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Hollywood Legends
Sitting Pretty: The Life and Times of Clifton Webb
More than any other male movie star, the refined Clifton Webb (1889-1966) caused the movie-going public to change its image of a leading man. In a day when leading men were supposed to be strong, virile, and brave, Clifton Webb projected an image of flip, acerbic arrogance. He was able to play everything from a decadent columnist ("Laura") to a fertile father ("Cheaper by the Dozen" and "The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker"), delivering lines in an urbanely clipped, acidly dry manner with impeccable timing. "Sitting Pretty" is his remarkable story.
Long before his film career began, Webb was a child actor and later a suavely effete song-and-dance man in numerous Broadway musicals and revues. The turning point in his career came in 1941 when his good friend Noel Coward cast him in "Blithe Spirit." Director Otto Preminger saw Webb's performance and cast him in "Laura" in 1944.
Webb began to write his autobiography, but he said that he eventually had gotten "bogged down" in the process. However, he did complete six chapters and left a hefty collection of notes that he intended to use in the proposed book. His writing is as witty and sophisticated as his onscreen persona. Those six chapters, information and voluminous notes, and personal research by the coauthor provide an intimate view of an amazingly talented man's life and times."
Long before his film career began, Webb was a child actor and later a suavely effete song-and-dance man in numerous Broadway musicals and revues. The turning point in his career came in 1941 when his good friend Noel Coward cast him in "Blithe Spirit." Director Otto Preminger saw Webb's performance and cast him in "Laura" in 1944.
Webb began to write his autobiography, but he said that he eventually had gotten "bogged down" in the process. However, he did complete six chapters and left a hefty collection of notes that he intended to use in the proposed book. His writing is as witty and sophisticated as his onscreen persona. Those six chapters, information and voluminous notes, and personal research by the coauthor provide an intimate view of an amazingly talented man's life and times."
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 17, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 17, 2012
Full disclosure: I am the advisory editor of the Hollywood Legend series, published by University Press of Mississippi. I recommended publishing this book because it contained Webb's uncompleted autobiography written in a style resembling Noel Coward, one of Webb's friends. The biographer does a splendid job with Webb's Broadway career and his unexpected rise to stardom with his appearance in LAURA. This is the man who taught Darryl Zanuck how to dance for his daughter's wedding.
June 14, 2022
Another biography/autobiography read.
This one, a little different, this is the only book on Clifton Webb, which he started the book himself.
His first real success in film came in middle age as the classy villain Waldo Lydecker in Laura (1944), followed by the part of Elliott Templeton in The Razor's Edge (1946) - both of which won him Oscar nominations.
In a day when leading men were supposed to be strong, virile, and brave, Clifton Webb projected an image of flip, acerbic arrogance. He was able to play everything from a decadent columnist (Laura) to a fertile father (Cheaper by the Dozen and The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker), delivering lines in an urbanely clipped, acidly dry manner with impeccable timing. Sitting Pretty is his remarkable story, with an added help from the biographer author David L Smith.
The reading of the book was heavy going, a little slow but the information was terrific. I regard myself as a serious film buff, but I remembered Clifton Webb for his middle aged dramatic performances, some light comedies.
But you learn from this book, the great career Clifton Webb had before his film career, his long and distinguished stage career, light comedy, song and dance man who was a well respected stage performer, a good and respected friend of Noel Coward, a good friend of Humphrey Bogart, who was enormously upset with his death.
The many performers, film stars all respected him as an actor and friend, his lifelong friendship and love of his mother, his renowned and famous "Hollywood Parties" at his home with himself and his mother. Often filled with many top stars of the 30's and 40's and 50's. Never married but devoted to his mother Mabelle all his life.
After the death of his mother aged 91 years old, his health physically and mentally went downhill her retreated and spent most of the last few years as a reclusive, many times in hospital for increasing health problems and died only 6 years after his mother.
Filled with Hollywood stories, famous names, a good story, well researched.
This one, a little different, this is the only book on Clifton Webb, which he started the book himself.
His first real success in film came in middle age as the classy villain Waldo Lydecker in Laura (1944), followed by the part of Elliott Templeton in The Razor's Edge (1946) - both of which won him Oscar nominations.
In a day when leading men were supposed to be strong, virile, and brave, Clifton Webb projected an image of flip, acerbic arrogance. He was able to play everything from a decadent columnist (Laura) to a fertile father (Cheaper by the Dozen and The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker), delivering lines in an urbanely clipped, acidly dry manner with impeccable timing. Sitting Pretty is his remarkable story, with an added help from the biographer author David L Smith.
The reading of the book was heavy going, a little slow but the information was terrific. I regard myself as a serious film buff, but I remembered Clifton Webb for his middle aged dramatic performances, some light comedies.
But you learn from this book, the great career Clifton Webb had before his film career, his long and distinguished stage career, light comedy, song and dance man who was a well respected stage performer, a good and respected friend of Noel Coward, a good friend of Humphrey Bogart, who was enormously upset with his death.
The many performers, film stars all respected him as an actor and friend, his lifelong friendship and love of his mother, his renowned and famous "Hollywood Parties" at his home with himself and his mother. Often filled with many top stars of the 30's and 40's and 50's. Never married but devoted to his mother Mabelle all his life.
