Michael Dog3 wrote:

> Gawd. Is Elvira still around? I think she was around when I was in high
> school.


AFAIK still going strong, she goes to a lot of fan conventions to autograph
stuff...

OH LOOK! Gee, she has a website and sells stuff on eBay! :

http://www.elvira.com/


And HER inspiration Vampira who was one of Ed Wood's proteges back in the
50's (see _Plan 9 From Outer Space_ or the Ed Wood bio flick _Ed Wood_) is
still alive too, and in her 80's...

http://www.cultsirens.com/vampira/vampira.htm

VAMPIRA

(Maila Nurmi)

"There's been many comparisons between Vampira and Elvira over the years,
and no love lost. Still, these two dames have many common characteristics,
notably that they're the most popular female horror hosts in American
television history... and that no one will ever forget them. So here's the
story of one of them, the one and only Vampira.

Maila Syrjanieme Nurmi was born on December 11, 1921, in Petsamo, Finland.
Her uncle was an Olympic champion in track running, Paavo Nurmi. Her family
moved to the United States when Maila was only two years old. The youngster
was already dreaming of being an eventual Hollywood star and at the tender
age of 17, she took a trip to Los Angeles to find fortune. Of course, glory
doesn't come easily and Maila became an exotic dancer and photo model to
survive.

She would be present on New York's theater scene, hired by producer Mike
Todd for a mysterious revue called Spook Scandals, where she played a
vampire. This show ran for one whole representation, but why worry when
Howard Hawks became interested in Maila. His project was to make our Finnish
beauty a new Lauren Bacall, so everyone returned to California, as he
promised Maila the first role in a film written by William Faulkner, nothing
less. This production never came to be and it was back to the dancing floor
for Maila.

At some point in 1954, Maila disguised herself as Morticia Addams (a cartoon
character from New Yorker Magazine who would eventually become popular on TV
and films) for a masked ball. As simply as that, Vampira was born. Maila's
appearance appealed to Hunt Stromberg Jr., program director for KABC Channel
7, who was looking for somebody to spice up his nighttime programming. In a
very short time, Maila officially became Vampira to host a show presenting
horror movies each Saturday night at 11 PM.

Needless to say, her singular features, subtle humor and faux-blasé attitude
contributed to make her a fast popular success. Introduced with appropriate
organ music, Vampira came out of the fog at the start of each show, saying
something like: "I am... Vampira. I hope you had a terrible week". Before
commercial breaks, she took the habit of reciting weird poetry or even give
out cocktail recipes that could give chills to the most veteran witches.

Of course, her unusual figure was a key factor to her success, as Vampira
claimed to be gifted with the following measurements: 38-17-36! Huh?
Pictures can't lie... And how can we forget these three-inches fingernails?
It didn't take long before publications like Time or Newsweek gave her some
written space. Marlon Brando, Mae West and even James Dean became fans, the
last even debuting an intimate relationship with Maila.

Oddly, all this attention would be cut short. Dean's tragic death would
seriously shake up Maila, not counting ABC trying to stop her in her
attempts to pursue different career projects, as their intent was to
completely own rights to the Vampira character. Consequently, the show would
be canceled. Soon after, Maila was attacked in a beauty parlor by an enraged
woman who burned her head, which she had to totally shave after. Other
unfortunate burns would follow, as Maila tried to save her cat from a home
fire.

Vampira ressurrected with the help of Edward D. Wood Jr., who was shooting
his ultimate classic, PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. Maila was hired for a single
day of work (for $200 bucks!), playing a ghoul who came back to life via
some extra-terrestrial ray. Her partner ws the immortal Tor Johnson, of whom
I will never have enough time to sing the praises. After reading the script,
she insisted in not speaking a single word of dialogue, as she found the
story completely awful. She starred in some more B-movies, but not one of
them would achieve the popularity of Wood's anti-masterpiece, still
hilarious and cherished today.

Maila became the owner of an antique shop, creating her own line of clothing
and jewels. Renewed interest in Wood's films at the end of the seventies
would make her once again popular for a new generation of fans. Musical
groups like The Damned and The Misfits honored her in songs. As Vampira,
Maila even turned up singer for a punk band. In 1981, seems like a
television station contacted her for a renewal of the Vampira concept.
According to Maila, many discussions took place in the following months and
she remains convinced that her ideas were stolen for the Elvira character.
She sued for ten millions [IIRC she lost: GM].

Apparently, there remains some rare footage of the Vampira show in the KABC
archives, as it remains extremely difficult to view her in the media that
made her so popular. A Finnish documentary about Maila was shot in 1995,
entitled DEATH, SEX AND TAXES. In 1998, she returned to movies for I WOKE UP
EARLY THE DAY I DIED, from an old Ed Wood script and starring Billy Zane.
She can still be seen on the star conventions circuit.

It remains intriguing to guess what kind of cultural impact she could have
made if her career would have been longer and more profitable. As an
immortal cult figure, who knows what kind of importance she would have
enjoyed in fully becoming mistress of her own destiny?"

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