Jerry Summers
One of the most famous personalities in Hollywood but relatively unknown in Tennessee is the late gentleman by the name of Clarence Leon Brown (1890-1987). Until recently he was also the largest financial contributor to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville having left a $12 million bequest at his death in 1987, contingent on the death of his fourth wife, Marian Spies.
Brown was born in Clinton, Massachusetts and at the age of 12 moved to Knoxville. After graduating from UTK with degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering, he initially worked for the Stevens-Duryea Automotive Company before forming the Brown Motor Car Company in Alabama. He then traveled to Fort Lee, New Jersey to serve as an assistant in the motion picture industry to French director Maurice Tourneur at the Peerless Studio in 1913.
After service as a flight instructor in World War I, he migrated to Hollywood and became a producer-director in the fledgling movie business during the silent film era with three non-talkies. In 1920 he co-directed the film, The Great Redeemer and The Last of the Mohicans starring Wallace Beery with his mentor Tourneur. When Maurice became ill, Brown took over and completed the Mohicans film.
His first solo internship starred actor John Gilbert, thus starting a movie career that ran from 1923-1952 with Brown receiving credit for 53 films as director, 28 credits as producer and 14 editor credits. He also performed as an actor in four films including Ben Hur in 1925 as a chariot race spectator.
Brown was a favorite director of the top female actresses of the era at MGM having directed Joan Crawford six times and Greta Garbo seven. Other actors and actresses that he directed over the years included Rudolph Valentino (The Eagle), Angela Lansbury and Elizabeth Taylor (National Velvet), Gregory Peck (The Yearling), Mickey Rooney (National Velvet), Spencer Tracy (Edison the Man) Clark Gable (Never Let Me Go) and Norma Shearer.
Overall his films received a total of 38 Academy Award nominations and won nine Oscars. Although he was nominated five times by the Academy Award as a director and once as a producer, he never won this top prize. However, he was recognized for his production of William Faulkner’s Intruder in the Dust and won the British Academy Award in 1979.
Brown became wealthy dealing in California real estate and retired from the cinema in 1952 at the relatively young age of 62. It was reported that he would not watch new movies because he did not want to be tempted to re-enter the film industry.
Ironically, one dubious record that he held was being nominated for an Academy Award the most times without winning the Oscar - six.
Whether this setback had anything to do with him refusing to commence directing films after 1952 would have to be a matter of conjecture.
The University of Tennessee named the Clarence Brown Theater on the main campus in Knoxville in his honor. The large gift that he donated to this school helps maintain and renovate the theater and also to provide scholarships and faculty salary supplements.
Brown died in Santa Monica, California from kidney failure on August 17, 1987 and is interred at Forrest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
One of the last public recognitions for him was receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960 for his contributions to the motion picture industry.
He truly did have an outstanding career in Hollywood.
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Jerry Summers
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Clarence Brown