#it also has cameo appearances of Griffin the Invisible Man

[artemisyates]

So, The Glass Scientists by Sage Cotugno is one of my absolute favourite Jekyll and Hyde stories and I would highly recommend it.

It has the same tone of lighthearted silliness mixed with genuine tragedy which I loved about the original novella

I gives Jekyll and Hyde both ample screentime so you get to see both of their perspectives, and get to know them both as people

It doesn't play the "Jekyll's pure good, Hyde's pure bad" card, which I appreciate

The character designs are great and Hyde's facial expressions are priceless!

It keeps in the queer narrative, which is a major part for many people reading the novella but I haven't seen other adaptations do it very well

It has a werewolf, and he's a very nice and sweet young man

And it's Webcomic, so it's free to read on the internet!

[twistedtummies2]

The Price May Be Right - Honorable Mentions

Welcome to “The Price May Be Right!” Starting tomorrow, I’ll be counting down My Top 31 Favorite Vincent Price Performances & Appearances! The countdown will cover movies, TV productions, and many more forms of media…and the same goes for today’s post. Before the countdown begins in earnest, today I want to present some Honorable Mentions. These Twisted Ten Performances ALMOST made the cut, but not quite…

1. Dr. Malcolm Wells, from The Bat.

“The Bat” is considered one of Price’s earliest and most iconic successes. It’s a bit ironic because, in the film, Price does not play the main antagonist, nor even the main protagonist, but simply a supporting role. This murder mystery feature focuses on a detective story author, Cornelia Van Gorder – played by Agnes Moorehead – who finds herself hunted by a shadow serial killer known as The Bat. In the story, Dr. Wells is a friend of Van Gorder’s: a physician and scientist who has a strange interest in the study of bats. Right from the start, we know that Wells is not all he seems to be, as – near the beginning of the film – Wells finds out that Van Gorder’s associate, a banker named Fleming, has swindled money from his own bank. He murders Fleming and covers up the crime, intending to find where the man hid the loot and take it all for himself. As it turns out, the Bat is seeking the same treasure, putting the killer and Dr. Wells on a collision course. Despite only playing a supporting part in the story, Price’s fame was already so highly on the rise that he received top billing at the time, and continues to receive it to this day. The film is a simple but effective little “Whodunnit?” with a dark and Gothic edge: it’s no wonder it’s still considered a highlight in the man’s career.

2. Geoffrey Radcliffe, from The Invisible Man Returns.

This was essentially Vincent’s start in the genre where he would be most well-known: horror films. “The Invisible Man Returns” is the sequel to the original 1933 film “The Invisible Man,” starring Claude Rains and based on the H.G. Wells novel of the same name. In this film, Vincent plays Geoffrey Radcliffe: a wrongly condemned gentleman who has been framed for the murder of his brother. Radcliffe meets Frank Griffin – the brother of the original Invisible Man – while in prison, and discovers that Frank somehow learned the secret of the invisibility serum from his brother before Jack eventually went insane and faced his final fate. Seeking revenge on those who framed him and killed and his own brother, Geoffrey convinces Frank to inject him with the serum, and thus goes on a quest to catch the real murderers and clear his name. It’s a race against time, for the drugs used to create the infamous potion cause one to steadily regress in sanity over time: Radcliffe has to fight through the mental-maddening concoction, and find some way to stop the criminals…before he becomes a mad killer himself. The film paces a lot of the same territory as the first movie, but with a few special twists, such as the revenge plot and the fact that Radcliffe actually gets a happy ending in comparison to Jack Griffin. Price was a superb choice to take over for Claude Rains, given his own mellifluous voice and elegant physical performances. Indeed, Price would technically play the character more often than Rains: eight years after the film’s debut, Price would reprise the role for a brief and humorous cameo at the end of the horror-comedy classic, “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.”

3. His Appearance on Holiday Startime.

“Holiday Startime” was a Christmas variety special that aired in 1970. It featured a series of bizarre and humorous sketches, all played by popular actors of the time period. Arguably the most famous sketch from the special was Vincent Price’s appearance. Price, beyond his work as actor, was known as a gourmet and talented cook. He was also known for his love of wine. The sketch parodies both of these elements, as Price – satirizing popular cooking shows – performs a silly skit where he tries to recycle various holiday leftovers…all while staggeringly intoxicated. The sequence is riotously funny, and – as you would expect with something from Vincent Price – ends with a little jab at his horror career, with a spoof on Jekyll & Hyde that results from Vincent drinking an unusual cocktail. It’s eight-and-a-half minutes of complete silliness that’s well worth looking up.

4. James Reavis, from The Baron of Arizona.

While I don’t think this Western has aged particularly well, due to some of its subject matter, Price’s performance in the picture is still quite laudable. “The Baron of Arizona” tells the (fictionalized, of course) true story of James Reavis: a notorious con artist who tried to convince the United States Government to give him full control over the state of Arizona, by claiming a young girl he is attached to – Sofia – is a long-lost aristocrat with a land claim on the state, and then marrying her once she is old enough, so he can inherit the properties. Both the film and the character carry much ambiguity: Reavis is a scoundrel, and as the film goes on his actions become increasingly despicable, but even up to the very end it’s hard to completely hate him. His motivations for why he does what he does turn out to have some surprising empathy to them, and his relationship with Sofia – while EXTREMELY bizarre – does have its touching moments. While he only sees her as a means to an end at first, as time comes on he does learn to care about her, and she, in turn, admires him. The movie is somewhat forgotten today, but it’s worth checking out, despite its more bizarre elements.

