ignored until another contestant accusedDotto of rigging in 1958. The combined complaints were enough to initiate a New York County grand jury investigation. Several producers and contestants committed perjury in front of the grand jury to protect themselves. Charles Van Doren and Elfrida von Nordroff pleaded guilty to perjury and 12 other contestants were also arrested. There were no indictments, but the judge sealed the findings and testimony and aroused suspicion that corruption was involved, which attracted the attention of Congress. A formal congressional subcommittee investigation, headed by Joseph Stone, began in August 1959. Charles Van Doren and other contestants testified before Congress. Findings from the congressional hearings led to the amendment of the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the rigging of game shows.

Extent

3.5 Linear Feet (3 document boxes, 1 oversized folder)

Abstract

This collection of papers from Albert Freedman, an American television producer, documents the quiz show scandals of the 1950s. The materials are dated from 1955 to 2008, with the bulk of the materials from 1957 to 1959. The papers are comprised of newspaper clippings, correspondence, photographs, production scripts, audio transcripts, and completed contestant questionnaires for the game show, Twenty-One.

System of Arrangement

Series I: Legal documents and transcripts, 1957-1960, 1994

Series II: Marketing, 1956-1958

Series III: Program development, 1955-1958, 1986

Series IV: Published articles, 1957-2008

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Albert Freedman papers were donated to The Strong in December 2023 as a gift of Derek Freedman. The papers were accessioned by The Strong under 123.4838. The collection was delivered to The Strong by Howard Blumenthal in three boxes.

Related Materials

In 2024, Adam Nedoff donated two publicity photographs. The first of Jack Barry, Hank Bloomgarden, and James Snodgrass (obj ID 124.1927) on the set of Twenty-One. The second photograph consists of a black and white photograph of Jack Barry and five contestants ofJuvenile Jury.

Processed by

Stephanie Ball, April 2024.

Title
Guide to the Albert Freedman Papers, 1955-2008 —
Status
Completed
Author
Stephanie Ball
Date
April 2024
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play at The Strong Repository

Contact:
The Strong
One Manhattan Square
Rochester NY 14607 USA
585.263.2700
585.423.1886 (Fax)