t If Phibes was Price's 100 film, his role in this, Universal's take on Shakespeare's Richard The III, as the Duke of Clarence was only his 3rd film. Released November 17, 1939 (USA), it stars Basil Rathbone (better known for his Sherlock Holmes) as Richard and Boris Karloff as his mean spirited torturer/executioner/worshiper Mord. Now, I'm pretty sure that as King. Richard did not have another one name Mord in his service; but this is a Universal production, filmed on Universal's back lot, it was intended to be a horror film, not a real take on Shakespeare, or an attempt to get at the historical facts of the real War of the Roses. It needed to be a little scary (hence Mord) and a little funny. Price's performance is quite good. He twists his voice up into an effeminate slightly British accent, which matches well with the foppish wig and Robin Hood like tights he dons.
Of course, Price would again star in a remake of this film by Roger Corman in 1962 as Richard of Gloucester himself. Corman makes very sure that his remake is a solid horror film by having it turn into a ghost story; a homage to the original which is in Corman's mind first and foremost a horror film. It is worth noting that Universal must have thought this on important production, with real box office prospects, because in came in $80.000 over budget. That doesn't sound like much now, but this is 1939 we're talking about. To make matters worse budget wise, the studio heads ordered a whole new score produced for it, after they were "horrified" after screening the film and finding that the soundtrack was all period music. Only parts of the original made it into the final cut, such as the music during the battle scene. I really agree with them on this point for once! Another piece of trivia: Price confessed that the "wine" that Karloff "drowns" him in was actually Coke--what a sticky affair.
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