Born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Marian and Vivian graduated in 1945 from Mattawan High School as co-valedictorians. They went on to earn matching business degrees from Western Michigan University. They got jobs as teachers in Kalamazoo and were easily recognizable for always wearing identical outfits despite being well into adulthood. Both were petite women: 5’1’’ and under 100 pounds.
In 1970, at age 43, Marian and Vivian moved to San Francisco because of its mild climate. Marian worked at a bank and Vivian had a job as a legal secretary. They continued to dress identically, eating lunch together every day and strolling Union Square on Saturdays. Every Monday night they ate at their favorite restaurant, Uncle Vito’s Pizzeria[1], which was close to their apartment at the base of Nob Hill. What made them stand out was not just their matching hats and suits (they never wore pants), but the fact that they walked in step and even lifted their forks in unison while eating. One would start a sentence and the other would finish. Never marrying, they genuinely seemed to enjoy each-other’s company. I once saw the Brown twins walking along Stockton. Impossible to miss with their matching red tailored suits and pill box hats, they were walking arm in arm and exuded such vivaciousness that it was difficult for anyone not to smile at the sight of them.
In 1988, now in their 60s, Marian and Vivian were featured in a TV advertisement for Reebok. It made them national celebrities. They would go on to be featured in over 25 TV ads, were invited onto talk shows, and were brought up onstage whenever they attended Beach Blanket Babylon[2]. They made a cameo appearance in the movie 9 to 5.
In 2012 Vivian, suffering from dementia, was put into an assisted living facility. Numerous private citizens and charities helped Marian pay her sister’s medical bills. Vivian died in 2013 at age 85. After her death Marian ate alone at Uncle Vito’s every day. She died of natural causes a year later. Their ashes are stored in identical pale blue urns in the Columbarium[3].
[1] Visit them at www.unclevitos.com
[2] Beach Blanket Babylon: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=3357
[3] Columbarium: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4773
