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Clarence Brown

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For other people with similar names, seeClarence Brown (disambiguation).

Clarence Brown
Brown in 1922
Born
Clarence Leon Brown

(1890-05-10)May 10, 1890
Clinton, Massachusetts,U.S.
DiedAugust 17, 1987(1987-08-17)(aged 97)
Santa Monica, California,U.S.
EducationKnoxville High School
University of Tennessee
Years active1915–1953
Spouses
Paula Herndon Pratt
​
​
(m.1913;div.1920)​
Ona Wilson
​
​
(m.1922;div.1927)​
​
​
(m.1933;div.1945)​
Marian Spies
​
​
(m.1946)​
Children1

Clarence Leon Brown(May 10, 1890 – August 17, 1987) was an American film director.[1]

Early life

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Born inClinton, Massachusetts,to Larkin Harry Brown, a cotton manufacturer, and Katherine Ann Brown (née Gaw), Brown moved toTennesseewhen he was 11 years old. He attendedKnoxville High School[2]and theUniversity of Tennessee,both inKnoxville, Tennessee,graduating from the university at the age of 19 with two degrees in engineering.[3]An early fascination inautomobilesled Brown to a job with theStevens-Duryea Company,then to his own Brown Motor Car Company inAlabama.[4]He later abandoned the car dealership after developing an interest in motion pictures around 1913. He was hired by the Peerless Studio atFort Lee, New Jersey,and became an assistant to the French-born directorMaurice Tourneur.[5]

Career

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Clarence Brown in 1921

After serving as afighter pilotandflight instructorin theUnited States Army Air ServiceduringWorld War I,[6][7][8][9][10]Brown was given his first co-directing credit (with Tourneur) forThe Great Redeemer(1920). Later that year, he directed a major portion ofThe Last of the Mohicansafter Tourneur was injured in a fall.

Brown moved toUniversalin 1924, and then toMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer,where he remained until the mid-1950s. At MGM he was one of the main directors of their major female stars, he directedJoan Crawfordsix times andGreta Garboseven.

Brown was nominated five times for six films (see below) for anAcademy Awardas a director, but he never received an Oscar. However, he won Best Foreign Film forAnna Karenina,starring Garbo at the 1935Venice International Film Festival.

Brown's films gained a total of 38 Academy Award nominations and earned nine Oscars. Brown himself received five Academy Award nominations for six films and in 1949, he won the British Academy Award for the film version ofWilliam Faulkner'sIntruder in the Dust.

In 1957, Brown was awarded The George Eastman Award, given byGeorge Eastman Housefor distinguished contribution to the art of film.[11]Brown retired a wealthy man due to his real estate investments, but refused to watch new movies, as he feared they might cause him to restart his career.

The Clarence Brown Theater, on the campus of theUniversity of Tennessee,is named in his honor.[12]He holds the record for most nominations for theAcademy Award for Best Directorwithout a win, with six.

Personal life

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Clarence Brown was married four times. His first marriage was to Paula Herndon Pratt in 1913, which lasted until their divorce in 1920.[13]The couple produced a daughter, Adrienne Brown.[14]

His second marriage was to Ona Wilson, which lasted from 1922 until their divorce in 1927.[15]

He was engaged toDorothy Sebastian[16]andMona Maris,although he did not marry either of them, with Maris later saying she ended their relationship because she had her "own ideas of marriage then."[17]

He married his third wife,Alice Joyce,in 1933 and they divorced in 1945.[18][19]

His last marriage was to Marian Spies in 1946, which lasted until his death in 1987.[19]

Death

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Brown died at theSaint John's Health CenterinSanta Monica, Californiafrom kidney failure on August 17, 1987, at the age of 97.[7]He is interred atForest Lawn Memorial ParkinGlendale, California.[20]

On February 8, 1960, Brown received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fameat 1752Vine Street,for his contributions to the motion pictures industry.[21][22]

Selected filmography

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JournalistDorothy Thompsonis entertained on the set ofThe Rains Came(1939) by director Clarence Brown (left) andLouis Bromfield,author of the novel on which the film was based.

