Editing Clarence Brown

{{Short description|American film director (1890–1987)}}
{{similar names|Clarence Brown (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Clarence Brown
| image              = Clarence Brown - Jun 1922 FB.jpg
| caption            = <small>Brown in 1922</small>
| birth_name         = Clarence Leon Brown
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1890|5|10}}
| birth_place        = [[Clinton, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1987|8|17|1890|5|10}}
| death_place        = [[Santa Monica, California]], U.S.
| years_active       = 1915–1953
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Paula Herndon Pratt|1913|1920|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Ona Wilson|1922|1927|end=div}}
* {{marriage|[[Alice Joyce]]|1933|1945|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Marian Spies<br>|1946}}}}
| children           = 1
| education          = [[Knoxville High School (Tennessee)|Knoxville High School]]<br>[[University of Tennessee]]}}
'''Clarence Leon Brown''' (May 10, 1890 – August 17, 1987) was an American film director.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Little |first1=Lexie |title=A Roustabout Career: The Forgotten Celebrity of Clarence Brown |url=https://torchbearer.utk.edu/2019/07/roustabout-career-forgotten-celebrity-clarence-brown/ |website=Torchbearer |access-date=July 17, 2019 |date=July 10, 2019}}</ref>

==Early life==
Born in [[Clinton, Massachusetts]],<ref>{{cite book|title=501 Movie Directors|editor-first=Steven Jay|editor-last=Schneider|publisher=Cassell Illustrated|location=London|year=2007|page=54|isbn=9781844035731|oclc=1347156402}}</ref> to Larkin Harry Brown, a cotton manufacturer, and Katherine Ann Brown (née Gaw), Brown moved to [[Tennessee]] when he was 11 years old. He attended [[Knoxville High School (Tennessee)|Knoxville High School]]<ref>John Shearer, [http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/may/28/052810knoxhighbox2/ Famous alumni from Knoxville High School], ''[[Knoxville News Sentinel]]'', May 28, 2010</ref> And the [[University of Tennessee]], both in [[Knoxville, Tennessee]], graduating from the university at the age of 19 with two degrees in engineering.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Clarence Brown Collection – Special Collections – Libraries – The University of Tennessee, Knoxville|url = http://www.lib.utk.edu/special/featured-collections/clarence-brown/|website = lib.utk.edu|access-date = February 15, 2016}}</ref> An early fascination in [[Car|automobiles]] led Brown to a job with the [[Stevens-Duryea|Stevens-Duryea Company]], then to his own Brown Motor Car Company in [[Alabama]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Clarence Brown Collection – Special Collections – Libraries – The University of Tennessee, Knoxville|url = http://www.lib.utk.edu/special/featured-collections/clarence-brown/|website = lib.utk.edu|access-date = February 16, 2016}}</ref> 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]], and became an assistant to the French-born director [[Maurice Tourneur]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Clarence Brown – About This Person – Movies & TV |url = https://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/83202/Clarence-Brown|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140505233831/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/83202/Clarence-Brown|url-status = dead|archive-date = May 5, 2014|department = Movies & TV Dept. |work = [[The New York Times]] |date = 2014 |access-date = February 15, 2016}}</ref>

