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Article: Game shows' big Wheel: Friedman has helped keep Wheel and Jeopardy on top for years. (The Fifth Estater).(Harry Friedman, executive producer of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Broadcasting & Cable
- Article date:
- April 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. (US). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Harry Friedman knows a thing or two about game shows, having worked on more than 30. As executive producer of both Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, he has helped those shows stay atop the ratings with innovations that keep viewers tuning in.
Moving to Hollywood at age 24, "all I knew is I wanted to be in television," says the Nebraska native. "I didn't set out to be in game shows, I don't think anybody did back then. But I wanted to be in television."
His first gig, though, was as a salesman at Oliver's, a men's clothing store in the San Fernando Valley. On the side, he repaired TVs and wrote jokes for a friend's nightclub act. He got his show biz break ...