After the death of his mother aged 91 years old, his health physically and mentally went downhill her retreated and spent most of the last few years as a reclusive, many times in hospital for increasing health problems and died only 6 years after his mother.
Filled with Hollywood stories, famous names, a good story, well researched.
April 15, 2025
When David L. Smith set out to write a biography of stage and screen star Clifton Webb (1889-1966), he discovered that Webb had begun an autobiography that he never completed. Smith managed to secure access to the partial book, as well as extensive files of records, memoranda, etc., that the star had compiled to finish the job. -- Hence, this volume contains the six chapters written by Clifton Webb in his own inimitable voice, followed by another seven written by David Smith, drawing on Webb's files. This makes it very difficult to come up with a rating for this book -- Webb's chapters clearly deserve the full five stars: they are wonderfully droll, informative, and, sometimes, laugh-out-loud hilarious. The man had a gift for a turn of phrase that all the rest of us merer mortals can only dream of possessing. Including, alas, David Smith. The latter part of the book is characterized by so-so writing, at best. Whole chunks of Webb's files are disgorged verbatim -- Smith might have done better to absorb the contents more completely and re-interpret in his own words. The final section could also have benefited from both an editor's and a proofreader's blue pen: at times, the text is repetitive (one sentence is repeated on the same page, in different paragraphs!), and there are a number of typographical errors -- none of them egregious, but annoying nonetheless. A real plus of the book is the inclusion of many rare photographs and a complete list of stage and movie appearances. -- I am probably too harsh on David Smith's efforts: he has given us a serviceable biography of a major entertainment figure and we owe him a debt of gratitude for making Webb's frustratingly incomplete autobiography available to us. It is not his fault that David Smith is no Clifton Webb -- none of us is! (So I'll give this a wobbly four stars...)
November 25, 2013
Although I do not claim to be a devoted fan of Mr. Webb, I am a fan of classic Hollywood movies and enjoy reading any book that chronicles the era. This book is unique in that the first six chapters are an autobiography, written by the acerbic actor before he abandoned the project. The remaining chapters are written by David L. Smith, but the transfer between authors is virtually seamless. The book relays forgotten facts about the actor--such as he was born in Indiana and began his career as a dancer. Since Clifton and his devoted mother, Mabelle, were renowned for hosting elaborate Hollywood parties, the book is a Who’s Who of the golden age of Hollywood. This respectful tribute avoids gossip and innuendo and includes a number of rarely-seen photographs. Having read the book, I am now an admirer of the hard-working, consummate professional, born Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck.
May 13, 2013
A gossipy good read . . .
January 11, 2024
An Excellent read! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was very interesting and provided an inside view of the "Broadway" and "Hollywood" night life in which Webb thrived. The first few chapters in the book were written by Webb himself while the Author, David L. Smith carried the book to its conclusion with Webb's death in 1966. It weas interesting to learn that Clifton Webb never attended a High School nor a college. Also, he was initially trained to be a Singer and Dancer and was outstanding in both areas. He eventually became a Child Actor and was also a Song and Dance man in numerous Broadway musicals and revues before he became famous as a Hollywood Movie Actor. He had an outstanding voice and even sang with the Boston Opera Company. This man was an incredible Artist to say the least.
June 18, 2021
The first six chapters were remarkable, they were actually written by Webb, you can hear him talking. The rest of the book is a history of his life and films, interesting, but kind of boring and seems to skip around with odd stories told out of sequence.
Not about the book - sadly there are very few of Webb’s movies you can watch, and so many of them you would live to see.
Not about the book - sadly there are very few of Webb’s movies you can watch, and so many of them you would live to see.
December 21, 2023
Interesting book
A clear and fair look at a man who is often labeled unfairly. So many books assume Webb was gay - this book offers a balanced and non judgmental look, and the answer is an honest question mark.
A clear and fair look at a man who is often labeled unfairly. So many books assume Webb was gay - this book offers a balanced and non judgmental look, and the answer is an honest question mark.
January 8, 2018
Enjoyable, but light.
December 20, 2012
This somewhat disappointing biography of a man all of us know as a great movie actor chooses to focus almost all of its attention on Clifton Webb's early career as a dancer and Broadway performer. While some of that is slightly interesting since it is so uncharacteristic based on his movie career, spending page after page on details about failed 1915 theatrical productions does not make for enjoyable contemporary reading. Over two-thirds of the book is filled with that type of TMI on Webb's early career, with specific dates of parties he gave and names of people that attended without many good stories regarding those parties! The co-author fails in the last third of the book to give a fair share of devotion to Webb's movies. Laura gets more than the rest, but the movies most of us know Webb for (Cheaper by the Dozen, Mr. Belvedere) get almost a passing mention.
The problem is that the co-author uses six chapters of an autobiography that Webb wrote to start the book. They aren't that interesting and only reinforce his image as a hidden, somewhat demeaning elitist who has a way with turning a phrase. The co-author claims we will see Webb as a different person than we see on screen but that's absolutely false--Webb's writings sound like they came straight from the hand of Mr. Belvedere or Frank Gilbreth!