==Career==
[[File:Clarence Brown 1921.jpg|thumb|left|Clarence Brown in 1921]]
After serving as a [[fighter pilot]] and [[flight instructor]] in the [[United States Army Air Service]] during [[World War I]],<ref name="dga">[https://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/1902-Spring-2019/Books-Clarence-Brown.aspx Hollywood's Forgotten Master Gets His Due] [[Directors Guild of America]]. Retrieved December 1, 2021.</ref><ref name="latimesobit">[https://web.archive.org/web/20200919200915/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-19-mn-808-story.html Clarence Brown, Director of Garbo, Gable, Dies at 97] ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' via [[Internet Archive]]. Retrieved December 1, 2021.</ref><ref name="utknoxville">[https://our.tennessee.edu/100-distinguished-alumni/clarence-brown/ Clarence Brown, FILMMAKER, UT Knoxville, 1910] [[University of Tennessee]]. Retrieved December 1, 2021.</ref><ref name="britannicapage">[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Clarence-Brown Clarence Brown, American filmmaker] [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]. Retrieved December 1, 2021.</ref><ref name="enthusiast">[http://www.storyenthusiast.com/classic-director-spotlight/ Classic Director Spotlight -Clarence Brown] www.storyenthusiast.com. Retrieved December 1, 2021.</ref> Brown was given his first co-directing credit (with Tourneur) for ''[[The Great Redeemer]]'' (1920). Later that year, he directed a major portion of ''[[The Last of the Mohicans (1920 American film)|The Last of the Mohicans]]'' after Tourneur was injured in a fall.

Brown moved to [[Universal Pictures|Universal]] in 1924, and then to [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], 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]] six times and [[Greta Garbo]] seven.

Brown was nominated five times for six films (see below) for an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] as a director, but he never received an Oscar. However, he won Best Foreign Film for ''[[Anna Karenina (1935 film)|Anna Karenina]]'', starring Garbo at the 1935 [[Venice 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 of [[William Faulkner]]'s ''[[Intruder in the Dust (1949 film)|Intruder in the Dust]]''.

In 1957, Brown was awarded The George Eastman Award, given by [[George Eastman House]] for distinguished contribution to the art of film.<ref>{{Cite web|title = George Eastman Award|url = https://www.eastman.org/george-eastman-award|website = George Eastman Museum|access-date = February 16, 2016|first = Molly|last = Tarbell}}</ref> Brown retired a wealthy man due to his real estate investments, but refused to watch new movies. He feared they might cause him to restart his career.
 
The Clarence Brown Theater, on the campus of the [[University of Tennessee]], is named in his honor.<ref>{{Cite web|title = History {{!}} Clarence Brown Theatre|url = http://clarencebrowntheatre.com/about-us/history/|website = clarencebrowntheatre.com|access-date = February 16, 2016|archive-date = May 5, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160505162821/http://clarencebrowntheatre.com/about-us/history/|url-status = dead}}</ref> He holds the record for most nominations for the [[Academy Award for Best Director]] 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.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CA1uDwAAQBAJ&q=pratt&pg=PA122 | title=Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master| isbn=9780813175966| last1=Young| first1=Gwenda| date=September 13, 2018| publisher=University Press of Kentucky}}</ref> The couple produced a daughter, Adrienne Brown.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CA1uDwAAQBAJ&q=adrienne&pg=PA122 | title=Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master| isbn=9780813175966| last1=Young| first1=Gwenda| date=September 13, 2018| publisher=University Press of Kentucky}}</ref>

His second marriage was to Ona Wilson, which lasted from 1922 until their divorce in 1927.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CA1uDwAAQBAJ&q=ona+wilson&pg=PA122 |title = Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master|isbn = 9780813175966|last1 = Young|first1 = Gwenda|date = September 13, 2018| publisher=University Press of Kentucky}}</ref>

He was engaged to [[Dorothy Sebastian]]<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CA1uDwAAQBAJ&q=dorothy+sebastian&pg=PA122 |title = Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master|isbn = 9780813175966|last1 = Young|first1 = Gwenda|date = September 13, 2018| publisher=University Press of Kentucky}}</ref> and [[Mona 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."<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CA1uDwAAQBAJ&q=clarence+brown+mona+maris&pg=PA122 |title = Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master|isbn = 9780813175966|last1 = Young|first1 = Gwenda|date = September 13, 2018| publisher=University Press of Kentucky}}</ref>

