"VISITING WITH HUELL HOWSER" IS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH A GENEROUS GRANT FROM THE RALPH M. PARSONS FOUNDATION.

[CAPTIONING MADE POSSIBLE BY KCET PUBLIC TELEVISION] Huell: WELL, HELLO, EVERYBODY.

I'M HUELL HOWSER, AND, YOU KNOW, OVER THE YEARS, I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET AND SPEND TIME WITH SOME TRULY AMAZING PEOPLE, INTERESTING PEOPLE, FASCINATING PEOPLE, PEOPLE LIKE VINCENT PRICE.

NOW, WHEN YOU SAY VINCENT PRICE, EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT VINCENT PRICE WAS AN AMAZING ACTOR BOTH ONSTAGE AND ON-SCREEN.

HE WAS IN HUNDREDS OF MOVIES OVER THE YEARS.

EVERYBODY KNEW VINCENT PRICE AS A GREAT ACTOR.

FEWER PEOPLE REALIZE THAT VINCENT PRINCE WAS ALSO A STUDENT OF THE ARTS.

HE STUDIED THE ARTS IN SCHOOL.

HE COLLECTED ART.

HE HAD AN AMAZING ART COLLECTION.

HE ALSO HAD A VERY OBSCURE, BUT WONDERFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE RIGHT HERE IN MONTEREY PARK, AND IT WAS, WELL, WAY OVER 20 YEARS AGO THAT I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND THE WHOLE DAY WITH VINCENT PRICE RIGHT HERE ON THE CAMPUS OF EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE IN MONTEREY PARK.

IT WAS A FASCINATING EXPERIENCE, AND WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO RIGHT NOW IS GO BACK IN TIME, WELL OVER 20 YEARS, AND TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THAT WONDERFUL DAY WITH VINCENT PRICE AND HIS BELOVED ART COLLECTION ON HIS BELOVED CAMPUS HERE OF EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE, AND THEN WE'LL BE BACK FOR AN UPDATE.

HERE WE GO WAY BACK IN TIME WITH VINCENT PRICE.

[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING] THE VINCENT PRICE GALLERY SITS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CAMPUS AND CONTAINS A CROSS SECTION OF ART FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, FROM THE RENAISSANCE TO PRESENT DAY.

THIS PARTICULAR EXHIBIT, ENTITLED "SOME OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS," HAS IN IT JUST A FRACTION OF THE OVER 1,200 PIECES IN THE ART COLLECTION, 3/4 OF WHICH HAVE BEEN PERSONALLY DONATED BY VINCENT PRICE, WHO'S NOT ONLY A FAMOUS ACTOR, BUT A WORLD-RENOWNED ART COLLECTOR AND AUTHORITY WHO IN FACT WAS TRAINED AS AN ART HISTORIAN.

HIS ASSOCIATION WITH EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE STARTED 35 YEARS AGO, WHEN HE FIRST MET WITH THE STUDENTS AND FACULTY AND DECIDED THIS WAS THE PLACE TO ESTABLISH A GALLERY.

AND EVER SINCE, HE'S BEEN DONATING PIECES OF ART, BUILDING UP ONE OF THE FINEST COLLECTIONS FOUND ON ANY COLLEGE CAMPUS ANYWHERE.

HELLO.

HOW ARE YOU?

I CAME TO SEE YOUR THINGS.

OH, SO GLAD.

LOOKS GREAT.

YEAH.

Huell: NOW, VINCENT DOESN'T JUST DONATE ART TO THE COLLEGE.

HE'S A HANDS-ON PERSON WHO LOVES TO DROP BY THE CAMPUS UNEXPECTEDLY FROM TIME TO TIME AND VISIT WITH THE ART STUDENTS.

OH, LOOK AT IT.

IT'S SUPER.

I'M JUST BEGINNING, SO... PAINTING THE MOUNTAIN THROUGH A BOTTLE.

IT'S VERY NICE.

THEN DO YOU GLAZE IT?

AND THEN YOU GLAZE IT.

AFTER IT'S DRY.

YES, AFTER IT'S DRY.

Huell: DURING THIS PARTICULAR VISIT, HE ALSO SPENT SOME TIME WITH CERAMICS STUDENTS, WATCHING THEM AT WORK.

THIS IS SOMETHING I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO DO.

LOVE THE HAIR.

IT'S GREAT.

Huell: HE ALSO LIKES TO TAKE LEISURELY STROLLS AROUND THE CAMPUS, MEETING THE STUDENTS, SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS, AND GETTING HUGS.

BUT HIS REAL PRIDE AND JOY IS THE GALLERY.

HE LOVES TO SHOW PEOPLE AROUND THE GALLERY, POINTING OUT EACH PIECE OF ART AND TELLING ITS STORY.

IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THIS COLLECTION ON THIS CAMPUS IS VERY SPECIAL TO HIM.

IT'S REALLY BEEN AMAZING HOW IT HAS GROWN AND HOW IT IS USED AND HOW IT IS UNKNOWN, EXCEPT IN THIS COMMUNITY.

IT IS A USEFUL COLLECTION OF ART.

Huell: NOW, THESE ARE SOME OF THE FIRST PIECES YOU GAVE TO THE COLLEGE, RIGHT?

YES, RIGHT AT THE VERY BEGINNING.

AND THEY'RE REALLY QUITE EXTRAORDINARY, AND AS I SAID, THERE WAS A STUDY COLLECTION, YOU KNOW, TO SEED DIFFERENT SCHOOLS OF ART, DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES OF ART.

