THE COMEDY OF TERRORS (1963)

The 2009 Boris Karloff Blogathon is underway!

During this week, over 100 blogs around the world are posting about the life and art of one of filmdom's most famous fiends, Boris Karloff. Click here to see a complete list of participating blogs at the Frankensteinia site.

Here at SCARED SILLY: CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD HORROR-COMEDIES, we're taking a look at some of "Uncle Boris"'s funniest features. Today we highlight…



*** & 3/4 out of ****

NOTE: The following review has appeared previously as part of a larger essay on the films of Vincent Price and Peter Lorre which I wrote for the book MIDNIGHT MARQUEE ACTORS SERIES: VINCENT PRICE. The book is filled with entertaining and informative essays by several writers on Vincent Price’s career. It is highly recommended and you can order it by clicking here.

While the following has been slightly revised for the purposes of this Scared Silly project, it does not follow the format of the previous Scared Silly reviews I have posted.

The final film in the Vince Price/Peter Lorre/Boris Karloff oeuvre is “The Comedy of Terrors.” Unusually for an AIP Vincent Price feature, we’re actually treated to an original story not based on Poe, although it does contain a satirical homage as a drunken Vincent recites “The Raven” poem, albeit changing a few lines: “...dreamed of gently, gently rapping... rapping gently with a hammer on a ba-by’s skull.” This film begins right off the bat with a role reversal: Whereas Vincent was the reserved one in “The Raven” playing off Lorre’s clown, Lorre is now subdued and subject to Price’s antics. This even extends to Price’s character’s fondness for getting drunk, a character trait shared by Lorre’s characters in both The Black Cat sequence of “Tales of Terror” and “The Raven”. And drunk he is, hurling insult after insult at his pretty, young wife. When told he only berates her when he drinks, Price responds with glassy cool: “We escape the unendurable however we can!” Although assuming the drunken mantle previously held by Lorre, Price’s is a different sort of drunk. He is more eloquent, and while his barbs sting as much as Lorre’s, his are made with the fanciful vocabulary of an educated man, while Lorre’s drunks usually speak in the tongue of the Everyman. Price even admits he courted his wife to get a shot at her father’s undertaker business. Meanwhile, Price’s assistant Lorre holds a special place in his heart for the woman his boss so disdains.

One gets the notion that Price feels liberated after two films with Lorre where he remained restrained in his co-star’s presence, not to mention the tortured souls he played in the various Poe films. Price really cuts loose this time, delivering his lines with the most severe sarcasm and venom: “What I wouldn’t do to get her [his wife] down here as a customer!” he sneers as he peers into the coffin workshop. He also mugs and vamps much more than in previous entries, a style he would perfect a couple years later on the “Batman” TV show as the egg-centric and egg-citable Egghead. Once again, the film has a simple premise, but one which lends itself to great comic possibilities: faced with eviction, Price must raise funds, and since the undertaker business isn’t exactly knockin’ ’em dead, well, Vincent figures he and Peter better start doing the knocking (off) to get those customers in those coffins!

Price and Lorre receive game support once again. Boris Karloff is back as Price’s wife’s seemingly deaf, decrepit father. As he did in “The Raven,” Boris once again steals many scenes. Fellow character actor (and veteran of a few horror films, as well as the most famous of all Sherlock Holmes) Basil Rathbone tears the screen apart as a man who just can’t quite seem to stay dead. It is a tour de force performance that also illustrates how underrated a comedy talent Rathbone was. Joyce Jameson is robust as ever as Price’s wife and opera singer wanna-be. And last but not least, there’s a crazy cameo by wide-mouthed Joe E. Brown as a Cockney cemetery keeper who just can’t get over the fact that for a place filled with stiffs, there’s sure a lot going on!



The mechanisms of this film’s plot, more so than the others, force Price and Lorre to literally spend more time on screen teamed up in their endeavors. These scenes of the pair breaking and entering and attempting murder are among the most hilarious ever committed to film, and rate favorably with the best of Laurel & Hardy and Abbott & Costello for sheer verbal and visual virtuosity. For example, a staircase of one of their prospective victims is lined with statues of busts on every step. Just as in a Laurel & Hardy film, we see the gag coming, but even though it’s been telegraphed, the site of Peter Lorre bumping into the first statue to topple each one in a domino effect still elicits laughter!

The laughable pompousness of Vincent’s gentle¬man drunk is beautifully underscored in the scene that follows, as Vincent attempts to explain his services to the widow:

“Allow me Madame in this moment of your most desolate bereavement to lift from your sorrow laden shoulders the burdensome tasks...”

“What?!” the confused widow answers, her head reeling.

“I’ll bury him for you,” shoots forth Price, all manner of proper speech suddenly shut down as if by remote control!

“The Comedy of Terrors” does lack one element that made The Black Cat segment of “Tales of Terror” and especially “The Raven” so special. It sticks to a linear though amusing plot, and for the most part seems played as scripted, with little or no evidence of improvisation, which is a real shame after becoming accustomed to Lorre’s delightful musings in the previous films. Still, Lorre is given some choice dialogue from time to time: “Why did I ever escape from prison—it was so peaceful there!” he laments.

The plot’s stakes are raised when Vincent decides he’ll kill two birds with one stone: By killing the wealthy landlord, the fee he’ll attain from his estate will help pay off his debt, and the landlord himself will be off his back! Ah, but this landlord is Basil Rathbone—the man who won’t stay “dead!” He’s also the man who won’t let Shakespeare die, as he spends the rest of the film not only spouting olde William’s soliloquies, but brandishing a sword as well! It is just what the doctor ordered, as a film with funny but murderous undertakers would be a horror film and not a comedy if the victims were all serious. Lorre startles Rathbone, who seemingly succumbs on the bed, but Lorre is much more afraid of the sword-wielding fanatic, and falls out the window—landing right on top of Price! As if this visual wasn’t enough of a nod to Laurel & Hardy, Price punctuates the scene with an em¬phatic exclamation: “A fine mess you’ve made of things again!”

The film becomes a test of wills, as Price insists on burying Rathbone while Rathbone insists on resurrecting himself over and over again, apparently a recurring condition which Rathbone’s manservant is quick to point out to the ambivalent doctor. Price and Lorre then get to shift gears from Laurel & Hardy to Abbott & Costello, with Lorre in the Costello role and Price assuring him, à la Bud Abbott, that there is nothing to be afraid of. This also effectively changes the tone of the film, as what started out as a black comedy becomes pure burlesque. It all leads up to perhaps the longest death scene in movie history, as Rathbone, down for the count, keeps re-emerging to spout one last line of Shakespeare... and then some!

This isn’t the last showdown, as it appears Price kills his wife, and then Lorre. But appearances can be deceiving—they end up more alive than Rathbone on a bad night!

It’s Karloff, however, who gets the last laugh and simultaneously plunges the film back into black comedy. All throughout the picture, Vincent has threatened to feed Karloff the vial of poison he keeps in his pocket, calling it his “medicine.” Karloff, seeing Vincent crumpled at the bottom of the stairs, figures he could use a good drink: “Drunk again, eh? What you need is a dose of your own medicine. You keep it in your waistcoat, don’t you?” Vincent unwittingly gulps down the toxic fluid, as Karloff offers, “...that ought to take care of you nicely!” Several minutes later, Rathbone sneezes—punctuation as afterthought!

“The Comedy of Terrors” is a nice, amusing finale to the Price/Lorre trilogy. Price and Lorre should be commended for treading on ground where so many geniuses tread before. They prove that they are just as qualified to play on that field. If you reacquaint yourself with their films, you may agree—Price and Lorre, though short-lived, were one of the funniest comedy teams of all!

“The Comedy of Terrors” has been released twice on DVD - once in a stand-alone edition and once as part of a double-feature DVD with "The Raven.” Unfortunately, it appears that those DVD's are out of print and only available at expensive prices from collectors. However, you can rent or buy a digital download of the movie from Amazon here:











Best of all, you can watch it for FREE at Hulu by clicking here.

Watch the trailer here:



BE SURE TO JOIN US TOMORROW WHEN BORIS COMES DOWN WITH A CASE OF BEACH PARTY MADNESS IN “THE GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI!”

THE RAVEN (1963)

The 2009 Boris Karloff Blogathon is underway!

During this week, over 100 blogs around the world are posting about the life and art of one of filmdom's most famous fiends, Boris Karloff. Click here to see a complete list of participating blogs at the Frankensteinia site.

Here at SCARED SILLY: CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD HORROR-COMEDIES, we're taking a look at some of "Uncle Boris"'s funniest features. Today we highlight…



**** out of ****

NOTE: The following review has appeared previously as part of a larger essay on the films of Vincent Price and Peter Lorre which I wrote for the book MIDNIGHT MARQUEE ACTORS SERIES: VINCENT PRICE. The book is filled with entertaining and informative essays by several writers on Vincent Price’s career. It is highly recommended and you can order it by clicking here.

Please also note that while the following has been slightly revised for the purposes of this Scared Silly project, it doesn't follow the format of the previous Scared Silly reviews I have posted.

In 1962, AIP Studios released an anthology film called “Tales of Terror.” It featured three stories (very) loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe tales, all featuring Vincent Price. While the first and last tales were played straight, the middle story, based (extremely) loosely on “The Black Cat” co-starred Peter Lorre and was a riotous comic lark. In the story, Price plays a famous wine connoisseur challenged by a local drunk to a wine tasting duel.

Lorre’s is a lovable drunk, except at home, where he shows a nastier side. When the unemployed slacker demands money from his wife so he can go back out and drink some more, she claims they have no money to spare. But Lorre is convinced she’s got it stashed away.

“What about your sewing money?” Lorre asks.

“We need it for food,” she replies.

“Food? That’s exactly what I need it for—I drink my food!”

Exchanges such as this illustrate Lorre’s ability to be extremely funny while simultaneously having more than a hint of pathos about him. To be sure, this was a time in Lorre’s personal life when things were not going well — including substance, alcohol and diet abuse, so both his physical health and mental demeanor were affected. Don’t get me wrong — Lorre’s dialogue, whether scripted or ad-libbed, is delivered hysterically. However, you just can’t help but feel that he’s a pathetic character. It is this element that made Lorre so perfect for the type of lovable yet troubled sods that populated Richard Matheson’s comedic screenplays. In a way, these characters are a more lighthearted mirror image of the ones Vincent Price played in Matheson’s “serious” Poe films (which were the embodiment of the noble, perhaps romantic yet ultimately tortured soul with a skeleton or two in his closet and a dark spot in his heart). These conflicting emotions are also at the heart of Poe himself, so the spirit of Poe is there, if not always the content.

As it turns out, the Black Cat sequence proved to be the most popular of the three Tales of Terror. With that knowledge in hand, Matheson decided to dive head-first into comedy for the next Poe film, “The Raven,” and once again had the team of Price and Lorre at his disposal. Adding to the frivolity this time around were a young Jack Nicholson, a vampy Hazel Court, and one of the all-time horror greats, the inimitable Boris Karloff.

“The Raven’s” opening is rather serious and melodramatic, hardly hinting at the high jinks to come, as a dour Price laments the absence of his beloved Lenore. The tone shifts gears as Price opens the window to let the raven in. Believing the bird to be a “dark-winged messenger from beyond,” Price asks, “Shall I ever hold again that radiant beauty who the angels call Lenore?”

The solemnity is shattered by the bird’s unexpected reply, courtesy of Lorre’s voice-over: “How the hell should I know? What am I, a fortune teller?” Yes, folks, we’ve officially been launched into comedy—horror style, via Price and Lorre! This leads to a riotous scene where Lorre barrages Price with a series of insults and demands that would make Don Rickles proud as he implores Price, who we soon learn is a sorcerer, to change him back to his human form. Even in the midst of Price’s attempts to do just that, Lorre badgers him with sarcastic banter that is so fast and furious, it could very well take a whole book to record and analyze. Not to mention Lorre’s in-between stage, wherein his transformation’s only halfway complete, he helplessly—and-hilariously flaps the wings that remain on his human body!

