Sound
Roy Webb
EN, FR cinema · 237 credits
Born
3 October 1888
Died
10 December 1982 (aged 94)
Birthplace
New York City, New York, USA
Roy Webb (né 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 for the films of Val Lewton. Born in Manhattan, New York, Webb orchestrated and conducted for the Broadway stage, before moving to Hollywood in the late 1920s to work as music director for Radio Pictures, later RKO Pictures. He remained at RKO until 1955, then worked freelance for several years, including scoring several episodes of Wagon Train. Webb is credited as composer or arranger on more than 200 films, and received Academy Award nominations for Quality Street (1937), My Favorite Wife (1940), I Married a Witch (1942), Joan of Paris (1942), The Fallen Sparrow (1943), The Fighting Seabees (1944), and The Enchanted Cottage (1945). His piano concerto from The Enchanted Cottage was performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Constantin Bakaleinikoff, in concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 1945. In 1961, a house fire destroyed Webb's manuscripts including film scores and unpublished concert music, after which Webb ceased composing. Webb died in 1982 from a heart attack at the age of 94. An alumnus of Columbia University, Webb wrote the fight song “Roar, Lion, Roar” for his alma mater in 1925. Several cues composed by Webb were used in the newsreel montage of Kane's life in Citizen Kane. Several cues composed by Webb replaced those by Bernard Herrmann in The Magnificent Ambersons after the film was re-edited. Webb also composed several cues (uncredited) for This is Cinerama, the first Cinerama production in 1952. The Christopher Palmer Collection of Roy Webb Scores is held at Syracuse University, New York.
Known for
Filmography
Return of the Fly
Additional Music
Teacher's Pet
Original Music Composer
Top Secret Affair
Original Music Composer
Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend
Original Music Composer
The First Texan
Original Music Composer
The Girl He Left Behind
Original Music Composer
The Search for Bridey Murphy
Original Music Composer
Our Miss Brooks
Original Music Composer
Blood Alley
Original Music Composer
Bengazi
Original Music Composer
The Americano
Original Music Composer
Marty
Original Music Composer
The Sea Chase
Original Music Composer
The Kentuckian
Original Music Composer
Underwater!
Original Music Composer
Track of the Cat
Original Music Composer
Dangerous Mission
Original Music Composer
She Couldn't Say No
Original Music Composer
The Raid
Original Music Composer
Alaska Seas
Original Music Composer
Second Chance
Original Music Composer
Split Second
Original Music Composer
Affair with a Stranger
Original Music Composer
Houdini
Original Music Composer
Clash by Night
Original Music Composer
The Lusty Men
Original Music Composer
At Sword's Point
Original Music Composer
The Narrow Margin
Additional Music
Hard, Fast and Beautiful!
Original Music Composer
Fixed Bayonets!
Original Music Composer
The Blue Veil
Additional Music
Gambling House
Original Music Composer
The Secret Fury
Original Music Composer
The White Tower
Original Music Composer
Branded
Original Music Composer
Where Danger Lives
Original Music Composer
Vendetta
Original Music Composer
The Window
Original Music Composer
Roughshod
Original Music Composer
Mighty Joe Young
Original Music Composer
Holiday Affair
Original Music Composer
My Friend Irma
Original Music Composer
Easy Living
Original Music Composer
Bad Men of Tombstone
Original Music Composer
Make Mine Laughs
Original Music Composer
Race Street
Original Music Composer
Blood on the Moon
Original Music Composer
Rachel and the Stranger
Original Music Composer
I Remember Mama
Original Music Composer
Out of the Past
Original Music Composer
Riff-Raff
Original Music Composer
Crossfire
Original Music Composer
Easy Come, Easy Go
Original Music Composer
Magic Town
Original Music Composer
They Won't Believe Me
Original Music Composer
The Perfect Marriage
Original Music Composer
Sinbad the Sailor
Original Music Composer
The Devil Thumbs a Ride
Original Music Composer
Cass Timberlane
Original Music Composer
Notorious
Original Music Composer
Bedlam
Original Music Composer
The Spiral Staircase
Original Music Composer
The Locket
Original Music Composer
The Well Groomed Bride
Original Music Composer
Badman's Territory
Original Music Composer
Without Reservations
Original Music Composer
The Body Snatcher
Original Music Composer
Cornered
Original Music Composer
Two O'Clock Courage
Original Music Composer
Betrayal from the East
Original Music Composer
Sing Your Way Home
Original Music Composer
Love, Honor and Goodbye
Original Music Composer
Those Endearing Young Charms
Original Music Composer
The Enchanted Cottage
Original Music Composer
Dick Tracy
Original Music Composer
The Brighton Strangler
Additional Music
Murder, My Sweet
Original Music Composer
The Curse of the Cat People
Original Music Composer
The Falcon Out West
Original Music Composer
The Seventh Cross
Original Music Composer
Rainbow Island
Original Music Composer
The Master Race
Original Music Composer
Bride by Mistake
Original Music Composer
Action in Arabia
Original Music Composer
Experiment Perilous
Original Music Composer
Tall in the Saddle
Original Music Composer
The Falcon in Hollywood
Additional Music
The Seventh Victim
Original Music Composer
Journey into Fear
Original Music Composer
The Ghost Ship
Original Music Composer
The Falcon in Danger
