Joseph Evans Brown (July 28, 1891 – July 6, 1973) was an
American actor and comedian, remembered for his amiable screen
persona, comic timing, and enormous elastic-mouth smile.[1] He was one
of the most popular American comedians in the 1930s and 1940s, with
successful films like A Midsummer Night's Dream, Earthworm Tractors,
and Alibi Ike. In his later career Brown starred in Some Like It Hot
(1959), as Osgood Fielding III, in which he utters the famous
punchline, "Well, nobody's perfect."
Contents
1 Early life
2 Film career
3 World War II -
USO

USO tours
4 Postwar work
5 In popular culture
6 Later life and family
7 Death and legacy
8 Selected filmography
9 Television roles
10 Books published
11 References
12 External links
Early life[edit]
Brown was born on July 28, 1891, in Holgate, Ohio, near Toledo, into a
large family largely of Welsh descent. He spent most of his childhood
in Toledo. In 1902, at the age of ten, he joined a troupe of circus
tumblers known as the Five Marvelous Ashtons, who toured the country
on both the circus and vaudeville circuits. Later he became a
professional baseball player. Despite his skill, he declined an
opportunity to sign with the
New York Yankees

New York Yankees to pursue his career as
an entertainer. After three seasons he returned to the circus, then
went into
Vaudeville

Vaudeville and finally starred on Broadway. He gradually
added comedy to his act, and transformed himself into a comedian. He
moved to Broadway in the 1920s, first appearing in the musical comedy
Jim Jam Jems.
Film career[edit]
with
June Travis
_2.jpg/440px-Ceiling_Zero_(1936)_2.jpg)
June Travis in
Earthworm Tractors
_1.jpg/440px-Earthworm_Tractors_(1936)_1.jpg)
Earthworm Tractors (1936)
In late 1928, Brown began making films, starting the next year with
Warner Bros.. He quickly became a favorite with child audiences,[1]
and shot to stardom after appearing in the first all-color all-talking
musical comedy On with the Show (1929). He starred in a number of
lavish
Technicolor

Technicolor
Warner Brothers

Warner Brothers musical comedies including: Sally
(1929), Hold Everything (1930),
Song of the West

Song of the West (1930), and Going
Wild (1930). By 1931,
Joe E. Brown

Joe E. Brown had become such a star that his
name was billed above the title in the films in which he appeared.
He appeared in Fireman, Save My Child (1932), a comedy in which he
played a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, and in Elmer, the Great
(1933) with
Patricia Ellis

Patricia Ellis and
Claire Dodd

Claire Dodd and
Alibi Ike

Alibi Ike (1935) with
Olivia de Havilland, in both of which he portrayed ballplayers with
the Chicago Cubs.
In 1933 he starred in Son of a Sailor with Jean Muir and Thelma Todd.
In 1934, Brown starred in
A Very Honorable Guy

A Very Honorable Guy with
Alice White

Alice White and
Robert Barrat, in The
Circus

Circus Clown again with
Patricia Ellis

Patricia Ellis and with
Dorothy Burgess, and with Maxine Doyle in Six-Day Bike Rider.
Brown was one of the few vaudeville comedians to appear in a
Shakespeare

Shakespeare film; he played
Francis Flute

Francis Flute in the Max Reinhardt/William
Dieterle film version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
(1935) and was highly praised for his performance.[1] He starred in
Polo Joe (1936) with Carol Hughes and Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, and
in Sons o' Guns. In 1933 and 1936, he became one of the top ten
earners in films. He was sufficiently well known internationally by
this point to be depicted in comic strips in the British comic Film
Fun for twenty years from 1933.
He left
Warner Brothers

Warner Brothers to work for producer David L. Loew, starring
in
When's Your Birthday?

