Fred Freiberger
Encyclopedia
Fred Freiberger was an American film and television screenwriter and television producer, with a career spanning four decades including The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
, Star Trek
, and Space: 1999
. He appeared as himself in the short documentary Funny Old Guys, which appeared on the HBO series Still Kicking, Still Laughing in the summer of 2003, several months after his passing.
Freiberger is most widely known for his work as producer of the third and final season of science fiction
series Star Trek
from 1968–1969.
, which was followed by a stint as producer of The Wild Wild West
during its first season in 1965-66. In 1968 Freiberger was hired as producer for the third and final season of Star Trek. Freiberger went on to write episodes for a number of popular early-1970s TV series, such as All in the Family
, Emergency!
, Starsky and Hutch
, and Ironside
. He even worked as a story editor at Hanna-Barbera on TV series such as The New Scooby-Doo Movies
and Super Friends
. Freiberger then moved on to produce the final season of The Six Million Dollar Man
in 1977-78 and the short-lived Beyond Westworld
in 1980. At end of his career he wrote six episodes of the 1980s syndicated series, Superboy
.
, as a result of differences with NBC
, stepped down as showrunner for Star Trek, and Freiberger was again contacted and hired as producer for its third season. He was saddled with a reduced budget that made the show more difficult to produce, and a new so-called Friday night death slot
which resulted in a decline in ratings for the already low-rated show. Many Star Trek fans have criticised Freiberger for being the cause of this decline but Nichelle Nichols
has come out in his defense. As Nichols writes, the result of NBC's severe budget cutbacks to the third season of Star Trek, in an environment of rising production costs and escalating actor's salaries, meant that:
, and hired in part to make the series more appealing to the American market. To that end Freiberger reworked the show with cast and character changes, a greater emphasis on action and drama, and even ensured that signage on the show used American English spellings.
Freiberger himself wrote three episodes for Space: 1999 under the pseudonym "Charles Woodgrove" as he had done when writing episodes of the Western series Rawhide
.
, mostly due to his involvement in the final seasons of Star Trek, The Six Million Dollar Man and Space: 1999, all of which were cancelled on his watch. This has led to Freiberger being given the nickname "The Series Killer" in some circles, although he was also involved in the establishment of several other series that lasted for several seasons, such as Wild Wild West and Superboy. Both Nichelle Nichols
and William Shatner
refused to assign any blame to Freiberger for the inferior third season of Star Trek. In fact, Freiberger was a person who was repeatedly called in to "save" already-failing TV series like Star Trek and Space: 1999—and tended to give them make-overs in an attempt to do so. However, others point out that Freiberger's involvement was sometimes instrumental in getting otherwise cancelled shows picked up for another season. Freiberger himself took some credit for getting Space: 1999 picked up for a second series because he excited the backers with his proposed changes and a new character.
While it appears anecdotally true that a number of series were cancelled after Freiberger produced them, including the Western The Iron Horse
and the detective series Big Shamus, Little Shamus
, this could be said to be true of many TV producers. However, the fact no other producer has had as many science fiction series canceled after his involvement with them cannot be denied.
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms is a 1953 science fiction film directed by Eugène Lourié and stars Paul Christian, Paula Raymond and Cecil Kellaway with visual effects by Ray Harryhausen. The film is about an atomic bomb test in the Arctic Circle that unfreezes a hibernating fictional dinosaur, a...
, Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
, and Space: 1999
Space: 1999
Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
. He appeared as himself in the short documentary Funny Old Guys, which appeared on the HBO series Still Kicking, Still Laughing in the summer of 2003, several months after his passing.
Freiberger is most widely known for his work as producer of the third and final season of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
series Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
from 1968–1969.
Early life and career
In the late 1930s Freiberger worked as an advertising man in New York. During World War II, he was stationed in England with the U.S. 8th Air Force, was shot down over Germany and spent two years as a prisoner of war. After the war he moved to Hollywood with the intention of working in film publicity, but a studio strike led him into script writing. He was associated with Buddy Rogers' Comet Productions and Ralph Cohn of Columbia Pictures. He was one of the four credited writers on The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953). His film writing credits include 13 motion pictures between 1946 and 1958.Television career
From 1958 forward he worked extensively and almost exclusively in television. In 1960, he became producer of the popular medical drama, Ben CaseyBen Casey
Ben Casey is an American medical drama series which ran on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, *, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaffe intoned, "Man, woman, birth, death, infinity." Neurosurgeon Joseph...
, which was followed by a stint as producer of The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
during its first season in 1965-66. In 1968 Freiberger was hired as producer for the third and final season of Star Trek. Freiberger went on to write episodes for a number of popular early-1970s TV series, such as All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
, Emergency!