Original Music Composer
The Falcon Strikes Back
Original Music Composer
Gangway for Tomorrow
Original Music Composer
The Fallen Sparrow
Original Music Composer
Petticoat Larceny
Original Music Composer
Mr. Lucky
Original Music Composer
Bombardier
Original Music Composer
Flight for Freedom
Original Music Composer
Ladies' Day
Original Music Composer
Hitler's Children
Original Music Composer
A Lady Takes a Chance
Original Music Composer
The Leopard Man
Original Music Composer
I Walked with a Zombie
Original Music Composer
I Married a Witch
Original Music Composer
Cat People
Original Music Composer
The Falcon Takes Over
Original Music Composer, Additional Music
The Falcon's Brother
Original Music Composer
The Navy Comes Through
Original Music Composer
Here We Go Again
Original Music Composer
Bandit Ranger
Original Music Composer
The Big Street
Original Music Composer
Obliging Young Lady
Original Music Composer
My Favorite Spy
Original Music Composer
Joan of Paris
Original Music Composer
Seven Miles from Alcatraz
Original Music Composer
The Saint In Palm Springs
Original Music Composer
Parachute Battalion
Original Music Composer
Tom, Dick and Harry
Original Music Composer
Look Who's Laughing
Original Music Composer
Weekend for Three
Original Music Composer
The Bandit Trail
Original Music Composer
Father Takes a Wife
Music Director
The Saint's Vacation
Original Music Composer
The Devil and Miss Jones
Music Director
A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob
Original Music Composer
Stranger on the Third Floor
Original Music Composer
Curtain Call
Original Music Composer
Stage to Chino
Original Music Composer
Kitty Foyle
Original Music Composer
Mexican Spitfire Out West
Original Music Composer
I'm Still Alive
Original Music Composer
Millionaires in Prison
Original Music Composer
A Bill of Divorcement
Original Music Composer
Bullet Code
Original Music Composer
Abe Lincoln in Illinois
Original Music Composer
My Favorite Wife
Original Music Composer
You Can't Fool Your Wife
Original Music Composer
Irene
Original Music Composer
Wildcat Bus
Original Music Composer
Timber Stampede
Original Music Composer, Music Director
Trouble in Sundown
Original Music Composer, Music Director
Racketeers of the Range
Music Director
Bachelor Mother
Original Music Composer
The Rookie Cop
Music Director
Love Affair
Original Music Composer
In Name Only
Original Music Composer
Sued for Libel
Music Director
Five Came Back
Original Music Composer
Panama Lady
Music, Music Director
Bad Lands
Original Music Composer
Twelve Crowded Hours
Music Director
That's Right – You're Wrong
Original Music Composer
Sorority House
Original Music Composer
The Saint Strikes Back
Original Music Composer
Bringing Up Baby
Original Music Composer, Music Director, Music
The Law West of Tombstone
Music Director
The Affairs of Annabel
Music Director
Go Chase Yourself
Music Director
Having Wonderful Time
Music Director
A Man to Remember
Original Music Composer
The Mad Miss Manton
Original Music Composer
Vivacious Lady
Music Director
The Saint in New York
Original Music Composer
Blond Cheat
Original Music Composer, Music Director
Next Time I Marry
Music Director
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
Music Supervisor
High Flyers
Original Music Composer
Breakfast for Two
Additional Music
You Can't Buy Luck
Original Music Composer
We're on the Jury
Original Music Composer
Sea Devils
Music Director
New Faces of 1937
Music Director
Stage Door
Music Director
The Woman I Love
Additional Music, Music Director
Quality Street
Original Music Composer
Forty Naughty Girls
Music Director
The Last of the Mohicans
Original Music Composer
The Ex-Mrs. Bradford
Original Music Composer, Music Director
Bunker Bean
Music Director
The Plough and the Stars
Original Music Composer
Two in the Dark
Original Music Composer
Silly Billies
Original Music Composer
The Lady Consents
Music Director
Chatterbox
Original Music Composer
Murder on a Bridle Path
Music Director
Sylvia Scarlett
Music Director, Original Music Composer
Becky Sharp
Music Director
Alice Adams
Original Music Composer
The Nitwits
Original Music Composer
The Arizonian
Original Music Composer
In Person
Music Director
La Cucaracha
Music Director
By Your Leave
Original Music Composer
Cockeyed Cavaliers
Original Music Composer
This Man Is Mine
Original Music Composer
Hips, Hips, Hooray!
Original Music Composer
Strictly Dynamite
Original Music Composer
Let's Try Again
Original Music Composer
Down to Their Last Yacht
Original Music Composer
Kentucky Kernels
Original Music Composer, Music Director
Emergency Call
Original Music Composer
Our Betters
Original Music Composer
Blind Adventure
Original Music Composer
Ann Vickers
Original Music Composer
Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men
Original Music Composer
The Right To Romance
Original Music Composer
If I Were Free
Original Music Composer
Topaze
Original Music Composer
Diplomaniacs
Original Music Composer
Bed of Roses
Additional Music
Professional Sweetheart
Music Director
Lady with a Past
Additional Music
Inside the Lines
Original Music Composer
The Life of the Party
Music Director
Alias French Gertie
Original Music Composer
Girl of the Port
Original Music Composer
Shooting Straight
Original Music Composer
Conspiracy
Original Music Composer
The Delightful Rogue
Original Music Composer
Rio Rita
Orchestrator
Seven Keys to Baldpate
Original Music Composer
The Fear Market
Assistant Director
The Truth About Husbands
Art Direction