Alan Eliot Freedman (October 12, 1889 – April 29, 1980) was a pioneer and long-time executive in the motion picture film processing industry. He founded DeLuxe Laboratories after serving as president of its predecessor, Fox Film Laboratories. His career lasted over 50 years.
Early Life
editAlan Freedman was born in Russia in 1889. Shortly after his birth his parents brought him and several cousins to the United States, settling in New York’s upper east side. He had seven younger brothers and sisters, all born in New York.
Career
editAlan E. Freedman started his long career in film processing at the industry’s infancy in 1907, barely two years after the Nickolodeon arcades.[1] It was a time before major studios, west coast production and feature films.[2] It was a time before film spocketing, safety film, sound, and color reversal film stocks. And it was a time before continuous processing; when movie film was loaded on racks, batch processed in dip tanks and dried in drums.
Alan Freedman’s first industry job was with the Wendel film processing laboratory in Manhattan. He moved to Crystal Film Company in the Bronx shortly thereafter. In 1911 Fox Film Corporation (later 20th Century Fox) Executive Assistant Sol Wurtzel recruited Freedman as a bookkeeper and paymaster for its laboratory. Freedman was soon promoted to business manager [3] [4] by Vice President Jack Leo, and he went on to run the lab under various titles. Freedman led the lab through the trials and shortages of World War I, overcoming a catastrophic explosion and fire and finding ways to pioneer improvements in film processing such as the addition of sound.
In the depths of the depression, Freedman bought the lab from Fox Film Corporation, renamed it “DeLuxe,” and marshaled in a new era in motion picture film processing. [5][6] (Since Freedman's retirement, DeLuxe has been sold several times and is now known as DeLuxe Entertainment Services Group.) Under his direction, innovations, including the processing and sound striping of Cinemascope, were developed and implemented. Many of those were patented and/or received Academy awards.[7] [8][9]
During World War II, in addition to processing films from Fox and the other studios, DeLuxe worked closely with the Signal Corps and the War Department to process military surveillance and training films.[10] In appreciation, the War Department presented Freedman its patriotic services award.[11] Similarly, the Commerce Department presented two certificates of appreciation, one in 1953 for services rendered … in time of national emergency … without compensation[12] and one for his … contribution to the defense of the United States by [his] service in the National Defense Executive Reserve.[13] After the war, Freedman served as an UNESCO emissary to Europe to re-establish and vitalize film industries there.
Freedman intermingled continuously with his employees, his customers, his competitors, and his employees' representatives. He had a great ability to forge low-key behind-the-scenes agreements which benefited all parties. One major accomplishment was to arrange financing for Robert Benjamin and Arthur Krim to buy United Artists in the early 1950s. This action had a side benefit for DeLuxe in that UA contracted to buy film processing services from the lab.
It has been told but unconfirmed how well Freedman got along with his employees and how greatly they respected him. There are no known reports of any labor unrest at DeLuxe. Most employees had long careers there and retired from there, and the plant never had problems filling vacancies. Although negotiations with the union typically went down to the wire, agreements were reached which were satisfactory for all parties. During the 1950s and 1960s, DeLuxe negotiated with the union on behalf of all the New York Labs. Freedman worked behind the scenes while using his assistant and son Irwin (Buck) Freedman as the point man at the negotiating table. He was also chairman of the Motion Picture Laboratory Technicians, Local 702, Pension and Welfare Funds.[14]
In later years Alan was criticized for nepotism by employing his sons. The response to his critics was that nepotism had been successful DeLuxe standard policy for decades. Alan encouraged all of his employees to recruit family members for job openings. After a funeral which decimated the DeLuxe production ranks for a day, Buck discovered that the deceased's family composed 300 of the roughly 1000 DeLuxe New York employees.
Through Freedman’s leadership and dedication DeLuxe Laboratories grew and prospered, and Color By Deluxe became a world-honored symbol of quality in film processing.
Freedman was a pioneer member of the Society for Motion Picture Engineers. [15] He was also a member of the Will Rogers Motion Pictures Pioneers Foundation, earning a Citation of Honor for "… dedicated and distinguished humanitarian service to the people of the entertainment industry [and] augmenting his participation in matters of the board of directors,"[16] and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. [17]
Alan Freedman’s accomplishments are tracked through a bevy of awards and testimonials including a lifetime achievement award from the Motion Pictures and Television Industries[18] and recognition from the Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corporation for outstanding contributions to the cause of audiovisual education.[19]
Sons’ Careers in Motion Picture Film Processing, Sales and Rejuvenation
editAlan Freedman’s three sons – Harold, Irwin (Buck), and Myron (Mickey) – all began their careers with DeLuxe.
Harold served as Engineering Assistant to the President. He organized and managed the sound department at DeLuxe. Harold was instrumental in the development and implementation of numerous innovations in sound technology including the conversion from optical to magnetic processes. Additionally, Harold was a jack of all trades for Fox and DeLuxe.[20] He conceived and patented the product and technique for film splicing utilizing a sprocketed adhesive backed film, a technique that is still in use today.[21] And he was often dispatched to sets of the most expensive productions to advise cinematographers on how best to film their effects so that the end product after processing would be what they wanted. After DeLuxe closed its New York plant, Harold finished his career with Technicolor.