THIS IS A WOOD BLOCK BY THE MOST FAMOUS WOOD-BLOCK ARTIST OF ALL TIME, ALBRECHT DURER, WHO WAS THE PEAK OF THE GERMAN RENAISSANCE.

THEN THIS IS GOYA, THE MOST--FOR MY DOUGH, PROBABLY THE GREATEST ARTIST THAT EVER LIVED, THE GREAT SPANIARD.

THIS IS POUVE DE CHEVANNE, A LITTLE SORT OF GOUACHE DRAWING.

THIS IS PICASSO, ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS OF ALL OF MODERN PRINTS.

WHEN I GAVE HIM, IT WASN'T THAT FAMOUS.

NOW IT'S THAT FAMOUS.

THIS IS ODEDAUN REDAUNT, SIGNED ODEDAUN REDAUNT.

BUT THESE WERE THINGS THAT THE KIDS COULD COME AND TAKE 'EM OFF A WALL AND SAY, "I WANT TO LOOK AT IT.

I WANT TO STUDY IT.

I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE TECHNIQUE OF ENGRAVING AND ETCHING AND WOODCUTTING.

CERAMICS YOU WILL SEE IN ANOTHER PART OF THE COLLECTION, SOME VERY ANCIENT CERAMICS FROM AMERICAN INDIAN AND PERUVIAN.

JOAQUIN DE MOLINA.

HE'S A CONTEMPORARY SPANISH ARTIST, AND I WAS IN SPAIN AT A FILM FESTIVAL, AND I BOUGHT A WHOLE BUNCH OF THESE THINGS FOR EAST LOS ANGELES.

THEY'RE ALL ORIGINAL LITHOGRAPHS AND SILK-SCREENS, DIFFERENT PROCESSES.

Huell: SO YOU'RE ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR COLLECTION WHEN YOU'RE OUT AROUND THE WORLD.

I NEVER STOP LOOKING FOR IT AND TRYING TO ADD NEW THINGS TO IT, BUT IT'S TRYING TO--IT'S AWFULLY DIFFICULT NOW, BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS SO EXPENSIVE IN THE ART WORLD.

BUT THERE ARE YOUNG PAINTERS WHO I THINK WOULD BE OF MORE INTEREST TO THE YOUNG STUDENTS.

HERE'S A--PROBABLY THE MOST FAMOUS TEACHER IN LOS ANGELES WAS A MAN NAMED RICO LEBRUN, WHO DIED A FEW YEARS AGO, AND HE WAS A GREAT FRIEND OF MINE.

ONE DAY, HE SAID, "WOULD YOU POSE FOR A PICTURE FOR ME."

IF THERE'S ANYTHING IN THE WORLD I HATE, IT'S HAVING MY PICTURE PAINTED OR EVEN BEING PHOTOGRAPHED.

[HUELL LAUGHS] NO, ACTORS ALWAYS LOVE IT.

BUT THIS IS A PORTRAIT THAT HE DID OF ME THAT HIS WIFE, HIS WIDOW GAVE TO ME.

Huell: THAT'S MAGNIFICENT.

YES, I THINK IT'S KIND OF WONDERFUL.

IT'S RATHER SINISTER-LOOKING, BUT THEN I'M A SINISTER FELLOW.

THIS SERIES OVER HERE, WHICH IS REALLY KIND OF FUN, THIS IS PART OF THAT COLLECTION OF CIRCUS POSTERS THAT I BOUGHT BACK FROM POLAND, AND THEY REALLY ARE MARVELOUS.

I THINK THEY'RE SUCH FUN AND SO VITALLY FUNNY AND AMUSING, AND THEY GIVE THE SPIRIT OF THE CIRCUS.

THE MONA LISA AS AN ACROBAT.

Huell: I LOVE IT.

I THINK IT'S GREAT.

Huell: WHAT DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF--OF THE STUDENTS HERE AND WHAT-- IF ONE STUDENT GETS A FEELING THAT ART IS WORTHWHILE, WE'VE MADE OUR POINT, BUT MANY HAVE.

Huell: HOW MUCH PRIDE IS THERE HERE IN THIS?

OH, IT'S TREMENDOUS PRIDE.

OH, GOD, IT'S TREMENDOUS PRIDE.

UM, WHEN YOU WATCH STUDENTS COME IN THE GALLERY, UM, THEY CAN'T KEEP THEIR EYES OFF OF IT.

THEY'RE GLUED TO IT.

THEY WILL LEAVE.

UH, WE HAVE TO KICK THEM OUT SOMETIMES.

WE WANT TO CLOSE.

UM, THIS GALLERY AND THIS COLLECTION HAS TURNED ON SO MANY STUDENTS, SOME OF WHICH HAVE BECOME QUITE FAMOUS, AND WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT.

HE RECOGNIZED THAT THE STUDENTS AT THIS COLLEGE WHEN IT FIRST BEGAN, WHICH IS--IT STARTED IN '45.

5 YEARS AFTER, HE TRUDGED THROUGH THIS CAMPUS WHEN IT WAS FILLED WITH MUD AND DUST AND--DEPENDING, YOU KNOW, ON THE SEASON.

AND HE REALIZED THAT, UH, THEY WANTED SOMETHING THAT THEY COULD TOUCH, THAT THEY COULD SEE.

THERE'S A GREAT DEAL OF LOVE FOR THE ARTS HERE.

