Kay Brown Barrett | |
|---|---|
| Born | Katharine Brown December 7, 1902 |
| Died | January 18, 1995 (aged 92) Hightstown, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupations | Agent, Representative, Talent Scout |
| Spouse | James Barrett |
Katharine "Kay" Brown Barrett (December 7, 1902 – January 18, 1995) was aHollywood talent scout and agent beginning in the 1930s. She is most famous for bringingMargaret Mitchell's novelGone with the Wind to the attention ofDavid O. Selznick, for whom she worked, in 1936. She had a long career as representative, talent scout and agent withLeland Hayward,MCA andInternational Creative Management ("ICM").
Brown was born into New York high society as the daughter of Kate Ross andHenry Collins Brown, a founder of theMuseum of the City of New York. In later years, her Hollywood friends were amused by the fact that she was listed in the New YorkSocial Register.[2]
In 1924, she graduated fromWellesley College with a B.A. in English and an interest in drama.[3] After graduation, she went to work for the Mary Arden Theater School inPeterborough, New Hampshire, which was owned byJoseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Boston lawyer Guy Currier. In 1926, Kennedy and Currier acquired the movie studioFilm Booking Offices of America and offered Brown a job in New York reading and acquiring literary properties for the company, with the title "Eastern Story Editor". She stayed with the company, renamedRKO in 1928 after its acquisition byRadio Corporation of America, and achieved her first major success by acquiringEdna Ferber's novelCimarron. which was being sought by many movie companies, for a then-record $125,000. Themovie of the book won the 1931Academy Award for Best Picture.[2]
Later in 1931,David O. Selznick took over RKO. Selznick left RKO in 1933 to return to MGM, but in 1935 he found a financial backer, John Hay Whitney, who allowed him to set up his own studio,Selznick International Pictures. One of his first hires was Brown, still in the role of Eastern Story Editor, but later as "Eastern Representative" as Selznick expanded her role at the studio to that of his primary assistant.[2] In addition toGone with the Wind, she broughtDaphne du Maurier'sRebecca to the attention of Selznick. She also persuadedIngrid Bergman to leave Stockholm for Hollywood for the Selznick productionIntermezzo: A Love Story; signedLaurence Olivier to his first American contract forRebecca, and convincedAlfred Hitchcock to sign a seven-year contract with Selznick International so that he could directRebecca.[3] She also acquired the rights toRose Franken'sClaudia: The Story of a Marriage in 1939 and was involved in the screen tests for that story that led to Phylis Walker (later renamedJennifer Jones by Brown and Selznick) being signed by the studio.[2]
For tax reasons,Selznick International Pictures was liquidated in 1942, and the "tall, elegant and formidable" Brown,[4] following the example of Selznick's brotherMyron, became a talent agent, joining MCA at first and picking up many new clients after MCA acquiredLeland Hayward's talent agency.[4] She eventually moved toInternational Famous Agency, which later became ICM, where she worked for the rest of her career.[2] Among others, she represented actorsAlec Guinness,John Gielgud,Ralph Richardson,Rex Harrison,Fredric March,Patricia Neal andMontgomery Clift.[2][3] Her background acquiring literary properties also led her to represent writers such asLillian Hellman,Isak Dinesen and, for 40 years,Arthur Miller.[2][3] Brown Barrett finally retired when she was 80.[3]
Kay Brown married James Barrett (died 1967) and had two daughters, Laurinda and Kate. She died on January 18, 1995, of a stroke, aged 92, at her home inHightstown, New Jersey.[3]