Buck served both as Assistant to the President and as president of the Toronto lab. He had lasting impact on the lab’s success in the areas of human resources, labor relations, and sales. As noted above, Buck represented the New York labs in union contract negotiations. In the early 1960s when Fox was again running into great financial difficulties (which led to the corporate coup of Darryl Zanuck ousting Spyros Skouras),[22] Buck kept product flowing into DeLuxe by successfully selling DeLuxe's excess capacity to most of New York's independent producers. Buck left DeLuxe shortly after the Zanuck takeover of Fox. He was motion picture film national sales manager for Agfa-Gevaert until his retirement.
Mickey managed DeLuxe’s Chicago Crescent lab. After leaving DeLuxe, Mickey pioneered and then improved film rejuvenation. He patented and implemented new techniques which improved both quality and profitability,[23] and he served as General Manager of Hollywood Film Corp.
Personal and Later Life
editWhile in high school, Alan met Marie Barrach, his love and wife of 62 years until her death in 1977. Together they had four children: Harold, Dorothy, Irwin (Buck), and Myron (Mickey). The Freedmans provided their children diverse experiences and learning opportunities within a loving environment. Horseback riding and tennis were among the ventures along with many family outings. Daughter Dorothy took flying lessons and became a pilot.
The Freedmans moved to Ft. Lee, N. J. when Alan joined Fox. They later moved to Brooklyn and then to Great Neck, N.Y. in the mid 1930s.
While the three sons went on to motion picture film processing and sales, Dorothy was a research scientist, high school science teacher, and neo-natal nurse.
Freedman became an avid yachtsman, buying his first in the early 1930s and upgrading to the 60-foot Sea Queen in 1937. He joined and became active in the Knickerbocker Yacht Club of Port Washington, serving as commodore and other responsible positions.[24]
Retiring in 1962, Freedman maintained an active life with Marie until her death in 1977. He died in 1980.
References
edit- ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movie_theater
- ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movies
- ^ Recollections of Alan E. Freedman, Transcribed Interview by Charles Freedman, 1978
- ^ Fox Folks Vol. I, No. 4, August, 1922. Also, Vol. III, No. 7, July, 1924, p. 12 and back outside cover, and Vol. III, No. 8, August, 1924, p. 8. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1922_Fox_Folks_Fox_History_1_and_2.jpg
- ^ Image, DeLuxe Laboratories, Inc. check 101 to Fox Film Corporation for $2,000,000.
- ^ The Film Daily, New York, April 3, 1932, p. 1. https://archive.org/stream/filmdailyvolume55859newy#page/799/mode/1up
- ^ http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp?curTime=1395799746004
- ^ http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp?curTime=1395799832459
- ^ The Hollywood Reporter, May 6, 1980, p. 170
- ^ The Hollywood Reporter, May 6, 1980, p. 170
- ^ War Department expresses its appreciation for patriotic service in a position of trust and responsibility to Alan E. Freedman 10 October 1946, signed MG H.C. Ingles, Chief Signal Officer; LG LeRoy Lutes, Commanding General Army Service Forces; Robert Patterson, Secretary of War.
- ^ United States Department of Commerce National Production Authority Certificate of Service, 1953.
- ^ United States Department of Commerce National Defense Executive Reserve Emeritus, September 22, 1967.
- ^ The Hollywood Reporter, May 6, 1980, p. 170
- ^ Society of Motion Picture Engineers certificate of enrollment as an active member, April 10, 1931
- ^ Will Rogers Memorial Hospital and Research Laboratories Board of Directors Certificate of Honor
- ^ Certificate from Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, undated, s/Walter Mirisch, President (1973 – 1977)
- ^ Photgraphs of Presentation of Citation … on the Occasion of the Motion Picture and Television Industries Tribute to the Laboratory Technician, May 18,1968
- ^ Certificate from Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corporation on its 50th anniversary, 1978
- ^ http://www.antonnews.com/greatneckrecord/obits/6570-obituary-harold-julius-freedman.html
- ^ H. J Freedman, Methods and Devices for Handling and Applying of Thin Film Materials, Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Patented Mar. 25, 1969, No. 3,434,898.
- ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_Film_Corporation#Fox_Film_Corporation
- ^ Myron L. Freedman, Split Reel Method and Apparatus for Cleaning Film, Filed Feb. 18, 1969, patented Mar. 11, 1969, No. 3,432,113
- ^ One Hundred Years of Knickerbocker History, Lawrence Kamisher Editor, 1974, pp. 20, 73.
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[[Category:1889 births]]
[[Category:1980 deaths]]
[[Category:Business]]
[[Category:Film]]
[[Category:20th Century Fox]]
[[Category:DeLuxe Entertainment Services Group]]
[[Category:DeLuxe Color]]
[[Category:Technology]]
[[Category:Film and Video Technology]]
[[Category:History of Film Technology]]
[[Category:CinemaScope]]
[[Category:Film Sound Production]]
[[Category:American film studio executives]]
[[Category:American entertainment industry businesspeople]]