Countdown to 10/31 - The Price is Right

Originally, I was going to do an entire week of Vincent Price related posts but things got in the way. Instead, here's one semi-lengthy post, my contribution to the Vincentennial.

Our first stop is Rue Morgue Radio Podcast where Feedback recently interviewed Vincent's daughter, Victoria, at this year's Festival of Fear. This interview makes me just a bit sadder that I'll never have the chance to meet Mr. Price. Most people only know him from his acting career, but he was a real Renaissance man who was also passionate about art and cooking. You can listen to the interview here.

I don't recall my first introduction to Vincent although I'm fairly certain it was his appearance on the Muppet Show. Is it a coincidence that Uncle Deadly, that creepy Muppet who made his first appearance in this very episode, is also one of my favorite Muppets? It could be...it could also be that I'm just into weird things.

I also grew up on Creature Double Feature on Saturday afternoons, they probably played The Fly at some point but I may not have realized it was the same person. Although now a fan of 50s/60s horror and scifi, I was generally more interested in kaiju monsters and aliens in my movies. My next memorable encounter with Vincent was not until Thriller in 1982. I'm sure I saw him on Hollywood Squares between Thriller and Edward Scissorhands...I was a game show addicted kid.

I didn't really start getting into (and collecting) his movies until the early 00's but once I did, I was hooked. I can't tell you how many Midnite Movie Vincent Price double feature DVDs I own! I find him fascinating to watch. No matter what role he's playing he owns the screen when he's on it.

Here's a clip from one of my favorite movies. The Comedy of Terrors which also starred Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone. Price and Lorre are undertakers but business is bad so Price decides to start "creating" new customers!

I couldn't find the clip of a favorite scene where Price is telling a woman she's become a widow, but it goes something like this...

Price (elegantly, referring to her former husband): I'm afraid he's made his final journey to that Stygian shore.
Woman: He what?
Price (deadpan): He died.

Here's a few of his movies that I recommend: Shock, The Last Man on Earth, The Dr. Phibes movies, Witchfinder General, The Pit and the Pendulum (heck, pretty much every Poe movie he did), The Raven and Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (oh yes, I went there! But only see this after you've watched all his Poe movies).

And what would a post about Vincent Price be without a little audio to go along with it?

A Hornbook for Witches