The Best of Z

Zane Grey Theatre   •   Darryl Zanuck   •   Ziegfeld Follies   •   Fred Zinnemann   •  George Zucco   •   Albert Zugsmith   •   Manny Zwaaf

Zane Grey Theatre, Dick Powell's. Joan appeared in two episodes of this U.S. Western TV series on CBS, each a half-hour long: On 12/3/59 as "Stella Faring" in the "Rebel Range" episode (#4.10), and on 1/12/61 as twins "Sarah/Melanie Davidson Hobbes" in the "One Must Die" episode (#5.14).

Joan TV page. 1959 photos from "Rebel Range." 1961 photos from "One Must Die."

IMDb page.   Wikipedia page.   Episode writer Kathleen Hite's site: Rebel Range page.

Zanuck, Darryl F. (9/5/02 - 12/22/79)  Longtime head of Twentieth Century-Fox. In CWJC, Joan (who made two pictures for Fox, 1947's Daisy Kenyon and 1959's The Best of Everything) says re Zanuck:

...at Fox if you were not sexually operational, forget your career....Zanuck loved to sample the goodies...[once] I went over to Fox, one of my late films, and when I was ushered into his office he promptly opened a desk drawer and took out a gold, genuine gold, casting of his genitals. I must admit he was admirably hung, but I couldn't help wondering what sort of so-called "obligations" had hung over the ladies at 20th over the years.

Zanuck began his career as a script writer (notably for the early "Rin-Tin-Tin" series) and worked for Warners from 1924 to 1933, quickly becoming its head of production. After leaving Warners, he founded Twentieth Century Films, which became Twentieth Century-Fox in 1935. He left Fox in the mid-50s to chase women and independently produce, then returned in the early '60s. He was eventually fired from Fox in 1971, the last of the old-school moguls.

IMDb page.   Wikipedia entry.

Ziegfeld Follies. Joan's 1925 silent film Pretty Ladies is centered around this Broadway revue; Joan plays a bit part as a Follies chorus girl.

Zinnemann, Fred.  (4/29/07 - 3/14/97) Director of From Here to Eternity; he objected when studio head Harry Cohn initially insisted on Joan for the part of "Karen Holmes" (which went to Zinnemann's choice Deborah Kerr after Joan complained too much about the wardrobe).

The Viennese-born Zinnemann signed with MGM in the late '30s and later won Oscars for both Best Director and Picture for '53's Eternity and 1966's A Man For All Seasons. He was also nominated for Best Director for 1948's The Search (Montgomery Clift's debut), 1952's High Noon, 1959's A Nun's Story, 1960's The Sundowners, and 1977's Julia. In addition, he directed Brando's debut in 1950's The Men and the 1955 hit Oklahoma!

IMDb info.   Wikipedia entry.

Zucco, George. Supporting cast member of Joan's 1937 film The Bride Wore Red.

Zugsmith, Albert. Producer of Female on the Beach.

Zwaaf, Manny. Owner of Manhattan's L'Etoile restaurant, where Joan would meet with industrialists such as Roger Blough and Harvey Firestone to plan strategies for USO fundraisers in the mid-1960s. (LW)