Vincent Price

A Register of His Papers in the Library of Congress

Prepared by Laura J. Kells with the assistance of Paul Colton and Allyson Jackson

Manuscript Division, Library of Congress

Washington, D.C.

1994

Contact information: http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/mss/address.html

Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Manuscript Division, 2001

Finding aid URL: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms001033

Latest revision: 2006 April

Table of Contents

Collection Summary

Selected Search Terms

Names:

Subjects:

Occupations:

Administrative Information

Provenance:

Transfers:

Copyright Status:

Preferred Citation:

Biographical Note

Scope and Content Note

Organization of the Papers

Description of Series

Container List

Collection Summary

Selected Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein.

Administrative Information

The papers of Vincent Price, actor, art collector, supporter of the arts, and author, were donated to the Library of Congress by Price between 1970 and 1992.

Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Some photographs have been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division. Sound and video recordings have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. Sheet music has been transferred to the Music Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the Vincent Price Papers.

Copyright in the unpublished writings of Vincent Price in these papers and in other collections in the custody of the Library of Congress has been retained by his heirs.

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Vincent Price Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Biographical Note

Scope and Content Note

The papers of Vincent Leonard Price, Jr., (1911-1993) span the years 1883-1992, with the bulk of the items concentrated in the period 1932-1992. They document his life as an actor, art collector and critic, writer, lecturer, and gourmet cook. The interconnectedness of his activities and interests is evident in this collection. Price got his start as an actor on the London stage while he was studying art history at the University of London. Throughout his life, Price was a strong supporter of the arts and used his celebrity as an actor as a tool to bring art into people's lives. He used the money gained through acting to buy art. He lent works from his art collection and donated many of them to galleries and museums. He served on arts councils and wrote on art and cooking. He lectured on his life as an actor and on art. He narrated an academy award winning film on Chagall. He appeared as an art expert on the television quiz show "The $64,000 Challenge" and hosted a cooking show. He exploited his fame as the star of horror films to sell products ranging from credit cards to submarine sandwiches. Although Price achieved fame by playing villains, early in his career he was considered a matinee idol.

Price's papers are arranged into six series: Family Papers; General Correspondence; Sears, Roebuck and Company Files; Speeches and Writings Files; Stage, Screen and Studio Files; and a Subject File.

The Family Papers series, 1883-1992, n.d., consists of correspondence and other material grouped under the names of family members. The correspondence is arranged chronologically and consists primarily of letters received from members of Vincent Price's family: his wives, actress Edith Barrett, costume designer Mary Grant, and actress Coral Browne; his son Vincent Barrett ("Barrett"); his daughter Mary Victoria ("Toria"); his sisters Harriet Fenton ("Hat") and Laura Louise Gay ("Lollie"), as well as other relatives. Also in this series are letters from Vincent Price ("Bink") to his parents in the 1930s describing his European tour with the Yale University Glee Club, his art studies at the University of London, and his experiences in Hollywood working on his first film.

While correspondence relating to specific activities is filed by topic in the relevant series, the General Correspondence series, 1938-1992, n.d., is arranged in chronological order and documents Price's friendships and the wide variety of his interests and activities. The major portion of this series consists of letters received, although attached to much of the correspondence from the 1960s are copies of Price's handwritten responses or the responses typed by his secretary, Wawona Hartwig. This correspondence includes letters spanning fifty years from friends such as college roommate Edmund Thomas ("Ted") and Cecil Baldwin, whom he met while teaching at Riverdale Country Day School; official letters requesting appearances or proposing other activities; and mail from the public relating to his acting, writings, and art expertise. Prominent correspondents include Letitia Baldrige, Charles Collingwood, Joan Crawford, Henry Dreyfuss, Deanna Durbin, Alec Guinness, Helen Hayes, Sam Jaffe, Roddy McDowell, Stanley Marcus, Perry Rathbone, Joan Rivers, and Mary Wickes.

The Sears, Roebuck and Company series documents Price's activities as a consultant to this firm from 1962 to 1977. As part of his work with Sears, he formed Vincent Price Enterprises along with Lester Salkow and Harry Sundheim. Mary Grant Price was also active in Sears ventures. The major focus of his work involved the Vincent Price Collection of Fine Art which Price put together as original art for sale in Sears stores. Price saw this venture as a part of his efforts to bring art to people in their daily lives. As part of this project he travelled throughout the world buying original works of art. Mary Grant Price did the framing of the art work. Shows of selected pieces were sent to Sears stores throughout the country at prices ranging from as little as twenty-five dollars to ten thousand dollars. Vincent Price made personal appearances at many of the art shows. Other activities he undertook for Sears included the development of reproductions for a decorating line called National Treasures and other merchandise such as a line of men's toiletries, chocolates, and a Bible illustrated with the works of Michelangelo. He also made public appearances and advertising commercials promoting various Sears products and ventures. Correspondence with Julius and Lessing J. Rosenwald, artists such as Streeter Blair, Peter Hurd, Harold Towne, and Andrew Wyeth, and with the major figures involved in planning and administering these Sears activities is also included.