AND OF COURSE HE KNEW THAT, AND HE APPRECIATED THAT.

THROUGHOUT HIS TIME, HE'S BEEN ASKED TO GIVE TO MANY, UH, GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS, AND I THINK THAT ONE OF THE GREAT TRIBUTES TO US IS THAT, UM, HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN WILLING TO DONATE TO US.

BECAUSE HE SEES THE DIRECT EFFECT.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE A LOVE AFFAIR, A LONG-LASTING LOVE AFFAIR.

Huell: THESE DAYS, APPRECIATION OF ART IS VERY MUCH A PART OF THE ATMOSPHERE ON THE CAMPUS OF EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE.

IN FACT, IT HAS BEEN FOR A LONG TIME, THANKS IN PART TO THIS 35-YEAR RELATIONSHIP, CALL IT LOVE AFFAIR IF YOU WILL, BETWEEN THE COLLEGE AND THIS REMARKABLE FELLA, VINCENT PRICE.

WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY WITH VINCENT PRICE HERE ON THE CAMPUS OF EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE.

NOW OF COURSE VINCENT PRICE PASSED AWAY BACK IN 1993, BUT LOOK.

THE VINCENT PRICE GALLERY, WHERE WE WERE BACK THEN, HAS NOW BEEN REPLACED BY THIS BEAUTIFUL NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART VINCENT PRICE ART MUSEUM.

IT'S A REAL SHOWPLACE, A REAL CENTER OF ARTS ACTIVITY HERE ON THE EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE, AND THIS MUSEUM NAMED FOR VINCENT PRICE IS WHERE WE'RE GOING FOR THE REST OF THIS ADVENTURE.

THE TOUR BEGINS.

WE'RE NOW IN ONE OF THE THIRD-FLOOR GALLERIES, PERMANENT COLLECTION, "MODERN EXPRESSIONS OF FIGURE AND FORM."

AND ONE OF OUR TOUR GUIDES TODAY.

KAREN, INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO EVERYBODY.

HI, HUELL.

I'M KAREN RAPP.

I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE VINCENT PRICE ART MUSEUM AT EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE.

Huell: NOW, WHEN I WAS HERE YEARS AGO WITH VINCENT PRICE, IT WAS JUST A GALLERY.

IT WASN'T REALLY A MUSEUM YET, WAS IT?

IT WAS A GALLERY THAT WAS IN THE CENTER OF THE CAMPUS, AND IT AT THAT TIME ALREADY HAD A COLLECTION IN THE LATE EIGHTIES OF ABOUT 2,000 OBJECTS GIVEN BY MR. PRICE.

Huell: WOW, SO HE REALLY STARTED--HE KICK-STARTED THE WHOLE THING, DIDN'T HE?

WELL, HIS AFFILIATION WITH THE CAMPUS, WITH EAST L.A. COLLEGE, IT GOES BACK TO THE LATE FORTIES.

HE AND HIS WIFE MARY GRANT WERE INVITED TO COME TO THIS CAMPUS TO BE SPEAKERS AT A GRADUATION CEREMONY, AND I THINK THAT THEY BOTH FELL IN LOVE WITH THE CAMPUS, WITH THE COMMUNITY, AND THEY CONTINUED TO COME HERE AND MADE A DECISION THEN IN THE LATE FIFTIES THAT IT WAS ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE THAT THIS COLLEGE HAVE WORKS OF ORIGINAL ART.

Huell: HE REALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH THE CAMPUS AND WITH THE CONCEPT OF A CAMPUS OVER HERE IN EAST L.A.

EARLY ON, DIDN'T HE?

IT WAS JUST SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED.

YOU KNOW, WHAT'S AMAZING IS THAT AT THE TIME WHEN VINCENT PRICE CAME HERE, MANY OF THE OTHER MAJOR MUSEUMS IN L.A.

DIDN'T EXIST, AND HE RECOGNIZED THAT EAST LOS ANGELES, SHALL WE SAY EAST OF DOWNTOWN, HAD VERY FEW RESOURCES FOR THE VISUAL ARTS, AND HE COMMITTED TO CHANGE THAT.

Huell: HE WAS AHEAD OF HIS TIME IN MANY WAYS.

HE WAS GENERATIONS AHEAD OF HIS TIME.

[HUELL LAUGHS] BUT THERE'S MORE.

AS THE TOUR CONTINUES--COME ON, KAREN.

STANDING BACK HERE IN THE BACK OF THIS PERMANENT GALLERY, YOUR NAME IS?

VICTORIA PRICE.

HI, HUELL.

Huell: YOU ARE VINCENT'S DAUGHTER.

I AM.

Huell: NOW LET'S START WITH THE CONCEPT THAT VERY FEW PEOPLE REALLY KNOW THE ART SIDE OF YOUR DAD, DO THEY?

ABSOLUTELY.

NO, A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST THINK HE WAS A HORROR MOVIE ACTOR.

Huell: WELL, NO.

HE WAS AN ACTOR.

YES.

Huell: HE DID MORE THAN JUST HORROR MOVIES.

THAT'S TRUE.

Huell: BUT SOME OF HIS BEST WERE HORROR MOVIES.

THAT'S VERY TRUE.

Huell: HE LIKED DOING THOSE, DIDN'T HE?

HE DID.

HE LOVED DOING 'EM.

Huell: BUT HE HAD THIS INTEREST IN ART THAT WENT WAY BACK TO HIS COLLEGE DAYS.

ACTUALLY IT WENT BACK BEFORE THAT.

