Vincent Price's favorite form of storytelling, in his own words
Vincent Price starred in over 100 films in his career, but his absolute FAVORITE form of storytelling might just surprise you!
The legendary Vincent Price starred in over one hundred films in his long career. But ironically, in his introduction to the 1976 book The Price of Fear, he writes:
Radio is my favorite entertainment medium. I really mean this, though I've had a go at most of the others: stage, cinema, television -- even musical comedy... But all of us who have worked in radio in its great days in America, and its still great days in the UK, are devoted to it for so many reasons that it's hard to list them all.
His biggest reason, though? The listeners! He continues:
What makes radio really exciting is the all-round creativity of it. The writer creates the original, then the director creates the ambiance for the actors, and the brilliant technicians who manipulate the tapes, dials, sounds and music create the atmosphere. But the most creative of all participants in the joys of radio are the listeners -- the audience. While we in the broadcasting studio are giving our all to them, they in their turn are truly creating us. The listener is set designer, costumier, makeup man, and even casting department. They 'see' the characters they hear, then put them into the drama quite literally, in makeup, into the set, the wardrobe, even the mood and atmosphere.
Astounding words from an actor who many know only from film!
If you are a regular listener of my podcast, then you’ve heard me speak often about how much I love audio drama. If you’ve yet to delve into it yourself, I encourage you to begin with Vincent Price’s radio drama The Price of Fear, which aired in the 1970s and 1980s. Interestingly, in many of the episodes, Price plays a fictional version of himself! It’s a hell of a lot of fun.
(Side note: the Price of Fear book contains some of the stories from the radio show.)
Here’s a link to The Price of Fear radio show, but if you’re not sure where to start, here are several of my favorites:
Enjoy! And after you’ve listened to one or two, please comment below and let me know what you think. :)
P. S. Join me every Sunday for another episode of The Lovecraft eZine Podcast, in which the panelists and I interview writers and creators, and discuss the latest horror movies, books, and more. (And be sure to join my Facebook page.)
And check out my Patreon! One of my recent episodes features a story by John Langan, read by Jon Padgett. It’s an amazing novella by a master of The Weird, read by the author of The Secret of Ventriloquism.
I love the stories in the Price of Fear. For people who have Spotify, it's included with Premium. Also available on Audible, but free is always nice.