When's Your Birthday? (1937). In 1938, he starred in The Gladiator,
a loose film adaptation of Philip Gordon Wylie's 1930 novel Gladiator
that influenced the creation of Superman.[2] He gradually switched to
making "B" pictures.
World War II -
USO

USO tours[edit]
Brown and
Irving Leroy Ress

Irving Leroy Ress (right) c. 1950
In 1939, Brown testified before the House Immigration Committee in
support of a bill that would allow 20,000 German Jewish refugee
children into the US. He later adopted two refugee children.[3]
During WWII, he spent a great deal of time entertaining troops,
spending many nights working and meeting servicemen at the Hollywood
Canteen.[1] He wrote of his experiences entertaining the troops in his
book Your Kids and Mine.
Joe E. Brown's other two sons were in the military service. In 1942
Brown's son, Captain Don E. Brown, was killed when his A-20 Havoc
crashed near Palm Springs, California.[4] At 50, Brown himself was too
old to enlist, but he traveled thousands of miles at his own expense
to entertain American troops. He was the first to do so, traveling to
both the Caribbean and Alaska before
Bob Hope

Bob Hope had, and before the USO
was organized.
"While big
USO

USO names like
Bob Hope

Bob Hope did not visit the Leyte, Philippine
area my father was in (housing was not good), Leyte received any
number of entertainers during the war. Dad said the entertainers were
all just a bunch of nice people. One group in particular was the top
actors from a very popular and large musical of the times. Dad and a
few of his buddies would walk back to the tents that housed the USO
performers and would visit with them. Mostly, the
USO

USO performers were
curious about the events on the islands and how the men were handling
things. One performer, a "wonderful comedian" named Joe E. Brown,
would commandeer a military vehicle and be driven around the island.
The entertainer would stop military pedestrians, "ream" them for some
inconsequential matter, start laughing, then invite them into the cab
so they could be driven to their destinations.
Joe E. Brown

Joe E. Brown was
greatly appreciated." (Memories of Capt. Donald Courtright, told to
his daughter Mary in 2011.)[citation needed]
On his return to the States, he brought sacks of letters, making sure
they were delivered by the Post Office Department. He gave shows in
all weather conditions, many in hospitals, sometimes doing his entire
show for a single dying soldier. He would sign autographs for
everyone. Brown was one of only two civilians to be awarded the Bronze
Star in WWII.
Postwar work[edit]
His concern for the troops continued into the Korean War, as evidenced
by a newsreel featuring his appeal for blood donations to aid the US
and UN troops there that was featured in the season 4 episode of
M*A*S*H titled "Deluge".[5]
In 1948, he was awarded a
Special

Special
Tony Award

Tony Award for his work in the
touring company of Harvey.[1][6]
He had a cameo appearance in Around the World in 80 Days (1956), as
the
Fort Kearney

Fort Kearney stationmaster talking to Fogg (David Niven) and his
entourage in a small town in Nebraska. In the similarly epic film It's
a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), he cameoed as a union official
giving a speech at a construction site in the climactic scene. On
television, he was the mystery guest on
What's My Line?

What's My Line? during the
January 11, 1953, episode.
His best known postwar role was that of aging millionaire Osgood
Fielding III in Billy Wilder's 1959 comedy, Some Like It Hot. Fielding
falls for Daphne (Jerry), played by
Jack Lemmon

Jack Lemmon in drag; at the end of
the film, Lemmon takes off his wig and reveals to Brown that he is a
man, to which Brown responds; "well, nobody's perfect", one of the
most celebrated punchlines in film history.
Another of his notable postwar roles was that of "Cap'n Andy Hawkes"
in MGM's 1951 remake of Show Boat, a role that he reprised onstage in
the 1961
New York City Center

New York City Center revival of the musical and on tour. The
musical film version included such prominent costars as Ava Gardner,
Howard Keel, and Kathryn Grayson. Brown performed several dance
routines in the film, and famed choreographer
Gower Champion