HE DISCOVERED A BOOK OF ART WHEN HE WAS 8 YEARS OLD, FELL IN LOVE WITH THE VISUAL ARTS, AND ACTUALLY AT AGE 12 BOUGHT HIS FIRST PIECE OF ART.

IT WAS A FIRST-STATE REMBRANDT ETCHING, AND HE BOUGHT IT FOR $37.50.

Huell: WOW.

YEAH.

Huell: SO HE KEPT HIS ALLOWANCE MONEY, PUT IT TOGETHER, AND BOUGHT A PIECE OF ART.

ACTUALLY HE PAID IT OFF OVER 3 YEARS USING HIS ALLOWANCE.

Huell: REALLY?

YEP.

Huell: ARE YOU HEARING THESE STORIES, A LOT OF 'EM FOR THE FIRST TIME?

ACTUALLY THIS I KNOW BECAUSE I'VE SEEN SOME WONDERFUL BIOGRAPHIES ON VINCENT PRICE.

Huell: YEAH, THERE'S A LOT OF RICHNESS THERE, ISN'T THERE?

OH, ABSOLUTELY.

PEOPLE DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT MY DAD DID FOR THE VISUAL ARTS IN CALIFORNIA AND IN THIS COUNTRY.

Huell: BUT THEN HE MAJORED IN IT IN COLLEGE.

YEP.

HE WENT TO YALE.

HE MAJORED IN ENGLISH AND ART HISTORY, AND THEN HE WENT ON TO THE COURTAULD INSTITUTE IN LONDON, AND HE STUDIED ART HISTORY.

Huell: SO HE COULD HAVE VERY EASILY BEEN AN ARTIST INSTEAD OF AN ACTOR, ALTHOUGH YOU SAID HE WASN'T A GREAT ARTIST.

HE--I ACTUALLY THINK HE WAS AN EXCELLENT ARTIST.

HE DIDN'T THINK HE WAS A GOOD ENOUGH ARTIST.

BUT ACTUALLY WHAT HE COULD HAVE BEEN IS AN ART HISTORIAN, AND HE WROTE ABOUT 4 BOOKS ON ART HISTORY, SO... Huell: DO YOU THINK THAT WAS ONE OF HIS TRUE--I MEAN, IF YOU HAD TO SAY ART OR ACTING, WAS IT-- I THINK THE VISUAL ARTS WERE HIS ABSOLUTE PASSION IN LIFE.

Huell: EVEN MORE THAN ACTING?

ABSOLUTELY.

Huell: YOU'RE SHAKING YOUR HEAD YES.

YEAH, I THINK SO, TOO.

I MEAN, I HAVE SEEN QUOTES WHERE HE HAS SAID--OR HAD SAID THAT THIS VINCENT PRICE ART MUSEUM WAS HIS GREATEST GIFT AND LEGACY.

ABSOLUTELY.

Huell: WOW.

ABSOLUTELY, HIS GREATEST LEGACY.

Huell: SO HE LOVED ACQUIRING PIECES.

DID HE LOVE JUST THE-- JUST LOOKING AT--WELL, THIS IS ONE OF HIS PIECES.

WELL, THIS IS A GREAT STORY.

SO IN THE FORTIES, THERE WAS A YOUNG ANIMATOR WHO HE MET.

HIS NAME WAS HOWARD WARSHAW, AND IT'S KIND OF AN INTERESTING PARALLEL, BECAUSE THERE WAS ANOTHER YOUNG ANIMATOR HE MET AT THE VERY END OF HIS LIFE WHOSE NAME WAS TIM BURTON.

AND SO MY DAD HAD A--SORT OF A HISTORY OF BEFRIENDING THESE ANIMATORS.

HOWARD WARSHAW BECAME ONE OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S REALLY GREAT ARTISTS DURING THAT PERIOD.

HE WAS A PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT SANTA BARBARA, AND I KNOW MANY PEOPLE WHO WENT THROUGH THAT PROGRAM.

HE WAS AN AMAZING ARTIST.

HE ACTUALLY LIVED WITH MY FAMILY FOR A WHILE WHEN HE WAS, YOU KNOW, STRUGGLING TO COME UP, AND THEY WERE VERY, VERY GOOD FRIENDS, AND MY DAD WAS HIS FIRST BIG COLLECTOR, AND WE HAVE ABOUT A HUNDRED PIECES HERE AT THE MUSEUM.

Huell: AND THESE ARE VALUABLE PIECES NOW.

THEY'RE VALUABLE, AND THEY'RE ALSO JUST AN EXTRAORDINARY GLIMPSE AT THAT TIME IN TERMS OF THE ART IN THE FORTIES AND FIFTIES IN CALIFORNIA.

Huell: WAS YOUR FATHER GOOD AT PERCEIVING THINGS AHEAD OF TIME?

DID HE RECOGNIZE ARTISTS LIKE THIS IN THEIR EARLY DAYS AND KNOW THAT THEY WERE GONNA BE...

HE DID.

HE BOUGHT HIS FIRST JACKSON POLLOCK FOR $50.

UM, HE-- Huell: YOU'RE LAUGHING AT THAT, AREN'T YOU?

YEAH, HOW CAN YOU NOT?

HE BOUGHT HIS FIRST RICHARD DIEBENKORN FOR 500 AND HIS SECOND FOR 750.