Director

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Actor

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  • The Signal Tower(1924) – Switch Man
  • Ben-Hur(1925) – Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
  • Navy Blues(1929) – Roller Coaster Rider (uncredited)
  • Possessed(1931) – Man on Merry-Go-Round (uncredited) (final film role)

Notes

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  1. ^In 1929/1930, Brown received one Academy Award nomination for two films. According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, "As allowed by the award rules for this year, a single nomination could honor work in one or more films."
  2. ^In 1929/1930, Brown received one Academy Award nomination for two films. According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, "As allowed by the award rules for this year, a single nomination could honor work in one or more films."

References

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  1. ^Little, Lexie (July 10, 2019)."A Roustabout Career: The Forgotten Celebrity of Clarence Brown".Torchbearer.RetrievedJuly 17,2019.
  2. ^John Shearer,Famous alumni from Knoxville High School,Knoxville News Sentinel,May 28, 2010
  3. ^"Clarence Brown Collection – Special Collections – Libraries – The University of Tennessee, Knoxville".lib.utk.edu.RetrievedFebruary 15,2016.
  4. ^"Clarence Brown Collection – Special Collections – Libraries – The University of Tennessee, Knoxville".lib.utk.edu.RetrievedFebruary 16,2016.
  5. ^"Clarence Brown – About This Person – Movies & TV".Movies & TV Dept.The New York Times.2014. Archived fromthe originalon May 5, 2014.RetrievedFebruary 15,2016.
  6. ^Hollywood's Forgotten Master Gets His DueDirectors Guild of America.Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  7. ^abClarence Brown, Director of Garbo, Gable, Dies at 97Los Angeles TimesviaInternet Archive.Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  8. ^Clarence Brown, FILMMAKER, UT Knoxville, 1910University of Tennessee.Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  9. ^Clarence Brown, American filmmakerEncyclopædia Britannica.Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  10. ^Classic Director Spotlight -Clarence Brownwww.storyenthusiast.com. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  11. ^Tarbell, Molly."George Eastman Award".George Eastman Museum.RetrievedFebruary 16,2016.
  12. ^"History | Clarence Brown Theatre".clarencebrowntheatre.com.Archived fromthe originalon May 5, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 16,2016.
  13. ^Young, Gwenda (September 13, 2018).Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master.University Press of Kentucky.ISBN9780813175966.
  14. ^Young, Gwenda (September 13, 2018).Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master.University Press of Kentucky.ISBN9780813175966.
  15. ^Young, Gwenda (September 13, 2018).Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master.University Press of Kentucky.ISBN9780813175966.
  16. ^Young, Gwenda (September 13, 2018).Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master.University Press of Kentucky.ISBN9780813175966.
  17. ^Young, Gwenda (September 13, 2018).Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master.University Press of Kentucky.ISBN9780813175966.
  18. ^Young, Gwenda (September 13, 2018).Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master.University Press of Kentucky.ISBN9780813175966.
  19. ^abYoung, Gwenda (September 13, 2018).Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master.University Press of Kentucky.ISBN9780813175966.
  20. ^Wilson, Scott.Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons,3d ed.: 2. McFarland & Company (2016)ISBN0786479922
  21. ^"Clarence Brown | Hollywood Walk of Fame".www.walkoffame.com.RetrievedJune 21,2016.
  22. ^"Clarence Brown".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedFebruary 16,2016.

Bibliography

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  • Brownlow, Kevin. "Clarence Brown" inThe Parade's Gone ByNew York: Knopf (1968)
  • Estrin, Allen."The Hollywood Professionals, Vol. 6: Frank Capra, George Cukor, Clarence Brown", AS Barnes (1980)
  • Bastarache, A.J.An Extraordinary Town, How one of America's smallest towns shaped the world – A Historical Marketing Bookby A. J. Bastarache.
  • Young, Gwenda. 'Clarence Brown: From Knoxville to Hollywood and Back'.Journal of East Tennessee History',pp. 53–73 (2002)
  • Young, Gwenda (April 2003)."Star Maker: The Career of Clarence Brown".Sight and Sound.British Film Institute. Archived fromthe originalon May 14, 2007.
  • Young, Gwenda. Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2018
  • Neely, Jack."Clarence Brown: The Forgotten Director",Metro Pulse(March 2008)
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