David Brown

David Brown (producer) Born July 28, 1916 New York City, United States Died February 1, 2010 (aged 93) Manhattan, New York, United States Alma mater Stanford University Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism Occupation Film producer, author, journalist Years active 1973–2002 Spouse(s) Helen Gurley Brown ​(m. 1959)​ Children Bruce Brown Awards Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award (1991) David Brown (July 28, 1916 – February 1, 2010)[1] was an American film and theatre producer and writer who was best known for producing the 1975 film Jaws based on the best-selling novel by Peter Benchley. He was born in New York City, the son of Lillian (née Baren) and Edward Fisher Brown. Brown was a graduate of Stanford University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He began his professional career as a journalist, contributing to magazines including The Saturday Evening Post, Harper's and Collier's, before becoming an editor himself. He was a managing editor of Cosmopolitan before his wife, Helen Gurley Brown, joined the magazine. Film In 1951, the producer Darryl F. Zanuck hired Brown to head the story department at Zanuck's studio, 20th Century-Fox. Brown eventually rose to become executive vice president of creative operations. He and Richard D. Zanuck, Darryl's son, left Fox in 1971 for Warner Bros., but the following year they set out to form their own production company. The caper film The Sting (1973) starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford was a Zanuck/Brown "presentation". In 1974, the company produced, along with Universal Pictures, The Sugarland Express, Steven Spielberg's directorial debut, for a motion picture. Thereafter, the pair were credited as producers or executive producers of more than a dozen films, including the courtroom drama The Verdict (1982), directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Paul Newman; the science-fiction Cocoon (1985), directed by Ron Howard; and the comedy-drama Driving Miss Daisy (1989), directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman. Driving Miss Daisy won four Academy Awards, including the Best Picture award. Without Zanuck, Brown went on to produce films including the drama Angela's Ashes (1999) and the romance Chocolat (2000). He and partner Zanuck were jointly awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1990 for their achievements in producing films including the thriller Jaws (1975), directed by Steven Spielberg. Theater Brown produced various Broadway musicals, including Sweet Smell of Success: The Musical (2002), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005), and the off-Broadway Jerry Herman musical revue Showtune (2003). He bought the film and stage rights to the drama play A Few Good Men, written by playwright Aaron Sorkin. The play opened November 1989 and ran for 500 performances. The film of the same name (1992) stars Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson. Personal life Helen Gurley and David Brown From 1959, for fifty-one years, until his death, Brown was the husband of Helen Gurley Brown, editor of Cosmopolitan magazine for 32 years, and author of Sex and the Single Girl. Brown had one son, Bruce, from a prior marriage, who predeceased him, and a half brother, Edward Fisher Brown Jr. He was known equally for his mannerliness, fine wardrobe, distinctive mustache and for championing writers. He had strong connections with publishers and agents. Brown wrote Brown's Guide to the Good Life: Tears, Fears and Boredom (2005), which gives advice on life. He also wrote Let Me Entertain You (1990), an anecdotal autobiography. Death He died, age 93, at his home in Manhattan from kidney failure on February 1, 2010.[3] His widow, Helen, died on August 13, 2012, age 90. Mr. and Mrs. Brown were laid to rest in late November 2012 in adjacent graves at Sisco Cemetery in Arkansas. Helen's maternal family cemetery is located just south of the village of Osage in Carroll County, Arkansas. Filmography He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted. Film Year Film Credit Notes 1973 Sssssss Executive producer The Sting Executive producer Uncredited 1974 Willie Dynamite The Sugarland Express The Black Windmill Executive producer The Girl from Petrovka 1975 The Eiger Sanction Executive producer Jaws 1977 MacArthur Executive producer 1978 Jaws 2 1980 The Island 1981 Neighbors 1982 The Verdict 1985 Cocoon Target 1988 Cocoon: The Return 1989 Driving Miss Daisy Executive producer 1992 The Player Rich in Love Co-producer A Few Good Men 1993 The Cemetery Club Watch It Executive producer 1995 Canadian Bacon 1997 The Saint Kiss the Girls 1998 Deep Impact 1999 Angela's Ashes 2000 Chocolat 2001 Along Came a Spider Final film as a producer Television Year Title Credit Notes 1987 CBS Summer Playhouse Executive producer 1990 Women & Men: Stories of Seduction Television film 1991 Women & Men 2 Television film 1996 A Season in Purgatory Executive producer 2002 Framed Executive producer Television film

HELEN GURLEY BROWN (HELEN GURLEY BROWN) Helen Gurley Brown Brown was born Helen Marie Gurley in Green Forest, Arkansas, the daughter of Cleo Fred (Sisco) and Ira Marvin Gurley. Her mother was born in Alpena, Arkansas, and died in 1980. Her father was once appointed Commissioner of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas after Ira won election to the Arkansas state legislature. He died in an elevator accident on June 18, 1932. In 1937, Brown, her sister Mary, and their mother moved to Los Angeles, California. A few months after moving, Mary contracted polio. While in California, Brown attended John H. Francis Polytechnic High School. After Brown’s graduation, the family moved to Warm Springs, Georgia. She attended one semester at Texas State College for Women and then moved back to California to attend Woodbury Business College. from which she graduated in 1941. In 1947, Cleo and Mary moved to Osage, Arkansas, while Brown stayed in Los Angeles. After working at the William Morris Agency, Music Corporation of America, and Jaffe talent agencies she worked for Foote, Cone & Belding advertising agency as a secretary. Her employer recognized her writing skills and moved her to the copywriting department where she advanced rapidly to become one of the nation’s highest-paid ad copywriters in the early 1960s. In 1959 she married David Brown, who would go on to become a noted film producer. In 1962, when Brown was 40, her book – Sex and the Single Girl was published in 28 countries, and stayed on the bestseller lists for over a year. In 1964 the book inspired a film of the same name starring Natalie Wood. In 1965, she became editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan and reversed the high-toned content expected of the magazine. In the 1960s, Brown was an outspoken advocate of women’s sexual freedom and sought to provide them with role models in her magazine. She claimed that women could have it all – “love, sex, and money”. As a result of her advocacy, glamorous, fashion-focused women were sometimes called “Cosmo Girls”. Her work played a part in what is often called the sexual revolution. In 1997, Brown resigned from her role as the U.S. editor of Cosmopolitan and was replaced by Bonnie Fuller. When she left, Cosmopolitan ranked sixth at the newsstand, and for the 16th straight year, ranked first in bookstores on college campuses. However, she stayed on at Hearst publishing and remained the international editor for all 59 international editions of Cosmo until her death on August 13, 2012. In September, 2008, Brown was named the 13th-most-powerful American over the age of 80 by Slate magazine. After more than 50 years of marriage, her husband, David Brown, died at the age of 93 on February 1, 2010. Together with her husband David, Brown established the Brown Institute for Media Innovation. This institution is housed at both the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Stanford’s Engineering School. Their $30-million donation to the two schools develops journalism in the context of new technologies. At the age of 90, Brown died at the McKeen Pavilion at New York–Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia after a brief hospitalization. In its statement announcing the news, Hearst Publications did not disclose a cause. The company said, “Helen was one of the world’s most recognized magazine editors and book authors, and a true pioneer for women in journalism – and beyond.” Entertainment Weekly said that “Gurley Brown will be remembered for her impact on the publishing industry, her contributions to the culture at large, and sly quips like her famous line: ‘Good girls go to heaven. Bad girls go everywhere.'” New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a statement said, “Today New York City lost a pioneer who reshaped not only the entire media industry, but the nation’s culture. She was a role model for the millions of women whose private thoughts, wonders and dreams she addressed so brilliantly in print.”