Price was all wrong

Actually I thought he fit the part here: slimy, weak, uses women for money, and has no moral center. The part he didn't fit into was the lawyer in Leave Her to Heaven where he chewed up the scenery in the courtroom.

I have never seen this movie

I agree with both of you.

Price was no "chick magnet," and Laura's intention to marry him seems to come out of the blue and is never fully explored by the script.

On the other hand, he does seem weak and slimy -- not at all what a classy gal like Laura would have been attracted to.

I think Price hit it out of the park as a somewhat slimy suitor, hostile to Andrews because he recognized his own weakness compared to the masculine detective.

I do prefer Vincent Price in his Gothic mysteries. I've just read an appraisal of his portrayal in 'Laura' by Anne Morra in 'Time Out.' I agree with her when she says that Preminger was canny to cast Vincent Price out of type. He can give the most implausible alibis in his role as Shelby in such an oily way that nobody else could. However Morra says that other actors could have given a more convincing southern drawl as the Kentuckian Shelby.

Vincent Price's southern drawl is a key component of his unique voice. He may not have come from Kentucky but he was born in Missouri. So I can't see how other actors would have given a more convincing southern drawl than Vincent Price. Perhaps that's why Otto Preminger cast him as Shelby.

I think Vincent Price was a definite babe magnet back in his yonger days. Very suave, tall, and good looking. I have zero problem believing him as a ladies man!! 😍😍😍😍

Interesting.

I thing he got all the bad lines in that film and couldn't sell them. But I was struck by how broad his shoulders were - always knew he was tall but didn't realise how big he was.