1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:03,480 Speaker 1: I'm Matt, I'm no, I'm Ben, and we are Stuff 2 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:06,080 Speaker 1: they Don't want you to know. Each week we cover 3 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:09,719 Speaker 1: the latest and strangest in fringe, science, government cover ups, 4 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:13,399 Speaker 1: allegations at the paranormal and more. New episodes come out 5 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: every Friday on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and anywhere else 6 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: you get your podcasts. Welcome to Stuff you missed in 7 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: History Class from how Stuff Works dot com. Hello, and 8 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,879 Speaker 1: welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracy B. Wilson. 9 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:40,519 Speaker 1: And in recent years, uh we have started this tradition 10 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 1: where we cover the life of a classic horror actor 11 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:45,600 Speaker 1: each October as part of our sort of Halloween programming, 12 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: and this year is no different, but it's a little 13 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:50,880 Speaker 1: bit different in terms of how we're doing it this time. 14 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: Vincent Price is perhaps the best known horror actor of 15 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: all time. His acting career started on the stage in 16 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 1: the Is when he was in his twenties, and he 17 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 1: eventually made the move to star in Hollywood films in 18 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:09,959 Speaker 1: the nineteen fifties. Vincent's work in horror began with films 19 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:12,480 Speaker 1: such as House of Wax and The Fly, and in 20 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,679 Speaker 1: the nineteen sixties he worked with director Roger Corman on 21 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:17,959 Speaker 1: a series of movies based on the works of Edgar 22 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:21,680 Speaker 1: Allan Poe, beginning with my very very favorite House of Usher. 23 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: And this group of projects really made Vincent Price an 24 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 1: icon of Gothic cinema. But they were really just a 25 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 1: small part of a career which spanned more than five 26 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 1: decades and included literally hundreds of projects. So today, rather 27 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 1: than just telling you his life story, as we so 28 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: often do, we have the delight of welcoming his daughter, 29 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,560 Speaker 1: Victoria Price to talk about her father. She wrote a 30 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: really fantastic biography of him, entitled Vincent Price, a Daughter's Biography. Yeah, 31 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: I highly recommend it. It is I don't think I 32 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: have ever read a deeper dive biography of anybody ever before. 33 00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: It's quite amazing. In the interview actually does not go 34 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:02,920 Speaker 1: into his acting career all that much, and that's because 35 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: Vincent Price was so much more than an actor. H 36 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: And even with my paired down list of questions, this 37 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: episode is going to run quite long because Victoria was 38 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:13,720 Speaker 1: very gracious and let me just yap at her forever. 39 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: We're gonna jump right into that chat with Victoria Price, 40 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:19,080 Speaker 1: and I hope that you will be surprised by what 41 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 1: an incredibly interesting life Mr Price led off screen. So 42 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: welcome to the podcast, Victoria Price. Thank you thanks for 43 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: having me on. But it is so exciting for me. 44 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 1: I can't even tell you. Regular listeners to our show 45 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: know that I am a huge fan of your father's 46 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: So this is like Halloween and Christmas and birthdays all 47 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: wrapped up together for me that uh. And I wanted 48 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 1: to just first talk about kind of one of the 49 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: most endearing things about your dad that you've written a 50 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:55,960 Speaker 1: lot about and other people have too, and that was 51 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: the fact that he was incredibly cultured. Uh. And you know, 52 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 1: really had a great sense of aesthetics and was a 53 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: very smart man. But he was so disdainful of snobbery, 54 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:12,240 Speaker 1: just a real person completely. Why do you think it 55 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: was always so important for him to stay so grounded, 56 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:19,520 Speaker 1: even at the height of his fame. It's a really 57 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:22,680 Speaker 1: good question. I don't think anybody's really asked me that 58 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: that way, But that's how he was raised, and I 59 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: think part of it came from being raised in the Midwest. 60 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:33,360 Speaker 1: You know, he saw himself as a Midwestern boy. He 61 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 1: was raised in St. Louis in a wealthy family, um, 62 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: but not a family that saw itself as pretentious. Certainly, 63 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: his mother had aspirations of pretensions. She applied to be 64 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:54,520 Speaker 1: a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. But 65 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:59,240 Speaker 1: but it wasn't that sort of East Coast um kind 66 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:04,400 Speaker 1: of sense of snobbery that might have been possible for him. 67 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: And so when he went to Yale, he was an 68 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 1: outsider in in a sense that most of the boys 69 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:17,159 Speaker 1: came from the same schools as as one another, they've 70 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,280 Speaker 1: known each other in high school, and then the Midwestern 71 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:23,760 Speaker 1: and the West Coast boys were very different. So even 72 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:27,719 Speaker 1: though his dad had gone to Yale and his older 73 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:31,680 Speaker 1: brother had gone to Yale, he he felt very much 74 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 1: like a Midwesterner. I also think that he loved the arts, 75 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: and that made him kind of an odd ball growing 76 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: up as well, in the sense that he you know, 77 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:45,919 Speaker 1: to love the arts, if you come out of a 78 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 1: business family, makes you kind of strange. And so I think, 79 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:54,719 Speaker 1: and I say that, you know as as a good thing. 80 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 1: So I think that really made him somebody who saw 81 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: himself as an outsider, who didn't feel like he fit 82 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:06,839 Speaker 1: the norm, And so he never was going to be 83 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:11,800 Speaker 1: someone who viewed himself as better than anyone else. And 84 00:05:11,839 --> 00:05:17,360 Speaker 1: I think that really um made all the difference. And 85 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: you mentioned that he came from a wealthy family, and 86 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 1: there's a really interesting aspect of your father's life and 87 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,119 Speaker 1: his sort of mentality regarding money that you talk about 88 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 1: a lot in your biography of him that he was 89 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:33,160 Speaker 1: always convinced, due to the fact that his grandfather had 90 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:37,039 Speaker 1: lost everything in the panic of that, he was ever 91 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:39,919 Speaker 1: in danger of losing his money and his ability to 92 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:43,200 Speaker 1: provide for the family. And I know that affected his career. 93 00:05:43,279 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: Can you talk a little bit about that. Yeah, I 94 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 1: think he was very fearful, uh, that that there wouldn't 95 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: be enough. Now, that's not how he lived his everyday 96 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:57,480 Speaker 1: life like. He didn't walk around being paralyzed by fear. 97 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:02,719 Speaker 1: But I do think that he may decisions that weren't 98 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:07,800 Speaker 1: necessarily decisions based on I think I can say no 99 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 1: to this, I'm I'm okay. He always said yes. Not 100 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:15,920 Speaker 1: only was he interested in everything, but he he also 101 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:19,279 Speaker 1: wanted to say yes to a job coming into, money 102 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:26,159 Speaker 1: coming in and I think that that's in part because 103 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: he did have fear that the next job might be 104 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 1: his last. And and certainly there are many actors who 105 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:37,320 Speaker 1: who have that sense you know that it's not a 106 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: it's not a profession with assurances. But but I think 107 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:47,440 Speaker 1: that was very strong for him, and in his early career. 