Kenneth Seymour Webb (16 October 1885

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

– 6 March 1966

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

) was an American film director, screenwriter, and composer noted for directing a number of films in the early age of the American film industry. He helped write the ''

Gay Divorce ''Gay Divorce'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Dwight Taylor, adapted by Kenneth Webb and Samuel Hoffenstein. It was Fred Astaire's last Broadway show and featured the hit song " Night and Day" in which Astaire da ...

'' along with Samuel Hoffenstein.

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 Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907, ...

. From 1918 to 1919, he was a writer and director for

Vitagraph Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907, ...

. From 1919 to 1938, Webb was a writer and director, first with the

Famous Players Film Company The Famous Players Film Company was a film company founded in 1912 by Adolph Zukor in partnership with the Frohman brothers, powerful New York City theatre impresario. History Discussions to form the company were held at The Lambs, a famous th ...

, then with Whitman Bennett (a production company) and Associated First National Theatres, Inc. (Bennett's distributor), then

Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attractions Film C ...

, then Whitman Bennett (production company) and

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...

(Bennett's distributor), then Burr & Company, then

Pathe Pathe or Pathé may refer to: * Pathé, a French company established in 1896 * Pathé Exchange, U.S. division of the French film company that was spun off into an independent entity * Pathé News, a French and British distributor of cinema news ...

, then Lee de Forest, Inspiration Pictures (fr),

Tiffany Pictures Tiffany Pictures, which also became Tiffany-Stahl Productions for a time, was a Hollywood motion picture studio in operation from 1921 until 1932. It is considered a Poverty Row studio, whose films had lower budgets, lesser-known stars, and overall ...

, 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 New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

of radio writing and production.

Partial filmography

As director

''
Marie, Ltd. ''Marie, Ltd.'' is a 1919 silent film romantic comedy directed by Kenneth S. Webb and starring Alice Brady. It was produced and distributed by the Select Pictures Corporation. This film survives in the Archives Du Film Fu CNC, Bois d'Arcy, Par ...
'' (1919)
''Will You Be Staying for Supper?'' (1919)
''
Sinners In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...
'' (1920)
''
The Stolen Kiss ''The Stolen Kiss'' is a 1920 American silent romance drama film starring Constance Binney. Kenneth Webb directed. The Realart Company, an affiliate of Paramount Pictures, produced the film. A print is preserved at the British Film Institute, ...
'' (1920)
'' The Master Mind'' (1920)
'' The Devil's Garden'' (1920)
'' The Truth About Husbands'' (it) (1920)
''
The Fear Market ''The Fear Market'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Kenneth Webb and written by Clara Beranger. The film stars Alice Brady, Frank Losee, Harry Mortimer, Richard Hatteras, Edith Stockton, and Bradley Barker. The film was releas ...
'' (1920)
Realart Pictures Corporation (producer and distributor)
'' The Great Adventure'' (1921)
Whitman Bennett (producer)
Associated First National Pictures, Inc. (distributor)
'' Jim the Penman'' (1921)
'' Salvation Nell'' (1921)
'' Fair Lady'' (1922)
'' How Women Love'' (1922)
'' The Daring Years'' (1923)
''
The Beautiful City ''The Beautiful City'' ( fa, شهر زیبا /Shahr-e Ziba/) is a 2004 Iranian drama film directed by Asghar Farhadi. Plot Akbar celebrates his 18th birthday in the detention centre. He has been held in a rehabilitation centre for committing mur ...
'' (1925)
'' Just Suppose'' (1926)

Education

Webb attended The Collegiate School on the

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. He went on to study at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, earning a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in 1906.

Professional and fraternal associations

Society of Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

The Lambs The Lambs, Inc. (also known as The Lambs Club) is a social club in New York City for actors, songwriters, and others involved in the theatre. It is America's oldest theatrical organization. "The Lambs" is a registered trademark of The Lambs, Inc ...

, joined 1913 * ASCAP, 1914 charter member * Songwriters Protective Association *

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a boo ...

Motion Picture Directors Association The Motion Picture Directors Association (MPDA) was an American non-profit fraternal organization formed by 26 film directors on June 18, 1915, in Los Angeles, California. The organization selected a headquarters to be built there in 1921. Its ar ...

(Eastern President 1923–1925; member of council 1935–1950) * Radio Directors Guild *

Alpha Chi Rho Alpha Chi Rho (), commonly known as Crows, Crow, or AXP, is a men's collegiate fraternity founded on June 4, 1895, at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, by the Reverend Paul Ziegler, his son Carl Ziegler, and Carl's friends William H. Rous ...

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 Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. 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