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

Early life

Born in

Clinton, Massachusetts Clinton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,428 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Clinton, please see the article Clinton (CDP), Massach ...

, to Larkin Harry Brown, a cotton manufacturer, and Katherine Ann Brown (née Gaw), Brown moved to

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

when he was 11 years old. He attended Knoxville High School and the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

, both in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...

, graduating from the university at the age of 19 with two degrees in engineering. An early fascination in

automobiles A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

led Brown to a job with the Stevens-Duryea Company, then to his own Brown Motor Car Company in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. He later abandoned the car dealership after developing an interest in motion pictures around 1913. He was hired by the Peerless Studio at

Fort Lee, New Jersey Fort Lee is a borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop the Palisades. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 40,191. As of the 2010 U.S. census, th ...

, and became an assistant to the French-born director Maurice Tourneur.

Career

After serving as a

fighter pilot A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...

and

flight instructor A flight instructor is a person who teaches others to operate aircraft. Specific privileges granted to holders of a flight instructor qualification vary from country to country, but very generally, a flight instructor serves to enhance or evaluate ...

in the

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

,Hollywood's Forgotten Master Gets His Due

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...

. Retrieved December 1, 2021.Clarence Brown, Director of Garbo, Gable, Dies at 97
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' via

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

. Retrieved December 1, 2021.Clarence Brown, FILMMAKER; UT Knoxville, 1910

. Retrieved December 1, 2021.Clarence Brown; American filmmaker

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

. Retrieved December 1, 2021.Classic Director Spotlight -Clarence Brown
www.storyenthusiast.com. Retrieved December 1, 2021. Brown was given his first co-directing credit (with Tourneur) for ''

The Great Redeemer ''The Great Redeemer'' is a 1920 American silent Western film co-directed by Maurice Tourneur and Clarence Brown and starring House Peters, Marjorie Daw, Jack McDonald, and Joseph Singleton. Cast * House Peters as Dan Malloy * Marjorie Da ...

'' (1920). Later that year, he directed a major portion of ''

The Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is a historical romance written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. It is the second book of the ''Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinder ...

'' after Tourneur was injured in a fall. Brown moved to

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

in 1924, and then to

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

, where he remained until the mid-1950s. At MGM he was one of the main directors of their major female stars; he directed

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion pict ...

six times and

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragedy, ...

seven. Brown was nominated six times (see below) for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

as a director, but he never received an Oscar. However, he won Best Foreign Film for ''

Anna Karenina ''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, «Анна Каренина», p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Widely considered to be one of the greatest works of literature ever writt ...

'', starring Garbo at the 1935

Venice International Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

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

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where Faulkner spent most of ...

's ''

Intruder in the Dust ''Intruder in the Dust '' is a 1948 crime novel written by American author William Faulkner. Taking place in Mississippi, it revolves around an African American farmer accused of murdering a Caucasian man. Overview The novel focuses on Lucas B ...

''. In 1957, Brown was awarded The George Eastman Award, given by

George Eastman House The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as ''George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film'', the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in ...

for distinguished contribution to the art of film. 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 the

, is named in his honor. He holds the record for most nominations for the

Academy Award for Best Director The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibi ...

without a win, with six.

Personal life

Clarence Brown was married four times. His first marriage was to Paula Herndon Pratt in 1913, which lasted until their divorce in 1920. The couple produced a daughter, Adrienne Brown. His second marriage was to Ona Wilson, which lasted from 1922 until their divorce in 1927. He was engaged to

Dorothy Sebastian Dorothy Sebastian (born Stella Dorothy Sabiston; April 26, 1903The book ''Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory'' gives Sebastian's date of birth as April 26, 1907. – April 8, 1957) was an American film and stage actress. Ear ...

and

Mona Maris Mona Maris (born Mona Maria Emita Capdeville or Maria Rosa Amita Capdeville, November 7, 1903 – March 23, 1991) was an Argentine film actress. Early life Mona Maris was born Mona Maria Emita Capdeville. Some sources spell her last name as C ...

, 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." He married his third wife,

Alice Joyce Alice Joyce Brown ( Joyce; October 1, 1890 – October 9, 1955) was an American actress who appeared in more than 200 films during the 1910s and 1920s. She is known for her roles in the 1923 film '' The Green Goddess'' and its 1930 remake of ...

, in 1933 and they divorced in 1945. His last marriage was to Marian Spies in 1946, which lasted until his death in 1987.

Death

Brown died at the

Saint John's Health Center Providence Saint John's Health Center, formerly St. Johns Hospital and Health Center, is a private not-for-profit, Roman Catholic hospital in Santa Monica, California, United States. The hospital was founded in 1942 by the Sisters of Charity of ...

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

from kidney failure on August 17, 1987, at the age of 97. He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

.Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2. McFarland & Company (2016) On February 8, 1960, Brown received a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

at 1752

Vine Street Vine Street is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California that runs north–south between Franklin Avenue and Melrose Avenue. The intersection with Hollywood Boulevard was once a symbol of Hollywood itself. The famed intersection fell into d ...

, for his contributions to the motion pictures industry.

Selected filmography

Director

*''

Trilby A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in Britain Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. Barnes & Noble. and ...

'' (1915) *'' The Law of the Land'' (1917) *'' The Blue Bird'' (1918) *''

'' (1920) *''

The Foolish Matrons ''The Foolish Matrons'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Clarence Brown and Maurice Tourneur and starring Hobart Bosworth, Doris May, and Mildred Manning. It is also known by the alternative title of ''Is Marriage a Failure?''. ...

'' (1921) *''

The Light in the Dark ''The Light in the Dark'' (later re-edited into a shorter version called ''The Light of Faith'') is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Clarence Brown and stars Lon Chaney and Hope Hampton. A still exists showing Lon Chaney in the role ...

'' (1922) *'' Don't Marry for Money'' (1923) *'' The Acquittal'' (1923) *''

The Signal Tower ''The Signal Tower'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Clarence Brown and produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film stars Virginia Valli, Rockliffe Fellowes, and Wallace Beery. Cast *Virginia Valli as Sally Taylor ...

'' (1924) *''

Butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

'' (1924) *''

The Eagle The eagle is a large bird of prey. Eagle or The Eagle may also refer to: Places England * Eagle, Lincolnshire, a village United States * Eagle, Alaska, a city * Eagle Village, Alaska, a census-designated place * Eagle, Colorado, a statut ...

'' (1925) *''

The Goose Woman The Goose Woman is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Clarence Brown and starring Louise Dresser with Jack Pickford as her son. The film was released by Universal Pictures.

'' (1925) *'' Smouldering Fires'' (1925) *''

Flesh and the Devil ''Flesh and the Devil'' is an American silent romantic drama film released in 1927 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and stars Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lars Hanson, and Barbara Kent, directed by Clarence Brown, and based on the novel ''The Undying ...

'' (1926) *'' Kiki'' (1926) *''

A Woman of Affairs A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

'' (1928) *''

The Trail of '98 ''The Trail of '98'' is a 1928 American silent action-adventure/drama film featuring Harry Carey and Dolores del Río about the Klondike Gold Rush. The film was originally released by MGM in a short-lived widescreen process called “Fantom S ...

'' (1929) *'' Navy Blues'' (1929) *''

Wonder of Women ''Wonder of Women'' is a 1929 American pre-Code drama film directed by Clarence Brown and starring Lewis Stone, Leila Hyams, and Peggy Wood. It was nominated for Best Writing at the 2nd Academy Awards. Based on the 1927 German novel ''Die Fra ...

'' (1929) *''

Anna Christie ''Anna Christie'' is a play in four acts by Eugene O'Neill. It made its Broadway debut at the Vanderbilt Theatre on November 2, 1921. O'Neill received the 1922 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for this work. According to historian Paul Avrich, the ...

'' (1930) – Academy Award nomination for Best Director *''

Romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

'' (1930) – Academy Award nomination for Best Director *'' Inspiration'' (1931) *''

Possessed Possessed may refer to: Possession * Possession (disambiguation), having some degree of control over something else ** Spirit possession, whereby gods, demons, animas, or other disincarnate entities may temporarily take control of a human body *** ...

'' (1931) *''

A Free Soul ''A Free Soul'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film that tells the story of an alcoholic San Francisco defense attorney who must defend his daughter's ex-boyfriend on a charge of murdering the mobster she had started a relationship with, who ...

'' (1931) – Academy Award nomination for Best Director *'' Emma'' (1932) *''

Letty Lynton ''Letty Lynton'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code drama film starring Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery (actor), Robert Montgomery and Nils Asther. The film was directed by Clarence Brown and based on the 1931 Letty Lynton (novel), ...

'' (1932) *''

The Son-Daughter ''The Son-Daughter'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Clarence Brown and written by John F. Goodrich, Claudine West, and Leon Gordon, adapted from the play of the same name by David Belasco. The film stars Helen Hayes, Ramon N ...

'' (1932) *''

Looking forward ''Looking Forward'' is the third and final studio album by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and their fifth, overall. It is the fourteenth and final album when conflated with releases by the trio of Crosby, Stills & Nash. It was released on Reprise ...

'' (1933) *'' Night Flight'' (1933) *''

Sadie McKee ''Sadie McKee'' is a 1934 American pre-Code, romantic-drama film directed by Clarence Brown, starring Joan Crawford, and featuring Gene Raymond, Franchot Tone, Edward Arnold, and Esther Ralston. The film is based on the 1933 short story "Pretty ...