AND SOME BIG-TIME COLLECTORS, FOR EXAMPLE, GIFFORD PHILLIPS TOLD ME THAT THE ONLY REASON HE BOUGHT DIEBENKORN--AND HE'S A HUGE COLLECTOR--WAS BECAUSE VINCENT PRICE, MY DAD, TOLD HIM TO BUY DIEBENKORN.

BUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT I WILL SAY ABOUT MY DAD WAS HE WASN'T LOOKING FOR THE NEXT BIG HIT.

HE WAS A PASSIONATE COLLECTOR, SO FOR EVERY POLLOCK OR FOR EVERY DIEBENKORN, THERE'S AN ARTIST WHO MIGHT STILL NOT BE KNOWN, AND THOSE WERE EQUALLY IMPORTANT TO HIM.

AS LONG AS IT WAS GOOD WORK THAT SPOKE TO HIM, HE DIDN'T CARE.

Huell: WELL, I DON'T WANT TO SOUND CRASS, BUT IT REALLY TURNED INTO A VERY--THERE WAS A LOT OF MONEY INVOL--I MEAN, THIS COLLECTION WAS AND IS WORTH A LOT OF MONEY.

BUT THAT'S NOT WHY HE DID IT.

Huell: NO, I UNDERSTAND THAT.

AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT I WILL SAY IS AT THE END OF HIS LIFE, HE SAID THAT HE WOULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER COLLECTOR--MY DAD WAS OF THAT GENERATION THAT LIVED THROUGH THE DEPRESSION, WHERE HE HAD CERTAIN SORT OF FINANCIAL LIMITS FOR HIMSELF.

AND HE SAID HE WOULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER COLLECTOR IF HE HADN'T HAD THOSE LIMITS.

HE WOULD SAY TO HIMSELF, "WELL, IF POLLOCK GOES OVER $1,000, I'M NOT GONNA BUY THAT ONE."

AND HE REALIZED THAT HE'D MADE IT A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH ABOUT MONEY.

IN--IN HIS CASE, NOT MAKING A LOT, BUT NOT SPENDING TOO MUCH.

Huell: YEAH.

AND SOMETIMES HE MISSED A PIECE THAT HE REALLY LOVED BECAUSE HE WAS TOO SCARED TO SPEND THAT MONEY.

Huell: YEAH.

LET'S LOOK AT SOME MORE.

THERE'S SOME OTHERS OVER HERE.

COME ON.

LET'S GO OVER HERE.

THIS--HOW MANY PIECES OF VINCENT PRICE'S COLLECTION ARE ACTUALLY HERE AT THE COLLEGE?

ALL OF THEM.

Huell: AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HOW MANY PIECES?

THERE ARE BETWEEN, UM-- VICTORIA'S MOTHER, MARY GRANT, AND VINCENT PRICE, A TOTAL OF 2,000 ARTWORKS ON THE CAMPUS THAT THEY DONATED OVER A PERIOD OF 50 YEARS.

Huell: SO DID HE DONATE MOST OF HIS COLLECTION TO THIS COLLEGE?

WELL, I WOULDN'T SAY MOST.

Huell: SO HE HAD MORE THAN-- I MEAN, HE HAD HOW MANY THOUSANDS OF PIECES?

HE HAD A LARGE NUMBER OF PIECES.

Huell: GOODNESS GRACIOUS.

NO, I WAS THE, UH--THE PERSON IN CHARGE OF DISPERSING HIS ESTATE, AND, YES, A GREAT NUMBER WENT HERE, BUT THERE WERE-- THERE WERE OTHER PIECES AS WELL.

Huell: WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT RIGHT OVER HERE?

WELL, THESE ARE 2 INCREDIBLE PIECES, AND THIS ONE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES.

IT'S ACTUALLY-- THERE ARE VERY FEW PIECES THAT MY DAD HAD THAT HE GAVE HERE THAT I HAVE A LITTLE TWINGE OF JEALOUSY ABOUT.

THIS WOULD BE ONE.

Huell: SHE CAN'T HAVE 'EM BACK, THOUGH, CAN SHE?

SHE CAN JUST COME IN AND LOOK AT THEM.

NO COMMENT.

[HUELL LAUGHS] BUT APPARENTLY I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO'S JEALOUS.

I GUESS, UH, LACMA IS PRETTY JEALOUS, TOO, BECAUSE THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY EXAMPLE, AND THEY HAVE A--YOU KNOW, MAYBE AN EXAMPLE THAT ISN'T QUITE, UH, AS WONDERFUL.

Huell: WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT HERE?

THESE ARE 2 JAPANESE PIECES.

KAREN CAN TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THEM.

THEY'RE--THIS IS A WOOD-BLOCK PRINT.

THEY'RE BOTH 19th CENTURY PIECES.

THIS IS ACTUALLY ON SILK, AND I THINK WHAT IT--WHAT THEY SPEAK TO--FIRST OF ALL, THEY'RE IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS SHOW, WHICH LOOKS AT ARTISTIC REPRESENTATIONS OF THE HUMAN FIGURE, BUT ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH MR. PRICE WAS SO FAR AHEAD OF HIS TIME WAS THAT HE EMBRACED AND COLLECTED NON-WESTERN ART LONG BEFORE I EVEN THINK UNIVERSITIES AND ACADEMIA HAD DEPARTMENTS THAT TAUGHT ABOUT THEM AS THOROUGHLY AS HE COLLECTED.

Huell: SEE, ONCE AGAIN, HE WAS AHEAD OF TIME.

COMPLETELY.

COMPLETELY.