He married his third wife, [[Alice Joyce]], in 1933 and they divorced in 1945.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CA1uDwAAQBAJ&q=alice+joyce&pg=PA122 |title = Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master|isbn = 9780813175966|last1 = Young|first1 = Gwenda|date = September 13, 2018| publisher=University Press of Kentucky}}</ref><ref name="University Press of Kentucky">{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CA1uDwAAQBAJ&q=alice+joyce+1945&pg=PA122 | title=Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master| isbn=9780813175966| last1=Young| first1=Gwenda| date=September 13, 2018| publisher=University Press of Kentucky}}</ref>

His last marriage was to Marian Spies in 1946, which lasted until his death in 1987.<ref name="University Press of Kentucky"/>

==Death==
Brown died at the [[Saint John's Health Center]] in [[Santa Monica, California]] from kidney failure on August 17, 1987, at the age of 97.<ref name="latimesobit"/> He is interred at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] in [[Glendale, California]].<ref name="Wilson, Scott">Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2. McFarland & Company (2016) {{ISBN|0786479922}}</ref>

On February 8, 1960, Brown received a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 1752 [[Vine Street]], for his contributions to the motion pictures industry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.walkoffame.com/clarence-brown|title=Clarence Brown {{!}} Hollywood Walk of Fame|website=www.walkoffame.com|access-date=June 21, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = Clarence Brown|url = http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/clarence-brown/|website = Los Angeles Times|access-date = February 16, 2016}}</ref>

==Selected filmography==
[[File:Rains-Came-Brown-Thompson-Bromfield.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Journalist [[Dorothy Thompson]] is entertained on the set of ''[[The Rains Came]]'' (1939) by director Clarence Brown (left) and [[Louis Bromfield]], author of the novel on which the film was based.]]

===Director===
*''[[Trilby (1915 film)|Trilby]]'' (1915)
*''[[The Law of the Land (film)|The Law of the Land]]'' (1917)
*''[[The Blue Bird (1918 film)|The Blue Bird]]'' (1918)
*''[[The Great Redeemer]]'' (1920)
*''[[The Last of the Mohicans (1920 American film)|The Last of the Mohicans]]'' (1920)
*''[[The Foolish Matrons]]'' (1921)
*''[[The Light in the Dark]]'' (1922)
*''[[Don't Marry for Money]]'' (1923)
*''[[The Acquittal]]'' (1923)
{{Div col}}
*''[[The Signal Tower]]'' (1924)
*''[[Butterfly (1924 film)|Butterfly]]'' (1924)
*''[[The Eagle (1925 film)|The Eagle]]'' (1925)
*''[[The Goose Woman]]'' (1925)
*''[[Smouldering Fires (film)|Smouldering Fires]]'' (1925)
*''[[Flesh and the Devil]]'' (1926)
*''[[Kiki (1926 film)|Kiki]]'' (1926)
*''[[A Woman of Affairs]]'' (1928)
*''[[The Trail of '98]]'' (1929)
*''[[Navy Blues (1929 film)|Navy Blues]]'' (1929)
*''[[Wonder of Women]]'' (1929)
*''[[Anna Christie (1930 film)|Anna Christie]]'' (1930) – Academy Award nomination for Best Director{{efn|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."}}
*''[[Romance (1930 film)|Romance]]'' (1930) – Academy Award nomination for Best Director{{efn|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."}}
*''[[Inspiration (1931 film)|Inspiration]]'' (1931)
*''[[Possessed (1931 film)|Possessed]]'' (1931)
*''[[A Free Soul]]'' (1931) – Academy Award nomination for Best Director
*''[[Emma (1932 film)|Emma]]'' (1932)
*''[[Letty Lynton]]'' (1932)
*''[[The Son-Daughter]]'' (1932)
*''[[Looking Forward (1933 film)|Looking forward]]'' (1933)
*''[[Night Flight (1933 film)|Night Flight]]'' (1933)
*''[[Sadie McKee]]'' (1934)
*''[[Chained (1934 film)|Chained]]'' (1934)
*''[[Anna Karenina (1935 film)|Anna Karenina]]'' (1935)
*''[[Ah, Wilderness! (film)|Ah, Wilderness!]]'' (1935)
*''[[Wife vs. Secretary]]'' (1936)
*''[[The Gorgeous Hussy]]'' (1936)
*''[[Conquest (1937 film)|Conquest]]'' (1937)
*''[[Of Human Hearts]]'' (1938)
*''[[Idiot's Delight (film)|Idiot's Delight]]'' (1939)
*''[[The Rains Came]]'' (1939)
*''[[Edison, the Man]]'' (1940)
*''[[Come Live with Me (film)|Come Live with Me]]'' (1941)
*''[[They Met in Bombay]]'' (1941)
*''[[The Human Comedy (film)|The Human Comedy]]'' (1943) – Academy Award nominations for Best Director and for Best Picture
*''[[The White Cliffs of Dover (1944 film)|The White Cliffs of Dover]]'' (1944)
*''[[National Velvet (film)|National Velvet]]'' (1944) – Academy Award nomination for Best Director
*''[[The Yearling (film)|The Yearling]]'' (1946) – Academy Award nomination for Best Director
*''[[Song of Love (1947 film)|Song of Love]]'' (1947)
*''[[Intruder in the Dust (1949 film)|Intruder in the Dust]]'' (1949)
*''[[To Please a Lady]]'' (1950)
*''[[Angels in the Outfield (1951 film)|Angels in the Outfield]]'' (1951)
*''[[When in Rome (1952 film)|When in Rome]]'' (1952)
*''[[Plymouth Adventure]]'' (1952)
{{div col end}}

