For the club's 60th anniversary luncheon, it is indeed fortunate to have two of the industry's titans honored for their Lifetime of Achievements: Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown. Their teamwork as incomparable producers began at Twentieth Century Fox moving over to Warner Brothers where they shepherded such hits as The Exorcist and Blazing Saddles.
In 1971, they formed the Zanuck/Brown Co.. During the next fifteen years, they were instrumental in getting Steven Spielberg's directorial debut Sugarland Express to the screen, which was followed by such mega-hits as Jaws, the Oscar winning (7) The Sting, The Verdict starring Paul Newman and the Academy Award winning Cocoon.
As a team, their achievements have previously been celebrated; in 1991 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with the infrequently bestowed Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for "a body of work [that] reflects a high quality of motion picture production," and in 1993 with the Producers Guild of America's David O. Selznick Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mr. Brown sent the following acknowledgement to Bill Thompson.
