Joe David Brown
Encyclopedia
Joe David Brown was an American novelist and journalist
from Birmingham
, Alabama
. He drew memorably from his own life to compose his fiction: his grandfather's role as a minister, his own knowledge of confidence games from his work as a reporter, his World War II
experiences, and his residence on journalistic assignment in India
. He is particularly remembered for the title character of his novel Addie Pray
, the young "Mistress of the Con Game" during the Great Depression
in the Deep South
; the story later became the film Paper Moon
.
Brown was born in Birmingham, the son of William Samuel Brown, a newspaper
publisher, and Lucille Lokey Brown. At age 20, he became a police reporter for the Birmingham Post
and in the same year (1935) married Mildred Harbour, with whom he had two sons, David and Ted. At age 21, Brown became city editor of the Dothan Eagle
. From 1935 to 1939, he worked for newspapers in Atlanta, Georgia
; Chattanooga, Tennessee
; and St. Louis, Missouri
. In 1939, he began working for the New York Daily News
, but his time there was interrupted in 1942 by World War II, in which he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Brown was one of the first men to parachute into Normandy, France, for the June 6, 1944 D-Day
invasion, receiving a battlefield commission as second lieutenant
and being awarded the Purple Heart
and Croix de Guerre
with Palm.
His first marriage ended in 1943 while he was still in the service. In 1945, while recovering from combat injuries, he met and married his second wife, Frances O'Reilly, with whom he had one child. Brown returned to the Daily News, then from 1949 to 1957 was a foreign correspondent for Time and Life, serving in New Delhi, India, Paris, France, London
, and Moscow
. In 1957, he became a freelance writer. In the sixties he returned to work for Time as a contributing editor; he also edited several books for Time-Life
.
Three of Brown's better-known novels became the basis of movies. Stars in My Crown (1947) was based on his childhood experiences with his minister grandfather and was made into a movie by the same name in 1949. Kings Go Forth was made into a movie in 1958. His final novel, Addie Pray (1971), the story of 11-year-old con artist Addie and her older partner Long Boy, was made into the movie Paper Moon (1973), starring Ryan O'Neal
and his daughter Tatum
. Brown's other, earlier novels are less well-known. The Freeholder (1949) is about an indentured servant's quest for freedom in the American South. Kings Go Forth (1956) draws upon Brown's military experiences (and also was made into a movie released in 1958), and Glimpse of a Stranger (1968) highlights the contrast between the cultures of India and the United States
.
Brown died on April 26, 1976, at his home in Georgia.
Short Stories
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
from Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. He drew memorably from his own life to compose his fiction: his grandfather's role as a minister, his own knowledge of confidence games from his work as a reporter, his World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
experiences, and his residence on journalistic assignment in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He is particularly remembered for the title character of his novel Addie Pray
Addie Pray
Addie Pray is a novel by Joe David Brown. It was the basis for the movie Paper Moon directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The novel was re-printed in 2002 as a paperback with the title Paper Moon: A Novel....
, the young "Mistress of the Con Game" during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
in the Deep South
Deep South
The Deep South is a descriptive category of the cultural and geographic subregions in the American South. Historically, it is differentiated from the "Upper South" as being the states which were most dependent on plantation type agriculture during the pre-Civil War period...
; the story later became the film Paper Moon
Paper Moon (film)
Paper Moon is a 1973 American comedy film directed by Peter Bogdanovich and released by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was adapted from the novel Addie Pray by Joe David Brown, and the film was shot in black-and-white. The film is set during the Great Depression in the U.S. states of Kansas and...
.
Brown was born in Birmingham, the son of William Samuel Brown, a newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
publisher, and Lucille Lokey Brown. At age 20, he became a police reporter for the Birmingham Post
Birmingham Post
The Birmingham Post newspaper was originally published under the name Daily Post in Birmingham, England, in 1857 by John Frederick Feeney. It was the largest selling broadsheet in the West Midlands, though it faced little if any competition in this category. It changed to tabloid size in 2008...
and in the same year (1935) married Mildred Harbour, with whom he had two sons, David and Ted. At age 21, Brown became city editor of the Dothan Eagle
Dothan Eagle
The Dothan Eagle is a daily newspaper serving Dothan, Alabama and the surrounding communities. It is owned by Media General....
. From 1935 to 1939, he worked for newspapers in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
; Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
; and St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. In 1939, he began working for the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
, but his time there was interrupted in 1942 by World War II, in which he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Brown was one of the first men to parachute into Normandy, France, for the June 6, 1944 D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
invasion, receiving a battlefield commission as second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
and being awarded the Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
and Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
with Palm.
His first marriage ended in 1943 while he was still in the service. In 1945, while recovering from combat injuries, he met and married his second wife, Frances O'Reilly, with whom he had one child. Brown returned to the Daily News, then from 1949 to 1957 was a foreign correspondent for Time and Life, serving in New Delhi, India, Paris, France, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. In 1957, he became a freelance writer. In the sixties he returned to work for Time as a contributing editor; he also edited several books for Time-Life
Time-Life
Time–Life is a creator and direct marketer of books, music, video/DVD, and multimedia products. Its products are sold throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia through television, print, retail, the Internet, telemarketing, and direct sales....
.
Three of Brown's better-known novels became the basis of movies. Stars in My Crown (1947) was based on his childhood experiences with his minister grandfather and was made into a movie by the same name in 1949. Kings Go Forth was made into a movie in 1958. His final novel, Addie Pray (1971), the story of 11-year-old con artist Addie and her older partner Long Boy, was made into the movie Paper Moon (1973), starring Ryan O'Neal
Ryan O'Neal
Charles Patrick Ryan O'Neal , better known as Ryan O'Neal, is an American actor best known for his appearances in the ABC nighttime soap opera Peyton Place and for his roles in such films as Paper Moon , Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon , A Bridge Too Far , and Love Story , for which he received...
and his daughter Tatum
Tatum
-People:*Tatum O'Neal, actress*Tatum Reed, adult actress*Art Tatum, jazz pianist*Edward Lawrie Tatum, Nobel Prize Winner in Medicine*Tatum De Roeck, actress*Channing Tatum, actor, model, dancer and singer*Beverly Daniel Tatum, psychologist...
. Brown's other, earlier novels are less well-known. The Freeholder (1949) is about an indentured servant's quest for freedom in the American South. Kings Go Forth (1956) draws upon Brown's military experiences (and also was made into a movie released in 1958), and Glimpse of a Stranger (1968) highlights the contrast between the cultures of India and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Brown died on April 26, 1976, at his home in Georgia.
Works
Novels- Stars In My Crown (1947)
- The Freeholder (1949)
- Kings Go ForthKings Go ForthKings Go Forth is a 1958 black-and-white World War II film starring Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood. The screenplay was written by Merle Miller from the novel of the same name by Joe David Brown, and the film was directed by Delmer Daves...
(1956) - Glimpse of a Stranger (1968)
- Addie PrayAddie PrayAddie Pray is a novel by Joe David Brown. It was the basis for the movie Paper Moon directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The novel was re-printed in 2002 as a paperback with the title Paper Moon: A Novel....
(aka Paper Moon) (1971)
Short Stories
- "Grandpa and the Miracle Grindstone" (1956; Curtis Publishing CompanyCurtis Publishing CompanyThe Curtis Publishing Company, founded in 1891 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became one of the largest and most influential publishers in the United States during the early 20th century. The company's publications included the Ladies' Home Journal and The Saturday Evening Post, The American Home,...
)