One criticism that has been leveled at The Raven is that it contains only the barest of plots. But let’s face it, how many films featuring classic comedy teams were heavily plotted? They, like the television sitcoms which followed in their wake, existed on the simplest of premises, and The Raven is no exception: Lorre wants revenge on Karloff for turning him into a bird (which he claims would never have happened, ”If I was only sober, which I admit doesn’t happen often”); while Price is trying to win back his wife, whom Karloff stole (Lenore wasn’t dead after all!). Likewise, Karloff maintains a grudge against Price’s family, as Vincent’s father was always his chief rival in the brotherhood of sorcerers.

Once the unlikely duo decide to confront Karloff, an inspired bit of tomfoolery follows as Price encourages Lorre to dress warmly for their trip and offers him his choice of hat and cloak. For someone who has no wardrobe, Lorre sure is picky, and delivers his objections in quite a genteel fashion! There is such spontaneity and sparkle to this scene that it is hard to imagine it could ever have been scripted. It is likely that this was one of the famous Lorre ad-lib scenes, and it is also the sequence wherein Price’s persona starts loosening up a bit, as he tries to keep pace with Lorre’s clever improvisational inventions. Price allows himself to be overtaken by the comedy bug as his manservant becomes possessed and attacks him. Knocked out in a slapstick fight, he allows his eyes to roll back into his head. Once he’s made that turn, Price alternates from the character’s earlier serious leanings to one capable of quips and visual humor of his own.



Shades of Lorre’s Black Cat character emerge as his son, played by Nicholson, arrives to drive them (via horse and carriage, of course) to Karloff’s castle. Even before he becomes possessed himself, Nicholson is a lousy driver, resulting in more classic Lorre insults and exaggerated faces.

Arriving at Karloff’s castle, a wonderful set piece follows as the seemingly gracious Karloff treats his “guests” to dinner. Karloff’s beautifully understated performance, suggesting a kindly old, cultured gentleman, is nothing short of brilliant comedy itself. It is easy to see how the characters may be deceived by him, even as we the audience sense it’s an act from the start. But we’re not the only ones who see right through him: The irascible Lorre is suspicious as well! This inevitably leads to more Lorre gyrations, as he challenges Karloff on the spot. The fit of mayhem that unfolds, as Lorre attempts to awe the room with the magic he’s conjured, will make your sides burst. Incredibly, even at his advanced weight, Lorre was able to pull off not only facial but bodily distortions as well, with all the manic energy of rubber-limbed Jim Carrey! For his troubles, he ends up hocus pocusing himself right into thin air. We later learn it’s all a ruse—a literal smokescreen thrown for his cover, as we discover he’s really a rat who has sold Vincent out. The way the character is written makes you wonder if Matheson purposely injected personality traits which he knew Lorre would run off with, given his performance in The Black Cat segment of “Tales of Terror.” Namely, that of the crafty, conniving coward—a cousin to Daffy Duck, Bob Hope and George Costanza. Only pickled!

A recurring aspect of the Price/Lorre teamings is the contrast between them. Not only their height and weight differences, but the way they carry themselves and speak as well. In "The Raven" there are some wonderful verbal exchanges between them, that highlight not only their comedy chops, but really point out what fine, underrated actors they were. Witness Lorre deflating Price’s ponderous pontifications as if with a single pin prick:

“Instead of facing life, I turned my back on it. I know now why my father resisted Scarabus—because he knew that one cannot fight evil by hiding from it. Men like Scarabus thrive on the apathy of others—he thrived on mine, and that offends me. By avoiding contact with the brotherhood I’ve given him freedom to commit his atrocities unopposed,” laments Price.

“You sure have!” Lorre leaps in, in no uncertain terms. It is the perfect punctuation, reminiscent of the classic scene in Disney’s Pinocchio, wherein the blue fairy tries to explain why the little puppet’s woes have been mounting: “Perhaps you haven’t been telling the truth, Pinocchio!” Official conscience Jiminy Cricket, staring at the tree trunk that used to be Pinocchio’s nose, can only exclaim, “Perhaps?!?!”

