Top TV Moments: Vincent Price

The approach of All Hallows’ Eve is an opportune time to remember ten classic TV appearances of Vincent Price. Sorry, no 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo. Hit the bricks, Scrappy fans. 

Price enjoyed a rich and varied career in film and television, but will always be best known for the horror genre. Among his best – a series of film adaptations of Edgar Allen Poe works, produced by Roger Corman, and stylish schlock like The Abominable Dr. Phibes.

Some of that notoriety carried over into his TV work, but Price also appeared in a diverse range of projects. The only real common denominators among his characters are the traits for which Price himself was famous – intelligence, sophistication, and that distinctive, cultivated voice so well suited to eloquent narration. Which brings us to our first selection…

The Christmas Carol (1949)

I rarely get to list credits from the 1940s in these pieces, especially of episodes that not only still exist but still turn up on cable. In his first television appearance, Price is the on-screen narrator for this abridged adaption of the classic Charles Dickens holiday tale. Seated in a festively decorated living room, Price’s recitation of passages from the story are interspersed within a (rather florid) version of Scrooge’s redemption. 

Summer Theatre (1953)

“Dream Job” is one of those buried treasures waiting to be rediscovered amidst dozens of 1950s anthology series episodes now playing on YouTube. Joan Leslie plays a young girl who dreams of the perfect job, working for the perfect man. When writer Cooper Fielding (Price) hires her as his secretary, it appears her dream has materialized. But we know what happens when something seems too good to be true. This is Price at his most charming, and his most frightening.

Playhouse 90 (1956)

This revered anthology series launched in grand style with “Forbidden Area,” written by Rod Serling, directed by John Frankenheimer, and starring Charlton Heston, Vincent Price and Tab Hunter. The grim, suspenseful story concerns a Soviet saboteur who manages to ground America’s first line of air defense, as a precursor to an all-out Russian attack on Christmas Eve. Heston plays a military man who sounds the alarm, while Price is perfect as a feckless bureaucrat who refuses to believe disaster is imminent. 

Science Fiction Theater (1956)

In “Operation Flypaper,” Price is among a team of scientists attending a secret gathering to “mine the treasures of the deep”; but no sooner do they arrive than scientific equipment begins to disappear, while time mysteriously jumps forward after every theft. This is one of the rare 1950s series to actually film a full season of episodes in color.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1957)

One of the few episodes directed by Hitchcock himself, “The Perfect Crime” is basically one long conversation between a vain detective (Price) and a defense attorney (James Gregory) who has seen more than one client executed as a result of the detective’s deductions. This may be the quintessential Price performance – so elegant in speech, sophisticated in manner, and yet with a deep obsession toward the macabre. 

Have Gun Will Travel (1958)

Paladin warns two Shakespearian players against taking their show to San Diego at cattle round-up time, when cowboys tend to shoot first and applaud later. Of course, egotistical actors have to learn everything the hard way. “The Moor’s Revenge” is not one of this western’s better episodes, but the casting makes it worth seeing:  Vincent Price and Patricia Morrison as the actors, plus Morey Amsterdam in a rare serious role. It’s also a treat to watch Price perform Desdemona’s death scene from Othello – even if it’s in a saloon. 

Batman (1966)

It’s a toss-up between Egghead and King Tut for the title of best Batman villain created by the TV series. While Victor Buono’s outsized scenery chewing is hard to top, I’ve always preferred Price’s eggs to Buono’s ham, at least until the character was emasculated by Anne Baxter’s Olga. Introduced as the Caped Crusader’s smartest adversary in “An Egg Grows in Gotham/The Yegg Foes in Gotham” Egghead wastes no time in preparing a profile to uncover Batman’s true identity. His reasoning is so logical and obvious you wonder why the entire Gotham police force was never able to put two and two together. No wonder they used the red phone so often. 

The Brady Bunch (1972)

Most Brady episodes don’t stray far from reality, but that cannot be said of “The Tiki Caves,” the final installment of the show’s three-part Hawaii adventure. The Brady boys try to break an island curse by visiting a burial ground of ancient kings, only to be abducted by an eccentric archaeologist. Just your average all-American family. This is probably Price’s most famous funny/scary TV performance.

The Bionic Woman (1976)

“Black Magic” is as silly as this series ever got, but it’s hard to complain when the results are so much fun. Jaime goes undercover as a long-lost member of a family of crooks, who are sent on a scavenger hunt to secure the fortune of a wealthy, deceased relative. Vincent Price shares several delightful scenes with Lindsay Wagner, amidst the non-stop treachery and backstabbing of their fellow challengers, broadly played by Julie Newmar, Hermione Baddeley, William Windom and Abe Vigoda. 

Time Express (1979)

This miniseries was listed in my “Forgotten Shows I’d Like to Watch” piece from last year. Vincent Price played the conductor of a train that transported people to pivotal moments in their pasts, where they could change decisions they would later regret. Still haven’t seen it. Still want to.