Sitting Pretty

The Life and Times of Clifton Webb

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Performing Arts, Film, Biography & Memoir, Entertainment & Performing Arts
Cover of the book Sitting Pretty by Clifton Webb, David L. Smith, University Press of Mississippi
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Clifton Webb, David L. Smith ISBN: 9781604739978
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi Publication: May 17, 2011
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi Language: English
Author: Clifton Webb, David L. Smith
ISBN: 9781604739978
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Publication: May 17, 2011
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi
Language: English

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 Noël 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 said 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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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 Noël 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 said 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.

More books from University Press of Mississippi

Cover of the book Understanding Stuttering by Clifton Webb, David L. Smith
Cover of the book The Woman Fantastic in Contemporary American Media Culture by Clifton Webb, David L. Smith
Cover of the book The Pilgrim Jubilees by Clifton Webb, David L. Smith
Cover of the book Faulkner in the Twenty-First Century by Clifton Webb, David L. Smith
Cover of the book Inside the Whimsy Works by Clifton Webb, David L. Smith
Cover of the book Godfather of the Music Business by Clifton Webb, David L. Smith
Cover of the book Once in a Lifetime by Clifton Webb, David L. Smith
Cover of the book Poe by Clifton Webb, David L. Smith
Cover of the book Black Baseball, Black Business by Clifton Webb, David L. Smith
Cover of the book Under Surge, Under Siege by Clifton Webb, David L. Smith
Cover of the book From Buchenwald to Carnegie Hall by Clifton Webb, David L. Smith
Cover of the book The Painted Screens of Baltimore by Clifton Webb, David L. Smith
Cover of the book Curt Flood in the Media by Clifton Webb, David L. Smith
Cover of the book The Speeches of Fannie Lou Hamer by Clifton Webb, David L. Smith
Cover of the book Deeper Currents by Clifton Webb, David L. Smith
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy