Newsletter: Classic Hollywood: Vincent Price, Butch Cassidy and Baby Peggy

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his is Susan King, veteran L.A. Times entertainment reporter and guardian of the Golden Age of Hollywood galaxy. Every Friday in my Classic Hollywood newsletter, I share my passion for everything vintage, including notable births and deaths, memories of actors, producers and writers I have met and interviewed, events around town, and the latest in DVDs.

A lot of people have asked me who was the first legend I ever met. It was none other than Vincent Price, who appeared in such classic films as 1944’s “Laura” and the 1951 noir “His Kind of Woman” before he became a horror icon when he starred in the 1953 3-D classic “House of Wax.”

During my senior year at Allegheny College (located in Sharon Stone’s hometown of Meadville, Pa.), Price came to give a talk about his career. And the afternoon before the talk, he met with students to answer questions. Though on screen he excelled in scaring the bejesus out of people, Price was the opposite in person — sweet, friendly and erudite. Most of the questions Price fielded were about his horror films.

But I mustered all my nerve to ask him a different kind of question: What was it like to work with Ronald Colman in the 1950 comedy “Champagne for Caesar”? Price smiled and told me how much he loved doing comedy and costarring with the Oscar-winning Colman. The male-dominated audience became bored, but I was thrilled he was such a gentleman to me.

Barbara Britton, Vincent Price and Ronald Coleman in “Champagne for Caesar.”

Barbara Britton, Vincent Price and Ronald Colman in "Champagne for Caesar."

And who knows? Perhaps my brief encounter with Price encouraged me to become an entertainment journalist.

Price died on Oct. 25, 1993, at 82 of lung cancer. Here is the L.A. Times obituary that appeared in the paper the next day.

Palm Springs weekend

If you’re heading out to Palm Springs this weekend, you might want to check out the Palm Springs Classic Science Fiction Festival presented by the Palm Springs Cultural Center. The esteemed film historian and writer Alan K. Rode is hosting the three-day event at the Camelot Theaters that begins Friday with the 1958 classic “The Fly," with special guest David Hedison, who played the lead role. (He was known as Al Hedison back then.)

Saturday’s offerings include Don Siegel’s 1956 “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”; 1954’s “Creature From the Black Lagoon,” with special guest star Julie Adams; 1953’s “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms”; and 1957’s “The Incredible Shrinking Man.”  On tap for Sunday are 1951’s “The Thing From Another World”; 1953’s “It Came From Outer Space,” with special guest, actress Kathleen Hughes; and 1954’s “Them!”

Dana Wynter and Kevin McCarthy in the 1956 film “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”

(LACMA / Turner Classic Movies)

Dana Wynter and Kevin McCarthy in the 1956 film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." (LACMA / Turner Classic Movies)

Movie milestone

It’s hard to believe that the popular western “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Katharine Ross, opened in wide release on Oct. 24, 1969. I saw the film with my parents shortly after it opened at the long-gone movie palace, the Center Theater in downtown Denver.

Paul Newman and Robert Redford in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”

(20th Century Fox)

Paul Newman and Robert Redford in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." (20th Century Fox)

As soon as Newman and Redford flashed their baby blues, I was smitten. I still have the 45 of B.J. Thomas’ hit recording of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David Oscar-winning tune “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” and currently have a wonderful framed poster of Newman gracing a wall at home.

“Butch” was nominated for seven Oscars, including film and director (George Roy Hill). Besides song,  the treasured film won Academy Awards for William Goldman’s screenplay, Conrad L. Hall’s cinematography and Bacharach’s score.

She must have been a beautiful baby

Diane Serra Cary, who turned 98 on Sunday, was one of the top child stars in the 1920s. Known as “Baby Peggy,” she started to make comedy shorts at 2 1/2 and eventually headlined feature films. Just released on DVD this week is the Library of Congress’ restoration of her 1924 feature “The Family Secret,” along with two rare Baby Peggy shorts and newsreels. All films feature a new organ score by silent film accompanist Ben Model. And on Sunday evening, TCM premieres the new restoration as well as the 2010 documentary “Baby Peggy, The Elephant in the Room.”

From the Hollywood Star Walk

Notable births this week include Johnny Carson (Oct. 23); Kevin Kline (Oct. 24); Billy Barty (Oct. 25); Marion Ross (Oct. 25); Jeanne Cooper (Oct. 25); Mahalia Jackson (Oct. 26); Pat Sajak (Oct 26); Jackie Coogan (Oct. 26); Nanette Fabray (Oct. 27); Ivan Reitman (Oct. 27); Edith Head (Oct. 28); Dennis Franz (Oct. 28); and John Boles (Oct. 28).

For more vintage Hollywood, go to the Classic Hollywood Los Angeles Times Facebook page and follow me on Twitter at @mymackie.