108 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:49,920 Speaker 1: I think a lot of people that maybe know him 109 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:53,160 Speaker 1: from his his later gothic and horror films don't realize 110 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 1: that he really started on Broadway and even before that 111 00:06:56,360 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 1: on the London stage playing Albert in Victoria Regina, which 112 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:03,240 Speaker 1: is near and dear to my heart as well, um, 113 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:06,599 Speaker 1: And I think it's interesting that one he started on 114 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:09,840 Speaker 1: the stage, but two he was so lauded for that 115 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 1: performance early on that he pretty quickly started getting offers 116 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: to do films, but he initially turned a lot of 117 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: them down and was reluctant to take romantic leads. Can 118 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: you talk about the way he wanted to be a 119 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: character actor? He really did, and I think that he 120 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:32,160 Speaker 1: was so handsome that nobody really saw that as a possibility. 121 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:37,480 Speaker 1: And for him, it was not interesting to be kind 122 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:42,000 Speaker 1: of a fluffy actor, a lightweight actor, somebody who was 123 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 1: just going to be in in comedy rules or in 124 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 1: leading man roles. It really wasn't what he wanted to do. 125 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:55,960 Speaker 1: And so when he got the movie contract, was a 126 00:07:55,960 --> 00:07:59,720 Speaker 1: million dollar movie contract in the middle of the depression, 127 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 1: and he asked his co stars advice. And his co 128 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 1: star was Helen Hayes, the first lady of the American Theater, 129 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:10,480 Speaker 1: and she had had a long and storied career, and 130 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 1: he asked her advice what to do, and she said, 131 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:19,120 Speaker 1: do you want to just be, you know, a flash 132 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:22,920 Speaker 1: in the pan, And he said, of course not. And 133 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:28,720 Speaker 1: so that was really the impetus for him to do 134 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:32,440 Speaker 1: something different. She said, if you don't learn your craft, 135 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:35,920 Speaker 1: then you're just going to fade out. You need to 136 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:39,360 Speaker 1: learn how to become an actor. And so he stayed 137 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: on Broadway, but he also did summerstock because in those days, 138 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 1: Broadway stay closed in the summer because there was no 139 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:52,679 Speaker 1: air conditioning. So that was really his impetus to learn 140 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:56,319 Speaker 1: how to become an actor, and that's what he wanted, 141 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:58,960 Speaker 1: and that's what he did. And you mentioned that he 142 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:01,120 Speaker 1: was so terribly handsome that of course they were offering 143 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:03,760 Speaker 1: him those rules, which makes me have to ask about 144 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:09,200 Speaker 1: his multiple nose breaks with he would reset on his 145 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:12,880 Speaker 1: own in most cases, and he seemed really reluctant to 146 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:15,520 Speaker 1: actually have a doctor fix his nose for a long time. 147 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 1: Why do you think he was so trepidacious about it. 148 00:09:21,559 --> 00:09:24,199 Speaker 1: I think they he thought they might pretty em up, 149 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:28,040 Speaker 1: And you know, he liked having having a nose that 150 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:32,439 Speaker 1: had some distinction to it. I love it. And there's 151 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:35,120 Speaker 1: some interesting political stuff that you wrote a lot about 152 00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:37,760 Speaker 1: with your father, and I know, unfortunately, I know I've 153 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:40,560 Speaker 1: seen online like people will cherry pick parts of of 154 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:42,840 Speaker 1: your father's politics when he was very young and sort 155 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 1: of impressionable and making kind of not the best choices, 156 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:50,200 Speaker 1: um are not the best assessments of situations. Will you 157 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about one, why you shared kind 158 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:56,960 Speaker 1: of those parts of his political journey, and also you 159 00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:00,560 Speaker 1: know how you see him going from those kind foolish 160 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:02,520 Speaker 1: writings that he did when he was very young and 161 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:05,360 Speaker 1: traveling through Europe up through when he became really very 162 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:10,440 Speaker 1: liberal later in life. Yeah, I included them. So in 163 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:13,120 Speaker 1: doing research, I found my father writing things that really 164 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: surprised me, but particularly anti Semitic things, which was completely 165 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:23,160 Speaker 1: shocking to me because it seemed so unlike the man 166 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 1: I knew he was the least racist or um discriminatory 167 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:33,000 Speaker 1: person you know, you could possibly meet. And so I thought, 168 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:37,600 Speaker 1: who was this person and what I realized was that 169 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 1: he came from a certain class background, UM, where that 170 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:51,120 Speaker 1: was the norm. I mean, Roosevelt turned away Jewish refugees 171 00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 1: in boats on our shores. Uh. And you know, we 172 00:10:55,880 --> 00:11:00,800 Speaker 1: think of Roosevelt as being this incredible liberal president, which 173 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:03,640 Speaker 1: he was, but that was there was a great deal 174 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:08,199 Speaker 1: of anti semitism in this country. And of course, now, 175 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:11,880 Speaker 1: given everything that's going on politically in our country, that's 176 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 1: probably not so surprising. But when I wrote the book 177 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:20,080 Speaker 1: in and we were in a seemingly much more open 178 00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 1: minded and liberal um. And I don't mean that politically liberal, 179 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:28,680 Speaker 1: I mean just liberally open minded um phase than we 180 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:33,440 Speaker 1: are now. To talk about someone's um anti semitism or 181 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:39,360 Speaker 1: discrimination on the basis of religion or ethnicity seems, you know, 182 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 1: it seems like, wow, they must have been a freak. 183 00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:45,120 Speaker 1: Now we're seeing all sorts of things in our country 184 00:11:45,160 --> 00:11:51,400 Speaker 1: about how all of those undercurrents continue to exist and um. 185 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:54,360 Speaker 1: And I wrote what I wrote because I wanted to 186 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:58,920 Speaker 1: show that someone can change their mind, and someone can 187 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:02,960 Speaker 1: recognize the air of their way. Someone can look at 188 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:06,240 Speaker 1: how they grew up or what they were taught by 189 00:12:06,559 --> 00:12:09,920 Speaker 1: the world in which they lived, and choose to think differently, 190 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:14,800 Speaker 1: choose to recognize that we don't need to discriminate against 191 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:19,320 Speaker 1: other people based on anything. And that's what happened to 192 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:21,280 Speaker 1: my dad, And that's why I included in the book. 193 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:24,760 Speaker 1: I'm so glad you did, because it is a really 194 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 1: sort of beautiful story of how he shifted his mindset 195 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:32,720 Speaker 1: and also talking about politics. You found out really after 196 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:35,360 Speaker 1: his death that he had been on the Gray List 197 00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:38,200 Speaker 1: during the McCarthy era, and I know he had talked 198 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 1: about it somewhat when you were when he was still alive, 199 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:45,319 Speaker 1: but you didn't really know the depth of his involvement 200 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:49,160 Speaker 1: in that whole uh dramatic proceedings. Will you talk about 201 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:52,559 Speaker 1: that a little bit? Yeah, I knew that he had 202 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:54,679 Speaker 1: been gray listed because he and I did talk about that, 203 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:58,160 Speaker 1: because I became very interested in that in high school. 