Gower Champion appeared
along with first wife Marge. Brown's final film appearance was in The
Comedy of Terrors (1964). Weeks earlier, he had appeared as Diamond
"Dimey" Vine in an episode of Jack Palance's ABC circus drama The
Greatest Show on Earth.
Brown with
Buster Keaton

Buster Keaton in the "Journey to Ninevah" episode of Route
66 from 1962.
Brown was a sports enthusiast, both in film and personally. Some of
his best films were the "baseball trilogy" which consisted of Fireman,
Save My Child (1932), Elmer the Great (1933) and
Alibi Ike

Alibi Ike (1935). He
was also a television and radio broadcaster for the New York Yankees
in 1953. His son, Joe L. Brown, inherited an interest in baseball,
becoming the general manager of the
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates for more than
twenty years. Brown also spent Ty Cobb's last days with him before he
died, discussing his life.
Brown's sports enthusiasm also led to him becoming the first president
of
PONY Baseball and Softball

PONY Baseball and Softball (at the time named Pony League) when the
organization was incorporated in 1953. He continued in the post until
late 1964, when he retired. Later he traveled additional thousands of
miles telling the story of PONY League, hoping to interest adults in
organizing baseball programs for young people. He was also a fan of
Thoroughbred horse racing, a regular at
Del Mar Racetrack

Del Mar Racetrack and the
races at Santa Anita.
In popular culture[edit]
He was caricatured in the
Disney

Disney cartoons Mickey's Gala Premiere
(1933),
Mother Goose Goes Hollywood

Mother Goose Goes Hollywood (1938), and The Autograph Hound
(1939); all of them contain a scene in which he is seen laughing so
loud that his mouth opens extremely wide. According to the official
autobiography Daws Butler: Characters Actor,
Daws Butler
.jpg/500px-Daws_Butler_(1976).jpg)
Daws Butler used Joe E.
Brown as inspiration for the voices of two
Hanna-Barbera

Hanna-Barbera cartoon
characters:
Lippy the Lion

Lippy the Lion (1962) and
Peter Potamus (1963–1966).[7]
Later life and family[edit]
Brown married Kathryn Francis McGraw in 1915. The marriage would last
until his death in 1973. The couple had four children: two sons, Don
Evan Brown (December 25, 1916 – October 8, 1942; Captain in the
United States Army Air Force, who was killed in the crash of an A-20B
Havoc bomber while serving as a ferry pilot)[8] and Joe LeRoy "Joe L."
Brown (September 1, 1918 – August 15, 2010), and two daughters, Mary
Katherine Ann (b. 1930) and Kathryn Francis (b. 1934). Both daughters
were adopted as infants.
Joe L. Brown

Joe L. Brown shared his father's love of baseball, serving as general
manager of the
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955 to 1976, and briefly in
1985, also building the 1960 and 1971
World Series

World Series champions. Brown's
'71 Pirates featured baseball's first all-black starting nine.
Death and legacy[edit]
Lobby card for Son of a Sailor (1933)
Brown began having heart problems in 1968, after suffering a severe
heart attack, and underwent cardiac surgery. He died from
arteriosclerosis on July 6, 1973,[9][10] at his home in Brentwood, Los
Angeles, California, three weeks before his 82nd birthday.[1] He
is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
For his contributions to the film industry, Brown was inducted into
the
Hollywood Walk of Fame

Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 with a motion pictures star located
at 1680 Vine Street.[11]
In 1961,
Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green State University renamed the theatre in which
Brown appeared in Harvey in the 1950s as the "
Joe E. Brown

Joe E. Brown Theatre".
It was closed in 2011.[12]
Holgate, Ohio

Holgate, Ohio has a street named after Brown. Toledo, Ohio, has a city
park named the "
Joe E. Brown

Joe E. Brown Park" at 150 W Oakland St.
Rose Naftalin's popular 1975 cookbook includes a cookie named the "Joe
E. Brown".[13][14] Brown was a frequent customer of Naftalin's Toledo
restaurant.
Flatrock Brewing Company in
Napoleon, Ohio