AND I THINK IN THE RESEARCH THAT I'VE DONE ABOUT LOS ANGELES' COLLECTING HISTORY, LET'S SAY AFTER WORLD WAR II, VINCENT PRICE WAS AT THE FOREFRONT, BECAUSE HE WAS INTERESTED IN AFRICAN ART, OCEANIC ART, NATIVE AMERICAN ART, ASIAN ART.

AND THEN WE WERE THE RECIPIENTS IN HIS INITIAL GIFT OF THIS GLOBAL COLLECTION, AND... Huell: DID YOU KNOW AT THE TIME GROWING UP THAT YOUR DAD WAS-- DID YOU APPRECIATE ALL OF THIS?

I DID.

YOU KNOW, AND NOT A LOT OF MY FRIENDS HAD TOTEM POLES IN THEIR BACKYARD, SO, YEAH.

NO, HE HAD THIS INCREDIBLE COLLECTION, AND IN FACT, I WENT ON TO STUDY ART HISTORY AT WILLIAMS COLLEGE, WHICH IS A--HAS A VERY GOOD ART HISTORY PROGRAM, AND I WAS IN AFRICAN ART CLASS, AND ONE OF OUR PIECES CAME UP ON THE--AS A SLIDE, AND I SORT OF WAS TAKEN ABACK.

AND AFTERWARDS, I WENT UP TO THE PROFESSOR, AND I SAID, "WELL, YOU KNOW, DID YOU SEE THAT PIECE?

AND THAT WAS OURS," AND SHE--HER MOUTH DROPPED OPEN.

I GREW UP LOOKING AT AN AMAZING, AMAZING RANGE OF ART.

Huell: I WAS GONNA SAY AS A CHILD, YOU MUST HAVE JUST BEEN EXPOSED TO THIS AND FALLEN IN LOVE, NOT ONLY WITH ART IN GENERAL, BUT WITH SPECIFIC PIECES OF ART THAT YOUR FATHER HAD ACQUIRED.

YOU KNOW, AS A KID, I LOVED HORSES AND DOGS AND ANIMALS OF ALL KIND, AND SO THOSE WERE THE ONES I WAS PARTICULARLY DRAWN TO 'CAUSE I WAS A KID.

AND MY DAD KNEW THAT, SO HE WOULD USE THOSE PIECES TO TEACH ME ABOUT ART, KNOWING THAT I WOULD HAVE NO RESISTANCE TO THEM.

UM, I REMEMBER IN OUR FRONT HALL THERE WAS A NORTHWEST COAST PIECE, AND I NEVER KNEW WHAT IT WAS.

IT LOOKED SORT OF--IT WAS A FROG IN RETROSPECT, BUT IT WAS KIND OF TOO LONG FOR A FROG.

IT WAS A BIG SCULPTURE, WOODEN--WOODEN CARVED PIECE, AND IT HAD-- IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS BLOWING BUBBLES, LIKE BAZOOKA BUBBLE GUM TO A KID.

Huell: WELL, A KID WOULD LOVE THAT.

YEAH.

I LOVED THAT PIECE.

BUT HE WOULD USE THAT AS AN EXAMPLE TO TEACH ME ABOUT THE ART OF THAT CULTURE, AND IT WAS-- I LEARNED SO EASILY BECAUSE HE MADE IT FUN, AND HE MADE IT INTERESTING TO ME.

Huell: OK, NOW WE HAVE COME ACROSS THE HALL TO A GALLERY.

OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A SHOW IN PROGRESS BEING PUT TOGETHER, BUT LOOK OVER HERE.

NOW, GOTTA BE VERY CAREFUL.

I DON'T WANNA BREAK ANYTHING.

MY MOM AND MY DAD WENT TO PERU AS GIFTS OF THE FOREIGN PRESS, SO THEY WENT WITH A GROUP OF HOLLYWOOD ACTORS.

AND AT THE TIME, MY DAD LITERALLY SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NAZCA, WHICH THESE ARE, AND CHIMU OR ANY OF THE OTHERS.

HE KNEW NOTHING.

Huell: WELL, HOW DID HE KNOW WHAT TO ACQUIRE?

WELL, HE HAD AN INCREDIBLE EYE, AND HE KNEW HOW TO LEARN.

DAD ALWAYS SAID THAT IF YOU'RE ALWAYS CURIOUS, YOU WILL NEVER BE BORED.

AND SO WHEN HE WAS IN PERU, HE LEARNED EVERYTHING HE COULD LEARN ABOUT THIS-- THESE CULTURES, AND HE BROUGHT THEM BACK.

Huell: HOW OLD ARE THESE?

WELL, THEY'RE PROBABLY-- THEY'RE AROUND 600 A.D. Huell: OH, MY GOSH.

I MEAN, THAT'S THE SPAN.

Huell: SO THEY'RE OLD.

THEY'RE OLD.

Huell: AND THEY'RE KNOWN FOR THEIR COLORING?

THEIR... WELL, THEY'RE PERUVIAN, AND EACH ONE OF THESE REPRESENTS SOMETHING THAT WAS EITHER CEREMONIAL OR, YOU KNOW, HAD TO DO WITH THEIR DEITIES, THEIR DIFFERENT CULTURES.

MY DAD THOUGHT, "OH, I'M NOT AN ART DEALER.

WHAT AM I GONNA DO WITH THEM?"

AND OF COURSE VERY HANDILY HE AND MY MOTHER STARTED THE VINCENT PRICE, UH, ART MUSEUM.

