Actor Vincent Price was of two minds regarding his career in horror films. The Saint Louis-born Price, who was both a gourmet cook and art collector, always felt a bit embarrassed when he made low-budget chillers. On the other hand, appearing in creature features helped older stars stay popular with young audiences. Besides, they were a kick to make; Vincent enjoyed the creepy jobs much more than those stodgy Biblical epics where everyone was always on their best behavior. While working on the 1958 low-budget thriller The Fly, the forty-seven-year-old Price kept breaking into laughter and ruining takes when he looked at the cheap-looking human/insect. Vincent continued to make mischief after the movie was completed. One day two female teens enjoyed a matinee screening of The Fly. They screamed loudest at the end when a familiar face they had just watched on screen stuck his head in between theirs and asked, “So how did you like the show?”

Always in search of extra publicity, Vincent Price once took the place of his own dummy likeness at the Hollywood Wax Museum. The horror star stood motionless, held a hypodermic syringe, waited patiently for unsuspecting people to walk by and then reached out and squirted them with water.

Notice to webmasters and publishers:

You have permission to publish these articles free of charge, as long as the last line and link (if published online) are included.

A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

All articles and stories copyright ©2010 by Stephen Schochet.

All rights reserved.