Napoleon, Ohio offers several brown ales
such as Joe E. Coffee And Vanilla Bean Brown Ale, Joe E. Brown
Hazelnut, Chocolate Peanut Butter Joe E. Brown, Joe E Brown Chocolate
Pumpkin, and Joe E. (Brown Ale).
Selected filmography[edit]
Crooks Can't Win (1928) as Jimmy Wells
Hit of the Show (1928) as Twisty
The
Circus

Circus Kid (1928) as King Kruger
Take Me Home (1928) as Bunny
Molly and Me (1929) as Jim Wilson
My Lady's Past (1929) as Sam Young
On with the Show! (1929) as Joe Beaton
Painted Faces (1929) as Hermann / Beppo
Sally (1930) as Grand Duke Connie
Song of the West

Song of the West (1930) as Hasty
Hold Everything (1930) as Gink Schiner
Top Speed (1930) as Elmer Peters
Maybe It's Love

Maybe It's Love (1930) as Yates
The Lottery Bride

The Lottery Bride (1930) as Hoke
Going Wild

Going Wild (1930) as Rollo Smith
Sit Tight

Sit Tight (1931) as Jojo
Broadminded (1931) as Ossie Simpson
Local Boy Makes Good

Local Boy Makes Good (1931) as John Augustus Miller
Fireman, Save My Child (1932) as Joe Grant
The Tenderfoot (1932) as Calvin Jones
You Said a Mouthful

You Said a Mouthful (1932) as Joe Holt
Elmer, the Great

Elmer, the Great (1933) as Elmer
Son of a Sailor (1933) as 'Handsome' Callahan
A Very Honorable Guy

A Very Honorable Guy (1934) as 'Feet' Samuels
The
Circus

Circus Clown (1934) as Happy Howard
6 Day Bike Rider

6 Day Bike Rider (1934) as Wilfred Simpson
Alibi Ike

Alibi Ike (1935) as Frank X. Farrell
Bright Lights (1935) as Joe Wilson
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) as Flute - the Bellows-Mender
Sons o' Guns

Sons o' Guns (1936) as Jimmy Canfield
Earthworm Tractors
_1.jpg/440px-Earthworm_Tractors_(1936)_1.jpg)
Earthworm Tractors (1936) as Alexander Botts
Polo Joe (1936) as Joe Bolton
When's Your Birthday?

When's Your Birthday? (1937) as Dustin Willoughby
Riding On Air (1937) as Elmer Lane
Fit for a King

Fit for a King (1937) as Virgil Ambrose Jeremiah Christopher 'Scoop'
Jones
Wide Open Faces (1938) as Wilbur Meeks
The Gladiator (1938) as Hugo Kipp
Flirting with Fate (1938) as Dan Dixon
$1000 a Touchdown (1939) as Marlowe Mansfield Booth
Beware Spooks! (1939) as Roy L. Gifford
So You Won't
Talk

Talk (1940) as Whiskers / 'Brute' Hanson
Shut My Big Mouth (1942) as Wellington Holmes
Joan of Ozark (1942) as Cliff Little
Daring Young Man (1942) as Jonathan Peckinpaw / Grandma Peckinpaw
Chatterbox (1943) as Rex Vane
Casanova in Burlesque

Casanova in Burlesque (1944) as Joseph M. Kelly Jr.
Pin Up Girl

Pin Up Girl (1944) as Eddie Hall
Hollywood Canteen

Hollywood Canteen (1944) as Joe E. Brown
The Tender Years

The Tender Years (1948) as Rev. Will Norris
Show Boat

Show Boat (1951) as Cap'n Andy Hawks
Around the World in 80 Days (1956) as the
Fort Kearney

Fort Kearney stationmaster
Some Like It Hot

Some Like It Hot (1959) as Osgood Fielding III
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
_theatrical_poster.jpg)
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) as the union official giving a
speech at a construction site
The Comedy of Terrors

