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Hustling Hitler: The Jewish Vaudevillian Who Fooled the Führer
From acclaimed journalist Walter Shapiro, the true life story of how his great-uncle—a Jewish vaudeville impresario and exuberant con man—managed to cheat Hitler’s agents in the run-up to WWII. All his life, journalist Walter Shapiro assumed that the outlandish stories about his great-uncle Freeman were exaggerated family lore; some cockamamie Jewish revenge fantasies dreamt up to entertain the kids and venerate their larger-than-life relative. Only when he started researching Freeman Bernstein’s life did he realize that his family was actually holding back—the man had enough stories, vocations, and IOUs to fill a dozen lifetimes. Freeman was many a vaudeville manager, boxing promoter, stock swindler, card shark and self-proclaimed “Jade King of China.” But his greatest title, perhaps the only man who can claim such infamy, was as The Man Who Hustled Hitler. A cross between The Night They Raided Minsky’s and Guys and Dolls, Freeman Bernstein’s life was itself an old New York sideshow extravaganza, one that Shapiro expertly stages in Hustling Hitler. From a ragtag childhood in Troy, New York, Shapiro follows his great-uncle’s ever-crooked trajectory through show business, from his early schemes on the burlesque circuit to marrying his star performer, May Ward, and producing silent films—released only in Philadelphia. Of course, all of Freeman’s cons and schemes were simply a prelude to February 18, 1937, the day he was arrested by the LAPD outside of Mae West’s apartment in Hollywood. The charge? Grand larceny—for cheating Adolf Hitler and the Nazi government. In the capstone of his slippery career, Freeman had promised to ship thirty-five tons of embargoed Canadian nickel to the Führer; when the cargo arrived, the Germans found only huge, useless quantities of scrap metal and tin. It was a blow to their economy and war preparations—and Hitler did not take the bait-and-switch lightly. Told with cinematic verve and hilarious perspective, Hustling Hitler is Shapiro’s incredible investigation into the man behind the myth. By reconstructing his great-uncle’s remarkable career, Shapiro has transformed Freeman Bernstein from a barely there footnote in history to the larger-than-life, eternal hustler who forever changed it.
446 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 28, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 14, 2016
I very often have difficulty reading stories that are non-fiction and I thought this would be different because the subject had my interest.
But like other non-fiction books I've read I got bored and couldn't even break 50 pages. If you're not starting to fulfill the title of the book by then it's too long and needs a major edit.
My issue is that I am told events by the author and not shown events. It's just factual or rumored antidotes told in a very textbook way. The best way for me to be invested is if it reads like a fictional story, even though it is not. I want to read a first person account from Freeman himself.
Second, I get that the author was trying to set up a background of Freeman's life and how he became the man he was but I just wanted it to be about him hustling Hitler. I was not interested in the little details of his many cons and vaudeville days. Just concentrate on that one detail of his life, conning Hitler.
I like history and could watch historical programs on TV all night, but when it comes to reading them, I can never push myself to get very far and finish. If they aired a documentary show about Freeman Bernstein on the History Channel I'd watch.
1 out 5 fake jewels.
*I received an digital ARC from Penguin's First to Read*
But like other non-fiction books I've read I got bored and couldn't even break 50 pages. If you're not starting to fulfill the title of the book by then it's too long and needs a major edit.
My issue is that I am told events by the author and not shown events. It's just factual or rumored antidotes told in a very textbook way. The best way for me to be invested is if it reads like a fictional story, even though it is not. I want to read a first person account from Freeman himself.
Second, I get that the author was trying to set up a background of Freeman's life and how he became the man he was but I just wanted it to be about him hustling Hitler. I was not interested in the little details of his many cons and vaudeville days. Just concentrate on that one detail of his life, conning Hitler.
I like history and could watch historical programs on TV all night, but when it comes to reading them, I can never push myself to get very far and finish. If they aired a documentary show about Freeman Bernstein on the History Channel I'd watch.
1 out 5 fake jewels.