When the co-author takes over the book doesn't get much better. He lacks any objectivity and paints Webb as one of the greatest actors in world history, one who never had a negative review though he appeared in some weak films. Everything about Webb's career is turned into hyperbole instead of making a fair assessment of where he stands in the history of theater and film (he's not a footnote but he already is not remembered as a major star like some of his contemporaries). An entire chapter is devoted to an actress named Jeanne Eagels, who no one will know, and dozens of pages are set aside for stories about others that have nothing to do with Webb (for example, in the last chapter regarding his final film there are asides about the movie's director and co-star which have nothing to do with Clifton Webb).
The biggest mistake is that there just isn't enough about Webb's movies in this book. If you loved him in some of his greatest family comedy roles you will learn no new behind-the-scenes information here. Meanwhile, you will find out the guest list of a party he had in his home while making the movie!!!
Finally, the issue of his sexuality is briefly alluded to in the book but not resolved, which appears to be a reflection of the co-author's unwillingness to say anything controversial about the star. And Webb's odd relationship with his mother is accepted as being normal. After reading the book very little about this man was really normal, from skipping high school to accepting being considered British, and it is ultimately incomplete in dealing with Webb's life and film career.
The problem is that the co-author uses six chapters of an autobiography that Webb wrote to start the book. They aren't that interesting and only reinforce his image as a hidden, somewhat demeaning elitist who has a way with turning a phrase. The co-author claims we will see Webb as a different person than we see on screen but that's absolutely false--Webb's writings sound like they came straight from the hand of Mr. Belvedere or Frank Gilbreth!
When the co-author takes over the book doesn't get much better. He lacks any objectivity and paints Webb as one of the greatest actors in world history, one who never had a negative review though he appeared in some weak films. Everything about Webb's career is turned into hyperbole instead of making a fair assessment of where he stands in the history of theater and film (he's not a footnote but he already is not remembered as a major star like some of his contemporaries). An entire chapter is devoted to an actress named Jeanne Eagels, who no one will know, and dozens of pages are set aside for stories about others that have nothing to do with Webb (for example, in the last chapter regarding his final film there are asides about the movie's director and co-star which have nothing to do with Clifton Webb).
The biggest mistake is that there just isn't enough about Webb's movies in this book. If you loved him in some of his greatest family comedy roles you will learn no new behind-the-scenes information here. Meanwhile, you will find out the guest list of a party he had in his home while making the movie!!!
Finally, the issue of his sexuality is briefly alluded to in the book but not resolved, which appears to be a reflection of the co-author's unwillingness to say anything controversial about the star. And Webb's odd relationship with his mother is accepted as being normal. After reading the book very little about this man was really normal, from skipping high school to accepting being considered British, and it is ultimately incomplete in dealing with Webb's life and film career.
May 30, 2015
Clifton Webb wrote the first six chapters, which are brilliant. The rest of the book is good and well-researched, though I would've liked a bit more on his later life. He seems to have descended into depression and a lot of ill health after his mother passed.
Overall, a great portrayal of a Hollywood legend,
Overall, a great portrayal of a Hollywood legend,
April 8, 2017
One of my favorites of the Hollywood bios I've read, simply because the first six chapters are Clifton Webb being Clifton Webb.
You can't help but wonder what it must have been like to be in that wonderful rarified theater circle of parties and cocktails and such with the giants of the day.
And when he went to Hollywood, it was much the same. The co-author handles the later years of his life in a much more matter-of-fact tone.
He really does sound like a wonderful man-- friendly to all, and even felt bad when friends of his were on the outs (an exceptionally funny story included about Lauren Bacall and Hedda Hopper). But woe betide Libby Holman, who actually had the audacity to insult Mabelle in front of him (and in a particularly nasty way...). That was it for her, after years of friendship, and even making Webb her son's godfather. She was relegated to the dustbin of ex-friends. They never spoke again.
You do get a glimpse of his unusual relationship with Mabelle, and his sexuality is discussed, but nothing is ever established, other than to call him asexual. Basically, he was the Morrissey of his day, with an extra mother complex thrown in.
Worth it just for the first 6 chapters of Clifton being his irascible self.
You can't help but wonder what it must have been like to be in that wonderful rarified theater circle of parties and cocktails and such with the giants of the day.
And when he went to Hollywood, it was much the same. The co-author handles the later years of his life in a much more matter-of-fact tone.
He really does sound like a wonderful man-- friendly to all, and even felt bad when friends of his were on the outs (an exceptionally funny story included about Lauren Bacall and Hedda Hopper). But woe betide Libby Holman, who actually had the audacity to insult Mabelle in front of him (and in a particularly nasty way...). That was it for her, after years of friendship, and even making Webb her son's godfather. She was relegated to the dustbin of ex-friends. They never spoke again.
You do get a glimpse of his unusual relationship with Mabelle, and his sexuality is discussed, but nothing is ever established, other than to call him asexual. Basically, he was the Morrissey of his day, with an extra mother complex thrown in.
Worth it just for the first 6 chapters of Clifton being his irascible self.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews