Remembering Vincent Price (1911-1993)

Saved for last, and by no means least, the incomparable Vincent Price, giving one of his definitive performances as the alternately sensitive, droll and ruthless proprietor of the wax museum. His patter during the guided tour of the newly-opened museum is priceless (did I just say that?), and toward the climactic moments, his reading of the simple line, "You shouldn't have done that, my dear" invests it with menace that can send chills down your spine. What with the carnival atmosphere generated by some of the set-pieces obviously placed there solely for the 3-D effect (the can-can dancers; the paddle-ball barker), there is a good deal of levity between "scary" moments, and our Vinnie knows exactly when to plant tongue firmly in cheek.

Price had always been a reliable and versatile performer: witness the slow-witted, drunken duke in Tower of London; Shelby, the charming ne'er-do-well in Laura; the tortured, drug-addled husband in Dragonwyck; the autocratic executive in Champagne For Caesar; the at once egocentric and self-deprecating movie star in His Kind Of Woman. Though he would regularly break away from the horror genre for the rest of his life, the success of this picture, for better or worse, played a large part in determining the second half of Price's career trajectory. It also helped define his place in film history as, I daresay, one of the most beloved and fondly remembered actors of the 20th century.