Fool them once, shame on me.  Fool them twice, shame on them.

Tag line: Let me tell you a lie.

Logline: At the height of the Red Scare, a blacklisted publisher must risk everything and team up with his political enemy -- a repugnant con man -- to expose a national scandal, bring McCarthyism to an end, and save a friend from prison before time runs out.  But this gamble comes at a cost; they unwittingly enable the resurrection of an American public monster: Roy Cohn.

Elevator pitch - overview: FOOL THEM ONCE (working title, a.k.a. MATUSOW AFFAIR) is a true-crime political drama about the scandal which gripped the country during the McCarthy era, and still reverberates to this day.  It contains the literal origin story for today’s brand of con man politics, the rally cry to fight against it at all costs, and finally gives us the missing link between Roy Cohn’s downfall due to the Army-McCarthy hearings and his resurrection in New York City (where he famously one day will become the mentor to Donald Trump).

What’s it like? FOOL THEM ONCE is like SPOTLIGHT meets a darker version of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, with shades of HOUSE OF CARDS.

What’s it about? FOOL THEM ONCE is about how shockingly easy it can be to push a nation to the brink through manipulation, brazen lies and blatantly playing to the politics of fear.  Inversely, FOOL THEM ONCE is also about how a small group of people who courageously raise their voices in resistance and in pursuit of the truth can topple regimes built on demagoguery.  It takes the themes of flawed righteousness, fear of the “other”, and history repeating and embeds them in the thrilling stories of a crusading underdog, a real-life supervillain, an eccentric oddball, a family under siege, and a nation in turmoil.  And it comes with a healthy does of family drama, sordid sex, outrageous humor, clandestine espionage, and political warfare.  

What’s the way in? Protagonist Albert Kahn’s harrowing story of risking everything to stand up against overpowering forces and overwhelming odds in the name of truth and the public good is our entrée into this untold epic. The heated debates with his publishing partner over trusting Matusow, the alliances and arguments with his wife over the safety of their family, and the wrenching pressure of trying to protect them all from government attacks serve to humanize this tale. There is no shortage of emotional anchors which turn history into drama and make that drama relatable to everyday audiences.

Format: There is strong potential for this story to play in both the narrative and non-fiction spaces. We are currently in talks on both fronts.

NARRATIVE LIMITED SERIES

We envision that FOOL THEM ONCE will be told in the form of a scripted, narrative, historical drama limited series for television and online streaming.  Through approximately ten hour-long episodes, it will take audiences from inside the halls of the U.S. government, through the trenches with Albert's publishing team as they battle against great odds, and into the home of the Kahn family as they attempt to survive a siege of government intimidation and public death threats.  Predominantly, the action will revolve around the efforts to write and publish Harvey's book, and the government's counter-efforts to prevent False Witness from seeing the light of day.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

The twists and turns of this story are compelling enough by themselves.  But when examined in the context of present political events, they reveal themselves to collectively form an origin story for today's climate.  Holding the two eras up against each other for comparison yields uncanny and disturbing parallels. Not only has polarizing rhetoric and demagoguery returned to the center stage of American politics, but some of the very people at the heart of FOOL THEM ONCE were responsible for molding the individuals who now steer our national discourse.  Donald Trump’s attacks are right out of Cohn’s playbook. Entire passages from the congressional questioning of Michael Cohen seem lifted straight from the grillings that Senate subcommittees gave Albert and Harvey.

Inverse to how O.J. MADE IN AMERICA demonstrated a wide history of cultural conflicts breeding a singular event, we propose a documentary which uses the gripping parable of FOOL THEM ONCE as a way to understand how our country has found its way back to dark days, and debate what tact, if any, we want to take to change the future.

With a wealth of archival material at the disposal of the creative team behind this project (much of which they own outright), FOOL THEM ONCE has the potential to be a rich viewing experience.  They have catalogued thousands of letters, diaries, photographs, transcripts, audio reels, and film footage in an extensive cross-referenced database.  The audio assets available include never-before-heard interviews between Albert Kahn and Harvey Matusow conducted both in 1954 and the mid-1970s, along with present-day interviews the creative team has conducted with the surviving Kahn family and historians.

Tim Kahn, and his brothers Steve Kahn and Brian Kahn, all of whom lived through the Matusow episode (sons of Albert and Riette Kahn), are all still living and offer a tapestry of recollections and opinions of this era.

Additionally, through the process of researching the story, the creative team has cultivated relationships with experts and scholars across the country who can bring this story to life.

The storylines* of Albert Kahn and Roy Cohn operate in diametric opposition, with Harvey Matusow acting as the unpredictable disruptor.  

• On one side, Roy is grasping for power by any means and political dark art, especially that of exploiting the culture of fear that grips the nation.   

• On the other side, Albert is crusading for justice as he sees it, seeking emancipation for the unjustly oppressed —including a dear friend — and striving to dismantle the very system of demagoguery propagated by Roy Cohn and his cronies.

• Between them is the unstable spinning top that is Harvey Matusow, a young man who seems to try on various masks, and to swear alternating allegiances on mere whims.  His attempt to come clean now is either his first earnest pursuit of redemption or yet another opportunist stunt. Only time will tell as both Albert and Roy seek to use Harvey in different ways, to meet their own aims. 

Time is against each of them they race toward a personal victory which is far from certain.  But there is one thing Roy clearly knows, yet which escapes Albert and Harvey: by leveling accusations against Roy, Albert and Harvey have set up an eventual showdown between them, the stakes of which are prison for the losing side.  In FOOL THEM ONCE, all roads lead to a face-off which will have lasting effects on the American landscape.

THE PROTAGONIST: Struggling, blacklisted writer/publisher/activist Albert E. Kahn stakes his career and the security and safety of his family on the word of an admitted con man -- Harvey Matusow -- in an attempt to topple McCarthyism and save a dear friend from prison.  But his battle is not only against shadowy government forces and public death threats, but also against time itself. And time is running out fast. Will Albert triumph in time or will the fight consume him and tear apart his young family under enormous pressure?

THE WILD CARD: Failed comedian/magician/puppeteer Harvey Matusow has conned his way to the heights of national political celebrity and into McCarthy’s inner circle, all at barely 28 years of age.  It’s a shockingly meteoric rise uniquely suited for his brand of pathologically erratic, narcissistic, womanizing behavior. And he’s done it all by brazenly lying in front of the entire nation -- lies at times fed to him by Roy Cohn.  But now he’s suddenly had a “religious conversion” and is on a vision quest across Texas and New Mexico, spreading rumors that he’s going to write a memoir of the government’s complicity in his public sins. But is Harvey really coming clean or is he just spinning another con to get back into the headlines?

THE ANTAGONIST: The one-time architect of McCarthyism and notorious master of political dark arts, Roy Cohn has been brought low by the disgrace of the Army-McCarthy hearings, leaving him cast out of Washington D.C.  Harvey’s accusations against Roy and the government are taken by Senator Joseph McCarthy and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover as grave threats. But Roy sees them as the perfect opportunity to plot his resurrection and return to power in an even darker, more sinister version of himself than before.  That is, if he can thread the needle just so. Will Roy’s cunning manipulation allow him to turn Harvey’s revelations against himself and land Roy back where he belongs -- the intersection of national gossip and power?

THE INSIDE PERSPECTIVE: The personal accounts of these trials, endured by Albert Kahn and his family are what drive the human narrative forward. Thanks to the recorded recollections in Albert’s book and the wealth of corresponding notes and recordings — along with the living memories of the Kahn children — in FOOL THEM ONCE, historical drama becomes real-life tension of the most gripping form.

3-ACT STRUCTURE (overview - proposed)

• ACT 1 - THE SEARCH FOR MATUSOW. Albert races the FBI to find the destructive and elusive ghost, Harvey Matusow. Everyone angles to control his secrets.

• ACT 2 - THE FIGHT TO WRITE. The struggle to secure Matusow’s confession, and to get the book written under duress of government intimidation and time ticking down. Cohn plots his revenge. The Kahn family is tested. As Albert conducts his interrogation of Harvey, we intercut present day with flashbacks depicting the rise of Matusow, McCarthy, and Cohn.

• ACT 3 - THE SHOWDOWN. Open battles in court, contrasted with clandestine battles behind the scenes over suppression of the book and the political smearing of its author, its publishers, and anyone associated with it, the Kahn children included. Harvey and Roy face off, with prison looming for the losing side.

*Full 3-Act structural breakdown and other synopses, including character development details, available upon request.

GENRE FAMILY

• Modern-day parable

• Political intrigue/drama/thriller

• Untold story about notorious public figures

• Personal stories playing out against a national backdrop

WORKING TITLE

FOOL THEM ONCE is a sinister play on the turn of phrase “Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.” In contrast, this version speaks both to the malicious strategy of lying to the public in order to seize power, as well as to the public’s responsibility to learn from history so as to not relive its pitfalls.  It also evokes a spectre which has audiences questioning Harvey’s motives throughout the course of the story.

FOOL THEM ONCE is the con man’s tenet.

FOOL THEM ONCE is a political strategy.

FOOL THEM ONCE is a operational directive.

FOOL THEM ONCE is a call for public vigilance against the threat of tragic history repeating itself.

MARKETING HOOKS

COHN: With Donald Trump occupying the Presidency and Roger Stone occupying revolving news cycles, their mutual mentor, Roy Cohn, has once again emerged as America’s boogeyman.  For all that has been written, produced, and discussed about the complexly dark and dangerous Cohn, the particulars of his return to power after the humiliation of the Army-McCarthy hearings has been almost wholly overlooked.  This bizarre story explores for the first time the means by which Roy parlays Harvey’s accusations against him into a platform on which to publicly excoriate his enemies and relaunch his career.

MATUSOW: Harvey is the kind of simultaneously endearing and repulsive, uniquely prolific public figure that audiences love to realize they’ve never known anything about.  He’s like a real-life bizzaro Forrest Gump, who seems to collide with history over and again as he continuously reinvents himself. Except, unlike Forrest, he leaves behind a wake of destruction until his eventual search for redemption.

KAHN: Albert E. Kahn was an early adopter of the same brand of principled protest which seems to drive the youngest generation of activists today.  Rejecting an upbringing of extreme privilege, he dedicated himself to the causes of equality, justice, and anti-fascism. Albert’s story serves both as an inspirational and a cautionary tale -- his altruistic, purposeful drive could become dangerously myopic and his willingness to sacrifice all occasionally became a selfish act, as his family was often left to deal with the fallout from his crusades.

PARABLE OF THE TIMES: There's no doubting the timeliness of this project as echoes of the McCarthy Era continue to emerge. Contentious debates over domestic immigration and international threats during the tenure of the current administration have fostered the return of fear mongering and polarization. A highly editorialized press and political pundits on both sides of the aisle wrestle for headlines daily. A large body of Americans dismiss the 448 footnoted, annotated, pages of the Mueller Report as “fake news.” All arguably thanks to America having elected Roy Cohn's protégé, Donald Trump, to the White House. As we head into a new presidential campaign season, we find ourselves in a renewed conversation over the ideals that define the soul of our nation, and of the nature and relevance of truth itself.  FOOL THEM ONCE and the reflection it offers us, are important parts of that debate.

FOOL THEM ONCE has all the hallmarks of good television: high-profile historical events, government corruption, a wandering desert vision quest,  a manhunt, an unpredictable whistle blower, a politically explosive exposé, a family struggling to stay together, David versus Goliath power dynamics, the security and freedom of our nation at stake and a robust cast of complex and controversial characters. 

In short they are: Angus Cameron, Albert's publishing partner; Riette Kahn, Albert's wife and matriarch of the family household; Clint Jencks, Albert's friend facing prison due to Harvey's false testimony against him; Ruth Sommers, Cameron & Kahn's office manager and femme fatale; several composite FBI agents. 

Between its opening scene and its closing moments, we'll witness the rise and fall of Joe McCarthy, family bonds strained and tested, the second coming of Roy Cohn, J. Edgar Hoover's myopic battle to protect the reputation of his cherished FBI, and the heroism and disappointments of everyday men and women fighting for their most cherished beliefs.  Connecting these puzzle pieces is a man who alternately plays the role of ally and enemy to each of them: Harvey Matusow.

The series forces us to wrestle with questions of faith, conscience, duty to country, commitment to fellow citizens, righteousness, and the uncertain nature of truth itself.

UNIVERSAL THEMES:

• Underdogs vs. archvillains / David vs. Goliath dynamics.

• The repentant con-man tries to make good.

• The family under siege.

• The “blindness” of the crusader.

• The “devil” ascendant.

• Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

• Divided we fall / the soul of a nation in the balance.

• The truth prevails.

In order to do this project the justice it deserves, Ben has dedicated himself to complementing this access with a strong sense of authenticity.  To keep him on the straight and narrow, he’s enlisted the participation of scholars across the country.  Dr. Ellen Schrecker, Professor of History at Yeshiva University and currently a Frederick Ewen Academic Freedom Fellow at the Tamiment Library at New York University, is the author of Many Are the Crimes, widely admired as one of the definitive histories of the McCarthy Era.  Dr. Athan Theoharis, Professor Emeritus at Marquette University, is the nation's preeminent scholar on the history of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with a special focus on the Bureau's operation during the McCarthy and Cold War periods.  Robert M. Lichtman is a scholar of the McCarthy Era and the co-author of Deadly Farce: Harvey Matusow and the Informer System in the McCarthy Era, an exhaustively researched history of Harvey Matusow's rise and fall.