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In the Fall of 1999, I was delighted to receive an email from Ms. Cathie Merchant. She very modestly told me that she'd had a "small role" in The Haunted Palace with Vincent Price. When I asked what part she'd played, she replied that it had been that of Hester Tillinghast, Price's mistress! "Small role" indeed!
This page is a tribute to Ms. Merchant's career and The Haunted Palace in general. I hope
you enjoy it! She was even gracious enough to allow me to include some of her
personal recollections here, which are both revealing and nostalgic. My
heartfelt thanks go out to this special lady!
Most of the following thumbnails can be clicked on to see a larger image!
NEW! Click HERE for an in-process Cathie Merchant filmography!
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The poster art for the film even features Ms. Merchant near the bottom, assisting Vincent with his Lovecraftian rites. |
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Hester (Merchant, center) helps Vincent guide a hapless victim to the chambers below. |
Though she never utters a word, Ms. Merchant registers as a powerful presence and serves as the inspiration for much of the evil that Price's character, Joseph Curwen, perpetrates in the film. Why, he can't even consider continuing his efforts at serving the powerful Cthulhu until he brings his beloved Hester back to life!
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The villagers of Arkham confront Vincent and his mistress (Merchant on the left) |
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A publicity photo of the cast taken on the grand staircase of the ritual room shows Cathie Merchant at the very top standing to the right of Hollywood veteran Milton Parsons. |
Ms. Merchant provided some terrific anecdotes about the making of the film, as well as some great recollections of working with Ray Milland in Roger Corman's The Man With the X-Ray Eyes and with Cary Grant and Doris Day in That Touch of Mink. With her very kind permission, here are some recollections about the making of The Haunted Palace:
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From the film's pressbook, here's the cast and crew list from The Haunted Palace. |
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Here's a striking Italian poster for the film which overlaps the faces of VP and Chaney Jr. to great effect! |
"...As to working with Vincent, he was a little upset with me as the costume gal lent me a necklace he had given her. He got better later. He really had a good sense of humor and made a great joke about the pit the monster was in; the still cameraman had fallen in at one point (not hurt) and...in the script some discussion came up about the inhabitant of the pit...Vincent said 'It's George, the cameraman.' (You had to be there). Debra [Paget] was very sweet...Lon Chaney, Jr. cooked chili in his dressing room and it was quite pungent. It was a nice experience, if you like making films in fourteen days. I had worked for Roger in Man With the X-Ray Eyes, and he really knew how to keep the budget down...
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Cathie
Merchant (center) as one of the carnival entertainers puzzled by Ray
Milland's talents in Man With the X-Ray Eyes. Milland is to
the right. |
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The
lovely Ms. Merchant (right) looking decidedly un-sorcerorlike! |
"One point of interest perhaps; an additional scene was shot which I believe was to be used as the final scene. Lon Chaney, and the wonderful character actor whose name escapes me [Milton Parsons] and myself were pulling the picture which had hung over the fireplace, representing the ancestor, from the big fireplace. Roger's brother Gene was directing.
"The fire was real. All our makeup was melting. Chaney was cursing and I was falling apart. If you notice, the dress I wore after the 'resurrection' was the same I wore in the earlier scenes, except there is some light-colored lace added on the neckline and cuffs. After the scene, the wonderful wardrobe gal, whose name I don't remember, shame on me, said the fireman standing by told her the lace was very flammable, and if a spark had landed it would have been a shame. I was crying after the scene and we didn't quite do it to perfection. Lon Chaney would not repeat it. I think he was the one who had the clout to say, 'this is ridiculous.'
I did a lot of work in the industry and that was one of the most frightening experiences. I guess the fact that we had to be on set at 6:00 and were there until 10:00 or so could have made our nerves raw doing Roger's '14-day wonder' productions. Also, the scenes were not shot in sequence. When Ward [Price's character] returns, all we ghouls had green makeup. You can't really see it on me, but Chaney appears tinged. I would have my makeup changed...two or three times per day. It was quite an experience. I used to sing to Frank Maxwell [Dr. Willet] 'What Kind of Ghoul am I' (apologies to Sammy Davis)..."
Copyright 1999-2004 Cathie Merchant and Richard D. Squires
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