Clifton Webb

For the New Zealand politician, seeClifton Webb (politician).For the New Zealand Olympic sailor, seeClifton Webb (sailor).

Clifton Webb
Webb in 1923
Born	Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck (1889-11-19)November 19, 1889 Indianapolis,Indiana, U.S.
Died	October 13, 1966(1966-10-13)(aged 76) Beverly Hills, California,U.S.
Resting place	Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Occupations	Actor singer dancer
Years active	1913–1962

Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck(November 19, 1889– October 13, 1966), known professionally asClifton Webb,was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He worked extensively and was known for his stage appearances in the plays ofNoël Coward,includingBlithe Spirit,as well as appearances onBroadwayin a number of successful musical revues. As a film actor, he was nominated for threeAcademy Awards-Best Supporting ActorforLaura(1944) andThe Razor's Edge(1946), andBest Actor in a Leading RoleforSitting Pretty(1948).

Early life

Webb was born Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was the only child of Jacob Grant Hollenbeck (1867 – May 2, 1939), the ticket-clerk son of a grocer from an Indiana farming family, and his wife, the former Mabel A. Parmelee (Parmalee or Parmallee; March 24, 1869 – October 17, 1960), the daughter of David Parmelee, a railroad conductor. The couple married inKankakee, Illinois,on January 18, 1888, and separated in 1891, shortly after their son's birth.According to Marion County, Indiana, records, the marriage took place in Indianapolis.

In 1892, Webb's mother, now styling herself "Mabelle", moved to New York City with her beloved "little Webb", as she called him for the remainder of her life. She dismissed questions about her husband, Jacob, who like her father, worked for theIndianapolis-St. LouisRailroad, by saying, "We never speak of him. He didn't care for the theatre." The couple apparently divorced, since, by 1900, Mabelle was married to Green B. Raum, Jr. New York City's 1900 U.S. census indicates Mabelle and her son were using the surname Raum and living on West 77th Street with Green Berry Raum, Jr., a copper-foundry worker, who gave his position in the household as Mabel's husband.Raum was the son of GeneralGreen Berry Raum,former U.S. Commissioner of Internal Revenue and former U.S. Commissioner of Pensions. Webb's father, Jacob, married his second wife, Ethel Brown, and he died in 1939.

Career

Broadway

In 1909, using his new stage name, 19-year-old Clifton Webb had become a professional ballroom dancer, often partnering with "exceedingly decorative" star dancer Bonnie Glass (she would eventually replace him withRudolph Valentino); they would perform in about two dozen operettas. His debut onBroadwaybegan whenThe Purple Roadopened at theLiberty Theatreon April 7, 1913; he played the role of Bosco for the 136 performances before closing in August. His mother (billed as Mabel Parmalee) was listed in the program as a member of the opening-night cast. His next musical was anAl Jolsonvehicle,Sigmund Romberg'sDancing Around,which opened at theWinter Garden Theatreon October 10, 1914, ran for 145 performances, and closed in the following February. Later in 1915, Webb was cast in the all-star revueNed Wayburn'sTown Topics,which boasted 117 famous performers, includingWill Rogers,as listed in theCentury Theatreopening-night program for September 23, 1915. It closed 68 performances later on November 20, 1915. In 1916, he had another short run withCole Porter'scomic operaSee America First,which opened at theMaxine Elliott Theatreon March 28, 1916, and closed after 15 performances on April 8, 1916.

Webb (third from right) in a 1917 theatre production ofNational Red Cross PageantwithEugene O'Brien,Ivy Troutman,Jeanne Eagels,and others

The year 1917 proved to be better, with a 233-performance run ofJerome Kern'sLove O' Mike,opening on January 15 at theShubert Theatre.After moving toMaxine Elliott's Theatre,and then theCasino Theatre,it closed on September 29, 1917. Webb also appeared that year with other Broadway stars in theNational Red Cross Pageanta 50-minute film of a stage production held to benefit theAmerican Red Cross.Webb's final show of the 1910s, the musicalListen Lester,had the longest run, 272 performances. It opened at theKnickerbocker Theatreon December 23, 1918, and closed in August 1919.

