The History of 20th Century Fox … Before Disney

Pop Literacy

Decades before it came under Disney control, 20th Century Fox was one of the most respected, innovative movie studios in Hollywood, under the leadership of legendary, complicated, producer Darryl F. Zanuck. The bad: he was a notorious and habitual user of the casting couch, and he was certainly never mistaken as one of Hollywood’s nice guys on any front.

Zanuck did truly love movies, and finding the best ways to tell fantastic stories, and that led to early movie musicals featuring future icons like Betty Grable and Shirley Temple; the first CinemaScope production with The Robe; and classic cinema like The French Connection, part of that gritty, reality-based style of moviemaking of the 1970s.

In this episode of Pop Literacy, we are thrilled to welcome bestselling author Scott Eyman, who talks to us about his terrific new book 20th Century Fox: Darryl F. Zanuck and the Creation of the Modern Film Studio. A chat with Scott is getting access to the incredible knowledge of a Hollywood historian and lifelong movie fan, and we promise, it will send you off to grab your own copy of this engrossing read.

Read more:

• 20th Century Fox: Darryl F. Zanuck and the Creation of the Modern Film Studio by Scott Eyman
• Scott Eyman on Twitter
• Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather by Mark Seal
• The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Tale of Obsession, Murder, and the Movies by Paul Fischer