The difference here is that Price rolls with the comedy punches, and with the same candor as Lorre, answers back: “I’m sorry!” But not as sorry as Lorre—who is soon turned back into a raven by Karloff!

Lorre’s earlier magic tricks were but a teaser for the comic delights yet to come: a magical duel to the death between Vincent and Boris! It is in this segment that Vincent’s goofy side shines once more, and the aging Karloff proves more than game for this test of not only their character’s powers, but for the actors’ abilities to make us laugh as well. In a modern day film, the actors might let the special effects wizards do all the work for them. But Price and Karloff come from a tradition of stage acting, and in Karloff’s case, the silent screen, so the special effects are only half the battle. They are accompanied by wild gesticulations and facial tics that involve the audience and invite them to take sides, while simultaneously entertaining with their clever wit and invention.

Having vanquished Karloff, the film ends in Price’s study, where Lorre is pushing his luck. Shooting off his wise mouth and offering his services (unsolicited, of course) as Price’s right-hand magician, he once again pleads to be restored to human form. Price says he’ll take it under advise¬ment, but can only tolerate so much of Lorre’s banter. With a wave of his hand, he commands, “Shut your beak!”

It is a fitting ending for what still remains a first-class romp to this day. It is a testament to the actors, writers and directors that material such as this, attacked by the principals with such understanding and passion, survives as an undated farce sure to entertain generations to come.

“The Raven” has been released twice on DVD - once in a stand-alone edition and once as part of a double-feature DVD with “The Comedy of Terrors.” Unfortunately, it appears that those DVD's are out of print and only available at expensive prices from collectors. However, you can rent or buy a digital download of the movie from Amazon by clicking here, and best of all, you can watch it for FREE at Hulu by clicking here.

The trailer shows that the studio really wasn’t sure whether to sell this as a horror film or the all-out horror-comedy it is. You can watch it here:



BE SURE TO JOIN US TOMORROW WHEN WE REVISIT KARLOFF, LORRE AND PRICE, JOINED BY BASIL RATHBONE IN “THE COMEDY OF TERRORS!”

TALES OF TERROR (THE "BLACK CAT" SEQUENCE) (1962)

RATING: *** & 1/2 out of **** (for the "Black Cat" sequence, not the entire film)

NOTE: The following review has appeared previously as part of a larger essay on the films of Vincent Price and Peter Lorre which I wrote for the book MIDNIGHT MARQUEE ACTORS SERIES: VINCENT PRICE. The book is filled with entertaining and informative essays by several writers on Vincent Price’s career. It is highly recommended and you can order it by clicking here.

Please also note that while the following has been slightly revised for the purposes of this Scared Silly project, it doesn't follow the format of the previous Scared Silly reviews I have posted.

Over an impressively lengthy career, Vincent Price’s name became synonymous with horror cinema. But that was just one facet of his career. Many people have fond memories of the latter 25 years of Price’s output —where a tongue-in-cheek Price could be seen on TV shows such as “Batman,” “Get Smart”, “The Brady Bunch” and “The Muppet Show” while also cavorting on the big screen in over-the-top and somewhat campy roles such as the title character in “The Abominable Dr. Phibes”, its sequel, “Dr. Phibes Rises Again”, and scorned Shakespearean ham Ed¬ward Lionheart in the scrumptious “Theater of Blood.”

This was a period where Vincent’s horror image was constantly lampooned—often with the actor’s blessing and participation. In fact, the “king of horror rock,” Alice Cooper—who had lapsed into self-parody as well—used Price to great effect as a morbid-but-merry master of ceremonies to his “Welcome To My Nightmare” TV special in 1975 and accompanying soundtrack album. And speaking of kings, let us not forget Vincent’s “rap” in the “king of pop,” Michael Jackson’s song, “Thriller” (while performed by Price with earnest intent, how could it ever be taken seriously given its context in a song and video that are, regardless of what Mr. Jackson’s intentions may have been, inevitably light and fluffy, with any potentially terrifying moments buried under the weight of all the pomp and spectacle as well as by what many consider Michael’s odd persona). These are the types of performances which have endeared Vincent in the hearts of young and old alike as a friendly “uncle” type who has never really meant any harm and whose “threats” are not only idle, but in good fun as well.

What the general public may not be aware of, however, are Mr. Price’s previous comedy outings. Even before being teamed with Lorre, Price took aim at moviegoers’ funny bones with several notable performances. His very first film, in fact, was the romantic screwball comedy, “Service De Luxe,” wherein he has the lead role of an inventor who has vowed not to let a woman control his life, and spends the rest of the picture fending off several chanteuses while trying to get his inventions off the ground. Chief among his other pre-1960s comedic gems are “Champagne for Caesar” “Curtain Call at Cactus Creek” and “His Kind of Woman.” In “Champagne for Caesar”, Price is a scream as a the president of a soap company sponsoring a quiz show where a contestant’s winnings are creeping dangerously close to the value of the soap company itself! “Curtain Call at Cactus Creek” finds Vincent in a role he would find himself playing many times in the years to come: a ham actor! This time, it’s in the Old West as Vincent heads up a travel¬ing theatrical troupe performing the melodramatic saga, “Ruined By Drink” in all its deliriously drippy glory!

Price immediately followed this portrayal with yet another “ham” role in “His Kind of Woman”. While not a comedy in and of itself, this film contains moments of high comedy from Vincent. A noirish crime drama vehicle for Robert Mitchum—the film also flirts with romance (as Mitchum flirts with Price’s mistress, Jane Russell) and satire, as Vincent not only portrays an overzealous actor, but also gets to parody the type of swashbuckling roles he himself had played early on, as the actor attempts to become a “real” as opposed to “reel” hero! A film that is nearly un-categorical, much of its appeal lies in Price’s tour de force comedic performance, which is in sharp contrast to the film’s other elements. Another performance from this period that bears mentioning is Vincent’s comedic voice-over as The Invisible Man in the closing scene of the classic horror-comedy, “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.” Of particular note is that his one line of dialogue resonates much more today after his many successive horror offerings than it ever could have when originally released.

As for Peter Lorre, he had a spate of turns as a supporting actor, playing quirky characters who, often more odd than comedic, occasionally served as comic relief just the same. In fact, his career was a bit more scattershot than Price’s when it comes to chronology. Where Price would often get typecast in a string of similar roles after a successful picture, Lorre, with the exception of stints teamed with Sydney Greenstreet in crime thrillers (including, of course, such classics as “The Maltese Falcon” and “Casablanca” as well as the title detective in the Mr. Moto series, would jump genres more often. From his breakout role as the despicable child killer in Fritz Lang’s classic “M,” to Raskolnikov in the filmed adaptation of the literary masterpiece “Crime and Punishment,” to a variety of parts in war movies, dramas and period pieces, Lorre had the opportunity to exercise his versatility in the first couple decades of his career. He even directed a film, “The Lost One.”

Ironically enough, three of his 1940s efforts foreshadowed his later horror spoofs with Price, namely “You’ll Find Out,” “The Boogie Man Will Get You” and “Arsenic and Old Lace.” He co-starred with Boris Karloff in the first two and with Raymond Massey (who was playing a character said to resemble Karloff) in the third. In his final years, the comic aspects of his characters really came into fruition, first in adventures such as “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea,” “Around the World in 80 Days “(1956) and “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” (1961), then in his films with Price, and finally in his last two films, “Muscle Beach Party” (1964) and Jerry Lewis’ “The Patsy” (1964), wherein he played a director of comedy films!