5. The Magic Mirror, from Faerie Tale Theatre.

Price appeared twice on this television series, which adapted numerous classic fairy-tales and fantasy stories in a deliberately theatrical manner, hence its title. Every episode featured an all-star cast to help boost it up. In one episode, “The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers,” Price acts simply as the offscreen narrator; his presence is not a coincidence, as the episode pays subtle homage to classic horror, with actors like David Warner and Christopher Lee having roles in the story, and making numerous references to Dracula and other chillers. However, even more noteworthy than that is Price’s role as the Magic Mirror, in the show’s adaptation of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Left to act with nothing but his face and voice, Price manages to become possibly the best part of the episode, and an excellent foil to Lynn Redgrave’s wildly over-the-top depiction of the Evil Queen. Alongside the Disney version, his Magic Mirror is quite possibly my favorite take on the concept…mostly BECAUSE it’s Vincent Price doing it, to be fair.

6. Michael Bastion, from The Snoop Sisters.

“The Snoop Sisters” was a four-episode-long murder mystery miniseries that aired between December of 1973 and March of 1974. The four episodes were the disconnected adventures of two loveable old biddies – the titular Snoop Sisters – who continuously find themselves roped into “Whodunnit?” plots. (As you do.) In the fourth and final story, “A Black Day for Bluebeard,” Price plays a friend of the sisters, Michael Bastion: a once-renowned but now fading film star who is looking to find a way to rekindle his career. When his wife is murdered, Bastion is accused, and the Sisters need to find a way to save him from persecution. In a way, Bastion is Price playing an exaggerated and humorous self-parody: like Vincent, Bastion is an actor known for his hammy acting style and proficiency in horror movies. Also like Vincent, Bastion is a connoisseur of wine and fine foods. My, what perfect typecasting. :P

7. Oscar Wilde, from Diversions & Delights.

It grieves me to leave this performance out of the main running, but I feel it’s the only fair thing to do. “Diversions & Delights” was a one-man show Price performed on Broadway, late in his career. It was a biographical play about the life and times of Oscar Wilde, as told by Wilde himself. Many critics who saw the performance in its time considered it to be quite possibly Vincent Price’s Magnum Opus: reviews applauded the sensitive and subtle way he portrayed Wilde, while still having a sense of needed flamboyance and charismatic stage presence, befitting both the part and the show. Unfortunately, I’ve never actually SEEN this stage show. I was lucky enough to find an audio recording someone made of the play, but due to both the age/quality of that recording, and the fact that I feel plays really do need to be SEEN to be fully appreciated, I don’t think it’s fair to give Price’s performance here a place in the Top 31. This is the ONLY reason I give this a mere Honorable Mention; if you can find a recording of this show somewhere, I urge you strongly to give it a listen or a watch.

8. Professor Jarrod, from House of Wax.

Much like “The Invisible Man Returns,” this is another classic Price horror outing that many claim jumpstarted his career in fright films. Indeed, Price’s portrayal of Professor Jarrod – the demented master of a wax museum, where people are secretly turned into dummies on display – is considered one of his most recognized and popular performances. Honestly, there’s not much to say here except that, while I DO love Price’s performance in this film, and the film in general, I just like other roles and performances more, or at least find there’s more I have to say about them.

9. Professor Multiple, from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

“Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” was a 1960s TV series that can best be described as “Star Trek, But Underwater.” It focused on the sci-fi adventures of a group of submarine explorers, with stories that ranged from the horrifying to the kooky. Price’s appearance in the episode “The Deadly Dolls” falls somewhere in the middle. In this episode, Price plays master puppeteer Professor Multiple, who is hired to entertain the crew aboard the submarine for a while. (He’s surprisingly good at it.) However, after the show is over, Multiple is revealed to have darker ulterior motives, as his puppets come to life and begin replacing the members of the crew, as the first part of a mad scheme to – you guessed it – take over the world. The mystery of these living puppets, why they’re doing what they do, and where they all come from is what drives the plot. As the story goes on, it becomes clear that Multiple himself is not all he seems…but I mustn’t say more, or I shall spoil the rest of the story.

10. The Narrator, for The Town Too Tough to Die.

This is a very different option on the list, but it’s one I just HAD to bring up. If you go on a trip to Tombstone, Arizona, you will find a little building called “The Historama.” Inside is a theater where you can see a special documentary film called “The Town Too Tough to Die,” which details the history of Tombstone and a lot of its most famous historical events. Not only does the documentary feature footage, but live practical effects in the form of a huge model that takes through different time periods in Tombstone, with working animatronics and effects. All of this is narrated by the late, great Vincent Price. I got to visit this attraction during a trip to Tombstone almost a decade ago, and I have never forgotten it. If you ever get a chance to see this attraction yourself, do so; it’s truly a one-of-a-kind experience.

Like I said, tomorrow, the countdown shall begin with my 31st Favorite Vincent Price Performance. There will be no hints for THIS countdown, so you’ll just have to wait and see what surprises are in store. ;)