Willis Brown (July 31, 1881 – October 20, 1931) was a permanently removed Utah

juvenile court Juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal systems, chi ...

judge, falsely-claimed

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

, self-described

humanitarian Humanitarianism is an ideology centered on the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotiona ...

, and

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

. Born James Willhenry Brown in

Columbus, Indiana Columbus () is a city in and the county seat of Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States. The population was 50,474 at the 2020 census. The city is known for its architectural significance, having commissioned noted works of modern architect ...

to James W. Brown and Lucetta Pierson.

Judge

In the decade of the 1900s Brown lectured on the

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...

circuit as a judge of the Utah Juvenile Court and a progressive expert on boys' reformation. He was appointed to the Juvenile Court in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

in the spring of 1905, served two years, but had been permanently removed by the

Utah Supreme Court The Utah Supreme Court is the supreme court of the state of Utah, United States. It has final authority of interpretation of the Utah Constitution. The Utah Supreme Court is composed of five members: a chief justice, an associate chief justice ...

.The Pacific reporter, Volume 88, Utah Supreme Court decision Mill v. Brown, January 17, 1907 In 1910, the Juvenile Court debunked Judge Brown's credentials.The Juvenile court record, Volumes 9-12 By Timothy David Hurley, February 1910 issue, page 5, "As to Judge Willis Brown") Brown was, in fact, not even a lawyer, and had been misrepresenting himself.

Boy City Film Company

Building a national reputation, in the 1910s he started "Boy Cities" in

Charlevoix, Michigan Charlevoix ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Charlevoix County, Michigan, Charlevoix County. Part of Northern Michigan, Charlevoix is located on an isthmus between Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix, bisected by ...

, and

Gary, Indiana Gary ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 69,093 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it Indiana's List of municipalities in Indiana, eleventh-most populous city. The city has been historical ...

, then relocated to

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. (The better-known Boys Town, Nebraska was founded in December 1917.) By 1917 Brown founded the Boy City Film Company in

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights to the ea ...

, part film studio, part homeless shelter. He served as a film producer. In film history, Brown is remarkable for giving director

King Vidor King Wallis Vidor ( ; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...

his first directing job. Brown funded a series of twenty-two reelers, both moral lessons and promotional films. Brown appeared as himself in all but the first one; Vidor directed at least ten of them. These films have evidence of "fascinating social content" - the plot of the second entry, ''

The Chocolate of the Gang ''The Chocolate of the Gang'' is a 1918 American short comedy film directed by King Vidor King Wallis Vidor ( ; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-makin ...

'', deals with a black child being denied membership in an all-white club, and employed black actors for the lead roles as opposed to the usual practice of white performers in

blackface Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...

Death

According to Variety, Brown was shot to death in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

in 1931 by "a jealous widow".

Film series

* The Boy City (1910) ( it) ( fr) * ''

Bud's Recruit ''Bud's Recruit'' is a 1918 American short comedy film directed by King Vidor. A print survives at the UCLA Film and Television Archive. In February 2020, the film was shown at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, as part of a retrospe ...

'' (1918) * ''

'' (1918) * '' The Lost Lie'' (1918) * '' Tad's Swimming Hole'' (1918) * ''Marrying Off Dad'' (1918) * '' The Accusing Toe'' (1918) * ''Thief or Angel'' (1918) * ''The Rebellion'' (1918) * ''The Preacher's Son'' (1918) * '' A Boy Built City'' (1918) * '' I'm a Man'' (1918) * ''Love of Bob'' (1918) * ''Dog vs. Dog'' (1918) * ''The Three Fives'' (1918) * ''The Case of Bennie'' (1918) * ''Kid Politics'' (1918) * ''The Demand of Dugan'' (1919) * ''Shift the Gear, Freck'' (1919) * ''Gum Drops and Overalls'' (1919) * ''Danny Asks Why'' (1919)

References

External links

*
picture and storie
on Judge Willis Brown (Motion Picture Magazine, 1911) {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Willis 1881 births 1931 deaths People murdered in 1931 19th-century American people 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American judges American film production company founders American murder victims Deaths by firearm in Ohio Film producers from Indiana People from Columbus, Indiana People murdered in Ohio Utah state court judges