Paul Francis Webster

Paul Francis Webster was an American lyricist. Born in New York City, Webster began his career as a dance instructor at the Arthur Murray studio in NYC. He then turned to writing song lyrics and his first hit was "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)", a collaboration with Duke Ellington (1941). By the 1950s, Webster worked extensively with MGM studios and he went on to be nominated for 16 Academy Awards. He won three times for "Secret Love" (Calamity Jane; 1954), "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" (from the movie of the same name; 1956), and "The Shadow of Your Smile" (The Sandpiper, 1965). In 1961, Calamity Jane was adapted for the stage, using the original music from the film and several songs that had been written for the film, but not used.