Evening star., 1941-07-13
MAGAZINE
BACK-YARD BARBECUEs ARE FUN

banned Hindu to come in and cook
special curry. but very often at one
of his barbecue parties, for which he
has invented mum Der of his own
recipes and where he likes to super
wise the cooking personally. He is an
authority on barbecues and has given
us excellent recipes.
All this, however. makes only a
one-dimensional pctur Of Clarence
Brown, and he has a good many di-
mensions. From the Public's point of
view. he is successful motion-picture
director. handling great stars - Greta
Carlo, Norma Shearer, Joan Craw-
ford, Hedy Lamar. Rosalind Russell.
to name a few. And he has achieved
long succession Of fine pictures, in
cluding ANNA Christie" "Ah. VIII
derness." Idiots Delight" might
Flight. Edison the Man." and most
recently of all They Met In Bonn
bay"
Ruddy-cheeked, fifty years old.
little laconic and given to under
rather than over-statement, but very
purposeful in speech, Mr. Brown says
that he did not set out originally to
make a career in the movies. As a
young graduate engi neer from the
University of Tennessee, his first in
terest was the infant automobile
manufacturing industry, and he found
ed his own concern, the Brown Motor
Company. But in 1918 when his plant
was converted to making munitions
instead of cars, he went as assistant
director to Maurice Tourneur who
was engaged in the production of
''Trilby"
Then Americas entry into the First
World War arrested MIR. Browns ac-
tivity in motion pictures. He became
an aviator. transport pilot and flying
instructor. He still loves to fly. holds
a full commercial license, pilots his
own private plane, and is planning to
take his vacation in solo fight of two
months or so over the United States
and South America.
There is an interlocking of Mr..
Browns professional and private lives.
His training as an engineer has helped
him in his work, he says, both in
general, and in particular, as. for in
stance, when he was directing Ed
son the Man" Likewise his personal
knowledge of flying has made him
very expert at filming background
scenes by plane "a very rapid meth
cd. The same knowledge also gives
him a special insight when he is d.
recting picture like Might Flight"
AS for the ranch, Mr.. Brown even
uses that in his directing. 1t is an
immense place and the scenery is very
varied and beautiful. So he has been
able, when necessary, to reconstruct
New York's Bryant Park on his own
front lawn, or similarly reproduce
Edison's Menlo Park, or to construct
Chinese harbor scenes on his own
waterfront.
The ranch, however. is first, last
and always the place where Clarence
Brown can be just Clarence Brown,
and squire it to his hearts content.
taking an inordinate pride in his
wheat "a fabulous product for Cali
fornia, his pets and Outdoor meals.
MANY houses in the United States,
from the most luxurious to the most
modest. have barbecue pits or out
door fireplaces, these days." Mr..
Brown says. But even if you haven't
the remotest sign of back yard, you
can still be a barbecue host Find a
spot on your picnic where there are
stumps to sit on, rocks for an oven,
plenty of wood for fire and, if pos
sible. a cold spring.
Choose the driest. sandiest spot
for your fire." he goes on. I'm the
form of an arc. place several substan-
tial rocks, and then on top, little
roof of fiat stones. Consider the direc-
ton of the wind so that the flames