Kenneth Seymour Webb (16 October 1885 New York City – 6 March 1966 Hollywood, California) was an American

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

noted for directing a number of films in the early age of the American film industry. He helped write the '' Gay Divorce'' along with

Samuel Hoffenstein Samuel "Sam" Hoffenstein (8 October 1890 - 6 October 1947) was a screenwriter and a musical composer. Born in Russia, he emigrated to the United States and began a career in New York City as a newspaper writer and in the entertainment business. In ...

Selected songs

* "You and Me and You" (1919) : Kenneth Webb (words) :

Roy Webb Royden Denslow Webb (October 3, 1888 – December 10, 1982) was an American film music composer. Webb has hundreds of film music credits to his name, mainly with RKO Pictures. He is best known for film noir and horror film scores, in particular f ...

(music)

Career

Webb, beginning around 1910, became a sketch writer and director for vaudeville stage. In 1913, he began writing scenarios for the Vitagraph Company. From 1918 to 1919, he was a writer and director for Vitagraph. From 1919 to 1938, Webb was a writer and director, first with the Famous Players Film Company, then with Whitman Bennett (a production company) and

Associated First National Theatres, Inc. First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

(Bennett's distributor), then Fox Film Corporation, then Whitman Bennett (production company) and United Artists (Bennett's distributor), then Burr & Company, then Pathe, then

Lee de Forest Lee de Forest (August 26, 1873 – June 30, 1961) was an American inventor and a fundamentally important early pioneer in electronics. He invented the first electronic device for controlling current flow; the three-element "Audion" triode va ...

Inspiration Pictures Inspiration, inspire, or inspired often refers to: * Artistic inspiration, sudden creativity in artistic production * Biblical inspiration, the doctrine in Judeo-Christian theology concerned with the divine origin of the Bible * Creative inspirat ...

(fr), Tiffany Pictures, and then FitzPatrick Pictures. Webb wrote for legitimate stage since 1924. Since 1933, Webb was a radio writer and producer with Batten Barton Durstine & Osborn, Inc., and since 1953, was its Western editor. From 1943 to 1943, Webb was a lecturer at New York University of radio writing and production.

Partial filmography

As director

'' Marie, Ltd.'' (1919)
''Will You Be Staying for Supper?'' (1919)
'' Sinners'' (1920)
'' The Stolen Kiss'' (1920)
'' The Master Mind'' (1920)
''
The Devil's Garden ''The Devil's Garden'' is a lost 1920 American silent drama film produced by Whitman Bennett, directed by Kenneth Webb, and released through First National Exhibitor's Circuit, which was later known as First National Pictures. The film starre ...
'' (1920)
''
The Truth About Husbands ''The Truth About Husbands'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Kenneth Webb and starring Anna Lehr, Holmes Herbert, and Elizabeth Garrison. It was released in December 1920. Cast list * Anna Lehr as Janet Preece * Holmes Herbert ...
'' (it) (1920)
'' The Fear Market'' (1920)

Realart Pictures Corporation Realart Pictures was a motion picture distribution company founded in 1948 by Jack Broder and Joseph Harris. The company specialized in reissues of older pictures, particularly from the library of Universal Pictures, but also handled an occasion ...
(producer and distributor)
'' The Great Adventure'' (1921)
Whitman Bennett (producer)

Associated First National Pictures, Inc. First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...
(distributor)
'' Jim the Penman'' (1921)
'' Salvation Nell'' (1921)
''
Fair Lady ''Fair Lady'' is often considered as the sister publication to the Afrikaans ''Sarie''. With their offices in Cape Town, this title is one of the most popular female reads in South Africa. History and profile ''Fair Lady'' was established in 1965 ...
'' (1922)
''
How Women Love ''How Women Love'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Kenneth S. Webb and starring Betty Blythe, Gladys Hulette and Julia Swayne Gordon.Munden p.367 A promising singer his signed up by a backer for the new opera he is producing, ...
'' (1922)
''
The Daring Years ''The Daring Years'' is 1923 American silent melodrama film directed by Kenneth Webb and produced by Daniel Carson Goodman. The film starred Mildred Harris, Clara Bow, Charles Emmett Mack, and Tyrone Power, Sr. Plot A university student named ...
'' (1923)
'' The Beautiful City'' (1925)
''
Just Suppose ''Just Suppose'' is a 1926 American silent drama film produced by and starring Richard Barthelmess with distribution through First National Pictures. Kenneth Webb directed Barthelmess and young Lois Moran star. The film is based on the 1920 Bro ...
'' (1926)

Education

Webb attended

The Collegiate School ("Unless God, then in vain") nl, Eendracht maakt macht("In unity there is strength") , established = , streetaddress = 301 Freedom Place South , city = New York , state = New ...

on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He went on to study at Columbia University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1906.

Professional and fraternal associations

* Society of Cincinnati * The Lambs, joined 1913 *

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

, 1914 charter member *

Songwriters Protective Association The Songwriters Guild of America (SGA) is an organization founded in 1931, to help "advance, promote, and benefit" the profession of songwriters. It was founded as the Songwriters Protective Association by Billy Rose, George W. Meyer and Edgar Les ...

* Actors' Equity Association * Motion Picture Directors Association (Eastern President 1923–1925; member of council 1935–1950) * Radio Directors Guild * Alpha Chi Rho

Family

Kenneth Webb was one of children born to the marriage of William Edward Webb (1844–1915) and Juliette Seymour Bell (1863–1930). Kenneth Webb married, on September 20, 1920, silent film actress Lorraine Frost (maiden; 1897–1993) in Manhattan, New York. His brother,

, also composer and film director, was one of his chief collaborators.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Kenneth 1880s births 1966 deaths American male screenwriters American male composers 20th-century American composers ASCAP composers and authors Collegiate School (New York) alumni Columbia College (New York) alumni Film directors from New York City Screenwriters from New York (state) 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters