Facts About Vincent Price

The majority of his movies weren't horror stories.

Vincent PricePhoto byCreative Commons: Alan Light

While Vincent Price was considered a master of horror movies his career was diverse. Price also displayed a knack for comedy. As his career moved along, he did a number of commercials and did a lot of roles that could perhaps best be called “odd.”

In his personal life, Price was an art collector of note and also was a pretty fair chef. But more about that later. So, here are some things you didn’t know about Vincent Price.

1: Price may not have gone camping but was involved in a lot of campy projects. A case in point is “Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine.”

It’s become somewhat of a cult classic. As the name suggests, it’s a James Bond parody. And say what you want, I expect it’s better than Goldmember.

2: Price guest starred on a number of TV shows, including “The Brady Brunch.” On the Brady Bunch, Price played an odd professor who temporarily kidnaps the Brady boys.

Price plays a somewhat, seedy, demented Indiana Jones type. Plus, the Brady boys aren’t exactly Short Round.

3: Price starred in a 1958 version of “The Fly.”

Back then, looking Fly was a different thing.

4: Vincent also starred in the first adaptation of “I Am Legend.”

It was called The Last Man on Earth. And many think it’s better than the Charlton Heston and Will Smith versions. Nobody plays the last man on earth better than Vincent Price.

5: In addition, Vincent also played the Invisible Man.

Price played the lead in The Invisible Man Returns. Really, how hard is it to play an invisible man.

6: Like fine art? Price and Sears teamed up to sell fine art on a program that lasted nearly ten years.

The program sold nearly 50,00 pieces of art. That could be quite a shopping list. Overalls, underwear, a stove, couch, and a piece of fine art.

7: Price left his art collection to “The Vincent Price Art Museum.”

I wonder if he bought it from Sears?

8: “The Tingler” was another odd project Price starred in.

The Tingler was the first movie that mentioned LSD and it also, in some cases, had theater seats rigged to vibrate as if The Tingler was striking a victim. I can envision some unintended consequences with that.

9: Price was, at least in part, the inspiration for “Dr. Strange.”

So, is it good to be the inspiration for a character by that name?

10: Plus, Price played a supervillain on the Batman TV series.

Price played Egghead, a villain who had an egg-shaped head, used egg-based puns and had egg related weapons. It seems Eggman’s natural rival would have been Chickenman.

11: There would have been more of Vincent in “Edward Scissorhands,” but his health precluded that.

So, Johnny Depp wasn’t the only thing cut in that movie.

12: Price used an unusual cooking technique.

While appearing with Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show, he showed the audience how to cook fish in a dishwasher. Next, he washed the dishes in an oven. Hold on, that didn’t happen.

13: He also co-authored a number of cookbooks.

I wonder what other appliances he cooked with?

14: His family had a food background.

His father owned “The National Candy Company” and his grandfather invented “Dr. Price’s Baking Powder.” Maybe Vincent should have become a dentist.

15: Price starred in a 3-D movie. “House of Wax” is either the first or second 3-D movie shot in 3-D.

A similar movie is being contemplated now wherein the characters can’t move their faces. Working title, House of Botox. Ok, I just made that one up.