Dear Kids and All Readers,
Victoria Price Sharing About her Father, Horror Actor Vincent Price
I grew up enjoying the inimitable actor Vincent Price being sinister in such horror film classics as House of Wax (1953), House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Tingler (1959), House of Usher (1960), and The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) to name a few. Price fans might also remember his dramatic performances in the movies Laura (1944), Dragonwyck (1946), The Whales of August (1987), and Edward Scissorhands (1990). And I can’t omit his rap in Michael Jackson’s song and video Thriller (1983). Mr. Price’s velvety voice and spooky laugh are indelible. You can watch it HERE on YouTube. It’s approximately 14 minutes long.
What a thrill for me when In the late 1980s, I had the pleasure of attending a special event in my hometown called, “An Evening with Vincent Price.” The audience was invited to ask questions at the end of his presentation. I had a question burning inside me for decades. Now’s my chance! . . . But alas, I was not called on. Strike one.
Fast forward to 2021. I took a Zoom writing class sponsored by Poe Baltimore and taught by Vincent Price’s daughter, Victoria. At the end of class, I told her I had a burning question about her father, but I preferred to ask it privately. She suggested I contact her via Facebook, which I did. I waited . . . and waited . . . but no reply! Strike two.
Then, a few weeks ago on October 5, my Book 5, Jacaranda Street: Gravestone Image, won an Edgar Allan Poe Saturday “Visiter” Award in the “Works Inspired by Poe” category. I was thrilled to be present with my daughter at PoeFest International in Baltimore, Maryland, to accept a medal and beautifully framed certificate!
That evening after the awards ceremony, my daughter, a fellow award nominee and author Steve Boilard (A Dying Wish), and I were exploring the “Poe Death Exhibit” in the Carroll Mansion when who should come into the parlor but Victoria Price! Many of her father’s horror movies were adapted from Poe poems or stories, so Ms.Price is frequently a guest of honor at PoeFest. (In the photo, Victoria Price is flanked by Steve Boilard and me.) I thanked her because . . .
At a movie reception the evening before, Ms. Price finally answered my decades-old burning question: “What special tricks or treats did Vincent Price like to pull on Halloween?” Her face lit up as she said her father used to take her Trick-or-Treating in their Beverly Hills neighborhood (the ultimate chaperone!). Instead of accompanying her to the door, he would hide in the bushes at each house, wait for the next group of candy scavengers, jump out, and scare the daylights out of them! The perfect answer I hoped for. Can you imagine? Lucky kids! Isn’t that the pinnacle of surreal Halloween magic? And for me, no Strike Three, but Third’s the Charm!
So, get a clue, Readers. Don’t give up on those burning questions. Look for opportunities to get them answered, even if it takes decades. At long last, it was for me a thriller. Happy Halloween!