204 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:01,320 Speaker 1: I was studying the McCarthy era and I remember talking 205 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:04,280 Speaker 1: to him about it. And in my high school history 206 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:08,160 Speaker 1: book there was a photograph of McCarthy with his two 207 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:10,600 Speaker 1: right hand men, and one was of course Roy Khne, 208 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:14,280 Speaker 1: who we've all heard about, but the other's last name 209 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:17,560 Speaker 1: was Shine, and it was an unusual spelling of the 210 00:13:17,679 --> 00:13:21,560 Speaker 1: name Shine, and it sort of rung a bell, and 211 00:13:21,679 --> 00:13:24,200 Speaker 1: I went and did some research on it, and I 212 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:29,160 Speaker 1: found out that that man was the father of our 213 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:34,080 Speaker 1: student body president in my school, and she was I 214 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:36,360 Speaker 1: was on the student council. She was somebody I saw 215 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:41,000 Speaker 1: at every student council meeting. And so it, you know, 216 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:45,439 Speaker 1: here was this period that I found so despicable and 217 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:51,040 Speaker 1: just perfectly normal. Nice girl's father had been responsible for 218 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:55,440 Speaker 1: ruining the lives of so many people and spewing all 219 00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:59,440 Speaker 1: this Vitriolso it brought it home to me, and I 220 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:02,240 Speaker 1: asked my dad then when I was in high school, fifteen, 221 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:06,360 Speaker 1: in that class, about that period of time, and so 222 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:08,880 Speaker 1: he told me his story, and then towards the end 223 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:11,240 Speaker 1: of his life, he elaborated a little bit more about 224 00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:13,400 Speaker 1: how his name was cleared, and my mom told me 225 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 1: a little bit more. But what I didn't really know 226 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:20,880 Speaker 1: um was what he had to do to clear his name. 227 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:24,320 Speaker 1: And when I was cleaning out his house towards the 228 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:31,800 Speaker 1: very end of all of that, I found a a 229 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:37,000 Speaker 1: Manila envelope hidden behind the air conditioner in his house. 230 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:39,960 Speaker 1: Now that house was a house he moved into in 231 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:43,440 Speaker 1: the late eighties, and he had moved many times since 232 00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 1: the nineteen fifties. So he had carried that piece of 233 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:52,920 Speaker 1: paper with him and saved it. And that was the 234 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:56,440 Speaker 1: really interesting thing to me because it showed me how 235 00:14:56,480 --> 00:14:59,120 Speaker 1: afraid he was. And it was the document that he 236 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:03,040 Speaker 1: signed is the FBI to clear his name, and in 237 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:05,680 Speaker 1: it he said many things that I know he did 238 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:10,040 Speaker 1: not believe, and things like anyone who pleads the fifth 239 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:16,400 Speaker 1: is an American. And so knowing that, Um, I was 240 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:23,920 Speaker 1: really kind of blown away by by what he had 241 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,680 Speaker 1: to do to clear his name. I had some judgment 242 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:33,760 Speaker 1: about it, and I remember UM going and telling um 243 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:37,600 Speaker 1: my uncle Eddie, who was Eddie Albert, that I had 244 00:15:37,680 --> 00:15:42,280 Speaker 1: just found this and he was just about the nicest, 245 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:46,880 Speaker 1: most easy going human being on the planet. And he 246 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 1: ripped my head off. He said, you know, how dare 247 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 1: you judge somebody you don't know what it was like then, 248 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:56,800 Speaker 1: And he proceeded to tell me that his wife, my 249 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,960 Speaker 1: beloved aunt Marco Um had been black did and never 250 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 1: worked again during that era. And so I really um understood, 251 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:15,800 Speaker 1: and I've understood even more as I've gone through my life, UM, 252 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 1: what my dad went through and what he felt he 253 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:23,560 Speaker 1: needed to do to get his life back and he 254 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:25,280 Speaker 1: made a little bit of a deal with the devil, 255 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:29,480 Speaker 1: and yet may remain so afraid throughout his life that 256 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: it could still come back to bite him. And I 257 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:38,200 Speaker 1: think that's really been for me um a real lesson 258 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:43,560 Speaker 1: in humility and understanding that we can never judge another person. 259 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:51,280 Speaker 1: So it's kind of sobering, I think, to realize that 260 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:55,200 Speaker 1: even decades after McCarthy is m someone as prominent as 261 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 1: Vincent Price still harbored very real fear about it. And 262 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:01,320 Speaker 1: I think there's a perception that once that raw was over, 263 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:05,199 Speaker 1: people were like, WHOA, They're glad that's done with and 264 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:08,560 Speaker 1: then not that it's still continued to be such a 265 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:12,080 Speaker 1: presence in people's minds. Yeah. So next up things are 266 00:17:12,080 --> 00:17:13,560 Speaker 1: going to take a little bit of a lighter turn. 267 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:15,920 Speaker 1: We're going to talk about Vincent Price's love of animals, 268 00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:19,240 Speaker 1: but first we will have a quick sponsor break. You 269 00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:21,679 Speaker 1: and I constantly look forward to learning It is one 270 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:24,919 Speaker 1: of the fun things about working on this show, constantly 271 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:28,240 Speaker 1: getting to learn new stuff, which is why we really 272 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:32,720 Speaker 1: really enjoy having subscriptions to the Great Courses. Plus there's 273 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:36,040 Speaker 1: always something new to learn. There's a huge library of 274 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:39,639 Speaker 1: very engaging video lectures and just so many topics and 275 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:42,920 Speaker 1: they're all presented by award winning professors. You can learn 276 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:45,080 Speaker 1: more about whatever interests to you. I mean, we're about 277 00:17:45,119 --> 00:17:46,879 Speaker 1: to talk about history, but there is a lot of 278 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:50,000 Speaker 1: stuff that is outside of the realm of history. So 279 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:52,040 Speaker 1: you can learn about the vikings the World War Two, 280 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:57,560 Speaker 1: or genealogy or photography, like it's really all over the map, cooking, 281 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:00,840 Speaker 1: martial arts. They got you. New courses are also added 282 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:03,880 Speaker 1: all the times. There are always neat things to learn, 283 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:08,040 Speaker 1: so we recommend watching The Black Death, the World's most 284 00:18:08,119 --> 00:18:11,920 Speaker 1: devastating plague. It explores the impact that the plague had 285 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:15,480 Speaker 1: on fourteenth century Europe. Uh. One of the things that's 286 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:17,919 Speaker 1: really interesting about it, which I had never even thought of, 287 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:21,200 Speaker 1: is that there are some communities that survived that first 288 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:25,520 Speaker 1: wave of the plague. They were nearly untouched thanks to 289 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:29,240 Speaker 1: things like their geography and their populations and the climate 290 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:32,480 Speaker 1: where they particularly were. There's a whole unit just on 291 00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:37,240 Speaker 1: you know, those communities that somehow managed to survive almost 292 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:41,880 Speaker 1: unscathed by that first round of the Black Death in Europe. 293 00:18:42,359 --> 00:18:45,120 Speaker 1: With the Great Courses, plus you can stream as many 294 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:48,000 Speaker 1: different lectures as you want. The Black death or other 295 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:52,360 Speaker 1: things anytime anywhere from a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, 296 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:54,800 Speaker 1: or its television. We want you to sign up for 297 00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:57,040 Speaker 1: the Great Courses Plus today because they are giving our 298 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:01,119 Speaker 1: listeners a special offer. You get an entire month of 299 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:05,720 Speaker 1: unlimited access to all their lectures for free. So start 300 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:08,639 Speaker 1: your free month today. Go to the Great Courses Plus 301 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:14,119 Speaker 1: dot com slash stuff. Remember the Great Courses Plus dot 302 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:23,200 Speaker 1: com slash stuff as parromise. There is some animal talk 303 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:26,480 Speaker 1: up next, and Holly is going to ask Victoria a 304 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:29,639 Speaker 1: million questions about a topic that's almost as central to 305 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:32,639 Speaker 1: Vincent Price's life as his acting career, which is his 306 00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 1: deep love of art. I think most people probably don't 307 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:44,439 Speaker 1: know unless they have read biographies about your father that 308 00:19:44,560 --> 00:19:48,160 Speaker 1: he was a huge animal lover, uh and even wrote 309 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:52,639 Speaker 1: a book about one of his dogs. He did. He 310 00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:54,720 Speaker 1: wrote a wonderful book called The Book of Joe, which 311 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:59,159 Speaker 1: we've just re released this year, and it's it's a 312 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:02,879 Speaker 1: I think, one of his sweetest books. I did the 313 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:07,680 Speaker 1: audiobook recording of it last year, and and when I 314 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:11,480 Speaker 1: did it it, of course I'd read the book many times, 315 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:15,320 Speaker 1: but reading it in his voice, um, I mean I 316 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:17,640 Speaker 1: wasn't trying to sound like him. Who can found like him? 317 00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:21,080 