===Actor===
*''[[The Signal Tower]]'' (1924) – Switch Man
*''[[Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925 film)|Ben-Hur]]'' (1925) – Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
*''[[Navy Blues (1929 film)|Navy Blues]]'' (1929) – Roller Coaster Rider (uncredited)
*''[[Possessed (1931 film)|Possessed]]'' (1931) – Man on Merry-Go-Round (uncredited) (final film role)

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Brownlow, Kevin. "Clarence Brown" in ''The Parade's Gone By'' New York: Knopf (1968)
* [[Allen Estrin|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.&nbsp;53–73 (2002)
* {{cite news |last=Young |first=Gwenda |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/94 |title=Star Maker: The Career of Clarence Brown |work=Sight and Sound |date=April 2003 |publisher=British Film Institute 
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070514152222/http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/94 |archive-date=May 14, 2007 |url-status=dead}}
* Young, Gwenda. Clarence Brown: Hollywood's Forgotten Master. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2018
* Neely, Jack. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110611213329/http://www.metropulse.com/news/2008/mar/06/clarence-brown-forgotten-director "Clarence Brown: The Forgotten Director"], ''[[Metro Pulse]]'' (March 2008)

==External links==
{{Commons category|Clarence Brown}}
{{wikisource author}}
* {{IMDb name|0113284}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050725234425/http://www.extraordinarytown.com/ "An Extraordinary Town – Clinton, Massachusetts" (a book on Brown's birthplace, with an extensive section on Brown)], extraordinarytown.com
* [http://www.oscars.org/awardsdatabase Information available on the actual dates and nominations, plus commentary on the nominations for multiple roles/films in 1929/1930] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328233500/http://www.oscars.org/awardsdatabase/ |date=March 28, 2014 }}, oscars.org
* [http://www.virtual-history.com/movie/person/4009/clarence-brown Clarence Brown profile], virtual-history.com

{{Clarence Brown}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Clarence}}
[[Category:1890 births]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American screenwriters]]
[[Category:American film editors]]
[[Category:American male screenwriters]]
[[Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)]]
[[Category:Deaths from kidney failure in California]]
[[Category:Film directors from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Film directors from Tennessee]]
[[Category:Film producers from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Film producers from Tennessee]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:People from Clinton, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:People from Knoxville, Tennessee]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Tennessee]]
[[Category:United States Army Air Service pilots of World War I]]
[[Category:MPAPAI members]]