Today’s post was written by Christina Violeta Jones, Archivist with the Special Access and FOIA Program at the National Archives at College Park, MD
In honor of the spookiest time of year, this blog post spotlights the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) case files on the late American actor Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. (100-HQ-410935, 100-LA-34677, and 100-WFO-38897).
Price is best known for being one of Hollywood’s original four Kings of Horror. From 1938 to 1993, he terrified audiences and also made them laugh, often at the same time. No other actor has ever captured the pure fun of scary movies the way he did. He had dozens of laughable, charming, and over-the-top villain roles where he delighted fans with his mischievous ways. Some of his villains were serious, while others were comedic gold. He was tremendously versatile, acting in comedies, romances, musicals, and even a few action hero roles. Price was the narrator to Michael Jackson’s legendary Thriller (1983) music video and played the role of “The Inventor” in Edward Scissorhands (1990). He was also an art historian, art collector, and gourmet cook.[1]
From the mid-1940s, the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) had been pursuing alleged communists across America. In 1947, ten of Hollywood’s most talented writers and directors were brought before the committee and were accused of being communist.
Price himself was investigated and ostracized by the FBI for his connections with various organizations which were suspected of having ties with the Communist Party.
Because of these speculations, his career started to suffer. According to the investigative file, Camel Cigarettes, who were sponsors of the Pantomime Quiz (1947-1959) in which Price had been appearing in, suddenly dropped him from the TV show around 1954.[2] Though no specific reason was given as to why he was dropped, he suspected it was because of his friendships and affiliations with various organizations who had ties to the Communist Party. This suspicion led him to write a five page “secret letter” to the FBI describing all his political activities and refuting any charges of Communism.[3] He did this to save his career.
After his death, his daughter Victoria Price indicated that the family was surprised that he wrote this letter. In Vincent Price: A Daughter’s Biography (1999), she writes that whenever her father was asked to speak publicly about the McCarthy era, he “professed anger at his peers who had given names, sorrow for his friends whose lives had been destroyed, and admiration for those who had to stood up to McCarthy. But he kept his own story to himself, just as he kept all of the documents,”[4] including the letter to the FBI.
In the letter, Price denies his support for the party by indicating the following:
To Whom It May Concern
I wish to state that I am not now and never have been a member of the Communist Party.
I am not in sympathy with Communist ideologies and I believe that Totalitarianism in any form is against the ideals of the American way of life.
I will work and think to preserve the Constitution of the United States against the encroachment of any Communist or other than American ideology.
He further expressed that anyone who pleaded the Fifth Amendment was un-American.[5]
He further writes that:
I have never joined or worked for any organization that I knew was a Communist organization or Communist dominated or in any other way subversive.
He ends the letter with the following:
To sum up….I realize now that many organizations were using actors and artists through their natural desire to help a cause, to help spread the subtle ideologies of Communism, but I can honestly state that I never spread any Communistic doctrine and that I belong to or worked for the above listed organizations with no knowledge of their Communist Front activities.
I would further like to add that I believe people who stand on the Fifth Amendment to cover up treasonable activities should be considered subversive and dealt with accordingly.
I state all the above in the earnest desire to right an unintended wrong, and to be able to continue in my devotion to my Country with no question of my loyalty and love for it.
(signed) Vincent Price
March 6th 1954
In April of 1954, Price also had an interview with the FBI to further clarify that he and his wife Eleanor Mary Grant DuPont (Eleanor Mary Grant) were not involved in any Communist or anti-American activities.[6]
All three of the FBI files briefly summarize Price’s extensive acting career. The files include several newspaper clippings highlighting his roles in films and plays such as House of Wax (1953), Richard III (1953), Death Takes a Holiday (1954), The Ten Commandments (1956), and Serenade (1956).
In addition to his acting career, the Los Angeles field office file cites Price’s involvement with radio shows for the Treasury Department called the “Treasury Star Parade.” According to the file, he did more than thirty radio shows. He was also one of the main speakers of the Red Cross on behalf of blood donations.[7]
Price died on October 25, 1993 in Los Angeles, CA. He is survived by his two children Victoria Price and Vincent Barrett Price.
FBI files HQ [Washington DC]-100-410935 [Classification-Domestic Security] [Vincent Price] (NAID 16874714), LA [Los Angeles] – 100-34677 [Classification – Domestic Security] [Vincent Price] (NAID 16419512), WFO [Washington, DC] – 100 -38897 [Classification – Domestic Security] [Vincent Price] (NAID 12639937) are digitized and available in the National Archives Catalog.
Thank you to Jeff Hartely, NARA’s Librarian for assisting with the research by providing access to secondary resources and to the Special Access and FOIA staff.
[1] Biographical Information see https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vincent-Price
[2] Serial 8, LA [Los Angeles]-100-34677 [Classification-Domestic Security] [Vincent Price] (NAID 16419512) (FOIA Tracking Number RD 54538); Series: Classification 100 (Domestic Security) Field Office Case Files (Entry P 182); Record Group 65: Records of the Department of Justice. Federal Bureau of Investigation; National Archives at College Park, MD.
[3] Serial 1A2, LA [Los Angeles]-100-34677 [Classification-Domestic Security] [Vincent Price] (NAID 164191512) (FOIA Tracking Number RD 54538); Series: Classification 100 (Domestic Security) Field Office Case Files (Entry P 182); Record Group 65: Records of the Department of Justice. Federal Bureau of Investigation; National Archives at College Park, MD.
[4] Victoria Price, Vincent Price: A Daughter’s Biography (St. Martin’s Press: New York, 1999),174.
[5] Serial 1A2, LA [Los Angeles]-100-34677 [Classification-Domestic Security] [Vincent Price] (NAID 16419512) (FOIA Tracking Number RD 54538); Series: Classification 100 (Domestic Security) Field Office Case Files (Entry P 182); Record Group 65: Records of the Department of Justice. Federal Bureau of Investigation; National Archives at College Park, MD.
[6] Serial 9, LA [Los Angeles]-100-34677 [Classification-Domestic Security] [Vincent Price] (NAID 16419512) (FOIA Tracking Number RD 54538); Series: Classification 100 (Domestic Security) Field Office Case Files (Entry P 182); Record Group 65: Records of the Department of Justice. Federal Bureau of Investigation; National Archives at College Park, MD.
[7] Serial 8, LA [Los Angeles]-100-34677 [Classification-Domestic Security] [Vincent Price] (NAID 16956399) (FOIA Tracking Number RD 54538); Series: Classification 100 (Domestic Security) Field Office Case Files (Entry P 182); Record Group 65: Records of the Department of Justice. Federal Bureau of Investigation; National Archives at College Park, MD.
Price, one of four regulars who appeared on “Pantomime Quiz,” departed when it was canceled by NBC in early 1952. That summer it was picked up by CBS as a replacement for another show, and in that iteration Price was no longer a regular.
Sources: St. Louis-Post Dispatch, March 30, 1952, pp. 5H, and Daily News (Newport, RI), July 10, 1952, pp. 9.