Speaker 1: But reading you know what he sounded like. Writing it 318 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:23,720 Speaker 1: first of all reminded me of who he was and 319 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:27,679 Speaker 1: how much I loved that. But just the sweetness and 320 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:32,880 Speaker 1: the humor that he had was incredibly endearing. And it's 321 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:35,840 Speaker 1: a wonderful, wonderful book book of Joe about a dog 322 00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:40,960 Speaker 1: and his man. It's so sweet, um it is. It's 323 00:20:41,359 --> 00:20:44,440 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm an animal person, so it's always so endearing, 324 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:48,720 Speaker 1: especially when you consider that too many people your dad 325 00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:51,919 Speaker 1: was such an icon of like villainy. To just picture 326 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,720 Speaker 1: him like so completely enamored of his pets is very 327 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 1: very sweet. I feel like we really cannot talk about 328 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:02,439 Speaker 1: your father without talking about art. That it would be 329 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:05,879 Speaker 1: supremely weird not to talk about art. Um. One of 330 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:07,879 Speaker 1: the things that you mentioned in your book that was 331 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:10,480 Speaker 1: to me revelatory the first time I read it was 332 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:12,680 Speaker 1: the fact that he bought his first piece of art 333 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:17,720 Speaker 1: with his allowance when he was eleven. I know, it's 334 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:21,880 Speaker 1: not unbelievable. Yeah, he was walking by a an art 335 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:24,920 Speaker 1: gallery in St. Louis, Missouri, where he grew up, and 336 00:21:25,119 --> 00:21:27,800 Speaker 1: he fell in love with this piece of art in 337 00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 1: the window. It was a first state rembrandt etching, and 338 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:34,520 Speaker 1: so he decided to go in and talk to the 339 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:37,440 Speaker 1: gallery owner. And you know, to this day, I blessed 340 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:39,760 Speaker 1: that gallery owner who didn't have to do this, who 341 00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:42,840 Speaker 1: could have just laughed at this kid, but instead instead 342 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:46,800 Speaker 1: saw a kid who was so earnest and interested in art, 343 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:49,399 Speaker 1: and he made a payment plan with him. And so 344 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:53,040 Speaker 1: my dad spent the next three years saving up all 345 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:55,160 Speaker 1: of his money and he would go in and make payments. 346 00:21:55,760 --> 00:22:00,320 Speaker 1: And when he finally paid that piece off and took 347 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:03,640 Speaker 1: possession of his first work of art, he was just 348 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:10,200 Speaker 1: absolutely um so blown away by owning his first piece 349 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:14,000 Speaker 1: of art. And uh, it changed his life. It gave 350 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:16,880 Speaker 1: his life a focus. At the end of his life, 351 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:19,560 Speaker 1: someone gave him a little pin and it said art 352 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:24,480 Speaker 1: saves lives. And really that is how he felt, without hyperbole, 353 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:28,000 Speaker 1: that art had saved his life because it gave him 354 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: a whole sense of purpose and focus in the world. Well, 355 00:22:32,119 --> 00:22:35,320 Speaker 1: and he was in fact planning to teach art history 356 00:22:35,359 --> 00:22:39,119 Speaker 1: and did teach for a year. M hmm, and I 357 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 1: think he would have made the most wonderful professor. Well, 358 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:45,320 Speaker 1: and he did, I mean, he did continue to teach 359 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:48,760 Speaker 1: the masses in many ways about art. Um. One of 360 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:52,080 Speaker 1: the other art stories that I wanted to mention that 361 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:54,720 Speaker 1: you also have in your book is the piece that 362 00:22:54,800 --> 00:23:00,480 Speaker 1: he purchased when he was living in New York. Uh, 363 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:05,040 Speaker 1: the Zapata painting, which was so massive it took up 364 00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:07,000 Speaker 1: an entire wall and you couldn't really look at it 365 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:12,440 Speaker 1: properly unless you laid down unto the kitchen table. Yeah, 366 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:14,480 Speaker 1: it was meant to be seen from below. And he 367 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:16,480 Speaker 1: got at home and he realized that and he was 368 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:19,760 Speaker 1: he was like, oh, and so he would lie down 369 00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:22,439 Speaker 1: under the kitchen table, you know, to really see it, 370 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:27,000 Speaker 1: which is so cute. And he he felt that it 371 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:29,080 Speaker 1: was too important of a painting for him to keep. 372 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:31,280 Speaker 1: So it's now at the Chicago Art Institute, where I've 373 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:33,680 Speaker 1: been able to see it, and it's it's an amazing 374 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:37,400 Speaker 1: thing to be able to go see the art that 375 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:40,720 Speaker 1: that my dad collected. And I'm so grateful that he 376 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:43,919 Speaker 1: believed that art was not something to be owned, but 377 00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:47,399 Speaker 1: rather something that you care take and that was that 378 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:51,679 Speaker 1: was something he truly truly felt. And so I've been 379 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:54,840 Speaker 1: able to continue to enjoy a lot of the art 380 00:23:55,440 --> 00:24:00,040 Speaker 1: that I grew up with because it's in institutions, and 381 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:05,240 Speaker 1: I think that's a really wonderful way to live, to 382 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:10,800 Speaker 1: not feel that you have to own something um forever, 383 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:13,480 Speaker 1: or that you know you're sort of your stamp is 384 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:18,360 Speaker 1: on it, but really that you are part of the 385 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:21,840 Speaker 1: legacy of a piece. And I think that's that's just 386 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:25,160 Speaker 1: a beautiful thing it is. I also like the part 387 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:28,320 Speaker 1: of that story where he um allowed art students to 388 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:30,440 Speaker 1: come and lie down under his kitchen table to also 389 00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:36,720 Speaker 1: enjoy enjoy that sweet it's very dear uh. And he 390 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:40,760 Speaker 1: also championed the recognition and preservation of Native American art 391 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:44,800 Speaker 1: and culture, which I met most people. He fell in 392 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:47,119 Speaker 1: love with Native American art growing up in St. Louis 393 00:24:47,119 --> 00:24:49,359 Speaker 1: because they'd go out to Kohokio, which is one of 394 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:53,720 Speaker 1: the great mound cultures and an incredible place to visit 395 00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:56,119 Speaker 1: if you're in the St. Louis area. It's actually on 396 00:24:56,160 --> 00:25:00,520 Speaker 1: the other side of the River Um. And then he 397 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:06,200 Speaker 1: was sent to a summer camp where he was very 398 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:10,120 Speaker 1: reluctant to go, but ended up discovering a Native American 399 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:12,879 Speaker 1: burial ground and notified the authorities and had his picture 400 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:17,560 Speaker 1: in the paper. And so this just enamored him with 401 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:20,440 Speaker 1: learning more about Native American culture, and he began collecting 402 00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:25,080 Speaker 1: Native American art when he was in his thirties. And 403 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:29,360 Speaker 1: in the nineteen fifties he was appointed to something called 404 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:31,479 Speaker 1: the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, which is part of 405 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:36,600 Speaker 1: the Department of the Interior, by President Eisenhower. And he 406 00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:40,919 Speaker 1: remained on that for fifteen years and he chaired it 407 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:45,280 Speaker 1: the last five years. So, uh, it was something that 408 00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:49,440 Speaker 1: was very important to him, and it's a very important 409 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:52,080 Speaker 1: part of his legacy. And again, you know, I think 410 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:55,679 Speaker 1: a wonderful example of you know, he he was someone 411 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:59,920 Speaker 1: who was very open to and interested in other cultures. 412 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:05,000 Speaker 1: And so he himself recognized that the anti Semitic beliefs 413 00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:09,560 Speaker 1: that he was trained to believe weren't true to who 414 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:13,880 Speaker 1: he was. And that's that's also part of the legacy 415 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:17,920 Speaker 1: to to change his mind. You know, we forget that 416 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:21,159 Speaker 1: we hear these words in the Bible or in in 417 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:25,960 Speaker 1: spiritual traditions that seem like words we don't really understand, 418 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:29,920 Speaker 1: and and they sound like they're beating us over the head, 419 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:34,359 Speaker 1: like repent. You know, you see some Boddy fulmin at 420 00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:37,280 Speaker 1: the mouth and yelling on TV the word repent, repent, 421 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 1: But the word repent really just means change your mind, 422 00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:45,280 Speaker 1: rethink of something. And he was somebody who was willing 423 00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:49,480 Speaker 1: to look at what no longer served him in terms 424 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:53,040 Speaker 1: of his thinking and change his mind. And I think 425 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:58,840 Speaker 1: that that's that is an incredible legacy for me to 426 00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:02,120 Speaker 1: live with. Well, it takes a great deal of maturity. 