Memo from Darryl F. Zanuck: The Golden Years at Twentieth Century Fox [Paperback]

Rudy Behlmer (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 23, 1995

This volume provides an insider's view of Hollywood's most glamorous era and the elements of film production.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

On the surface, it would seem that a sampling of memos--even those issued by a famous name--would be slow going. Not a chance, where this volume is concerned! For those with even the slightest interest in cinema history and major Hollywood players, this is a treat. Zanuck's memos not only provide zestful details on sets, stars, and technical productions but also offer an eloquent insight into the man and his methods. Behlmer's annotations are informative but not obtrusive; he lets the original material speak for itself. A few more entries in the all-too-brief chronological addendum on Zanuck's life would have enhanced the overall impact of this excellent work. This well-organized and aptly illustrated collection will appeal to circulating libraries with cinema collections.
- Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, N.J.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (June 23, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802133320
• ISBN-13: 978-0802133328
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,112,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing work, perhaps the most insightful film book ever, August 5, 2008

By 

D. DeYoung "Film book lover" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Memo from Darryl F. Zanuck: The Golden Years at Twentieth Century Fox (Paperback)

Mr. Rudy Behlmer is a genius. He is so adept at compiling memos with great insight into how movies were made in the Hollywood's Golden Age. Even if you have not seen any of the Twentieth Century Fox films discussed in the memos herein, you will be hooked, as I was. Through Mr. Behlmer's guidance, one can see how making movies was, and remains, a fascinating, multifaceted process. This is a truly remarkable feat of a book. Thank you so much for writing it, Mr. Behlmer!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful insights into film production, November 20, 2010

By 

A. J. Sneed - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Memo from Darryl F. Zanuck: The Golden Years at Twentieth Century Fox (Paperback)

This is a great book for getting a glimpse into the world of film production during the "Golden Age of Hollywood". Although the book is based on the memos of Darryl Zanuck who was the boss of Twentieth-Century Fox, the memos touch on many basic issues facing the industry as a whole, as well as specifically dealing with films done at 20thCentury-Fox.

The author/editor clearly explains in the beginning of the book what these memos represent: this is not a comprehensive collection of Darryl Zanuck's personal notes. (In fact, virtually all of Zanuck's personal notes have been lost). These memos were sent by Zanuck to directors, producers , writers, actors, etc., and have been retrieved over many years of searching private archives, libraries and estates. So this book presents a small, but very illustrative collection of Zanuck's memos during the Golden Age.

Why should we care about Darrly Zanucks memos?
What is particularly interesting about Zanuck as a studio boss is that he was highly involved in the creative details of film-making. Unlike the other famous studio bosses(Mayer, Warner, Zukor,Cohn), he read through most of the scripts for the A level productions, and made detailed suggestions on changes and rewrites. He also watched rushes( raw footage during filming)on a daily basis, and made comments to the directors during the film schedule. Finally, he was directly involved in the final editing of all A level films. These memos provide a very detailed and inside view of how some well known movies progressed through rewrites and changes initiated by Zanuck. We also have memos that deal with contemporary issues that affected all of the Hollywood studios (e.g., Screenwriters unionizing in the 1930's).

20Century Fox produced many of the critically acclaimed movies of the Golden Age, and Zanuck was directly responsible for all of these films getting made. He was also responsible for promoting the musical unit at FOX which produced the Alice Faye, Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda films. Most people do not realize that Betty Grable was the all-around top female box-office draw from 1942-1951. Her movies were so consistently, commercially successful that they enabled Zanuck to take financial risks on the "serious" dramas and "Oscar-contending" films.( Zanuck did not repay Grable very well in the end, but that's a matter for a different book) He was an astute businessman, and knew how to run a studio on par with the other Hollywood moguls.

This book is not a biography of Darryl Zanuck and as such, we do not hear from the directors, actors, and writers who Zanuck was addressing in these memos. We can assume that many of these people did not always agree with Zanuck, and found him to be a meddler. The author has added commentary to elucidate the films Zanuck was writing about, or the people he was writing to, and to indicate what was the result of Zanuck's input. But be aware these memos represent the viewpoint of Zanuck, and the scope of the book does not include any first-hand rebuttals.

I am giving this book five stars but with some qualifications: I feel that this book's appeal is mostly to film buffs or historians, or at least to those who already have some knowledge about Hollywood film-making during this period. If the reader has not seen most of the films that Zanuck is referring to in these memos, then these memos are not likely to be of much interest.

But five-stars are warranted because I feel that the author has delivered exactly what he intended, and his commentary and editing have made the material coherent and compelling.