Huell: SO THESE DIDN'T STAY IN YOUR HOUSE VERY LONG.

WELL, PROBABLY ABOUT 10 YEARS OR SO, AND THEN I THINK HE WAS VERY GRATEFUL TO HAVE A PLACE THAT HE COULD GIVE THEM, SO IT WORKED OUT WELL.

Huell: BUT YOU KNEW EARLY ON, EVEN AS A CHILD, LOOK, BUT DON'T TOUCH.

YOU KNOW, MY PARENTS WERE REALLY WONDERFUL ABOUT THAT.

I NEVER FELT LIKE WE LIVED IN A MUSEUM, AND IN FACT, ONE OF-- Huell: BUT YOU DIDN'T PLAY WITH THESE.

YOU DIDN'T-- NO, ONE OF THE MISSIONS OF--OF THIS INSTITUTION IS THAT THE KIDS AND THE STUDENTS ACTUALLY LEARN HOW TO CONSERVE, HOW TO CURATE.

THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT EXISTS BEHIND A PEDESTAL--OR UP ON A PEDESTAL BEHIND GLASS.

PEOPLE LEARN, YOU KNOW-- Huell: YOU JUST TOUCHED THAT.

I JUST TOUCHED IT, AND KAREN'S NOT GONNA YELL AT ME.

Huell: BUT AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE WEARING WHITE GLOVES?

WELL, WE DO THAT, BUT VICTORIA'S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.

THE RESEARCH THAT WENT INTO PUTTING THIS SHOW TOGETHER, THAT HAS SOME OF THE PIECES, THE CHIMU, THE CHANCAY FROM PERU, AND THEN MANY PIECES FROM WEST MEXICO-- THE RESEARCH, THE CATALOGING, THE PUTTING OF THE NUMBER, WHICH IS ON THE-- Huell: SHE TOUCHED IT, TOO.

IT, UH--I'LL SHOW YOU, TOO.

IT WAS ALL DONE BY OUR STUDENTS, YOU KNOW, WITH SUPERVISION.

BUT THEY LEARNED WITH THE WHITE GLOVES WHAT THE PROCEDURES ARE, WHAT THE PROFESSIONAL EXPECTATIONS ARE AS A MUSEUM FUNCTIONS, SO IT WAS A GREAT LEARNING OPPORTUNITY AND, I THINK, SPEAKS TO WHAT YOUR FATHER'S GOALS WERE IN HAVING ARTWORK HERE ON THE CAMPUS.

YEAH, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT EXISTS IN THE RARIFIED AIR.

IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S FOR THE ELITE.

IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S JUST FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON THE WESTSIDE.

AND THIS RELATES TO THEIR CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE AMERICAS, SOUTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, NORTH AMERICA, AND IT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THESE STUDENTS HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY.

Huell: ART IS FOR EVERYONE.

OUR LAST STOP ON THIS MUSEUM TOUR, THIS ART MUSEUM TOUR, IS HERE AT A GALLERY ON THE FIRST LEVEL.

AND I REMEMBER PART OF THAT INTERVIEW WITH VINCENT PRICE SO MANY YEARS AGO WAS HE WAS TALKING ABOUT NOT ONLY APPRECIATION OF ART, BUT USING THIS COLLECTION ON THIS CAMPUS AS A WAY TO ENCOURAGE ART AND ARTISTS HERE AT EAST L.A. YEAH, ART MAKING.

SO WE'RE IN A SHOW WITH 8 OF OUR ESTEEMED, ILLUSTRIOUS ALUMNI ARTISTS WHO ALL BEGAN THEIR ART CAREERS ON THE EAST L.A. COLLEGE CAMPUS AND WENT ON TO ESTABLISH THEMSELVES AS PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS, AND ONE OF THE STORIES THAT KENT TWITCHELL TOLD ME ABOUT HIS INTERACTION WITH SEEING PERMANENT COLLECTION ARTWORKS IS THAT APPARENTLY THERE WAS SOME KIND OF POP-ART HAMBURGER THAT WAS ONCE ON DISPLAY IN THE VINCENT PRICE GALLERY, AND WHEN HE SAW THAT, HE REALIZED, "I HAVE PERMISSION TO DO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING I WANT AS AN ARTIST."

AND OF COURSE HE'S GONE ON TO BECOME MAYBE THE MOST FAMOUS MURALIST IN LOS ANGELES.

Huell: AND HE WAS AN ALUMNUS OF THIS COLLEGE, AND THAT AGAIN WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO VINCENT.

OH, ABSOLUTELY.

I MEAN, MY DAD WANTED THESE STUDENTS TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE ART, AND WHAT I HAVE TO SAY IS THAT MY DAD FELT--AND HE DIDN'T MEAN THIS, YOU KNOW, AS SOME SORT OF GROSS EXAGGERATION.

HE FELT THAT ART SAVED HIS LIFE, AND HE WANTED TO GIVE THESE STUDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE ART SAVE THEIRS.

NOW, LITERALLY DO I MEAN FROM, YOU KNOW, A HEART ATTACK?

NO, BUT HE FELT THAT ART GAVE HIS LIFE MEANING.

IT GAVE HIS LIFE PURPOSE.

IT GAVE HIS LIFE PASSION.

AND HE FELT THAT IF THE STUDENTS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE WORK, THEY COULD EXPERIENCE THAT SAME PASSION AND HAVE IT IN THEIR LIVES.