In the 1920s, Webb played in eight Broadway shows and made numerous other stage appearances, includingvaudeville,and a handful ofsilent films.The revueAs You Were,with additional songs byCole Porter,opened at the Central Theatre on January 29, 1920, running 143 performances until May 29, 1920. Webb was busy with films, tours, and an appearance at theLondon Pavilionin 1921 as Mr. St. Louis inFun of the Fayreand in 1922 inPhi-Phi– he did not return to Broadway until 1923. He then played in the musicalJack and Jillat theGlobe Theatrefor 92 performances between March 22 and June 9 of 1923, followed by Lynn Starling's comic playMeet the Wife,which opened on November 26, 1923, and ran through the summer of 1924. One of the play's leads was 24-year-oldHumphrey Bogart.

In 1925, Webb appeared on stage in a dance act with vaudeville star and silent film actressMary Hay.Later that year, when her husband,Richard Barthelmessand she decided to produce and star the filmNew Toys,they chose Webb to be second lead. The film proved to be financially successful, but 19 more years would pass before Webb appeared in another feature film.

Webb's mainstay was clearlyBroadway theatre.Between 1913 and 1947, the tall, slender performer with the clear, gentle tenor appeared in 23 Broadway shows, starting with major supporting roles and quickly progressing to leads. He introducedGeorgeandIra Gershwin's "I've Got a Crush on You"inTreasure Girlin 1928;Arthur SchwartzandHoward Dietz's "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan"inThe Little Showin 1929; "Louisiana Hayride" inFlying Colorsin 1932; andIrving Berlin's “Easter Parade"in the very successful revueAs Thousands Cheer.His steamy duet withLibby Holmanof “Moanin' Low”stunned the crowd nightly.in 1933. One of his stage sketches, performed with co-starFred Allen,was filmed byVitaphoneas a short subject entitledThe Still Alarmin 1930. Allen's experiences while working with Webb in the film appear in Allen's memoirs.

Most of Webb's Broadway shows were musicals, but he also starred inOscar Wilde'sThe Importance of Being Earnest,and his longtime friendNoël Coward's playsBlithe SpiritandPresent Laughter.

Laura– established as character actor

Webb's performance inLauraearned him an Academy Award nomination.

Webb was in his mid-fifties when actor/directorOtto Premingerchose him over the objections of20th Century FoxchiefDarryl F. Zanuckto play the elegant but evil radio columnist Waldo Lydecker, who is obsessed withGene Tierney's character in the 1944film noirLaura.Zanuck reportedly found Webb too effeminate as a person and an actor; he wantedLaird Cregarto play the role; but Cregar by then was well established as an on-screen villain and Preminger wanted someone who would surprise the audience.

Webb's performance won him wide acclaim, and he received anAcademy Awardnomination forBest Actor in a Supporting Role.Despite Zanuck's original objection, Webb was signed to a long-term contract with Fox. He worked for them solely for the rest of his career. His first film under the contract wasThe Dark Corner(1946), a film noir directed byHenry Hathaway;as inLaura,Webb played a suave villain. He was then reunited with Tierney in another highly praised role as the elitist Elliott Templeton inThe Razor's Edge(1946). He received another Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

Sitting Prettyand stardom

Webb was billed in a starring role inSitting Pretty,playingMr. Belvedere,a snide, know-it-all babysitter. It was a huge hit and Webb received an Oscar nomination forBest Actor in a Leading Role

Fox promptly put Webb in a sequel,Mr. Belvedere Goes to College(1949) where Belvedere has to complete his college degree and acts as matchmaker. It was another box office success.

In the filmCheaper by the Dozen(1950), Webb andMyrna LoyplayedFrankandLillian Gilbreth,real-life efficiency experts of the 1910s and 1920s, and the parents of 12 children. It resulted in Webb's third hit in a row and led to exhibitors voting him the seventh biggest star in the United States.

Less successful at the box-office wasFor Heaven's Sake(1950) in which Webb played an angel trying to help a couple on earth. He madeMr. Belvedere Rings the Bell(1951), with Belvedere causing trouble in an old-folks home, but the film was not as successful at the box-office as the first two, resulting in the end of the series.

Webb played a father trying to cancel his daughter Anne Francis' marriage inElopement(1952), a minor hit. He made a brief appearance inBelles on Their Toes(1952), on a sequel toCheaper by the Dozen,which covered the family's life after the death of the father.

