The Zanucks: Reel Royalty

Richard Zanuck Reflects On Hollywood, His Famous Dad And 'Charlie'

(CBS)  Growing up, Zanuck says he was aware of the importance of his father's films. "Very much aware, so I knew who he was. I knew how important he was. I knew he was one of the kings."

Little Dickie Zanuck was the crown prince, the youngest of Virginia and Darryl’s three children and the only boy. His childhood was filled with Hollywood-style glamour, like riding elephants in the yard or duking it out with Jack Palance. In the 1930s, when few families even had home movies, the Zanucks' were in color. But nothing compared to the circus-themed birthday parties.

"Well, you’d be surprised who would come to these birthday parties," Zanuck says. "Shirley Temple. The parties cost more then some of the pictures they were making."

As with any Hollywood Story, there’s a twist. Although Zanuck’s parents never divorced, they were not as happy as they might seem. It's been said his father invented the "casting couch." Zanuck confirms he had one, but laughs, "I don't know if he invented it or not."

"He introduced me at a young age as the head of the studio and also the head of the casting couch," he adds.

Zanuck was pushed forward as the president of the company but was also later fired by his father. He says it was because he had given the OK for a string of box-office bombs.

This caused a major falling out between the two. Zanuck was even debating whether or not to give up on the film industry, but concluded he didn’t know how to do anything else.

Instead, he joined forces with another Fox refugee, David Brown, and together they produced a movie about two con artists. "The Sting," starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman, was a commercial sensation and went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

Soon, Zanuck and Brown hired a promising young director named Steven Spielberg to direct "Sugarland Express." The film was a success, so Zanuck signed Spielberg to direct his next film, too.

Not even Zanuck expected "Jaws" to be such a mega hit. He explains, "Not until the shark jumped out of the water, did we know that we had a monster hit."

What happened?

"There was a scream. Pandemonium. We had touched a primal nerve. We knew that whether you were living in Miami Beach, or Long Beach or Phoenix, Ariz., where there is no water, there’d be that scream."