Former studio veterans and forever active producers Richard (Dick) Zanuck and David Brown will be re-united March 3 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel where they'll receive the Producers Guild of America David O. Selznick Lifetime Achievement award for theatrical motion pictures.
"Dick and I are joined at the hip, even though we're in separate companies now," said Brown.
Beginnings at Fox
The Zanuck and Brown team began at 20th Century Fox where Zanuck was president and Brown was exec veepee until 1971, when they ankled to Warner Bros. , where Zanuck became exec veepee of production and Brown was senior exec veepee for creative operations.
After a short stint at WB, the pair had a formidable 17-year partnership in the Zanuck Brown Co. where they produced such films as "The Sting,""The Sugarland Express""Jaws,""Jaws II" and "The Verdict." The last pic they produced together, with Lili Fini Zanuck, was multiple Oscar winner "Driving Miss Daisy" in 1989.
And while Brown says his reaction to the award "is one of total joy and gratitude for being able to spend a lifetime in the film world," he quickly adds: "By the way, I'm not suggesting the lifetime has been spent. I'm busier now than when I was 30, so I take this as a mid-lifetime achievement award," 76 -year-old producer said.
The verdict: 'The Verdict'
Brown said of all the pix he produced with Zanuck, he was "especially fond of 'The Verdict.'
Zanuck picked "The Sugarland Express" as his fave "because it marked the first picture we made together and it marked the first picture which launched Steven Spielberg's career and led to a 'Jaws' with Spielberg. It signaled our initial position as independent producers in the industries."
Zanuck thanked the Producers Guild in advance: "I'm very attached to the Producers Guild, which is very much in touch with the role of the producer in today's business. It's a much overlooked role and misunderstood role and to be given a lifetime achievement by the Producers Guild is of particular significance to me because of my devotion to the craft of the producer."
Hewitt to be honored
At the invitation-only awards ceremony, TV producer Don Hewitt will receive the equivalent small screen award dubbed the David Susskind Lifetime Achievement in Television.
Hewitt is being cited for 44 years with CBS including 25 years as exec producer of CBS' "60 Minutes." He could not be reached for comment.
PGA prez Leonard Stern also announced that James Earl Jones will host the awards, voted by 425 general members of the Guild.
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