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Vincent Price's Halloween Special
The setup
The premise
Here’s the bit.
In a black-and-white television special, Vincent Price welcomes Gloria Swanson, James Mason and Liberace for Halloween festivities. Swanson treats acting like a pirate as a substitute for wearing a costume, Mason arrives drunk, and Liberace refuses to provide suitably eerie accompaniment. A poetry recital, pumpkin-carving contest and visit from trick-or-treaters each derail Price’s efforts to keep the program suitable for families, while a malfunctioning lift repeatedly undermines his dramatic entrances and exit.
The funny people
Meet the cast. 5
Say it with us
Highly quotable.
Get off my pirate ship or the girl dies!
Save your sassy asides for your windowless bars!
Behind the scenes
The people who made it.

Bill Hader
Writer

Seth Meyers
Writer

John Mulaney
Writer
A little extra
Notes from the archive.
Jon Hamm played Dean Martin in the dress rehearsal before switching to James Mason for the broadcast.
Script
Automatically generated script; wording may contain errors. Speaker labels are inferred.
- 00:02
Speaker 1
You're watching TV Land at 11 on a Friday night Think about it And now, Colgate presents Vincent Price's Halloween Special Now, please welcome your host Spawn of Moloch Vincent Price
- 00:23
Vincent Price
All hallows eve When the minions of Samhain come back up. Guys, I'm not fully up yet. You got to keep pressing the thing. To wreak havoc on the living. And guys, wrong way. Wrong way. Up, up, up, up. Guys.
- 00:40
Vincent Price
Guys, what's going on? Broken? Seriously? Fine. Hold on a second. All right. Well, thank you all for... Guys, I'm out. Stop it. Yes, thank you and welcome to my Halloween special.
- 00:58
Vincent Price
Tonight, prepare yourself for a night of spooks and scares as we have invited over some of our most famous friends for some tricks and also some treats.
- 01:09
Vincent Price
They've all agreed to wear costumes, so see if you could recognize them. Let's see who's at the door. I hope it's not a pirate and a spooky spaceman.
- 01:21
Vincent Price
From the film Sunset Boulevard, Miss Gloria Swanson. I'm from Lolita, Mr. James Mason.
- 01:29
Gloria Swanson
I'm a pirate. I'm a pirate.
- 01:34
Vincent Price
I don't really see a lot of effort as far as dressing like a pirate goes. I thought we agreed you would wear a costume.
- 01:41
Gloria Swanson
I'm a pirate, can't you tell? It's about the acting. I'm an actress. That's what I do, and when I say I'm a pirate, I'm a pirate. Ah.
- 01:52
James Mason
She's a pirate, Price. My Jolly Roger was at full mass the whole drive over.
- 02:02
Vincent Price
Ah. Okay. Very nice. No spaceman costume, James?
- 02:07
James Mason
No. Didn't even open the box. Too old-fashioned.
- 02:11
Vincent Price
The suit was too old-fashioned?
- 02:13
James Mason
No, I had two old-fashions and I couldn't open the box. I've been drunk since 11 a.m., Price.
- 02:19
Vincent Price
Please, James. Family show.
- 02:22
James Mason
Understood. Say, where are the whores?
- 02:24
Vincent Price
Cheesy-creasy, James. James? Gloria, what's going on over there?
- 02:32
Gloria Swanson
Get off my pirate ship or the girl dies. See,
- 02:37
James Mason
Vincent, do you mind if I slip into something more comfortable? I pissed myself on the way over here. Pretty numb down there, so I only know it when it hits my ankles. Gloria, another drink?
- 02:50
Vincent Price
No more drinks. No more drinks. Please. Now I'd like to introduce our most horrifying song Smith. Ladies and gentlemen, the ghost of Liberace!
- 03:11
Liberace
Thank you. Well, before I start my song, I want to show you all something. This is a trick-or-treat bag that was given to me by the president of Argentina. And as you can see, it's covered in sapphires and topaz.
- 03:26
Vincent Price
Where's the ghost costume, Liberace?
- 03:29
Liberace
Ghost? I thought we agreed on restoration France by way of Atlantic City.
- 03:33
Vincent Price
Save your sassy your sides for your windowless bars now prepare your ears for a truly horrifying performance i shall recite edgar allen pose the raven while liberace provides haunting accompaniment once upon a midnight dreary while i pondered weak and weary over a many quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore haunting Liberace haunting while I nodded nearly guys this music working for you because it is not working for me
- 04:15
Liberace
I have some issues with the lyrics
- 04:18
James Mason
yes same here Vincent that's a real downer Gloria and I could use something a bit more upbeat do you know this one there There once was a girl named Regina.
- 04:31
Vincent Price
Stop! Family show!
- 04:33
James Mason
You don't even know where it's going!
- 04:35
Vincent Price
All the same.
- 04:39
James Mason
Vagina.
- 04:40
Vincent Price
Wonderful. Let's move on to our pumpkin carving contest. Ready, Gloria? And she's eaten a pumpkin. Ah. That's great. Just great. Didn't want to throw the brakes on that, James.
- 05:00
James Mason
Yeah, well, what can I say, Vincent? Vincent, I've never seen anyone put something that big down so fast.
- 05:05
Liberace
I have.
- 05:06
Vincent Price
Cool it, Liberace! Local children. Children. I'm reminding all of you. Children.
- 05:18
Vincent Price
Especially... all of you. All right. Let's answer the door. Oh, what are you supposed to be, young lady?
- 05:31
Trick-or-treater
I'm a princess.
- 05:32
Vincent Price
Oh, how adorable. And you, young man.
- 05:35
James Mason
Man, I imagine you're dressed as some brand of homosexual.
- 05:38
Liberace
That makes two of us.
- 05:43
James Mason
Tell her to bring a lady friend for my friend Liberace over here.
- 05:47
Liberace
Oh, I'm good.
- 05:49
Vincent Price
Kids, no, don't go. Thanks, James. Now I'm going to wake up in the morning with a house covered in toilet tissue.
- 06:01
Vincent Price
Let's wrap it up. You have just partaken in a celebration most fouled We're phantasms and wraiths, you want a clear frame there? Just want to wander the earthly plane in search of vengeance upon the living and... Guys, I thought we had this thing fixed. Oh, great. Oh, great. Well, have a happy Halloween, everybody. That's all.
- 06:27
Speaker 1
This has been Vincent Price's Halloween Special. Thanks for watching.
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