KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Clarence Brown and his late wife Marian gave millions of dollars to help the University of Tennessee establish a nationally respected theater program. But that's not the only gift they left behind.
The six-time Oscar-nominated director also entrusted his alma mater with a museum's worth of treasures, ranging from movie scripts with his own notations as he shot the films to scores of historic photos with Hollywood greats to film industry awards to his personal walking cane.
The 100-plus boxes—encompassing 150 linear feet—are part of the University of Tennessee Libraries' Special Collections. It's not all on display, although items sometimes are loaned to museums and such. Researchers can request access to them, said Jennifer Benedetto Beals, who oversees Special Collections.
The Browns gave most of the material to UT in the early 1970s. It's among the largest single components of Special Collections. For example, UT also has a sizable amount of artifacts from the estate of writer James Agee, Beals said.
Brown's personal effects include scripts for such beloved movies as "National Velvet" and "The Yearling".
He also collected and then turned over dozens and dozens of photos taken during filming from his 50-plus film career. They include pictures of Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Elizabeth Taylor, Norma Shearer and Greta Garbo, Beals said.
One of the more unusual items is the big "Mussolini Cup" that Brown received at the Venice Film Festival in 1935 for his film with Garbo, "Anna Karenina". Brown was known in particular for working with Crawford and Garbo, one of MGM's biggest stars.
Brown was born in Massachusetts but grew up in Knoxville after his father moved here to take a job overseeing the giant Brookside Mills plant in North Knoxville.
He graduated from Knoxville High School and secured two degrees from UT in engineering.
All three documents are now in UT's Special Collections. All are now more than a hundred years old.