Emergency!
Emergency! is an American television series that combines the medical drama and action-adventure genres. It was produced by Mark VII Limited and distributed by Universal Studios...
, Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
, and Ironside
Ironside (TV series)
Ironside is a Universal television series which ran on NBC from September 14, 1967 to January 16, 1975. The show starred Raymond Burr as the wheelchair-using Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside. The character's debut was in a TV-movie on March 28, 1967. The original title of the show in the...
. He even worked as a story editor at Hanna-Barbera on TV series such as The New Scooby-Doo Movies
The New Scooby-Doo Movies
The New Scooby-Doo Movies is the second incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. It premiered on September 9, 1972 and ran for two seasons on CBS as the only hour-long Scooby-Doo series...
and Super Friends
Super Friends
Super Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup...
. Freiberger then moved on to produce the final season of The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for the OSI...
in 1977-78 and the short-lived Beyond Westworld
Beyond Westworld
Beyond Westworld is a short-lived 1980 television series that carried on the stories of the two feature films, Westworld and Futureworld. It features Jim McMullan as Security Chief John Moore of the Delos Corporation. The story revolves around John Moore having to stop the evil scientist, Quaid, as...
in 1980. At end of his career he wrote six episodes of the 1980s syndicated series, Superboy
Superboy (TV series)
Superboy is a half-hour live-action television series based on the fictional DC Comics comic book character Kal-El's early years as Superboy. The show ran from 1988–1992 in syndication...
.
Producing Star Trek
Freiberger had been interviewed as a possible producer for Star Trek prior to it's first production year in 1966, but owing to a planned trip, bowed out of consideration. In 1968, Star Trek creator Gene RoddenberryGene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
, as a result of differences with NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, stepped down as showrunner for Star Trek, and Freiberger was again contacted and hired as producer for its third season. He was saddled with a reduced budget that made the show more difficult to produce, and a new so-called Friday night death slot
Friday night death slot
The Friday night death slot is a perceived graveyard slot in American television, referring to the concept that a television program in the United States scheduled on Friday evenings is destined for imminent cancellation....
which resulted in a decline in ratings for the already low-rated show. Many Star Trek fans have criticised Freiberger for being the cause of this decline but Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols is an American actress, singer and voice artist. She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before turning to acting...
has come out in his defense. As Nichols writes, the result of NBC's severe budget cutbacks to the third season of Star Trek, in an environment of rising production costs and escalating actor's salaries, meant that:
Producing Space: 1999
On December 15, 1975 he was confirmed both to manage the scripts and to produce the second series of Gerry Anderson's British-made science fiction TV show Space: 1999Space: 1999
Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
, and hired in part to make the series more appealing to the American market. To that end Freiberger reworked the show with cast and character changes, a greater emphasis on action and drama, and even ensured that signage on the show used American English spellings.
Freiberger himself wrote three episodes for Space: 1999 under the pseudonym "Charles Woodgrove" as he had done when writing episodes of the Western series Rawhide
Rawhide (TV series)
Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...
.
Negative reputation in science fiction fandom
Freiberger has a dubious reputation in science fiction fandomFandom
Fandom is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest...
, mostly due to his involvement in the final seasons of Star Trek, The Six Million Dollar Man and Space: 1999, all of which were cancelled on his watch. This has led to Freiberger being given the nickname "The Series Killer" in some circles, although he was also involved in the establishment of several other series that lasted for several seasons, such as Wild Wild West and Superboy. Both Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols is an American actress, singer and voice artist. She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before turning to acting...
and William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
refused to assign any blame to Freiberger for the inferior third season of Star Trek. In fact, Freiberger was a person who was repeatedly called in to "save" already-failing TV series like Star Trek and Space: 1999—and tended to give them make-overs in an attempt to do so. However, others point out that Freiberger's involvement was sometimes instrumental in getting otherwise cancelled shows picked up for another season. Freiberger himself took some credit for getting Space: 1999 picked up for a second series because he excited the backers with his proposed changes and a new character.
While it appears anecdotally true that a number of series were cancelled after Freiberger produced them, including the Western The Iron Horse
The Iron Horse
The Iron Horse is an American Western television series that appeared on ABC from 1966 to 1968. It featured Dale Robertson as fictional gambler-turned-railroad baron Ben Calhoun...
and the detective series Big Shamus, Little Shamus
Big Shamus, Little Shamus
Big Shamus, Little Shamus is an American detective drama series that aired on CBS on Saturday nights for two weeks from September 29, 1979 to October 6, 1979.-Premise:...
, this could be said to be true of many TV producers. However, the fact no other producer has had as many science fiction series canceled after his involvement with them cannot be denied.