FRONTLINE WITH JESSICA SAVITCH: AN UNAUTHORIZED HISTORY OF THE N.F.L. {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The premiere of this documentary series hosted by Jessica Savitch. This program examines the world of gambling on professional football games and the possible association that bookmakers, players, coaches, and owners have with organized crime. The program includes interviews with National Football League (NFL) commissioner Pete Rozelle, law enforcement officials, and known bookmakers and mafia members. Topics examined include the following, among others: the link between gambling and organized crime; the amount of money gambled on last year's Super Bowl; the extent to which professional gamblers will go in order to keep track of scores; why football gambling is the fastest growing form of gambling in Las Vegas; how the betting lines are set for football games; what the difference is between the "outlaw line" and the regular betting line; how the casinos are quickly coming under the control of the mafia because of the growth of football gambling; how bookmakers can destroy incriminating evidence without a trace; why the NFL employs a private security force to keep track of the players and coaches; how gamblers can use players and coaches to control the outcome of a game; the background of gambling in the NFL; why more and more owners have become associated with convicted mafia members and bookmakers; why it is so difficult to keep the mafia out of the NFL's operations; and how NFL franchises are being bought by people who have had ties with mafia members and bookmakers. Includes a preview of next week's program, "88 Seconds in Greensboro." This program is closed-captioned.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS WGBH Boston, MA
- DATE: January 17, 1983 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:59:10
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:44785
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Football; Gambling; Mafia; Organized crime; Public affairs/Documentaries; Sports
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1983-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- David Fanning … Executive Producer
- Bob Glover … Coordinating Producer
- Michael Kirk … Senior Producer
- Marrie Campbell … Producer
- Joanna Lu … Producer
- William Cran … Producer, Director, Writer
- Ben Loeterman … Associate Producer
- Scott Malone … Associate Producer
- Dick Heller … Director, For Frontline
- Deborah Richardson … Researcher
- Jessica Savitch … Writer
- Mason Daring … Theme Music by
- Martin Brody … Theme Music by
- Jessica Savitch … Host, Reporter
- Art Eberhart
- Fratianno, Jimmy "The Weasel"
- John Helvin
- Mike Lednovich
- Leroy Orosko
- Pete Rozelle
- Warren Welsh
- Paul Ybarrondo