The Comedy of Terrors (1964) as Cemetery Keeper
Television roles[edit]
Schlitz Playhouse, episode "Meet Mr. Justice" (1955)
The Christophers, episodes "Washington as a Young Man" (1955) and
"Basis of Law and Order (1964) (final television appearance)
The People's Choice in "Sox and the Proxy Marriage", with Jackie
Cooper (1956) as Charles Hollister
General Electric Theater

General Electric Theater in "The Golden Key" (1956) as Earl Hall
General Electric Summer Originals in "The
Joe E. Brown

Joe E. Brown Show" (1956) as
Joe Brown
The Ann Sothern Show

The Ann Sothern Show in "Olive's Dream Man" (1960) as Mitchell Carson
Route 66 in "Journey to Nineveh" (1962) as Sam Butler
Books published[edit]
Your Kids and Mine (1944)
Laughter is a Wonderful Thing (1956)
References[edit]
^ a b c d e f "Joe E. Brown, Comedian Of Movies and Stage, Dies". New
York Times. July 7, 1973. Retrieved August 21, 2007. Joe E. Brown, the
beloved elastic-mouth comedian, died at his home here today. He was 81
years old. Mr. Brown was incapacitated by a stroke several years ago,
and he had also suffered from severe arthritis.
^ Jones, Gerard. Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of
the Comic Book. New York: Basic Books, 2004 (ISBN 0465036562),
p.80. Also see Moskowitz, Sam Explorers of the Infinite: Shapers of
Science Fiction, Cleveland, Ohio: The World Publishing Co., 1963
(ISBN 0-88355-130-6), pp.278–295
^ The Holocaust Chronicle. Publications International Ltd., 2000
(ISBN 0-7853-2963-3), p.162
^ "Capt. Don Brown, Actor's Son, Dies In Bomber Crash". Chicago
Tribune. October 9, 1942. Retrieved April 17, 2008.
^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0638293/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast
^ "1948
Tony Award

Tony Award Winners (BroadwayWorld.com)". broadwayworld.com.
Retrieved April 11, 2015.
^ Daws Butler, Characters Actor: Ben Ohmart, Joe Bevilacqua:
9781593930158: Amazon.com: Books. amazon.com.
ASIN 1593930151. CS1 maint: ASIN uses ISBN (link)
^ Associated Press, "Flying Son Of Film Star Crash Victim", The San
Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 9 October
1942, Volume 49, page 1.
^
California

California Deaths, 1940–1997 Joe E. Brown
^ The Grave of Joe E. Brown, separate monument and family monument
pictured together, separate monument up close, family monument up
close (Find a Grave)
^ "
Hollywood Walk of Fame

Hollywood Walk of Fame - Joe E. Brown". walkoffame.com. Hollywood
Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
^
Joe E. Brown

Joe E. Brown Theatre closes after 50 years of entertainment
(December 14, 2011). BGNews.com. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
^ Naftalin, Rose (1975). Grandma Rose's Book of Sinfully Delicious
Cakes, Cookies, Pies, Cheese Cakes, Cake Rolls & Pastries. New
York: Random House, Inc. p. 102. ISBN 0-394-49492-X.
^ Powell, Mary Alice (July 8, 1981). "Grandma Rose Just as Sweet as
Ever". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. p. 17.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joe E. Brown.
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Joe E. Brown
Joe E. Brown

Joe E. Brown on IMDb
Joe E. Brown

Joe E. Brown at AllMovie
Joe E. Brown

Joe E. Brown at the
Internet Broadway Database

Internet Broadway Database
Joe E. Brown

Joe E. Brown at Find a Grave
Literature on Joe E. Brown
Joe E. Brown

Joe E. Brown Visits DePauw University; February 17, 1948
Authority control
WorldCat Identities
VIAF: 17486263
LCCN: n85005571
ISNI: 0000 0001 1281 6611
GND: 133298965
BNF: cb14671245z (data)
SN