Thursday, November 10, 2005

Men Of Laura PT.III


Vincent Price

After studying art history and attending both Yale University and the University of Vienna, young Vincent worked on the stage in both London and Broadway including Victoria Regina . Price worked steadfastly on a myriad of films from the late '30s through the early '50s, among them 1939's The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex and 1946's Leave Her to Heaven .

But in 1953 Price starred as the disfigured Prof. Jarrod in the classic House of Wax and thus began Vincent's journey of unparalleled horror performances. The rest of the '50s saw Price re-inventing himself and his career in the horror genre with The Fly (1958), The Tingler (1959) and The House on Haunted Hill (1958).

...The early '60s saw a gamut of Roger Corman Poe adaptations for AIP, including the The House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Masque of the Red Death and The Tomb of Ligeia.

...Price d
elivered what many consider some of his most delightful performances, be they in 1971's The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Madhouse (1974) or the piece of art Theatre of Blood (1973).

Alternately revered and reviled for his 'theatrical' acting style, Price's well-known flourishes are often simply overexaggerations on the part of the critics. Watching Price is like the smoothest of possible roller coaster rides; once you strap yourself in and relax, its effortless entertainment.

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