427 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:05,040 Speaker 1: I think that it is hard to engage with sometimes 428 00:27:05,080 --> 00:27:08,800 Speaker 1: as a human to acknowledge like, no, that was incorrect, 429 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:12,200 Speaker 1: and I have to be better than that. It's hard 430 00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:15,639 Speaker 1: to let go of things at times. You mentioned you 431 00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:18,320 Speaker 1: mentioned his connection with the White House and he also 432 00:27:18,359 --> 00:27:21,400 Speaker 1: served on the White House Art Committee during the Kennedy administration. 433 00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:25,280 Speaker 1: Uh to actually bring art into the White House, which 434 00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:30,479 Speaker 1: is pretty cool. Yes, you know, it's a wonderful Speaking 435 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:37,399 Speaker 1: of legacies, so um, Mrs Kennedy recognized that the White 436 00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:41,760 Speaker 1: House had been sort of treated like each president's own home. 437 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:44,719 Speaker 1: They moved in, they fixed it up the way they wanted, 438 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:48,119 Speaker 1: and she thought, well, that's crazy. This is a national monument, 439 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:51,320 Speaker 1: this is a historic monument. We we shouldn't be treating 440 00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:55,000 Speaker 1: it like like you know, you're buying a home and 441 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:57,359 Speaker 1: you're gonna change the fixtures and because you might like 442 00:27:57,400 --> 00:28:02,720 Speaker 1: the color blue. And so she put together a committee 443 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:06,360 Speaker 1: of people to buy art that would be owned by 444 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:11,480 Speaker 1: the United States government. Um, but it's art that then 445 00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:16,199 Speaker 1: each president can choose from. And one of the things 446 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:20,560 Speaker 1: that was really really moving to my father was that 447 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:24,480 Speaker 1: he donated a piece which was a watercolor of some 448 00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:30,040 Speaker 1: clouds by the Hudson Valley painter Albert Bierstadt. And that 449 00:28:30,359 --> 00:28:36,479 Speaker 1: was the piece that President Kennedy himself loved the most, 450 00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:39,240 Speaker 1: and he hung that on the end of his bed, 451 00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:45,080 Speaker 1: and UM, my dad really found that. Um, he just 452 00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:49,960 Speaker 1: loved knowing that somebody had such a personal relationship to 453 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:55,000 Speaker 1: that piece that he had donated. I love that story 454 00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:59,160 Speaker 1: so much. And speaking of his love of art and 455 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:01,640 Speaker 1: the Democrat to the san of art, I wanted to 456 00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:04,719 Speaker 1: talk to you some about the Sears Roebuck art program 457 00:29:04,760 --> 00:29:07,200 Speaker 1: because even when I mentioned this to people like oh, no, 458 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:10,120 Speaker 1: Vincent Price was buying art for Sears Roebuck to then 459 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:12,440 Speaker 1: sell to the masses. They think that what he was 460 00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:14,800 Speaker 1: doing was buying art and they were making prints. But no, 461 00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:19,080 Speaker 1: he was buying originals, and Sears Roebuck was cultivating those 462 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:23,200 Speaker 1: in galleries and selling them. Yeah. An amazing thing. Yeah, 463 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:25,600 Speaker 1: you could play a Picasso or a Dolly or a 464 00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:29,160 Speaker 1: we Ared or a whistler on your Sears credit card 465 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:34,200 Speaker 1: with a money back guarantee. That crazy, dear, What that 466 00:29:34,360 --> 00:29:39,440 Speaker 1: is really quite funny, I know. Uh. Yeah, that program 467 00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:41,120 Speaker 1: really took up so much of his life and was 468 00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:46,880 Speaker 1: such a passion for him. Yes. Uh, you speak in 469 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:49,680 Speaker 1: your book so much about both your father and mother 470 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:53,440 Speaker 1: working on that sort of tirelessly and constantly traveling the 471 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:57,920 Speaker 1: world and finding new pieces to add. Uh. It's one 472 00:29:57,920 --> 00:29:59,760 Speaker 1: of those things that still blows me away. I think 473 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:04,040 Speaker 1: as people today would have some difficulty accepting this information 474 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:08,960 Speaker 1: because it's so outside people. I say that and people laugh, 475 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:12,080 Speaker 1: you know. But I can't tell you the number of 476 00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:14,400 Speaker 1: people who have come up to me and said, I 477 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:18,320 Speaker 1: began buying art because I bought my first piece from 478 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:21,560 Speaker 1: your dad at Sears Roebuck. It was it was a 479 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:25,560 Speaker 1: serious and important thing, and it really really changed some 480 00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:29,720 Speaker 1: people's lives. I love it, um, and now I'm in 481 00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:31,840 Speaker 1: to shift gears though. I can talk about art and 482 00:30:31,840 --> 00:30:35,280 Speaker 1: your dad I think forever. But also one of my 483 00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:39,160 Speaker 1: great loves and your dad's is cooking, uh, which was 484 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:41,920 Speaker 1: kind of in the blood. His grandfather invented cream of 485 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:45,200 Speaker 1: tartar and went on to developing powder baking powder. It 486 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:48,560 Speaker 1: was a cream of tartar baking powder, yeah uh, and 487 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:50,920 Speaker 1: went on to develop a number of flavoring extracts and 488 00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:54,760 Speaker 1: other things. Um. And it's so I sort of associate 489 00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:58,240 Speaker 1: the kitchen as being in the price blood at that point. Um. 490 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:00,920 Speaker 1: I have a copy of a Treasury of Great Recipes 491 00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:03,040 Speaker 1: that my husband got me quite a number of years ago, 492 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:05,440 Speaker 1: and I think, I cry to me, I love it 493 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:07,520 Speaker 1: so much. But will you talk a little bit about 494 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:10,120 Speaker 1: his love of cooking and how he ended up writing cookbooks? 495 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:16,840 Speaker 1: You bet uh? So uh. My pat answer is that 496 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:21,280 Speaker 1: he loved to eat. My dad loved to eat, So 497 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:23,200 Speaker 1: that's kind of how it all started. First while he 498 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:26,720 Speaker 1: was six ft four and if his metabolism was anything 499 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:29,280 Speaker 1: like mine, you know, he loved to eat, and he 500 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:33,160 Speaker 1: ate a lot, and and he could, you know, more 501 00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:40,000 Speaker 1: easily than than other people. And so he um began eating. 502 00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:43,880 Speaker 1: He loved to learn anything, so he liked to learn 503 00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:46,760 Speaker 1: how to cook. My mother was an excellent cook, and 504 00:31:46,840 --> 00:31:49,160 Speaker 1: they spent a lot of time in the kitchen together. 505 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:52,520 Speaker 1: And then when they traveled the world, that they really 506 00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:58,520 Speaker 1: began collecting recipes and design elements and doing all of 507 00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:03,400 Speaker 1: these very very cool things. And it was really Sears 508 00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:07,360 Speaker 1: Roebuck again that came up with this idea of creating 509 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:12,040 Speaker 1: this cookbook, and so they collaborated with my dad too 510 00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:16,160 Speaker 1: and my mom, both of them to create this cookbook 511 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:23,680 Speaker 1: that was a big, big deal. It's old three copies 512 00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:27,960 Speaker 1: when it first came out, and it became, after it 513 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:32,560 Speaker 1: fell out of print, the eighth most popular outprint book 514 00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:37,080 Speaker 1: of any kind, and so we released a fiftieth anniversary 515 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:42,600 Speaker 1: edition of it last year and it's still immensely popular. 516 00:32:42,920 --> 00:32:46,240 Speaker 1: Somebody just sent me an email. They're doing a blog 517 00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:49,280 Speaker 1: this month. Every day they're cooking a different recipe. The 518 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:51,800 Speaker 1: New York Times just did a piece last week on 519 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:57,240 Speaker 1: chicken tetrazini, including the recipe from from the cookbook. And 520 00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:04,400 Speaker 1: this week, uh, we are releasing the second cookbook from 521 00:33:04,440 --> 00:33:07,360 Speaker 1: that series, which was also in collaboration with Sears, which 522 00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:10,520 Speaker 1: is called Come into the Kitchen. And that was another 523 00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:14,960 Speaker 1: book that both my dad's dad and mom did and 524 00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:19,920 Speaker 1: it's a sort of a history of American cuisine, which 525 00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:23,040 Speaker 1: again was a very populous thing to do because everything 526 00:33:23,120 --> 00:33:26,160 Speaker 1: was all about Europe, Europe, Europe, and my dad was 527 00:33:26,320 --> 00:33:30,320 Speaker 1: very much uh an advocate of what was coming out 528 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:32,640 Speaker 1: of this country. Now we think of ourselves as this 529 00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:40,960 Speaker 1: artistic and creative as well as financial and you know, global, military, whatever, superpower. 