*I received an digital ARC from Penguin's First to Read*
May 25, 2016
There are some things in life that we can all agree are pretty awesome. A man pulling the wool over Hitler's eyes is arguably an incredibly awesome thing. Hustling Hitler: The Jewish Vaudevillian Who Fooled the Führer by Walter Shaprio depicts the storied life of Shaprio's great-uncle Freeman Bernstein.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
A vaudeville agent and prolific conman, Freeman Bernstein's antics read like a fantastic Hollywood concocted tale. From promoting boxing matches, putting on vaudeville acts for his wife to perform in, gambling, and writing numerous I.O.U.s Bernstein was always working an angle to make money--even if he never actually got to see any of it while he attempted to evade the law. Perhaps as a great coincidence, Bernstein managed to meet someone in 1937 who provided him the opportunity to swindle Hitler's nickel acquisition for armaments and handing Bernstein a story of a lifetime.
The narrative is informative with plenty of contextualizing historical facts paired with levity in the writing style. I think it was simply a corruption in the file I received for this, but the first page of every chapter was missing, which made it a little difficult to orient myself to the newest thread to the Freeman Bernstein narrative. I will say that I was a bit disappointed that the title story wasn't really discussed until the very end of the book with most of the novel serving as exposition to paint an overdone picture of Bernstein's character.
Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
A vaudeville agent and prolific conman, Freeman Bernstein's antics read like a fantastic Hollywood concocted tale. From promoting boxing matches, putting on vaudeville acts for his wife to perform in, gambling, and writing numerous I.O.U.s Bernstein was always working an angle to make money--even if he never actually got to see any of it while he attempted to evade the law. Perhaps as a great coincidence, Bernstein managed to meet someone in 1937 who provided him the opportunity to swindle Hitler's nickel acquisition for armaments and handing Bernstein a story of a lifetime.
The narrative is informative with plenty of contextualizing historical facts paired with levity in the writing style. I think it was simply a corruption in the file I received for this, but the first page of every chapter was missing, which made it a little difficult to orient myself to the newest thread to the Freeman Bernstein narrative. I will say that I was a bit disappointed that the title story wasn't really discussed until the very end of the book with most of the novel serving as exposition to paint an overdone picture of Bernstein's character.
Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
November 18, 2016
This would make a great magazine article, but it's not enough for a book.
August 14, 2016
The actual tale of the scam on Hitler is the very least of the goodness of this book. Freeman Bernstein was a con man, vaudeville impresario, boxing promoter, debt skater, gambler and larger-than-life personality of the 1900s to 1930s. He managed his wife's vaudeville and film career, and operated at the bottom of the vaudeville ecosystem. He was widely known as a fraud and a cheat, and yet was somehow able (mostly, but not always) to stay out of jail. Decade after decade, in cities and towns across America, he organized low-level talent or his next scam. And when it all fell apart, as it so often did, we see him running for the train station to get out of town.
Shapiro lovingly and very humorously reconstructs his great uncle's up-from-nothing life story. And, yes, somewhere in there, in the mid-1930s, Bernstein even pulled a clever scam against a Third Reich nickel purchaser, but all of that was toward the end of a life creatively, laughingly, insanely lived.
One might pause to have sympathy for all the people he fleeced, all the performers he left stranded in towns across America without their promised pay, and the author is frank in pointing out that he was, often, a complete schmuck. And yet he was so good at being this edge person, so convinced of his own righteousness, so persuasive to himself and others, that it is hard not to admire the performance. I think he loved the vaudeville show that was his life, and found himself completely entertaining. And at first, so also did his marks, I'd wager.
This book is so much fun. I laughed again and again. I started reading it in the morning and read it through to the end in one day.
Shapiro lovingly and very humorously reconstructs his great uncle's up-from-nothing life story. And, yes, somewhere in there, in the mid-1930s, Bernstein even pulled a clever scam against a Third Reich nickel purchaser, but all of that was toward the end of a life creatively, laughingly, insanely lived.
One might pause to have sympathy for all the people he fleeced, all the performers he left stranded in towns across America without their promised pay, and the author is frank in pointing out that he was, often, a complete schmuck. And yet he was so good at being this edge person, so convinced of his own righteousness, so persuasive to himself and others, that it is hard not to admire the performance. I think he loved the vaudeville show that was his life, and found himself completely entertaining. And at first, so also did his marks, I'd wager.