'' (1934) *'' Chained'' (1934) *''

Ah, Wilderness! ''Ah, Wilderness!'' is a comedy by American playwright Eugene O'Neill that premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on October 2, 1933. It differs from a typical O'Neill play in its happy ending for the central character, and depiction of a ...

'' (1935) *''

'' (1935) *'' Wife vs. Secretary'' (1936) *''

The Gorgeous Hussy ''The Gorgeous Hussy'' is a 1936 American period film directed by Clarence Brown, and starring Joan Crawford and Robert Taylor. The screenplay was written by Stephen Morehouse Avery and Ainsworth Morgan, which was based on a 1934 novel by Samuel ...

'' (1936) *''

Conquest Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...

'' (1937) *''

Of Human Hearts ''Of Human Hearts'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by Clarence Brown and starring Walter Huston, James Stewart and Beulah Bondi. Stewart plays a proud and ungrateful son who rebels against his preacher father and (after his father's de ...

'' (1938) *'' Idiot's Delight'' (1939) *''

The Rains Came ''The Rains Came'' is a 1939 20th Century Fox film based on an American novel by Louis Bromfield (published in June 1937 by Harper & Brothers). The film was directed by Clarence Brown and stars Myrna Loy, Tyrone Power, George Brent, Brenda ...

'' (1939) *''

Edison, the Man ''Edison, the Man'' is a 1940 biographical film depicting the life of inventor Thomas Edison, who was played by Spencer Tracy. Hugo Butler and Dore Schary were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Story for their work on t ...

'' (1940) *'' Come Live with Me'' (1941) *''

They Met in Bombay ''They Met in Bombay '' is a 1941 American adventure drama film directed by Clarence Brown, and starring Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell, with Peter Lorre.''Variety'' film review; June 25, 1941, page 16.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; July 5 ...

'' (1941) *'' The Human Comedy'' (1943) – Academy Award nominations for Best Director and for Best Picture *'' The White Cliffs of Dover'' (1944) *''

National Velvet ''National Velvet'' is a novel by Enid Bagnold (1889–1981), first published in 1935. It was illustrated by Laurian Jones, Bagnold's daughter, who was born in 1921. Plot summary ''National Velvet'' is the story of a 14-year-old girl named ...

'' (1944) – Academy Award nomination for Best Director *''

The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Month Club in April 1938. It won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel. It was the best-selling n ...

'' (1946) – Academy Award nomination for Best Director *''

Song of Love Song of Love may refer to: * Song of love or love song, a song about falling in love * ''The Song of Love'' (1923 film) * ''Song of Love'' (1929 film), a film starring Belle Baker and Ralph Graves * ''The Song of Love'' (1930 film) * ''Song of ...

'' (1947) *''

'' (1949) *''

To Please a Lady ''To Please a Lady'' is a 1950 American romance film produced and directed by Clarence Brown, and starring Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck. The climactic race scene was shot at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Plot Racing driver Mike Brannan ...

'' (1950) *'' Angels in the Outfield'' (1951) *'' When in Rome'' (1952) *''

Plymouth Adventure ''Plymouth Adventure'' is a 1952 Technicolor drama film with an ensemble cast starring Spencer Tracy, Gene Tierney, Van Johnson and Leo Genn, made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Clarence Brown, and produced by Dore Schary. The screenplay ...

'' (1952)

Actor

*''

'' (1924) – Switch Man *'' Ben-Hur'' (1925) – Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited) *'' Navy Blues'' (1929) – Roller Coaster Rider (uncredited) *''

'' (1931) – Man on Merry-Go-Round (uncredited) (final film role)

Notes

References

Sources

* Brownlow, Kevin. "Clarence Brown" in ''The Parade's Gone By'' New 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 Book'' by A. J. Bastarache. * Young, Gwenda. 'Clarence Brown: From Knoxville to Hollywood and Back'. ''Journal of East Tennessee History, pp. 53–73 (2002) * * Young, Gwenda. Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2018 * Neely, Jack
"Clarence Brown: The Forgotten Director"
''

Metro Pulse ''Metro Pulse'' was a weekly newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1991 by Ashley Capps, Rand Pearson, Ian Blackburn, and Margaret Weston, and was a member of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. In 2007, ''Metro Pulse'' ...

'' (March 2008)

External links

*
"An Extraordinary Town – Clinton, Massachusetts" (a book on Brown's birthplace, with an extensive section on Brown)
extraordinarytown.com
Information available on the actual dates and nominations, plus commentary on the nominations for multiple roles/films in 1929/1930
, oscars.org
Clarence Brown profile
virtual-history.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Clarence 1890 births 1987 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters American film editors American male screenwriters Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Deaths from kidney failure Film directors from Massachusetts Film directors from Tennessee Film producers from Massachusetts Film producers from Tennessee People from Clinton, Massachusetts People from Knoxville, Tennessee Screenwriters from Massachusetts Screenwriters from Tennessee United States Army Air Service pilots of World War I Military personnel from Massachusetts