20th Century-Fox: Darryl F. Zanuck and the Creation of the Modern Film Studio

by Scott Eyman Narrated by Suehyla El-Attar

Overview

From New York Times bestselling author Scott Eyman, this is the story one of the most influential studios in film history, from its glory days under the leadership of legendary movie mogul Darryl F. Zanuck up to its 2019 buyout by Disney.
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March 20, 2019 marked the end of an era -- Disney took ownership of the movie empire that was Fox. For almost a century before that historic date, Twentieth Century-Fox was one of the preeminent producers of films, stars, and filmmakers. Its unique identity in the industry and place in movie history is unparalleled -- and one of the greatest stories to come out of Hollywood. One man, a legendary producer named Darryl F. Zanuck, is the heart of the*story. This narrative tells the complete tale of Zanuck and the films, stars, intrigue, and innovations of the iconic studio that was.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

There have been many studies of the great American film studios, so any new entry in the field has to supply something new — and that is precisely what Scott Eyman provides in his fascinating and well-researched volume on 20th Century Fox”
 —Barry Forshaw, Crime Time

“Film historian and bestselling author Scott Eyman has done it again with 20th Century-Fox.”
 —Danielle Solzman, Solzy At The Movies

"This is a lot to cover in 300 pages...but Mr. Eyman is aided immensely by his gift for pithy observation and his ability to draw a portrait with a few deft strokes."
 —Wall Street Journal

"There is not, in my estimation, a better way to describe the essence of Darryl F. Zanuck than Eyman accomplishes here, as he widens the lens on Zanuck's drives, vision, and personal philosophy of life, all of which lives on in the dreams of the cinema created under his dedicated and fantastical mind."—EDGE Media Network

Library Journal

09/01/2021

Film historian Eyman has written biographies of movie stars Cary Grant and John Wayne and MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer. His latest biography is not just of a man—famous and infamous 20th Century-Fox producer-mogul Darryl F. Zanuck—but of the movie studio he ran starting in the 1930s, when his independent company merged with the financially overextended Fox Studios. In chapters named after some of Fox's films (including "Mark of Zanuck," a cheeky play on Mark of Zorro), Eyman describes Zanuck's iron reign over the studio through the 1950s, as the movie business faced competition from television; the hiccup when he decamped to Europe to pursue independent projects, essentially misbegotten vehicles for his mistresses; and Zanuck's return, installation of his son Richard as second-in-command, and eventual ouster and decline. In between the Zanuck stories are snippets of movie critiques, tales of production foibles, some gossip, and a brief account of the men who followed in Zanuck's footsteps and Disney's 2019 acquisition of the company. Also included are many financial details, which might intrigue only CPAs. VERDICT Eyman's writing is vivid and succinct when he's synopsizing movies, yet much of this book feels detached and secondhand. Mainly for die-hard "Golden Age" Hollywood fans and Zanuck completists.—Liz French, Library Journal

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177114279
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	09/21/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged

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