When American International Pictures and director Roger Corman launched their series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations with Price in “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1960), they hit paydirt. The film was an enormous critical hit and performed well at the box office, insuring that movie audiences hadn’t seen the last of these newfangled, usually far-from-faithful interpretations of stories from the mind of Baltimore’s brooding bard. Following “Pit and the Pendulum” (1961), Corman enlisted Price to appear in not one but three Poe stories. Dubbing the anthology “Tales of Terror,” it began and ended on suitably creepy notes for a horror film: Price is eerily effective both as a beleaguered widower haunted by his un-dead wife in the opening tale, “Morella,” and in the closer, “The Case of M. Valdemar,” as a terminally ill man who is put into a trance by a doctor who just can’t wait for him to die so he can get his surgical mitts around Price’s wife!

It is the middle segment, however, that makes this no ordinary sandwich. “The Black Cat” will always be remembered as the beginning of a wonderful teaming: Vincent Price and Peter Lorre — together! Sure, they were previously both in “The Story of Mankind” (1957), but in separate stories. Here now was a story they could share, and sink their teeth into with all the comic flair they could muster. It was a task they relished! And while it is the shortest of the projects they appeared in together, it is perhaps the richest in terms of their humorous performances.

The segment, actually inspired by Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado” as well as (or maybe more than) “The Black Cat,” opens on the sight of a drunken Lorre staggering down the street. Right off the bat, we know we’re in for comic delights as Lorre punctuates his inebriated state not only with body language, but facial tics and muttering asides as well. His quips are especially curt — delivered in a slur, but not incoherent, and quite clever and acerbic: “Why don’t you watch where I’m going?!” he intones, as he stumbles into someone. The ever-expressive Lorre eyes are also in service, ever opening, closing, bulging. There has been much conjecture over the years as to how much of this performance—as well as Lorre’s work in “The Raven,” “The Comedy of Terrors,” and his other films from this period featured Lorre actually acting or being genuinely inebriated!

Following Lorre as he floats along the street is the title character, a black cat. The trail leads back to his flat, where his ever-patient wife is waiting. Inside the apartment, Lorre’s lovable drunk shows a nastier side, as the unemployed slacker demands money from his wife Annabel (Joyce Jameson) so he can go back out and drink some more. She claims they have no money to spare, but he’s convinced she’s got it stashed away.

“What about your sewing money?” Lorre asks.

“We need it for food,” she replies.

“Food? That’s exactly what I need it for - I drink my food!”

Exchanges such as this illustrate Lorre’s ability to be extremely funny while simultaneously having more than a hint of pathos about him. To be sure, this was a time in Lorre’s personal life when things were not going well — including substance, alcohol and diet abuse, so both his physical health and mental demeanor were affected. Don’t get me wrong—Lorre’s dialogue, whether scripted or ad-libbed, is delivered hysterically. However, you just can’t help but feel that he’s a pathetic character. It is this element that made Lorre so perfect for the type of lovable yet troubled sods that populated Richard Matheson’s comedic screenplays. In a way, these characters are a more lighthearted mirror image of the ones Vincent Price played in Matheson’s “serious” Poe films (which were the embodiment of the noble, perhaps romantic yet ultimately tortured soul with a skeleton or two in his closet and a dark spot in his heart). These conflicting emotions are also at the heart of Poe himself, so the spirit of Poe is there, if not always the content.

Of course, sewing money in hand, Lorre proceeds to drink it all away, culminating in getting (bodily) thrown out of a local watering hole. A parade of passers-by are accosted by Lorre, He doesn’t even hide his intentions: “Could you spare a coin for a moral cripple?” is a typical inquiry. “Get away from me, you drunken fool!” is the typical response. Each rejection is punctuated by a juicy raspberry from the portly souse!

This scene also contains a classic gem of a line that is both riotous and poignant, as Lorre angrily exclaims, “If I had a pistol...,” then, quietly “...I’d probably sell it and buy more wine.”



Fate plays a major role in any Poe story, even one that is as loosely “based” upon the source material as this one is. In this case, fate comes in the form of a “Wine Merchant’s Convention” which Lorre stumbles across. A demonstration in “expert wine tasting” by Price is about to commence. Lorre is aghast at the notion that anyone could have a more intimate knowledge of the spirits of the grape than him, and challenges Vincent to a wine tasting duel!

