Forman Brown
Encyclopedia
Forman Brown was one of the world's leaders in puppet theatre in his day, as well as an important early gay
novelist. He was a member of the Yale Puppeteers and the driving force behind Turnabout Theatre
. He was born in Otsego, Michigan
, in 1901 and died in 1996, two days after his 95th birthday. Brown briefly taught at North Carolina State College, followed by an extensive tour of Europe.
Forman's Yale Puppeteers, which he established upon graduating from University of Michigan
(class of 1922), opened a puppet theatre in Los Angeles in 1941 (the Turnabout Theater) that attracted celebrity attention and support from some of Hollywood's biggest names, e.g., Greta Garbo
, Marie Dressler
, and Douglas Fairbanks
, as well as other notable figures including Albert Einstein
. Brown wrote all the songs and sketches for the troupe's productions. Regular performers included Elsa Lanchester
and Odetta
. Bette Midler
recently sang one of Forman's songs, Mrs. Pettibone, at a Los Angeles AIDS benefit.
Along with Yale Puppeteers Harry Burnett and Richard Brandon (Brown's life-long lover), Brown launched Turnabout Theatre in 1941 as "a vehicle for performing both puppet plays and revues for adults." Turnabout Theatre was a highly popular puppetry venue until its dissolution in 1956. Reversible seats were installed in the theatre so that after the puppet shows were performed at one end of the auditorium, the puppeteers asked the audience to "turnabout" their seats for the Turnabout revue staged at the opposite end of the auditorium.
In 1933, he wrote, under the pseudonym Richard Meeker, a controversial novel called Better Angel about a young man coming to terms with his homosexuality. This novel is regarded as "the first American novel to present the 'gay' experience in a healthy light."
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
novelist. He was a member of the Yale Puppeteers and the driving force behind Turnabout Theatre
Turnabout Theatre
The Turnabout Theatre existed in Hollywood, CA., from 1941 through 1956. Regularly selling out all seats--attracting both the general public as well as many of Hollywood's top stars--it offered entertainment that combined both puppets for the first half of a show and a stage revue for the second...
. He was born in Otsego, Michigan
Otsego, Michigan
Otsego is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,934 at the 2000 census. The city is within Otsego Township, but is administratively autonomous....
, in 1901 and died in 1996, two days after his 95th birthday. Brown briefly taught at North Carolina State College, followed by an extensive tour of Europe.
Forman's Yale Puppeteers, which he established upon graduating from University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
(class of 1922), opened a puppet theatre in Los Angeles in 1941 (the Turnabout Theater) that attracted celebrity attention and support from some of Hollywood's biggest names, e.g., Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
, Marie Dressler
Marie Dressler
Marie Dressler was a Canadian-American actress and Depression-era film star. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1930-31 in Min and Bill.-Early life and stage career:...
, and Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
, as well as other notable figures including Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
. Brown wrote all the songs and sketches for the troupe's productions. Regular performers included Elsa Lanchester
Elsa Lanchester
Elsa Sullivan Lanchester was an English-American character actress with a long career in theatre, film and television....
and Odetta
Odetta
Odetta Holmes, known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and a human rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals...
. Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
recently sang one of Forman's songs, Mrs. Pettibone, at a Los Angeles AIDS benefit.
Along with Yale Puppeteers Harry Burnett and Richard Brandon (Brown's life-long lover), Brown launched Turnabout Theatre in 1941 as "a vehicle for performing both puppet plays and revues for adults." Turnabout Theatre was a highly popular puppetry venue until its dissolution in 1956. Reversible seats were installed in the theatre so that after the puppet shows were performed at one end of the auditorium, the puppeteers asked the audience to "turnabout" their seats for the Turnabout revue staged at the opposite end of the auditorium.
In 1933, he wrote, under the pseudonym Richard Meeker, a controversial novel called Better Angel about a young man coming to terms with his homosexuality. This novel is regarded as "the first American novel to present the 'gay' experience in a healthy light."
Broadway songs
- Home Sweet HomerHome Sweet Homer (musical)Home Sweet Homer is a musical with a book by Roland Kibbee and Albert Marre, lyrics by Charles Burr and Forman Brown, and music by Mitch Leigh.Originally called Odyssey, it is one of the most notorious flops in Broadway theatre history...
(4 January 1976) | lyrics by Forman Brown - Music in My Heart (2 October 1947 - 24 January 1948) | lyrics by Forman Brown
- The Red Mill (16 October 1945 - 18 January 1947) | additional lyrics by Forman Brown
Filmography
- I Am SuzanneI am SuzanneI Am Suzanne! is a 1933 American romance film set in Paris and dealing with puppeteers. It was directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Leslie Banks, Lilian Harvey and Gene Raymond....
! (1933) | uncredited songwriter (with Friedrich HollaenderFriedrich HollaenderFriedrich Hollaender was a German film composer.He was born in London, where his father, operetta composer Victor Hollaender, worked at the Barnum & Bailey Circus...
): "Gay St. Moritz Is the Place", "Eski-olay-lio-mo" - Bandits and Ballads (1934) | writer
- An Old Spanish Onion (1935) | writer
Published works
- The Generous Jefferson Bartleby Jones (1991), ISBN 1-55583-198-2
- Small Wonder: The Story of the Yale Puppeteers and the Turnabout Theatre (Scarecrow Press, 1980), ISBN 0-8108-1334-3
- Better Angel (1933), written under pseudonym Richard Meeker
External links
- A Remembrance of Forman Brown
- Turnabout Theater Virtual Tour at the Los Angeles Public Library
- Fully online version of Brown's novel Better Angel, published under the pseudonym Richard Meeker
- Librivox audio version of Better Angel