Background
Webster, Paul Francis was born on December 20, 1907 in New York City. Son of Myron Lawrence and Blanche Pauline (Stonehill) Webster.
Webster, Paul Francis was born on December 20, 1907 in New York City. Son of Myron Lawrence and Blanche Pauline (Stonehill) Webster.
Student, Horace Mann School, also New York University, 1924-1927, Cornell Univercity, summer 1925. Student Prince, Merry Widow, Calamity Jane, Great Caruso, The Alamo, Guns at Navarone, Tender Is the Night, Mutiny on the Bounty, Raintree County.
He worked on ships throughout Asia and then became a dance instructor at an Arthur Murray studio in New York City. By 1931, however, he turned his career direction to writing song lyrics. His first professional lyric was Masquerade (music by John Jacob Loeb) which became a hit in 1932, performed by Paul Whiteman.
In 1935 Twentieth Century Fox signed him to a contract to write lyrics for Shirley Temple"s films, but shortly afterward he went back to freelance writing.
His first hit was a collaboration in 1941 with Duke Ellington on the song "I Got lieutenant Bad (And That Ain"t Good)". After 1950, Webster worked mostly for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
In addition, a large number of his songs became major hits on the popular music charts. Webster is the most successful songwriter of the 1950s on the United Kingdom charts.
In 1967 he was asked to write the famed lyrics for the Spider-Manitoba (theme song) of the television cartoon.
He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972. His papers are collected at Syracuse University Libraries. Webster continued writing through 1983.
He died in 1984 in Beverly Hills, California and is buried at Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, California.
The Songs of Paul Francis Webster () Award-Winning Songs By Paul Francis Webster, Robbins Music Corporation, 1964.
Member A.S.C.A.P. (award of Merit 1966), Writers Guild American (honorary life), Songwriter’s Protective Association, Academy Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Married Gloria Lenore Benguiat, June 10, 1937. Children: Guy Michael, Roger Edmund.