Twentieth Century's fox
Subtitle: Darryl F. Zanuck and the culture of Hollywood
By: George F. Custen.
Publisher: BasicBooks
Published: 1997
Place of publication: New York, NY
Language: eng
Number of pages: 435
Subjects: Zanuck, Darryl Francis, 1902-; Motion picture producers and directors -- United States -- Biography
Description: In this major new biography, George F. Custen illuminates Zanuck's evolution into one of the most influential producers in American film. He explains what set him apart from rivals Irving Thalberg and David O. Selznick, how he developed the gritty realism that came to redefine motion pictures, and how he brilliantly predicted and capitalized on changing public tastes.

Twentieth Century's Fox tells the whole story - from Zanuck's boyhood to his tumultuous years with the feuding Warners, his battles with the censors and with his own actors, and the legendary acting-out of scenes during story conferences in his famous green office. Along the way, Custen treats us to inside stories about actors such as Edward G. Robinson, Gregory Peck, and Marilyn Monroe.

In never-before-published story conference notes, telegrams, and surprisingly candid anecdotes, he reveals how - more than any producer before or since - this diminutive, enigmatic fellow from Wahoo, Nebraska, changed the way we look at film.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 377-420) and index.