Saul Zaentz, producer of ‘One Flew Over The Cookoo’s Nest’ and one-time owner of Fantasy Records, has died at the age of 92.
Saul Zaentz started his career in the music business. In 1955 when he started work for the company. For year’s it was the largest independent jazz label in America. Zaentz purchased the company in 1967 and one of the first signing with Saul as the new boss was Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Zaentz not only owned Fantasy, he also owned everything Creedence Clearwater Revival recorded as well as the songs that John Fogerty wrote under the band’s original contract with the label.
The bad deal by Creedence Clearwater Revival would cost the band 10s of millions of dollars in royalties, all of which went to Zaentz instead. When Fogerty released his solo records away from Zaentz, Zaentz sued him for plagiarizing claiming that John Fogerty the solo artist sounded too similar to John Fogerty the CCR singer. Zaentz went for $140 million in damages from Fogerty. He lost.
Fogerty sued for costs and won. He then wrote and released the songs ‘Zanz Can’t Dance’ and ‘Mr. Greed’ about his former label boss.
Zaentz then sued Fogerty for defamation over the lyrics to ‘Zanz Can’t Dance’ which went Zanz can’t dance but he’ll steal your money.” Zaentz also tried to claim damages for Fogerty’s hit song ‘Old Man Down The Road’ claiming that it sounded too similar to his Creedence Clearwater Revival song ‘Run Through The Jungle’.
The defamation case was settled when Fogerty changed the title of ‘Zanz Can’t Dance’ to ‘Vanz Can’t Dance’. Zaenz lost the ‘Old Man Down The Road’ case.
John Fogerty – Zanz Can’t Dance
John Fogerty – Old Man Down The Road
In 2004, Zaenz sold Fantasy to Concord Records, owned by television producer Norman Lear. Lear was the producer of ‘All In The Family’, ‘Maude’, ‘Good Times’, ‘One Day At A Time’ and ‘The Jeffersons’.
In the movies Zaentz’s most well-known film was ‘One Flew Over The Cookoo’s Nest’. It that took Jack Nicholson from a star to a superstar.
In 1976 Zaentz acquired the rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s books ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ which also gave him the film, stage and merchandise rights to the titles.
His last movie was ‘Goya’s Ghosts’ from 2005.
One Flew Over The Cookoo’s Nest trailer
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