530 00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:44,360 Speaker 1: But when my dad was coming up, we were still 531 00:33:44,480 --> 00:33:47,760 Speaker 1: very much in the shadow of Europe, and we were 532 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:52,800 Speaker 1: a very young, young country, and so cooking we weren't 533 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:56,160 Speaker 1: thought of as having a culinary history, and and that 534 00:33:56,280 --> 00:33:59,480 Speaker 1: was something that was really important for him to promote 535 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:02,840 Speaker 1: as well. Do you ever cook from either of the cookbooks? Yea, 536 00:34:04,240 --> 00:34:06,360 Speaker 1: I will say this, and I tell everyone this. I 537 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:11,960 Speaker 1: like proselytize around the section in a Treasury of Great Recipes. 538 00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:15,959 Speaker 1: It's very brief, but it's where your mother and father 539 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:18,520 Speaker 1: talked about the way that they handle rue like a 540 00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:21,080 Speaker 1: rue base where they would do the prep and then 541 00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:22,880 Speaker 1: freeze it and then they would use a melon baller 542 00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:27,399 Speaker 1: to just get out however much they needed whenever. Pretty brilliant, right, 543 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:29,520 Speaker 1: it is brilliant. I do it now and it works 544 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:40,120 Speaker 1: like a charm. There are some incredible recipes in those cookbooks, 545 00:34:40,160 --> 00:34:43,480 Speaker 1: including probably my all time favorite lobster bisc recipe of 546 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:47,600 Speaker 1: all time, which is super rich and very delicious, and 547 00:34:47,840 --> 00:34:50,880 Speaker 1: coming up, Victoria is going to speak about a recent 548 00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:54,120 Speaker 1: interview and which she talked about her father's very personal life. 549 00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:56,000 Speaker 1: But before we dive into that, we're going to take 550 00:34:56,040 --> 00:34:58,640 Speaker 1: a quick break for a word from one of our sponsors. 551 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:02,480 Speaker 1: That delici to sponsor is blue apron dot com. So 552 00:35:02,520 --> 00:35:05,200 Speaker 1: for less than ten dollars per meal, Blue Apron will 553 00:35:05,200 --> 00:35:09,000 Speaker 1: deliver seasonal recipes along with preproportioned ingredients to make delicious 554 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:12,239 Speaker 1: home cooked meals. I love cooking with Blue Apron because 555 00:35:12,239 --> 00:35:14,840 Speaker 1: it makes it super easy to put together what seemed 556 00:35:14,880 --> 00:35:18,800 Speaker 1: like really fancy pants unicorn dinners for my husband and myself. 557 00:35:19,440 --> 00:35:22,120 Speaker 1: Blue Apron knows that when you cook with incredible ingredients, 558 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:24,680 Speaker 1: you make incredible meals, So they set the highest quality 559 00:35:24,719 --> 00:35:28,440 Speaker 1: standards for the food that they get for you, and 560 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:30,919 Speaker 1: it comes right to your home. 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Once again, that is blue apron 569 00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:58,760 Speaker 1: dot com slash history, blue apron a better way to cook. 570 00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:07,400 Speaker 1: So now we are going to hear some really uh, 571 00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:11,520 Speaker 1: very frank and open discussion from Victoria about sharing information 572 00:36:11,560 --> 00:36:16,640 Speaker 1: about her father's sexuality and her mindset about protecting her 573 00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:24,400 Speaker 1: father's image. The next thing I want to talk about 574 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:27,399 Speaker 1: is a little more modern and a thing that came 575 00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:29,920 Speaker 1: up with you in an interview last year, and when 576 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:34,120 Speaker 1: you were promoting the reprint of the book, you chosen 577 00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:37,239 Speaker 1: an interview to address the rumors about your father's sexuality 578 00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:39,440 Speaker 1: and confirm that based on the knowledge you had, you 579 00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:42,759 Speaker 1: believed that he had indeed had sexual experiences with men 580 00:36:42,880 --> 00:36:45,719 Speaker 1: as well as women. And I know from reading both 581 00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:49,480 Speaker 1: your book and your blog that you are very thoughtful 582 00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:52,920 Speaker 1: about what you share of both yourself and your father's story. 583 00:36:53,040 --> 00:36:55,480 Speaker 1: So can you talk about what led you to make 584 00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:58,560 Speaker 1: the decision that this was something that you wanted to share. 585 00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:02,960 Speaker 1: And at that time, when I was writing his biography, 586 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:07,759 Speaker 1: so many people asked me or assumed that he was bisexual, 587 00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:10,640 Speaker 1: and I felt that if I was going to just 588 00:37:12,239 --> 00:37:16,160 Speaker 1: say no, I don't think he was, well, what basis 589 00:37:16,239 --> 00:37:18,520 Speaker 1: did I have to say that? And I remember talking 590 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:21,680 Speaker 1: to Ronny McDowell and saying, you know, Roddy, I've I've 591 00:37:22,120 --> 00:37:24,480 Speaker 1: talked to all these people. They've said to me, oh, 592 00:37:24,520 --> 00:37:27,040 Speaker 1: I have absolute proof that your dad was bisexual. And 593 00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:30,680 Speaker 1: then I would follow the bouncing ball to that line 594 00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:33,480 Speaker 1: of whatever the proof was, and there was nothing there. 595 00:37:33,520 --> 00:37:35,319 Speaker 1: You know, he winked at me. He was in a 596 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:38,160 Speaker 1: gay bar, you know, But I mean, there was no 597 00:37:38,719 --> 00:37:42,520 Speaker 1: nothing that I would call proof. And I was really 598 00:37:43,320 --> 00:37:45,839 Speaker 1: relieved in a way not to find anything, because I 599 00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:50,719 Speaker 1: felt that there was all this focus on what what 600 00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:55,319 Speaker 1: happened versus who my dad was, which was one of 601 00:37:55,360 --> 00:38:01,040 Speaker 1: the most open minded, loving supportive people in UM towards 602 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:05,120 Speaker 1: gays and lesbians, and at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, 603 00:38:05,840 --> 00:38:07,879 Speaker 1: he did one of the first, if not the first, 604 00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:11,399 Speaker 1: public service announcements about not being afraid of AIDS at 605 00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:15,760 Speaker 1: a time where most of uh, sort of the bigger 606 00:38:15,800 --> 00:38:19,920 Speaker 1: people associated with Hollywood were, um, we're ignoring it. And 607 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:22,320 Speaker 1: that's not to say all of them, certainly Elizabeth Taylor 608 00:38:22,400 --> 00:38:25,520 Speaker 1: was doing wonderful stuff. You know, there were many people 609 00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:28,719 Speaker 1: who were, but Ronald Reagan, who was certainly a peer 610 00:38:28,760 --> 00:38:31,880 Speaker 1: of my debts and was the President United States, was 611 00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:36,399 Speaker 1: obviously doing everything he could to ignore it. And that 612 00:38:36,640 --> 00:38:40,320 Speaker 1: is in part what created no support for the AIDS 613 00:38:40,320 --> 00:38:45,440 Speaker 1: epidemic in the public health sector. So, um, it was 614 00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:47,799 Speaker 1: really much more important for me to talk about that, 615 00:38:47,840 --> 00:38:50,000 Speaker 1: which is what I got to talk about. But as 616 00:38:50,040 --> 00:38:54,560 Speaker 1: time went on and people began giving me more information 617 00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:57,359 Speaker 1: which was unsolicited, I wasn't out there looking for it. 618 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:01,239 Speaker 1: I realized that I had the feeling that I was 619 00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:06,080 Speaker 1: protecting something, and I was uncomfortable with that. I thought, 620 00:39:06,080 --> 00:39:09,600 Speaker 1: what am I protecting? And and I was brought up 621 00:39:09,640 --> 00:39:12,960 Speaker 1: to protect my dad's image all the time to be 622 00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:20,160 Speaker 1: really concerned that um, he he'd be seen in the 623 00:39:20,280 --> 00:39:25,319 Speaker 1: best light. And and so I thought, well, okay, so 624 00:39:25,640 --> 00:39:27,799 Speaker 1: who taught me that? My mom taught me that it 625 00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:32,920 Speaker 1: wasn't really something that my dad cared so much about. 