Once again, the high comic genius of Lorre resonates: “Afraid to try me, coward?,” challenges Lorre. Then, almost as a delicious afterthought, his face contorts with an air of privileged femininity, and he slowly pronounces, “...poseur!,” with all the pompousness of a French art critic!

Vincent is taken aback and brilliantly conveys his character’s astonishment in a role that is classic Price. He once again lampoons the “aristocratic” sort he’d often played in dramas, with such an air of hoity-toity exaggeration, that it is clear that this material is being played as Particularly amusing are Price’s grandiose mouth “exercises” as he prepares to taste the wine. The actual tasting of the wine is just as flamboyant. Price and Lorre, in fact, use a comedic style that had more or less fallen out of favor with adult moviegoers of the time. The broad nature of their characters was always more prevalent in the theater and on radio, anyway, but if you examine them closely, you’ll find that they are precursors to the frantic sketch comedy characters that arose in such ground-breaking 1970s TV programs as “Saturday Night Live,” “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” and “Second City Television.”

To everyone’s surprise, Lorre actually manages to match Price vintage for vintage in identifying the wines — even as he’s way past the point of intoxication! His heights of delirium invoke memories of such classic Laurel and Hardy films as “Blotto” (1930), “Fra Diavolo” (“The Devil’s Brother”) (1933), “Them Thar Hills" (1934) and “The Bohemian Girl” (1936). The main difference, however, is that Stan and Ollie almost never intended to get plastered!

Three sheets to the wind, Lorre is in no shape to walk home, so Price graciously accompanies his opponent, who at this point is so far gone he’s referring to his new-found acquaintance as an old and dear friend! Once at Lorre’s place, there is an immediate attraction between Vincent and Lorre’s wife. This attraction is heightened as Vincent also gets on famously with the cat, admitting, “I have several of my own at home.”

In a matter of moments, Lorre inevitably passes out, and as Vinnie and wifey struggle to carry him to bed, a bond forms between them. A bond which (the audience left to fill in the blanks) goes beyond polite conversation. Joyce Jameson as Lorre’s wife proves to be a real pro in Vincent and Peter’s company, exuding innocence on the outside but burning need within — and played for laughs just the same. Lorre himself fills in the blanks on his wife’s affair when, returning early from another night of revelry, he spots Price leaving the premises. Waiting until after Vincent has gone, he walks in and confronts his wife, who admits the affair and announces her intentions to become Vincent’s wife. Lorre has something else in mind, however...

Once again, Price and Lorre share the screen and fill it with rich, comic delights as Vincent answers Peter’s “dinner invitation.” They immediately begin imbibing the bubbly, with Price particularly giddy over the offerings. Another scene filled with hysterical Lorre asides, such as when he proposes a toast to Vincent’s “long life,” then immediately follows it under his breath with, “right now I have a better chance than you have!” As funny as it sounds, he’s not kidding: After gulping enough “whammy juice” to down a pony, Price falls to the floor. It is a moment of pure slapstick, as Vincent’s eyes roll and his face collapses in on itself. The choice of the screenwriter and the actors to play this with such lunacy only enforces the fine line between drama and comedy. Dialogue and body language require precision, and only the most skillful writers with the best actors at their disposal can accurately distinguish between the two. This doesn’t always happen, of course, which explains why so many so-called dramas are often unintentionally funny.

As he proceeds to seal Price and Jameson behind the wall, brick by brick, Lorre’s deadpan barbs continue. He answers Price’s incredulous pleas with yet another classic line: “Haven’t I convinced you of my sincerity yet? I’m genuinely dedicated to your destruction!” Equally funny is the follow-up sequence where Lorre imagines Price and Jameson ripping his head off and tossing it like a football, as he screams, “Keep that cat away from my head!” Of course, this is a still a horror story, albeit a comedic horror story, so while the comedy is very black the tale still ends on a jarring note as the Black Cat exposes Lorre’s crime to the authorities.

As it turns out, the Black Cat sequence proved to be the most popular of the three “Tales of Terror." With that knowledge in hand, Corman and Matheson dove head-first into comedy for the next Poe film, “The Raven,” and created a four-star horror-comedy classic in the process.

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