Price's writings on a wide range of subjects are contained in the Speeches and Writings Files, 1931-1991, n.d.. His books include a popular cookbook written with his wife, an autobiographical memoir of his experiences with art, a tribute to his favorite dog, a book on American art, and a discussion of monsters written with his son. The books file contains original drafts, correspondence, research notes, and clippings, with the exception of I Like What I Know, which does not contain a draft of the text. The articles file covers topics ranging from his acting career to art, travel, and cooking. Price also wrote forewords and introductions to cookbooks, art books, and biographies. The columns file relates to the newspaper column on art which Price wrote from 1966 to 1970 for the Chicago Tribune-New York News syndicate; it contains his drafts, notes, and related correspondence. The poetry file contains poems Price wrote throughout his life, many jotted on scraps of paper, the back of script pages, and airplane boarding passes. Poetry was a common form of expression for several generations of the Price family. The Family Papers series includes poems written by his father and his son. The lectures and addresses file contains the texts of talks Price gave at specific events as well as various versions of the lectures he performed on tour.

Encompassing many aspects of the entertainment business, the Stage, Screen, and Studio Files, 1935-1992, n.d., chronicle Price's career as an actor and entertainer. Price performed on the stage, in films, on radio, and on television. He served as narrator in live performances and in the studio. He made commercials for a variety of products and public service announcements for many organizations. He went on lecture tours and made numerous additional public appearances, serving as master of ceremonies at awards functions and fashion shows, as art judge and auctioneer, as celebrity chef, and as guest lecturer on cruises. He attended a great variety of functions. This series is organized according to type of activity and is then arranged either alphabetically by title of project or chronologically. Files contain scripts, programs, correspondence, clippings, and other documents.

Included in the films section of this series are files on the majority of Price's motion pictures. Although Price was renowned for his roles in horror pictures, his film career had many more dimensions. There are some gaps in coverage, primarily in films from the 1940s, including Laura, Leave Her to Heaven, and Shock. Contained in the files, however, are materials relating to his first movie, Service de Luxe; his films for American International Pictures; Theatre of Blood, the project in which he met and acted with his future wife, Coral Browne; Vincent, in which he narrated a film short by Tim Burton about a boy who idolized Vincent Price; and Disney's The Great Mouse Detective, in which he provided the voice of the villain, Professor Ratigan.

The lectures section of the Stage, Screen, and Studio Files provides a chronological record of the presentations Price conducted several months each year, such as "Three American Voices," "Dear Theo", "The Enjoyment of Great Art," and "The Villains Still Pursue Me." He lectured primarily at colleges, women's clubs, and in town lecture series. As a lecturer he often attended dinners, visited art galleries, and met with students. For a time he was the highest paid lecturer in the United States.

Price's extensive work in the theater, on the London stage, on Broadway, and in summer stock is recorded in the plays section of this series. The files primarily contain programs, correspondence, and clippings. Included is Orson Welles's Mercury Theatre production of Shoemaker's Holiday. Price married his costar Edith Barrett. There are extensive files on the musical, Darling of the Day, which played on Broadway in 1968, and Diversions and Delights, the one-man play in which Price portrayed Oscar Wilde from 1977 to 1982.

The radio section covers much of Price's radio work, including appearances on programs in the United States and England and on voice tracks for Voice of America programs. Missing, however, are materials from early dramatic broadcasts on which Price performed, such as "Escape," "Suspense," and "The Saint."

Starting in the early days of the medium, Vincent Price made over a thousand appearances on television in all types of programming. As the television section of this series illustrates, he performed in dramas, situation comedies, variety shows, game shows, talk shows, and programs for children. He played serious roles as well as humorous characterizations of his film persona on British as well as American television. Documents contained in this section include his official statements regarding his activities on "The $64,000 Challenge" made during the quiz show scandal investigations, the transcript of Edward R. Murrow's interview with him in his art-filled home for the "Person to Person" program, and the discussion topics for his many appearances on the NBC program "The Tonight Show" from the 1960s through the 1980s.

The miscellaneous files section of the Stage, Screen, and Studio files contains general material relating to Price's career as a performer. While publicity relating to a specific project is filed with that project, the publicity file in this section contains more general and personal publicity. Similarly, contracts and correspondence from agents relating to a specific project are filed with that project, but general material from agents is filed here under business materials.

The Subject File, 1920-1992, n.d., is arranged alphabetically by topic and contains files relating to Price's personal art collection and his involvement with various organizations, museums, and academic institutions. There are files on the schools he attended in St. Louis and on Yale University and the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London. There are also files on his work to support and promote the art of Native Americans. Price served on the Indian Arts and Crafts Board of the Interior Department for over a decade and sponsored the Vincent Price awards in creative writing through the Institute of American Indian Arts. A few appointment books and calendars provide insight into his busy life for the years covered. In addition, under the heading "Staff" are memoranda and reports from office staff to Price to keep him apprised of news and activities relating to his projects and schedule while he was filming, on art buying trips, or on lecture tours.

Organization of the Papers

The collection is arranged in seven series:

• Family Papers, 1883-1991, n.d.
• General Correspondence, 1938-1992, n.d.
• Sears, Roebuck and Company Files, 1943-1976, n.d.
• Speeches and Writings Files, 1931-1991, n.d.
• Stage, Screen, and Studio Files, 1935-1992, n.d.
• Subject File, 1920-1992, n.d.
• Oversize, 1938-1991, n.d.

Description of Series

Container List