626 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:37,600 Speaker 1: It was really more how my mom believed that he 627 00:39:37,640 --> 00:39:44,160 Speaker 1: should be seen. So I really started feeling that I 628 00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:48,120 Speaker 1: was acting kind of from a childlike place of fear 629 00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:52,360 Speaker 1: instead of a grown up place of of love. And 630 00:39:53,239 --> 00:39:56,160 Speaker 1: I was on doing a radio interview one day and 631 00:39:56,320 --> 00:39:59,560 Speaker 1: a guy asked me the question, and I just said 632 00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:04,520 Speaker 1: something ing and and it was again that that what 633 00:40:04,719 --> 00:40:09,880 Speaker 1: was much more important to me than than whether my dad, 634 00:40:10,360 --> 00:40:13,080 Speaker 1: you know, had relationships with men and women or not. 635 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:17,120 Speaker 1: And and although at this point, I'm, you know, fairly sure, 636 00:40:17,160 --> 00:40:22,280 Speaker 1: of course I wasn't there, thank god, UM, but you know, I, UM, 637 00:40:22,320 --> 00:40:29,640 Speaker 1: it's certainly something that has been affirmed by other people. UM, 638 00:40:29,680 --> 00:40:35,040 Speaker 1: So in so far as that's something that probably is true, 639 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:38,200 Speaker 1: I still felt that the most important part of the 640 00:40:38,280 --> 00:40:43,000 Speaker 1: story was that my dad was somebody who went through 641 00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:45,560 Speaker 1: the world was an open heart and an open mind 642 00:40:45,640 --> 00:40:49,560 Speaker 1: and was supportive of everyone. And now I think there's 643 00:40:50,080 --> 00:40:53,600 Speaker 1: so much fluidity, much more fluidity around the idea of 644 00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:58,359 Speaker 1: gender and sexuality anyway. And frankly, I think you would 645 00:40:58,360 --> 00:41:02,680 Speaker 1: have been so much happier in this world. Not happy 646 00:41:02,719 --> 00:41:07,120 Speaker 1: about the political situation, but happier in a world in 647 00:41:07,160 --> 00:41:11,279 Speaker 1: which young people at least are leading the way to 648 00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:16,400 Speaker 1: have so much more open heartedness and how they connect 649 00:41:16,440 --> 00:41:19,799 Speaker 1: with other people, because that's who my dad was. And 650 00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:22,640 Speaker 1: that kind of leads beautifully into my my next question, 651 00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:25,680 Speaker 1: which maybe you've just answered, which is that people who 652 00:41:25,760 --> 00:41:28,279 Speaker 1: never met your father and only know him through his 653 00:41:28,360 --> 00:41:33,360 Speaker 1: films love him like deeply love him even now decades 654 00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:36,919 Speaker 1: after his death. And why do you think he even 655 00:41:36,920 --> 00:41:39,799 Speaker 1: when playing villains, people just fell so deeply in love 656 00:41:39,880 --> 00:41:44,239 Speaker 1: with him. It's an interesting thing, isn't it. And I 657 00:41:44,440 --> 00:41:46,360 Speaker 1: you know, this is a man who we started his 658 00:41:46,480 --> 00:41:50,000 Speaker 1: Facebook page less than three years ago and he has 659 00:41:50,520 --> 00:41:54,160 Speaker 1: two hundred and fifteen thousand Facebook likes and just growing. 660 00:41:55,360 --> 00:42:00,200 Speaker 1: That's incredible, right, And some people who were four are 661 00:42:00,280 --> 00:42:03,960 Speaker 1: far bigger stars than he was during his lifetime, are 662 00:42:04,760 --> 00:42:08,360 Speaker 1: more or less forgotten. And he who who had a 663 00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:11,240 Speaker 1: very long career but was by no means the biggest 664 00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:15,640 Speaker 1: of Hollywood stars, has been remembered. I think in part 665 00:42:15,800 --> 00:42:19,560 Speaker 1: it's because his fan base is the horror community. Who 666 00:42:19,800 --> 00:42:24,640 Speaker 1: gets him? Who got him? Who? Really? People are always like, well, 667 00:42:24,760 --> 00:42:26,960 Speaker 1: you know, do you think he regretted being type cast? 668 00:42:27,080 --> 00:42:31,400 Speaker 1: You know, that's giving the idea that horror fans, you know, 669 00:42:31,840 --> 00:42:35,640 Speaker 1: have no other interests outside of horror. That's not true. 670 00:42:35,920 --> 00:42:39,279 Speaker 1: So they got that he was a renaissance man. They 671 00:42:39,360 --> 00:42:43,200 Speaker 1: got his interest in the arts. They got because the 672 00:42:43,320 --> 00:42:47,040 Speaker 1: horror films are among the most artistic, not you know, 673 00:42:47,080 --> 00:42:50,760 Speaker 1: the slasher, blood spurting out ones necessarily, but the gothic 674 00:42:50,800 --> 00:42:54,840 Speaker 1: horror is incredibly artistic and beautiful. And and so here's 675 00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:59,320 Speaker 1: my dad coming out of um that genre and connecting 676 00:42:59,320 --> 00:43:02,160 Speaker 1: with people who of poetry, you know, Edgar Allan Poe 677 00:43:02,400 --> 00:43:06,360 Speaker 1: and um. So I think that it's it's in large 678 00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:08,759 Speaker 1: part due to the horror fans, to whom I will 679 00:43:08,800 --> 00:43:11,520 Speaker 1: always be grateful. But the other thing I think is 680 00:43:11,880 --> 00:43:16,200 Speaker 1: something that I thought might necessary, not necessarily serve him. 681 00:43:16,239 --> 00:43:17,919 Speaker 1: I thought, you know, it's too bad that he never 682 00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:22,360 Speaker 1: got to play one of those Dracula Branket Spein type parts, 683 00:43:22,360 --> 00:43:26,560 Speaker 1: a monster, a particular character. But because he really didn't, 684 00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:30,480 Speaker 1: what happened was that he came through all of his parts. 685 00:43:31,160 --> 00:43:35,120 Speaker 1: And I think that what makes people last is when 686 00:43:35,120 --> 00:43:42,719 Speaker 1: there's something beneath they're public persona, a kind of charisma 687 00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:46,960 Speaker 1: and and uh, something in which we are personally interested. 688 00:43:47,440 --> 00:43:51,000 Speaker 1: And I think that shines through his performances. So here's 689 00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:55,360 Speaker 1: this person playing scary people, right. And I think a 690 00:43:55,360 --> 00:43:57,600 Speaker 1: lot of people are drawn to the horror genre because 691 00:43:57,600 --> 00:43:59,840 Speaker 1: it's a way, it's a it's a form of catharsis, 692 00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:02,960 Speaker 1: it's a way of working your your stuff out by 693 00:44:02,960 --> 00:44:05,600 Speaker 1: going into the dark and facing the things you're most 694 00:44:05,600 --> 00:44:08,800 Speaker 1: scared of in handling it and coming out. And here's 695 00:44:08,840 --> 00:44:11,200 Speaker 1: this man who, no matter what he was doing, and 696 00:44:11,239 --> 00:44:13,000 Speaker 1: oh my god, you know, he did a lot of 697 00:44:13,040 --> 00:44:15,560 Speaker 1: horrible things. He made people eat their own poodles for 698 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:19,399 Speaker 1: having's sake. So here is a man who was doing 699 00:44:19,440 --> 00:44:22,920 Speaker 1: these horrific things and you never could hate him, and 700 00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:29,200 Speaker 1: you always had this sense that he was okay, you know, 701 00:44:29,360 --> 00:44:35,120 Speaker 1: he was not scary. So for anyone who hasn't seen 702 00:44:35,120 --> 00:44:37,720 Speaker 1: any of your father's films, which is a shocking concept 703 00:44:37,760 --> 00:44:40,399 Speaker 1: to wrap my head around, but which do you think 704 00:44:40,480 --> 00:44:43,239 Speaker 1: is the best one for a new a newbie to 705 00:44:43,280 --> 00:44:50,359 Speaker 1: start with a horror um? Any of his films? Mm hmm, 706 00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:57,680 Speaker 1: that's a good question. Well, I think he'd have to 707 00:44:57,760 --> 00:45:00,719 Speaker 1: go with something like House of Whack or House on 708 00:45:00,840 --> 00:45:05,000 Speaker 1: Haunted Hill, um, one of those fifties ones, and then 709 00:45:05,360 --> 00:45:11,440 Speaker 1: probably from there maybe the Corman Poe films. Um. But 710 00:45:11,680 --> 00:45:17,560 Speaker 1: those fifties ones are so great and he's so lovely 711 00:45:17,920 --> 00:45:21,560 Speaker 1: evil it's really kind of fabulous. So I think I 712 00:45:21,600 --> 00:45:23,799 Speaker 1: think I've got to go with them. Okay. Uh. And 713 00:45:23,840 --> 00:45:25,920 Speaker 1: then my final question for you, is that your father, 714 00:45:26,120 --> 00:45:28,760 Speaker 1: as we've been talking about, has really become a larger 715 00:45:28,800 --> 00:45:31,319 Speaker 1: than life figure and an entertainment icon for a lot 716 00:45:31,360 --> 00:45:34,399 Speaker 1: of people. Is there anything that you wish people knew 717 00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:37,120 Speaker 1: about him that isn't usually mentioned when he has talked 718 00:45:37,120 --> 00:45:44,399 Speaker 1: about I think the thing that interests me most is 719 00:45:44,560 --> 00:45:50,640 Speaker 1: that he understood that celebrity is a currency in our society. 720 00:45:50,719 --> 00:45:54,920 Speaker 1: It is something that really matters in our society, for 721 00:45:55,000 --> 00:45:59,960 Speaker 1: better or for worse. But he understood that an actor's 722 00:46:00,120 --> 00:46:03,160 Speaker 1: public servant. That if you were an actor, you need 723 00:46:03,200 --> 00:46:06,760 Speaker 1: your audience to support you. Otherwise you're you're not getting 724 00:46:06,760 --> 00:46:11,320 Speaker 1: paid for your work. And so here is this man 725 00:46:11,520 --> 00:46:18,640 Speaker 1: who understands that, he understands how to keep himself in 726 00:46:18,719 --> 00:46:23,399 Speaker 1: the public eye, and yet what he does with that 727 00:46:23,800 --> 00:46:29,920 Speaker 1: is he uses that to help other people. He understood 728 00:46:31,800 --> 00:46:37,840 Speaker 1: how people regarded him and what they wanted from him, 729 00:46:37,880 --> 00:46:42,600 Speaker 1: and he used that to give back. And I think 730 00:46:42,640 --> 00:46:46,120 Speaker 1: that if we had more of that in our world now, 731 00:46:46,880 --> 00:46:50,600 Speaker 1: it would be an extraordinary thing. I am staying with 732 00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:54,120 Speaker 1: a friend right now, and I've never watched the Voice, uh, 733 00:46:54,160 --> 00:46:56,279 Speaker 1: and she loved the Voice, So I was watching it, 734 00:46:56,920 --> 00:47:05,440 Speaker 1: um and I was really cheered by how supportive and 735 00:47:05,600 --> 00:47:12,080 Speaker 1: excited all the the um the different celebrities singers are 736 00:47:12,239 --> 00:47:15,759 Speaker 1: who come on and work with these young people. And 737 00:47:15,800 --> 00:47:18,800 Speaker 1: that's what my dad did in a very quiet way 738 00:47:19,480 --> 00:47:22,400 Speaker 1: all the time, so he didn't necessarily have to be 739 00:47:22,480 --> 00:47:26,200 Speaker 1: on TV to do it. He would correspond with a 740 00:47:26,200 --> 00:47:31,200 Speaker 1: young person regularly. He would commission an original work of 741 00:47:31,400 --> 00:47:35,359 Speaker 1: art from a young artist. He would send a young 742 00:47:35,480 --> 00:47:39,520 Speaker 1: artist tickets to hear him speak if he was speaking 743 00:47:39,600 --> 00:47:44,400 Speaker 1: in a nearby area. He was constantly in touch with 744 00:47:44,520 --> 00:47:49,279 Speaker 1: young artists and supportive of them pursuing a career in 745 00:47:49,320 --> 00:47:56,560 Speaker 1: the arts. And I wish more people would see that 746 00:47:56,840 --> 00:48:02,440 Speaker 1: their celebrity can be used as a form of philanthropy. Um. 747 00:48:02,480 --> 00:48:05,080 Speaker 1: And I'm not saying people don't do that. I mean, 748 00:48:05,120 --> 00:48:08,440 Speaker 1: certainly we hear a lot about people like Angelina Jolie 749 00:48:08,640 --> 00:48:12,840 Speaker 1: and what she's done as a human umanitarian in the world. 