Webb then starred inDreamboat(1952) as college professor Thornton Sayre, who in his younger days was known as silent-film idol Bruce "Dreamboat" Blair. Now a distinguished academic who wants no part of his past fame, he sets out to stop the showing of his old films ontelevision.The film concludes with Webb's alter ego Sayre watching himself star inSitting Pretty.

Around the same time, he starred in theTechnicolorfilm biography of bandmasterJohn Philip Sousa,Stars and Stripes Forever(also 1952). He was a Belvedere-like scoutmaster inMister Scoutmaster(1953). Webb had his most dramatic role as the doomed but brave husband of unfaithfulBarbara StanwyckinTitanic(also 1953). WriterWalter Reischsays this movie was created in part as a vehicle for Webb by Fox, who wanted to push Webb into more serious roles.

Soon afterwards, he played the (fictional) novelist John Frederick Shadwell inThree Coins in the Fountain(1954), romancingDorothy McGuire.It was a huge hit. He was top billed as a company owner inWoman's World(1954), a corporate drama.

The British filmThe Man Who Never Was(1956) featured Webb playing the part ofRoyal NavyLt. Cmdr.Ewen Montaguin the true story ofOperation Mincemeat,the elaborate plan to deceive the Axis powers about the Allied invasion ofSicilyduringWorld War II.InBoy on a Dolphin(1957), second-billed toAlan Ladd,with third-billedSophia Loren,he portrayed a wealthy sophisticate who enjoyed collecting illegally obtainedGreekantiquities. In a nod to his own identity, the character's name was Victor Parmalee.

He starred inThe Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker(1959), aCheaper By the Dozencomedy as a man with two families, andHoliday for Lovers(1959), a family comedy set in South America. Neither was particularly successful. Fox was developingJourney to the Center of the Earth(1959) as a vehicle for Webb, but when he fell ill and was unable to work,James Masonstepped into the role.

Webb's final film role was an initially sarcastic, but ultimately self-sacrificingCatholicpriest inLeo McCarey'sSatan Never Sleeps(1962). The film showed the victory ofMao Tse-tung's armies in theChinese Civil War,which ended with his ascension to power in 1949, but was actually filmed inBritainduring the summer of 1961, using sets left from the filmThe Inn of the Sixth Happiness(1958), which was also set in China.

Webb was honored with a star on theHollywood Walk of Fameat 6850 Hollywood Boulevard for his contributions to the motion picture industry.

Webb's portrayal of Lynn Belvedere was the model for the "Mr. Peabody" character in the "Peabody's Improbable History"segment of the animated cartoon seriesThe Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends.And the 1980's television sitcom Mr. Belvedere was based on Webb's character, with Christopher Hewett in the title role.

Personal life

Throughout his career, Clifton Webb remained aconfirmed bachelorand had no children. He lived with his mother until her death at age 91 in 1960, leadingNoël Cowardto remark, "It must be terrible to be orphaned at 71."

ActorRobert Wagner,who co-starred with Webb in the filmsStars and Stripes ForeverandTitanicand considered the actor one of his mentors, stated in his memoirs,Pieces of My Heart: A Life,that "Clifton Webb was gay, of course, but he never made a pass at me, not that he would have."According to a journal article published more than 40 years after Webb's death, his sexual orientation was frequently alluded to through many veiled references in entertainment newspaper columns, though the article does not provide digital scans of any of them.

On theKraft Music Hallnetwork radio broadcast of March 25, 1948, Webb exchanged banter with singer/actorAl Jolsonand pianist/comedianOscar Levant,with Webb, then near 60 himself, charging Jolson with "having aged". "You're not exactly a boy," responded Jolson, to which Levant added, "He's not exactly a girl, either."

Later years and death

Webb's crypt at Hollywood Forever

Due to health problems, Webb spent the last five years of his life as a recluse at his home inBeverly Hills, California.On October 13, 1966, Webb suffered a fatalheart attackat his home at the age of 76.He is interred in crypt 2350, corridor G-6, Abbey of the Psalms inHollywood Forever Cemetery,alongside his mother.

Legacy

UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television's Clifton Webb Scholarship, which was established in 1969, was named in honor of Webb.