This book is so much fun. I laughed again and again. I started reading it in the morning and read it through to the end in one day.
June 3, 2019
Referenced from one of the Kopp sisters books, fun read about a larger-than-life huckster. I had been curious about immigrant communities who wound up in places like Troy, N.Y. And I still am. But if you are going to read Amy Stewart's Kopp sisters novels, you should get this one so you can see what the original (real) Dresden Dolls and May Ward looked like.
December 26, 2024
This book is a fun ride, especially if you enjoy unconventional history stories. Hustling Hitler isn’t about war strategies or Adolf Hitler’s political moves. Instead, it’s about the wild life of a real-life con artist named Freeman Bernstein, who somehow ended up outsmarting the Nazis in a surprising way.
Freeman was a master of deception, a con man who thrived on making deals that seemed legitimate but often turned out to be elaborate scams. One of his most infamous tricks? Selling fake metal to Nazi Germany—yes, he managed to pull that off. Just the idea of an ordinary scammer duping a regime as strict and paranoid as the Nazis is both hilarious and fascinating.
Walter Shapiro, who happens to be a distant relative of Freeman, writes the story with a casual, witty tone. Even though it’s rooted in history, it feels more like listening to an entertaining story from a friend. The book also gives you a peek into the shady world of con artists in the 1930s and 1940s, from Hollywood swindles to New York mafia dealings.
What makes this book relatable is that despite Freeman being a crook, you can’t help but laugh and admire his cleverness at times. Still, it’s also a reminder that being too crafty can backfire.
So, if you’re in the mood for something different—a mix of history, comedy, and crime drama—Hustling Hitler is definitely worth a read.
Freeman was a master of deception, a con man who thrived on making deals that seemed legitimate but often turned out to be elaborate scams. One of his most infamous tricks? Selling fake metal to Nazi Germany—yes, he managed to pull that off. Just the idea of an ordinary scammer duping a regime as strict and paranoid as the Nazis is both hilarious and fascinating.
Walter Shapiro, who happens to be a distant relative of Freeman, writes the story with a casual, witty tone. Even though it’s rooted in history, it feels more like listening to an entertaining story from a friend. The book also gives you a peek into the shady world of con artists in the 1930s and 1940s, from Hollywood swindles to New York mafia dealings.
What makes this book relatable is that despite Freeman being a crook, you can’t help but laugh and admire his cleverness at times. Still, it’s also a reminder that being too crafty can backfire.
So, if you’re in the mood for something different—a mix of history, comedy, and crime drama—Hustling Hitler is definitely worth a read.
June 11, 2017
The author has written a mildly interesting homage to his uncle, Freeman Bernstein, chiseler, con man, thief, deadbeat, welsher. A man who seemed to have general contempt for humanity and treated everyone he met as a mark. The only thing that made him the slightest bit endearing was that his schemes almost never succeeded, and when they did, he always managed to lose his money.
I will say this though: Freeman would have been proud of the bait and switch the author, his nephew, put over on the reader. The title advertises a story of Freeman Bernstein hustling Hitler. But that story doesn't begin until more than four-fifths of the way through the book, and then the real swindle only has an indirect connection to the Nazi government and doesn't get near Hitler himself. Although the story told by Bernstein afterwards describes Hitler personally on his knees begging to be provided with some precious and forbidden Canadian nickel.
I guess it's my fault for assuming that the title would be describing what was actually in the book; silly me. Here's a tip for the author: you'll get better reviews if you don't treat your readers like marks.
I will say this though: Freeman would have been proud of the bait and switch the author, his nephew, put over on the reader. The title advertises a story of Freeman Bernstein hustling Hitler. But that story doesn't begin until more than four-fifths of the way through the book, and then the real swindle only has an indirect connection to the Nazi government and doesn't get near Hitler himself. Although the story told by Bernstein afterwards describes Hitler personally on his knees begging to be provided with some precious and forbidden Canadian nickel.
I guess it's my fault for assuming that the title would be describing what was actually in the book; silly me. Here's a tip for the author: you'll get better reviews if you don't treat your readers like marks.
May 23, 2020
Wonderful read!