750 00:48:12,880 --> 00:48:16,320 Speaker 1: So UM, I'm not saying he was unique in it. 751 00:48:16,920 --> 00:48:23,600 Speaker 1: But he did it because he loved people, and that 752 00:48:23,760 --> 00:48:26,120 Speaker 1: is the best reason to do anything. He did it 753 00:48:26,239 --> 00:48:33,040 Speaker 1: from a pure, open hearted place, and I that is 754 00:48:33,080 --> 00:48:36,920 Speaker 1: the thing I would like people to remember more about 755 00:48:37,000 --> 00:48:40,680 Speaker 1: him than oh he scared me to dad, Although that's 756 00:48:40,719 --> 00:48:43,600 Speaker 1: good too. Yeah, but it's a beautiful example to set 757 00:48:43,680 --> 00:48:48,600 Speaker 1: for the future. Um, Victoria, thank you so much for 758 00:48:48,680 --> 00:48:52,960 Speaker 1: sharing this time with me. I feel so spoiled. Oh 759 00:48:53,000 --> 00:48:55,759 Speaker 1: it was such a pleasure. And honestly, it was so 760 00:48:55,800 --> 00:48:58,520 Speaker 1: fun listening to your questions because I feel like you 761 00:48:58,719 --> 00:49:02,319 Speaker 1: know him as well as I you and that's been 762 00:49:02,320 --> 00:49:04,480 Speaker 1: one of the real gifts for me of what I do. 763 00:49:04,640 --> 00:49:06,640 Speaker 1: I if you had told me when I was younger 764 00:49:06,719 --> 00:49:11,239 Speaker 1: that I would be just, you know, going around talking 765 00:49:11,239 --> 00:49:13,239 Speaker 1: about my dad and I'm in my fifties, I would 766 00:49:13,239 --> 00:49:14,960 Speaker 1: have thought, oh my god, don't you have something better 767 00:49:15,040 --> 00:49:18,240 Speaker 1: to do. But the fact of the matter is that 768 00:49:18,600 --> 00:49:26,320 Speaker 1: I get this wonderful, wonderful, um opportunity to share someone 769 00:49:26,680 --> 00:49:29,920 Speaker 1: I love with other people who love him. I mean, 770 00:49:30,120 --> 00:49:34,880 Speaker 1: I love my dog, and you know, nobody's asking me 771 00:49:34,920 --> 00:49:37,000 Speaker 1: to be on their podcast to talk about how much 772 00:49:37,040 --> 00:49:43,000 Speaker 1: I love my dog. And so for me, I feel 773 00:49:43,040 --> 00:49:49,520 Speaker 1: like it's such a gift to love someone so much, 774 00:49:49,640 --> 00:49:53,720 Speaker 1: feel that he is so loved by other people, and 775 00:49:53,719 --> 00:49:56,200 Speaker 1: and to get to share that. And it's almost like 776 00:49:57,440 --> 00:50:00,120 Speaker 1: I am part of this big family. We're all out 777 00:50:00,120 --> 00:50:03,680 Speaker 1: of Vincent Price's family, and that you know, so I 778 00:50:03,680 --> 00:50:05,560 Speaker 1: feel like, oh, my god, there you are, and you 779 00:50:05,640 --> 00:50:09,000 Speaker 1: know who he was. You you know things about him 780 00:50:09,040 --> 00:50:12,120 Speaker 1: and and they matter to you, and I just that's 781 00:50:12,400 --> 00:50:17,000 Speaker 1: really really cool to me. It's cool to me too. Um, 782 00:50:17,000 --> 00:50:20,080 Speaker 1: where can people find you? Because I'm sure that they 783 00:50:20,120 --> 00:50:22,480 Speaker 1: will want to hear more of your your writing and 784 00:50:22,560 --> 00:50:26,239 Speaker 1: possibly your lectures as you travel around, So where can they? 785 00:50:26,239 --> 00:50:29,480 Speaker 1: Absolutely thank you for asking? So, for Vincent Price, we 786 00:50:29,480 --> 00:50:34,040 Speaker 1: have a website which is www. Vincent Price dot com. 787 00:50:34,080 --> 00:50:38,480 Speaker 1: And I have my website which is Victoria Price dot com. 788 00:50:38,520 --> 00:50:41,640 Speaker 1: I think the website that I'm keeping most up with 789 00:50:41,960 --> 00:50:46,200 Speaker 1: is my website, which is Daily Practice of Joy dot com. 790 00:50:46,239 --> 00:50:49,440 Speaker 1: I write a weekly blog about creating a practice of 791 00:50:49,560 --> 00:50:53,160 Speaker 1: joy that's very much inspired by my father, and I 792 00:50:53,200 --> 00:50:56,560 Speaker 1: do go all over the country in the world talking 793 00:50:56,600 --> 00:50:58,600 Speaker 1: about my dad and talking about joy. And I have 794 00:50:58,640 --> 00:51:02,160 Speaker 1: a new book out, Joy that will be coming out 795 00:51:02,280 --> 00:51:06,440 Speaker 1: in the beginning of which I'm I'm really excited about. 796 00:51:07,080 --> 00:51:10,760 Speaker 1: And so I try to keep up on social media 797 00:51:10,840 --> 00:51:14,280 Speaker 1: as well. And that's almost easier than keeping the website 798 00:51:14,320 --> 00:51:16,120 Speaker 1: up because I'm kind of a one man band and 799 00:51:16,160 --> 00:51:20,759 Speaker 1: you only have so many hands. So my my personal 800 00:51:21,040 --> 00:51:25,080 Speaker 1: social media for Instagram and Facebook and Twitter and all 801 00:51:25,080 --> 00:51:29,120 Speaker 1: those things. Is one brave life. And my dad very 802 00:51:29,120 --> 00:51:38,480 Speaker 1: appropriately is master of Menace and he's on everything as well, Facebook, Twitter, PINTERESTU, Instagram, 803 00:51:38,760 --> 00:51:41,480 Speaker 1: and I try to post regularly and have a lot 804 00:51:41,480 --> 00:51:43,719 Speaker 1: of fun doing it. Excellent. We will put all of 805 00:51:43,719 --> 00:51:45,400 Speaker 1: that in the show notes as well, so people have 806 00:51:45,440 --> 00:51:49,319 Speaker 1: a handy guide. Thank you, thank you, thank you so 807 00:51:49,400 --> 00:51:51,160 Speaker 1: much for being with us. I can't tell you how 808 00:51:51,200 --> 00:51:53,480 Speaker 1: much I appreciate it. Thank you for having me on 809 00:51:53,520 --> 00:52:05,520 Speaker 1: this show. And I can't wait to hear Pupil's response. Okay, 810 00:52:05,600 --> 00:52:09,640 Speaker 1: so I totally fangirled out during that interview, but Victoria 811 00:52:09,800 --> 00:52:12,239 Speaker 1: was incredibly gracious and wonderful, and I could have talked 812 00:52:12,239 --> 00:52:14,120 Speaker 1: with her forever. I am a fan of hers almost 813 00:52:14,160 --> 00:52:16,040 Speaker 1: as much as I am of her father's. I have 814 00:52:16,120 --> 00:52:18,319 Speaker 1: read her book, of course, but also her blog for 815 00:52:18,400 --> 00:52:22,080 Speaker 1: some time. She's just a really lovely writer, and she 816 00:52:22,880 --> 00:52:25,880 Speaker 1: examines the world in a way that is very enlightening. 817 00:52:25,880 --> 00:52:28,560 Speaker 1: I think, so if you're interested in learning more about 818 00:52:28,640 --> 00:52:31,840 Speaker 1: Vincent Price's life, her book is a very thorough and 819 00:52:31,960 --> 00:52:35,239 Speaker 1: very honest biography, and it weaves Vincent's own writing and 820 00:52:35,239 --> 00:52:38,239 Speaker 1: accounts from other people into the narrative, so it's really 821 00:52:38,320 --> 00:52:42,040 Speaker 1: quite rich. She originally wrote that in six years after 822 00:52:42,120 --> 00:52:44,080 Speaker 1: Vincent Price died, but a new edition of it came 823 00:52:44,080 --> 00:52:48,600 Speaker 1: out in His life was so full of unique experiences 824 00:52:48,600 --> 00:52:51,120 Speaker 1: that it's really easy to see how he truly lived 825 00:52:51,120 --> 00:52:53,319 Speaker 1: by one of his most famous quotes, which was a 826 00:52:53,360 --> 00:52:57,600 Speaker 1: man who limits his interests limits his life. So thank 827 00:52:57,640 --> 00:52:59,959 Speaker 1: you once again to Victoria Price for being so wonder 828 00:53:00,120 --> 00:53:02,839 Speaker 1: full and sharing so many stories about her father's life. 829 00:53:03,360 --> 00:53:06,200 Speaker 1: We will include all of those links that she mentioned 830 00:53:06,200 --> 00:53:08,799 Speaker 1: in the show notes. Uh. And now I will do 831 00:53:08,920 --> 00:53:11,399 Speaker 1: a very brief listener mail because this episode is running 832 00:53:11,440 --> 00:53:18,640 Speaker 1: super long. Um. This one is from our listener G. S. Denning, 833 00:53:18,680 --> 00:53:22,960 Speaker 1: who sent us a book. Uh and rites. Dear Holly 834 00:53:22,960 --> 00:53:25,160 Speaker 1: and Tracy. I have been a listener and fans since 835 00:53:25,200 --> 00:53:27,680 Speaker 1: twn and I just caught up to the Salt Lake 836 00:53:27,680 --> 00:53:31,360 Speaker 1: Comic Con historical fiction podcast. Oh it made me guilty. 837 00:53:32,120 --> 00:53:34,399 Speaker 1: Remember when the authors talked about what a rich vein 838 00:53:34,520 --> 00:53:38,480 Speaker 1: history podcasts were and how you were the underappreciated curators 839 00:53:38,480 --> 00:53:41,560 Speaker 1: of their content. Well, in twelve I started writing a 840 00:53:41,560 --> 00:53:45,800 Speaker 1: goofy nerdy Sherlock Holmes send off based in late Victorian London. 841 00:53:46,200 --> 00:53:48,960 Speaker 1: The whole time I was listening to your podcast, mining 842 00:53:49,040 --> 00:53:51,480 Speaker 1: you guys for inspiration and fun snippets from history that 843 00:53:51,520 --> 00:53:54,479 Speaker 1: I could incorporate and lampoon. I got a lot of them. 844 00:53:54,600 --> 00:53:56,879 Speaker 1: Things went well. I sold that book and it's out 845 00:53:56,880 --> 00:53:59,239 Speaker 1: in stores now. What I did not do is thank 846 00:53:59,280 --> 00:54:02,080 Speaker 1: you as you deserve and closed you will find a 847 00:54:02,120 --> 00:54:04,719 Speaker 1: copy of my book, Warlock Holmes, a Study in Brimstone, 848 00:54:05,480 --> 00:54:07,360 Speaker 1: and closed in that you will find a ton of 849 00:54:07,360 --> 00:54:11,400 Speaker 1: previous podcast topics from racial information mine from your episode 850 00:54:11,400 --> 00:54:14,520 Speaker 1: on Pablo Funk to the Gunpowder plot to cameos by 851 00:54:14,520 --> 00:54:17,440 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Blackwell and Emperor Norton. You guys have been with 852 00:54:17,480 --> 00:54:20,200 Speaker 1: me all the way. Hell Hound of the Baskervilles is 853 00:54:20,280 --> 00:54:22,440 Speaker 1: due out next May, and the year after that book three, 854 00:54:22,560 --> 00:54:25,240 Speaker 1: by which time I'll have recycled material from your episodes 855 00:54:25,280 --> 00:54:28,920 Speaker 1: on the Great Stink Boudica, Ned Kelly, Victorian Albert, the 856 00:54:28,920 --> 00:54:31,719 Speaker 1: Wedding Traditions episode. Thank you for setting me right on 857 00:54:31,719 --> 00:54:35,720 Speaker 1: that wretched take, the Potato Famine, the Luddites, the Opium Wars, 858 00:54:35,760 --> 00:54:38,440 Speaker 1: and accused by a ghost. At least it is a 859 00:54:38,480 --> 00:54:40,960 Speaker 1: lonely thing to write a book. Imagine yourself as a 860 00:54:40,960 --> 00:54:43,520 Speaker 1: die hard star Wars fan. Okay, that's done. I lived 861 00:54:43,560 --> 00:54:46,560 Speaker 1: that life. Uh. Now, imagine Star Wars was never released 862 00:54:46,560 --> 00:54:48,440 Speaker 1: to the public and you're the only person who knows 863 00:54:48,480 --> 00:54:51,360 Speaker 1: about it. That's what authorship is. But all through it, 864 00:54:51,360 --> 00:54:53,400 Speaker 1: all the ups and downs of getting an agent and 865 00:54:53,440 --> 00:54:56,200 Speaker 1: getting a publisher and agonizing and editing and worrying that 866 00:54:56,239 --> 00:54:58,480 Speaker 1: people won't like it, to rejoicing when it turns out 867 00:54:58,480 --> 00:55:01,400 Speaker 1: that they do. You've been my instant support and inspiration. 868 00:55:01,560 --> 00:55:04,440 Speaker 1: I bet there are dozens like me, maybe hundreds, people 869 00:55:04,440 --> 00:55:06,319 Speaker 1: with a well spring of gratitude and love for you 870 00:55:06,360 --> 00:55:08,160 Speaker 1: and the work that you do, who have never taken 871 00:55:08,160 --> 00:55:09,839 Speaker 1: the time to let you know what it means to them. 872 00:55:09,880 --> 00:55:13,560 Speaker 1: So I'm letting you know. Thank you, G. S. Denning. Uh. 873 00:55:13,640 --> 00:55:16,640 Speaker 1: And we got a book along with this, so I 874 00:55:16,680 --> 00:55:19,239 Speaker 1: will probably read it first because I'm selfish and it 875 00:55:19,280 --> 00:55:23,040 Speaker 1: looks very funny. Uh. So I will be reading Warlock Holmes, 876 00:55:23,080 --> 00:55:24,960 Speaker 1: and then I will hand it off to Tracy, because 877 00:55:24,960 --> 00:55:27,080 Speaker 1: again I am selfish. Thank you so much for sharing that. 878 00:55:27,080 --> 00:55:28,560 Speaker 1: That was such a sweet letter and it made me 879 00:55:28,680 --> 00:55:34,200 Speaker 1: chuckle and feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Uh. If 880 00:55:34,239 --> 00:55:35,839 Speaker 1: you would like to write to us, you can do 881 00:55:35,920 --> 00:55:38,759 Speaker 1: so at History podcast at how stuff Works. We're also 882 00:55:38,800 --> 00:55:42,839 Speaker 1: available across all social media as missed in History, so 883 00:55:42,880 --> 00:55:45,400 Speaker 1: that's Twitter at mist in History, Facebook dot com, slash 884 00:55:45,400 --> 00:55:48,920 Speaker 1: mist in History, Pinterest dot com slash mist in History, 885 00:55:48,960 --> 00:55:51,600 Speaker 1: missed in History dot tumbler dot com, and Instagram at 886 00:55:51,640 --> 00:55:53,880 Speaker 1: miss in History. If you would like to visit our 887 00:55:53,920 --> 00:55:55,960 Speaker 1: parents site, which is how stuff works dot com, you 888 00:55:55,960 --> 00:55:58,319 Speaker 1: can do that. Go there, type in something interesting in 889 00:55:58,320 --> 00:56:00,840 Speaker 1: the search bar. You will churn up so much content 890 00:56:00,920 --> 00:56:04,200 Speaker 1: that you can enjoy and occupy yourself with. You can 891 00:56:04,200 --> 00:56:07,080 Speaker 1: come and visit Tracy and me at missed in History 892 00:56:07,120 --> 00:56:09,319 Speaker 1: dot com, where you can find a backlog of all 893 00:56:09,360 --> 00:56:11,400 Speaker 1: of the episodes of the show ever of all time, 894 00:56:11,920 --> 00:56:13,719 Speaker 1: as well as show notes for any of the ones 895 00:56:13,760 --> 00:56:16,280 Speaker 1: Tracy and I have worked on together. So we encourage 896 00:56:16,320 --> 00:56:18,640 Speaker 1: you come and visit us online at missed in history 897 00:56:18,680 --> 00:56:25,439 Speaker 1: dot com and how stuff Works dot com. For more 898 00:56:25,480 --> 00:56:28,080 Speaker 1: on this and thousands of other topics, visit how stuff 899 00:56:28,120 --> 00:56:40,880 Speaker 1: works dot com.