Complete filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1917	National Red Cross Pageant	Dancer, The Pavane – French episode	Lostfilm
1920	Polly With a Past	Harry Richardson	Uncredited Lostfilm
1924	Let Not Man Put Asunder	Major Bertie	Uncredited Lostfilm
1925	New Toys	Tom Lawrence	Lostfilm
	The Heart of a Siren	Maxim	Alternative title:The Heart of a Temptress
1930	The Still Alarm		short Vitaphone film
1944	Laura	Waldo Lydecker
1946	The Dark Corner	Hardy Cathcart
	The Razor's Edge	Elliott Templeton
1948	Sitting Pretty	Lynn Belvedere
1949	Mr. Belvedere Goes to College	Lynn Aloysius Belvedere
1950	Cheaper by the Dozen	Frank Bunker Gilbreth
	For Heaven's Sake	Charles / Slim Charles
1951	Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell	Lynn Belvedere	Alternative title:Mr. Belvedere Blows His Whistle
	Elopement	Howard Osborne
1952	Belles on Their Toes	Frank Bunker Gilbreth	Uncredited
	Dreamboat	Thornton Sayre / Dreamboat / Bruce Blair
	Stars and Stripes Forever	John Philip Sousa	Alternative title:Marching Along
1953	Titanic	Richard Ward Sturges
	Mister Scoutmaster	Robert Jordan
1954	Three Coins in the Fountain	John Frederick Shadwell
	Woman's World	Ernest Gifford	Alternative title:A Woman's World
1956	The Man Who Never Was	Lt. Cdr.Ewen Montagu
1957	Boy on a Dolphin	Victor Parmalee
1959	The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker	Mr. Horace Pennypacker
	Holiday for Lovers	Robert Dean
1962	Satan Never Sleeps	Father Bovard	Alternative titles:The Devil Never Sleeps Flight from Terror,(final film role)

Box office ranking

For a number of years film exhibitors voted Webb among the most popular stars in the country:

• 1949: 14th (U.S.)
• 1950: 7th (U.S.)
• 1951: 21st (U.S.)

Stage work

• The Master of Carlton Hall(Children's Theatre) (1902)
• The Purple Road(1913)
• Dancing Around(1914)
• Ned Wayburn's Town Topics(1915)
• See America First(1916)
• Love O' Mike(1917)
• Listen Lester(1918)
• As You Were(1920)
• Fun at the Faire(1921)
• Phi-Phi(1922)
• Jack and Jill(1923)
• Meet the Wife(1923)
• Parasites(1924)
• Sunny(1925)
• She's My Baby(1928)
• Treasure Girl(1928)
• The Little Show(1929)
• Three's a Crowd(1930)
• Flying Colors(1932)
• As Thousands Cheer(1933)
• And Stars Remain(1936)
• You Never Know(1938)
• The Importance of Being Earnest(1939)
• Blithe Spirit(1941)
• Present Laughter(1946)

Radio appearances

Year	Program	Episode	Co Star
1945	Suspense	"The Burning Court"	n/a
1949	Lux Radio Theatre	"Sitting Pretty"	w/ Robert Young
1950	Lux Radio Theatre	"Mr. Belvedere Goes to College"	w/ Robert Stack
1950	Lux Radio Theatre	"The Man Who Came To Dinner"	w/ Lucille Ball
1950	The Big Show	n/a	w/ Tallulah Bankhead & Jimmy Durante
1951	Lux Radio Theatre	"Cheaper by the Dozen"	w/ Rhoda Williams

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Film
1945	Academy Award	Nominated	Best Supporting Actor	Laura
1947				The Razor's Edge
1949			Best Actor in a Leading Role	Sitting Pretty
1947	Golden Globe Award	Won	Best Supporting Actor	The Razor's Edge
1953		Nominated	Best Motion Picture Actor – Musical/Comedy	Stars and Stripes Forever

See also

• List of actors with Academy Award nominations

External links

• Clifton Webbat theInternet Broadway Database
• Clifton WebbatIMDb
• Clifton Webbat theTCM Movie Database
• Clifton Webb
• AFI Catalog entry for Clifton Webb
• Indiana Hollywood Hall of Fame: Clifton Webb
• 1921 passport photos of Webb and his mother Mabelle
• Literature on Clifton Webb
• TheClifton Webb Collectionincludes Webb's scrapbooks, autobiography drafts, personal and business correspondence, programs, clippings, notebooks and more are held by the Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute, The Ohio State University Libraries.