Freeman Bernstein was a con man to his toes, just who he was. I suppose it might be interesting to go modern and try to do a psychological analysis of him. But even more interesting is reading his exploits in "Hustling Hitler. "
Freeman loved family, had an affectionate if distant relationship with his wife, and sometimes paid old IOUs if he came into enough money. In his own way, it was a life well lived.
Freeman Bernstein was a con man to his toes, just who he was. I suppose it might be interesting to go modern and try to do a psychological analysis of him. But even more interesting is reading his exploits in "Hustling Hitler. "
Freeman loved family, had an affectionate if distant relationship with his wife, and sometimes paid old IOUs if he came into enough money. In his own way, it was a life well lived.
March 12, 2021
Most of the book was a waste. Chapters 1-15 were just an attempt to explain cons tthe guy tried to pull off that had nothing to do with the title. Finally in chapter 16 we get to the story. It had such potential to be a fascinating story, but it was a major let down.. Chapters 17-19 were about his arrest and a very anti-climatic ending. You could read only chapter 16 and have the whole depressing story. Too bad, because it had such potential.
November 1, 2025
I liked the humorous journey through a unique life. Freeman Bernstein was definitely a character!
March 2, 2017
Ugh. I really don't have anything more than that to say. I gave this book a good effort, but quite frankly life is too short to read books I have lost interest in. I wanted to like it, I wanted to read it. Neither of those things happened. The title is beyond misleading. I'm pretty sure "Hitler" was only added to the title to dupe people like me into reading it.
June 10, 2016
Freeman Bernstein was a man who hustled, played, and conned his way through life. At a time just before WWII when Adolf Hitler was rising to power, Bernstein managed to fool the Fuhrer in a sales deal. Hitler was asking for nickel and Bernstein basically managed to send him a shipment of used tin instead.
As a reader interested in obscure history, this book seemed like it would be fresh and something right up my alley. Unfortunately, it was a lot more "hustling" and a lot less "Hitler." The main title even doesn't even get mentioned apart from the first chapter until you're over halfway through the book. The book is written by Bernstein's great-nephew and while I'm sure it is a great tribute for his family and his family's history, as a historical account it falls rather short for me. I was a lot less interested in all of the smaller accounts of the everyday life of a vaudevillian and more interested in this story about Nazi Germany.
The writing also fell rather short for me as if it wasn't quite the slang of the time, but also wasn't exactly a more proper narration and it made it very hard to read.
It's so full of metaphors and similes trying to be witty, but just makes it rather dense to wade through.
All in all, if you're a reader who enjoys the smaller details of life at the turn of the century, this may be a great biography for you to pick up. However, since I was looking for more of a historical read and less of that family biography, it fell really short for me.
DNF'ed at 30%.
**Special thanks to Penguin Random House through FirstToRead.com for providing an electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.**
**Quotes in this review are pulled from the Advanced Reader's Copy and may be altered in the final publication.**
As a reader interested in obscure history, this book seemed like it would be fresh and something right up my alley. Unfortunately, it was a lot more "hustling" and a lot less "Hitler." The main title even doesn't even get mentioned apart from the first chapter until you're over halfway through the book. The book is written by Bernstein's great-nephew and while I'm sure it is a great tribute for his family and his family's history, as a historical account it falls rather short for me. I was a lot less interested in all of the smaller accounts of the everyday life of a vaudevillian and more interested in this story about Nazi Germany.
The writing also fell rather short for me as if it wasn't quite the slang of the time, but also wasn't exactly a more proper narration and it made it very hard to read.
At Saratoga U, Freeman earned his PhD in bluff, bravado, chips, and chance.
It's so full of metaphors and similes trying to be witty, but just makes it rather dense to wade through.
Any portrait of a con artist as a young man requires a moment when he throws off the shackles of family and convention to seek his fortune.
All in all, if you're a reader who enjoys the smaller details of life at the turn of the century, this may be a great biography for you to pick up. However, since I was looking for more of a historical read and less of that family biography, it fell really short for me.
DNF'ed at 30%.
**Special thanks to Penguin Random House through FirstToRead.com for providing an electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.**
**Quotes in this review are pulled from the Advanced Reader's Copy and may be altered in the final publication.**
June 27, 2016
“Anyone who can gyp one dollar or one hundred thousand dollars from the emissaries of a nation which has destroyed freedom of speech, press, assembly and religion should receive a gold medal and praise.” John Randolph Haynes
This true story of the black sheep in the family Freeman Bernstein is a labor of love by his great nephew. It is also a story of a conman and vaudeville promoter who never quite made the big time.
Freeman Bernstein did in fact hustle Hitler in fake nickel metals that never came through. His story is much more than that as he also ran in some interesting circles in the theater in New York City and the movies in Hollywood. His wife was May Ward and she was known as the Dresden china doll in her greatest role. She was a hard worker and supported him throughout his schemes to make money.
I enjoyed this story because I love genealogy and on my husband side of the family tree, he has a Gaiety Girl Grandmother and a brother of a Baronet as Grandfather with quite an interesting history. I could certainly identify with Freeman Bernstein and his wife May.
This story is well researched and lovingly told. I enjoyed it very much. I received it as part of the Penguin's First to Read Program.
This true story of the black sheep in the family Freeman Bernstein is a labor of love by his great nephew. It is also a story of a conman and vaudeville promoter who never quite made the big time.
Freeman Bernstein did in fact hustle Hitler in fake nickel metals that never came through. His story is much more than that as he also ran in some interesting circles in the theater in New York City and the movies in Hollywood. His wife was May Ward and she was known as the Dresden china doll in her greatest role. She was a hard worker and supported him throughout his schemes to make money.
I enjoyed this story because I love genealogy and on my husband side of the family tree, he has a Gaiety Girl Grandmother and a brother of a Baronet as Grandfather with quite an interesting history. I could certainly identify with Freeman Bernstein and his wife May.
This story is well researched and lovingly told. I enjoyed it very much. I received it as part of the Penguin's First to Read Program.
August 22, 2016
I received a copy of this book through Penguin's First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.
I have mentioned in the past that I've always been fascinated by the European theater during WWII, so this book should have been a touchdown for me. Sadly, it was flatter than Tom Brady's footballs.
I was drawn in by the promise of the story about a Jewish vaudevillian conning Hitler and then made to wait until page 348 to read about it. I'm pretty sure the book spent more time talking about Mae Ward and her varying number of Dresden Dolls than it did talking about the Hitler Hustle. Freeman Bernstein supposedly led this really interesting life, but it came across tedious and boring (and I really kind of wanted the jerk to get his comeuppance.)
This book has a lot of facts, at least I assume they are facts because the bibliography at the end is extensive. I really didn't care about most of them though, because they had nothing to do with Freeman Bernstein at all, let alone the Hitler swindle.
If I had realized that this book was a whole life biography of Freeman Bernstein, I never would have requested it. 2 out of 5 stars.
Review also posted on Just Another Girl and Her Books blog
http://www.justanothergirlandherbooks...
I have mentioned in the past that I've always been fascinated by the European theater during WWII, so this book should have been a touchdown for me. Sadly, it was flatter than Tom Brady's footballs.
I was drawn in by the promise of the story about a Jewish vaudevillian conning Hitler and then made to wait until page 348 to read about it. I'm pretty sure the book spent more time talking about Mae Ward and her varying number of Dresden Dolls than it did talking about the Hitler Hustle. Freeman Bernstein supposedly led this really interesting life, but it came across tedious and boring (and I really kind of wanted the jerk to get his comeuppance.)
This book has a lot of facts, at least I assume they are facts because the bibliography at the end is extensive. I really didn't care about most of them though, because they had nothing to do with Freeman Bernstein at all, let alone the Hitler swindle.
If I had realized that this book was a whole life biography of Freeman Bernstein, I never would have requested it. 2 out of 5 stars.
Review also posted on Just Another Girl and Her Books blog
http://www.justanothergirlandherbooks...
August 16, 2016
Hustling Hitler hits the ground running. It's a fast-paced read and I couldn't help but read it in the voice of an old-timey 1940s gangster actor from a black and white film. Shapiro assumes that the reader is familiar with vaudeville and the timeframe and political landscape in the 1930s' America. Shapiro's writing style sounds like it would be best suited for an audiobook, or even a movie. There's so much personality in the words that I'm just not sure how to receive his message or why I should care.
After pretty much skimming the book, because I found myself so uninterested in this person's ramblings about some guy's shenanigans, I realized I had been catfished by the title. Most of it was about Freeman and less about his dealings with Hitler. If I had known this, I would not have asked to read this book through the First To Read program.
Thanks to the Penguin First to Read program for this book.
After pretty much skimming the book, because I found myself so uninterested in this person's ramblings about some guy's shenanigans, I realized I had been catfished by the title. Most of it was about Freeman and less about his dealings with Hitler. If I had known this, I would not have asked to read this book through the First To Read program.
Thanks to the Penguin First to Read program for this book.
December 4, 2016
Author Shapiro, having heard stories from his father about an unbelievable great-granduncle, decided to check it out on the internet. Not expecting much, he found quite a lot, much of it amplifying the tales he'd heard. This led to further research in libraries and archives and, ultimately, to this biography of the fabulous conman, Freeman Bernstein.
While fact-based and informative about the world of carnies, gambling, vaudeville and burlesque his grifting granduncle operated within, the tone of this biography is humorous. While the jokes worked for me for the first hundred or two pages, they wore thin by the end.
While presenting itself as being about a con pulled on the Nazis, that part of the book is pretty short, only coming up towards the conclusion.
While fact-based and informative about the world of carnies, gambling, vaudeville and burlesque his grifting granduncle operated within, the tone of this biography is humorous. While the jokes worked for me for the first hundred or two pages, they wore thin by the end.
While presenting itself as being about a con pulled on the Nazis, that part of the book is pretty short, only coming up towards the conclusion.
May 16, 2016
Thanks to Penguin's First to Read program. I enjoyed this book in bits and pieces. The title is a bit misleading as it is only one con of many in a lifetime of looking for the next big thing to make the big bucks. I enjoyed reading about the vaudeville circuits, but found the minute details of what felt like every con ever constructed and executed by Bernstein to be overkill. Also the bad puns while at time eliciting a bark of laughter, distracted one from the story being told.
October 29, 2016
Hustling Hitler is a very well-researched book. I wondered how the author managed to get his hands on the details of Freeman Bernstein's life of shenanigans. He tells (late I the book) where he found his sources. The author's voice is wonderfully wry and delightfully Runyonesque. The book is rather long, but it is worth the investment of time if you are interested in being immersed in the world of vaudeville and old New York.
November 15, 2016
Author's humorous memoir of his Jewish great uncle who was an incompetent con man except for the time he arranged what Germans thought would be a delivery of nickle but was really scrap metal. But even then, his partner took his share of the money.
June 14, 2016
Did not make it all the way through this. The topic seemed interesting but the writing was super poor and made it really difficult to read.
July 5, 2017
Many of the complaints in here are based on the fact that the title doesn't match the content. As far as a good read goes, I don't see that as a problem. The book is well researched and well written. The writing style is in a good story format and I didn't find it to be too text-like. I actually found it very hard to put down.
Sometimes Freeman Bernstein is the lovable loser and other times, he's a complete and total jerk. He was without a doubt a very colorful character on the fringes of success in the entertainment business in the early 20th century. Many of the stories are laugh out loud funny even though his pattern of bust bust boom bust again is rather predictable. If you are looking for insight on World War 2, then Google Freeman Bernstein and skip the book. If you are looking to read about vaudeville and the entertaining story of an occasionally likable schmuck who is always looking for an angle, then this book is definitely for you. Thank you Walter Shapiro for sharing your family story with us!
Sometimes Freeman Bernstein is the lovable loser and other times, he's a complete and total jerk. He was without a doubt a very colorful character on the fringes of success in the entertainment business in the early 20th century. Many of the stories are laugh out loud funny even though his pattern of bust bust boom bust again is rather predictable. If you are looking for insight on World War 2, then Google Freeman Bernstein and skip the book. If you are looking to read about vaudeville and the entertaining story of an occasionally likable schmuck who is always looking for an angle, then this book is definitely for you. Thank you Walter Shapiro for sharing your family story with us!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews