Vincent Price

I was over joyed to meet Victoria Price and enjoyed both her books

This book has hundreds of details that I have never known before. It gives a deep detailed look into Price's life and career. If you are doing a research paper on Price, you should have this book as one of your sources. It gives an over-abundance of information.

The one thing you could always count on from Vincent Price was a good performance. Price always gave his all to whatever character he played, be it Brigham Young or Dr. Phibes, Mr. Manningham of Angel Street or Egghead of Batman. He was a professional, through and through. This biography of Price by his lovely daughter Victoria would certainly have made Vincent proud, for it is also thoroughly professional. The author's prose is about as polished as it gets, which makes reading the book a joy. And the editing is nothing if not top notch. The book starts with interesting information on Vincent Price's early life in St. Louis, then moves on to his college years (Price graduated from Yale), to his overseas travels, his work in London theatre, his eventual return to the United States and work on Broadway, his marriages to actress Edith Barrett (who bore him a son, Vincent Barrett Price), to designer Mary Grant (who bore him Victoria), to Vincent's work in Hollywood, to his eventual final marriage to actress Coral Browne, and much more. We learn much about Price's great love for art and of his desire to make art affordable for everyone (which led to Price's work for Sears); of his contributions to various art galleries and his efforts to have a permanent gallery of his own (he had one, for a time, but had to close it); of his travels to exotic places around the world; of his gourmet cooking; of his love for animals; of his extensive work in film (Price made a number of horror films, but most of his work in film was not horror related), of his extensive television and stage work; of his incredible solo show as Oscar Wilde and of his many speeches; and of his relationships with many of the biggest stars of his day, many of whom became his close personal friends. Some of the most interesting parts of the book were those in which the author wrote of Vincent's relationships with people in general. Although Price was a big star, he apparently treated everyone with the same genial kindness, be they celebrities like himself or mere street sweepers. So as not to make him into too much of an angel, Victoria also tells of her father's occasional angry outbursts, of his affairs, and of his two divorces. She tells of his insecurities, and of his all-consuming desire to be liked. Vincent Price has been gone for a few years now - gone but not forgotten. His work remains, as does his spirit in the hearts of his family, friends and fans.

Having read this book, I now have even greater love and respect for the man. Victoria wrote a thorough biography, flavored with love and loss. Having once met Vincent Price when he made an appearance in Milwaukee in the early '80's, I feel especially privileged to have talked with my idol of many years. He is everything gentle, courtly, kind and gracious. This book filled in so much of his life that was unknown to me. Upon the announcement of his passing, I nearly crashed my car on the freeway, the sense of loss was so great. Thank you, Victoria for taking the risk, and for giving back to me someone I have admired for years.

First I have to wonder whether I read the same book as the reviewer on January 17. I found it to be well written, well researched, and terrific reading. This intimate look at Vincent Price was much more than I expected since Victoria had the kind of access to her subject that a lot of biographers do not: she was his child, lived with him for some years, and she also had the good fortune to have scores of family members, wives, close friends, co-workers, etc. to glean information from. And she painted a balanced portrait of the man complete with his flaws. I also disagree that the book's focus is on Victoria. She is in it no more and no less than any child of a biographical subject would be. The reviewer seems to be implying that Victoria is whining and complaining about her life and the times her father was away from home working, etc. etc. She does mention that at times the relationship suffered because of his absences, but she also makes clear a number of times just how much she loved and admired her father and vice versa and how she treasured their relationship and the times they shared together. My impression is that they had a pretty good overall relationship and it does not seem to me that Victoria is "licking her emotional wounds in public." She is upfront about the tense and awkward relationship she had with Coral Browne, Vincent's last wife, but she also takes great care to understand how much of an imposing presence Coral was in her father's life (apparently in anyone's life!) and also recounts the great times she had with Coral once Coral began to let her guard down. Victoria understands that Coral was threatened by the undying love and devotion Vincent had for his daughter and Coral hated the fact that she was not the only person in Vincent's life. Most of Coral's friends and acquaintances that were interviewed admit that Coral was unable to accept that Vincent refused to completely shut his kids out of his life because that was what Coral wanted and this was what led to some tensions in the relationships. However, as I said, Victoria states that she came to like and admire Coral and recounts a number of times that they shared good times together. As for the hints of bisexuality, Victoria points out clearly that for years there were rumors of both Vincent and Coral being bisexual and that they were well aware of the rumors and laughed about it all. The focus on Vincent's career is pretty interesting and while there are many anecdotes about his films, plays, costars and the like, the book is hardly gossipy. I do agree that she seemed to gloss over his work in horror films which kind of disappointed me since, as a kid, that was how I first became aware of Vincent Price, but she admits herself that she has no great love for horror films, but she doesn't ignore them altogether; she understands how important they were in her father's career and how they opened Vincent to a wider audience

This was a wonderful book, from beginning to end. I've been a Vincent Price fan since I was a little kid, but I never had a clue that he did anything other than horror movies until I became an adult. While reading this book I became fascinated with him all over again, watching old movies that were new to me, like Oscar-winning LAURA, where he played a young playboy from Kentucky. Not only do you learn about him personally, but about the extreme era in which he grew up. He witnessed the Nazi regime first-hand while living overseas, and even attended one of Adolph Hitler's many rallies. This book really gets to the heart of his true loves in life; Art, Europe, Family, Music, and the stage. Read it and dicover what a wonderful, multi-faceted person he was all over again.