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James R. Webb

Writer · Died September 27, 1974, aged 63 · Denver, Colorado, USA

Born
October 4, 1910
Died
September 27, 1974 (aged 63)
From
Denver, Colorado, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
31 on Motif · 34 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 65 days to Oct 28Down 14% in 30 days

What are James R. Webb's films like?

Across their 30 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama17 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
32%
Bonds
21%
Self
15%
Survival
11%
Society
11%
Power
9%
Ideas
1%
Justice10 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 30 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 14 · Stylized 14 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 20 · Intense 9

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 10 · Shifting 18 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 22 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 21 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 14 · Engaged 13 · Full focus 3

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 10 · Affecting 14 · Heavy 6

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 27 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
22
Thrilling
11
Melancholic
9
Hopeful
9
Romantic
6
Other
19

How their films linger

Bittersweet14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy12
  • Bittersweet15
  • Tragic2
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch James R. Webb's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 19 of their 31 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (14).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James R. Webb's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

34 credits, 31 with a Motif page.

  • Cape Fear(2026)

    Show 10 episodes · Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows

  • Smash Cuts! Super Sci-Fi Shorts Fest (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)

    Thanks

  • Cape Fear(1991)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Organization(1971)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • They Call Me Mister Tibbs!(1970)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Hawaiians(1970)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Alfred the Great(1969)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Sinful Davey(1969)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Guns for San Sebastian(1968)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Cheyenne Autumn(1964)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Kings of the Sun(1963)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • How the West Was Won(1962)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Cape Fear(1962)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Pork Chop Hill(1959)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Big Country(1958)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Trapeze(1956)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Illegal(1955)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Vera Cruz(1954)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Apache(1954)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Phantom of the Rue Morgue(1954)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Charge at Feather River(1953)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Iron Mistress(1952)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Operation Secret(1952)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Big Trees(1952)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Close to My Heart(1951)

    Novel · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Raton Pass(1951)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Montana(1950)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • South of St. Louis(1949)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • California Firebrand (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1948)

    Story

  • South of Santa Fe(1942)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Jesse James at Bay(1941)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Bad Man of Deadwood(1941)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Rags to Riches (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1941)

    Writer

  • Nevada City(1941)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 34 titles from 1941 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Cape Fear (1991)

$182M worldwide

Highest rated

Cape Fear (1962)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Cape Fear (1991)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing33 of 34: 33 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score48thOther crew1 of 34: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1940s7 · crew1950s14 · crew1960s7 · crew1970s3 · crew1990s1 · crew2000s1 · crew2020s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do James R. Webb's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 48th percentile, the median of all 30; across their 30 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Approval · how many liked their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Reach · how many have seen their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Midcredits score across 31 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th17
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

None of their 31 titles divides audiences: 14 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser14
  • Broadly Agreed9
  • Mixed6

Most loved · writer

Cape Fear (1962)

Midcredits 97th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 48/100 and the plot and story 49/100 in their films, across 30 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is James R. Webb's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 Motif titles with content scores, profanity runs lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles36–74 · median 52 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles15–51 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles12–49 · median 23 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles31–46 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 50 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does James R. Webb work with?

People who share at least 2 of James R. Webb's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Max Steiner shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers