Classic Entertainment Autographs

Cat. #000618: JOHN MACK BROWN

Rather uncommon vintage black fountain pen signature on a 3.5 x 6-inch pink autograph album page, acquired in-person in the 1930s. In good condition and nice for matting with a favorite photograph. All-American college football star-turned-MGM leading man John Mack Brown entered films during the tail-end of the silent era, in the sports picture Slide, Kelly, Slide (1927). He went on to star in the Jackie Coogan vehicle The Bugle Call (1927), Norma Shearer's A Lady of Chance (1928) and Mary Pickford's Coquette (1929), but his muscular good looks only carried him so far with fans, who were rapidly throwing him over for the similarly dashing Clark Gable. His last role at MGM was in King Vidor's Billy the Kid (1930), after which he headlined in a long string of B-level oaters at Mascot, Supreme and Universal Studios.  In 1943, Brown took his boots over to Monogram Pictures, where he made over 60 westerns. He started off as Nevada Jack McKenzie in the Rough Riders series, but the name soon changed to Johnny. As with most of the early cowboy stars, he was a hero to millions of young children and consistently among the top ten money-makers in the genre from 1942 through 1950. Alas, by 1953, the bubble had burst, as the days of the "B" western came to a a screeching halt.