AND THE FACT THAT SOME OF THEM WENT ON TO BECOME SUCH SUCCESSFUL ARTISTS--HE WAS JUST THINKING YOUR AVERAGE PERSON'S LIFE WOULD BE ENRICHED BY ART.

THAT SOME OF THESE STUDENTS WENT ON TO BECOME ARTISTS BLEW HIS MIND, AND HE WAS SO PROUD OF THEM.

Huell: YOU KNOW, WE MISSED OPENING NIGHT, BUT IT WAS FILLED.

THIS GALLERY WAS FILLED.

WE WERE SWARMING.

WE HAD IN THE BUILDING ABOUT A THOUSAND VISITORS.

ALL 8 OF THE ARTISTS WERE HERE.

THEIR FRIENDS, THEIR FAMILY CAME, AND THEN EASTSIDE, WESTSIDE, WE HAD A HUGE MIX OF ATTENDEES.

Huell: AND HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE WHAT THAT VIBE WAS LIKE THAT NIGHT?

I WOULD SAY WHAT I OBSERVED WAS PEOPLE WALKED IN, THEIR JAWS DROPPED, AND THEY WERE IN AWE OF HAVING THIS WORK, THESE 8 ARTISTS PRESENTED IN THIS MUSEUM SETTING.

Huell: ON THIS CAMPUS... ON THE EAST L.A. CAMPUS.

Huell: IN THIS CITY OF MONTEREY PARK.

IN MONTEREY PARK, BUT BEYOND MONTEREY PARK, REALLY LOOKING AT THIS HISTORICAL EASTSIDE, EAST OF THE L.A. RIVER, SO THE RECOGNITION OF THESE ARTISTS, THEIR CONTRIBUTION, THEIR ROOTS TO EAST LOS ANGELES, IT--I MEAN, IT WAS--IT OVERWHELMED ME, BECAUSE THERE WAS SUCH A STATE OF--OF HAPPINESS AND GRATITUDE FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.

Huell: SEE, I THINK BOTH OF YOU ARE AROUND ART SO MUCH, EVEN THOUGH YOU PROFESS AND YOU UNDERSTAND THE--THE BROADER MEANING OF IT, YOU'RE SO FOCUSED ON ART SOMETIMES, YOU FORGET ABOUT THE TRUE EXCITEMENT THAT IT CAN BRING PEOPLE TO BE EXPOSED TO IT LIKE THIS.

ACTUALLY I WOULD SAY I NEVER FORGET IT, BECAUSE WHEN I REMEMBER WHAT MY DAD LOOKED LIKE WHEN HE SAW A WORK OF ART-- SOMETIMES IT WAS A FUNNY EXPERIENCE.

I REMEMBER ONE TIME WALKING THROUGH A MUSEUM WITH HIM IN SEATTLE, AND WE WERE LAUGHING SO HARD BECAUSE WE THOUGHT THE ART WAS SO BAD THAT WE WERE JUST DOUBLED OVER LAUGHING.

SOMETIMES IT WAS SEEING A PIECE THAT ABSOLUTELY BLEW HIS MIND AND THE AWE IN HIS FACE, AND I ALWAYS CHANNEL MY OWN EXPERIENCE OF ART THROUGH HIS JOY AND THROUGH HIS GRATITUDE THAT HE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE AROUND ART, SO I DON'T THINK I EVER FORGET THE BEAUTY AND THE EXCITEMENT THAT ART ELICITS IN ME.

Huell: WELL, CONGRATULATIONS.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Huell: CONGRATULATIONS.

OH, THANK YOU.

Huell: YOU KNOW, YOUR DAD PASSED AWAY IN 1993... THAT'S CORRECT.

Huell: BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A VERY RELIGIOUS PERSON TO SAY THAT HIS SPIRIT IS STILL VERY MUCH ALIVE HERE, AND HIS DREAM OF TURNING THIS CAMPUS, THIS GALLERY, NOW A MUSEUM INTO A--A REAL FOCAL POINT FOR A WHOLE SECTION OF OUR CITY IS VERY MUCH ALIVE AND WELL.

YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT WHAT YOU DID IN YOUR LIFE.

MY DAD MADE 105 MOVIES.

HE HAS 3 STARS ON HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD.

THOSE AREN'T IMPORTANT.

THE LEGACY YOU LEAVE IS HOW YOU LIVED YOUR LIFE, AND HIS PASSION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS AND THE FACT THAT HE WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH SO MANY PEOPLE REALLY DEFINES HIS LEGACY, AND THIS BUILDING AND ALL THE ART THAT'S IN IT AND ALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GONNA GET TO WALK THROUGH, THAT'S HIS LEGACY.

Huell: AND BE INSPIRED BY IT.

ABSOLUTELY.

Huell: IT'S HERE FOR ALL OF US TO VISIT AND ENJOY, THE VINCENT PRICE ART MUSEUM, RIGHT HERE ON THE CAMPUS OF EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE IN MONTEREY PARK.

AND ADMISSION IS ALWAYS FREE.

Huell: ADMISSION IS FREE, AND THIS PLACE WAS AND CONTINUES TO BE VINCENT PRICE'S DREAM.

[CAPTIONING MADE POSSIBLE BY KCET PUBLIC TELEVISION] [CAPTIONED BY THE NATIONAL CAPTIONING INSTITUTE --www.ncicap.org--] "VISITING WITH HUELL HOWSER" IS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH A GENEROUS GRANT FROM THE RALPH M. PARSONS FOUNDATION.