Mildred Freed Alberg

Mildred Freed Alberg (January 15, 1921 - 2002) was an American producer who worked primarily in television, including creating the Hallmark Hall of Fame. Described by actor Maurice Evans as "television's pathfinder", she received two Peabody Awards, seven Sylvania Awards, six Christopher Awards, and five Emmy Awards, in addition to other professional recognition.

Early years Alberg was born in Montreal, Canada, on January 15, 1921, the daughter of Harry and Florence Freed. Her father founded the Freed Paper Box Company in Montreal. She was the third child of the couple's three daughters and one son. Her father and one sister died in 1931, after which her brother assumed responsibility for the family. She ventured into broadcasting in the early 1940s as producer of a series of debates that initially presented only a conservative perspective. After she asked, "Don't you think you should have two sides if you call it a 'debate'?" she was asked to participate in the next broadcast.

Hallmark and NBC agreed on a series of other Shakespearean plays starring Evans. Those productions included Macbeth and Richard III in 1954. The next year, "The Hallmark Hall of Fame became a long-term, regular feature on NBC" with Alberg its executive producer.

Our American Heritage The next phase in Alberg's career resulted from a request to replace an ailing producer. Fred Coe had been scheduled to launch Our American Heritage, a series of specials to dramatize "crucial, representative events in the lives of famous Americans". Alberg said that her responsibilities on Our American Heritage made her work on Hallmark Hall of Fame "seem like a Sunday School picnic". She explained that the new program used original scripts rather than established works, and those scripts had to be "entertaining ... enlightening ... and they must be absolutely historically authentic". She wrote that viewer support would encourage more sponsors to provide quality programs: "Letters, patience, encouragement will guarantee that the good shows will not only continue, but multiply." The play had been done on Hallmark Hall of Fame in 1958, and producing it on stage frustrated Alberg because "things I could do in television I couldn't do in the theater". Personal life Mildred Freed married Somer Alberg on January 28, 1940, in Montreal, Canada. He was an actor from Montreal whom she met in New York City.

Recognition Hallmark Hall of Fame received 17 awards in the 1957-1958 season, including Peabody, Sylvania, and an Emmy. Our American Heritage received an Emmy Award