Harry Brown (writer)
Encyclopedia
Harry Peter McNab Brown, Jr. (April 30, 1917 – November 2, 1986) was an American
poet, novelist and screenwriter.
, Maine
, he was educated at Harvard University
, where he was friends with American poet, Robert Lowell
. Brown dropped out of Harvard after his sophomore year to write poetry, work at Time magazine, and contributed to and became a sub editor of The New Yorker
.
Charles Scribner's Sons, of New York, published, in 1941, Brown's sustained unified poem, "The Poem of Bunker Hill". The 158 page poetic epic won praise for its author's literary gifts as a poet and for the timely presentation of a vital topic - young men and war. Louise Bogan, from the New Yorker, was quoted, "Brown...possesses one of the most unmistakable poetic gifts which have recently appeared. Such a talent is not only basically good from the beginning but exhibits, also from the first, all the signs of virtuosity." Also published, early in that year, was Brown's first full-length book, "The End of a Decade".
From the American Revolutionary warfare of "The Poem of Bunker Hill", Harry Brown went directly to modern military operations. Brown enlisted in July 1941 in the US Army Corps of Engineers
where he served at Fort Belvoir
, Virginia. In 1942 he joined the staff of Yank magazine.
Brown wrote a column for the magazine under the nom de plume of "PFC Artie Greengroin" with a book published in 1945 of the columns under that title. Brown also wrote a play A Sound of Hunting that was produced on Broadway in 1946 starring Burt Lancaster
and Frank Lovejoy
. It was later filmed by Stanley Kramer
under the title Eight Iron Men with a different cast of Bonar Colleano
, Lee Marvin
, and Arthur Franz
in 1952, then was a 1961 television production with Peter Falk
, Robert Lansing
, and Sal Mineo
directed by Seymour Robbie
.
Brown wrote the novel A Walk in the Sun in 1944, which was made into a film in 1945. Director Lewis Milestone
asked Brown to come to Hollywood as a screenwriter
where he worked on films including Sands of Iwo Jima
(1949
), A Place in the Sun (1951
) (winning an Oscar), and Ocean's Eleven
(1960
). Brown also was credited for his work on the first Ocean's Eleven when it was remade in 2001
.
Brown died from emphysema
in Los Angeles in 1986.
film El Dorado. Brown insisted that his credits be removed, as he felt the film had so little in common with the novel.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet, novelist and screenwriter.
Life
Born in PortlandPortland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, he was educated at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he was friends with American poet, Robert Lowell
Robert Lowell
Robert Traill Spence Lowell IV was an American poet, considered the founder of the confessional poetry movement. He was appointed the sixth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress where he served from 1947 until 1948...
. Brown dropped out of Harvard after his sophomore year to write poetry, work at Time magazine, and contributed to and became a sub editor of The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
.
Charles Scribner's Sons, of New York, published, in 1941, Brown's sustained unified poem, "The Poem of Bunker Hill". The 158 page poetic epic won praise for its author's literary gifts as a poet and for the timely presentation of a vital topic - young men and war. Louise Bogan, from the New Yorker, was quoted, "Brown...possesses one of the most unmistakable poetic gifts which have recently appeared. Such a talent is not only basically good from the beginning but exhibits, also from the first, all the signs of virtuosity." Also published, early in that year, was Brown's first full-length book, "The End of a Decade".
From the American Revolutionary warfare of "The Poem of Bunker Hill", Harry Brown went directly to modern military operations. Brown enlisted in July 1941 in the US Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
where he served at Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Originally, it was the site of the Belvoir plantation. Today, Fort Belvoir is home to a number of important United States military organizations...
, Virginia. In 1942 he joined the staff of Yank magazine.
Brown wrote a column for the magazine under the nom de plume of "PFC Artie Greengroin" with a book published in 1945 of the columns under that title. Brown also wrote a play A Sound of Hunting that was produced on Broadway in 1946 starring Burt Lancaster
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
and Frank Lovejoy
Frank Lovejoy
Frank Lovejoy was an American actor in radio, film, and television. He was born Frank Lovejoy Jr. in Bronx, New York, but grew up in New Jersey. His father, Frank Lovejoy Sr., was a furniture salesman from Maine...
. It was later filmed by Stanley Kramer
Stanley Kramer
Stanley Earl Kramer was an American film director and producer. Kramer was responsible for some of Hollywood's most famous "message" movies...
under the title Eight Iron Men with a different cast of Bonar Colleano
Bonar Colleano
Bonar Colleano was an American-born British stage and motion-picture performer.-Early life:Colleano was born Bonar Sullivan in New York City. Following childhood experiences with the Ringling Brothers Circus and in his family's famous circus, he entered films in 1944...
, Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
, and Arthur Franz
Arthur Franz
Arthur Franz was a B-movie actor whose most notable role was as Lieutenant, Junior Grade H. Paynter, Jr. in The Caine Mutiny. He also appeared in Roseanna McCoy , Invaders from Mars , Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man and The Unholy Wife , among others...
in 1952, then was a 1961 television production with Peter Falk
Peter Falk
Peter Michael Falk was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo...
, Robert Lansing
Robert Lansing
Robert Lansing served in the position of Legal Advisor to the State Department at the outbreak of World War I where he vigorously advocated against Britain's policy of blockade and in favor of the principles of freedom of the seas and the rights of neutral nations...
, and Sal Mineo
Sal Mineo
Salvatore "Sal" Mineo, Jr. , was an American film and theatre actor, best known for his performance as John "Plato" Crawford opposite James Dean in the film Rebel Without a Cause...
directed by Seymour Robbie
Seymour Robbie
Seymour Robbie — Born August 25, 1919, in New York City, and died June 17, 2004 — was a director of American television programs, whose work ranged from 1951 to 1990...
.
Brown wrote the novel A Walk in the Sun in 1944, which was made into a film in 1945. Director Lewis Milestone
Lewis Milestone
Lewis Milestone was a Russian-American motion picture director. He is known for directing Two Arabian Knights and All Quiet on the Western Front , both of which received Academy Awards for Best Director...
asked Brown to come to Hollywood as a screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
where he worked on films including Sands of Iwo Jima
Sands of Iwo Jima
Sands of Iwo Jima is a 1949 war film that follows a group of United States Marines from training to the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. It stars John Wayne, John Agar, Adele Mara and Forrest Tucker. The movie was written by Harry Brown and James Edward Grant and directed by Allan Dwan...
(1949
1949 in film
The year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello...
), A Place in the Sun (1951
1951 in film
The year 1951 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
) (winning an Oscar), and Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven (1960 film)
Ocean's 11 is a 1960 heist film directed by Lewis Milestone and starring five Rat Packers: Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Joey Bishop....
(1960
1960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
). Brown also was credited for his work on the first Ocean's Eleven when it was remade in 2001
Ocean's Eleven (2001 film)
Ocean's Eleven is a 2001 American comedy-crime caper and remake of the 1960 Rat Pack caper film of the same name. The 2001 film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and features an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy García, and Julia Roberts. The film was...
.
Brown died from emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
in Los Angeles in 1986.
Awards
- 1938/1939 Shelley Memorial AwardShelley Memorial AwardThe Shelley Memorial Award of more than $3,500, given out by the Poetry Society of America, was established by the will of the late Mary P. Sears, and named after the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The prize is given to a living American poet selected with reference to genius and need. The selection is...
- 1936 The Young Poets Prize , awarded by Poetry magazine
- 1937 Lloyd McKim Garrison Award
Novels
(Basis for the John WayneJohn Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
film El Dorado. Brown insisted that his credits be removed, as he felt the film had so little in common with the novel.