The OOBs present Monster Trivia, Vol 1: Vampira

In celebration of Halloween month here's a little random pop culture moment brought to you by The Out Of Bodies - - a little MONSTER TRIVIA I happened upon not too long ago...

DID YOU KNOW.... 

...that BEFORE Cassandra Peterson's Elvira (Mistress Of The Dark) - TV's most recognizable Horror Hostess with the Mostess... there was Maila Nurmi's Vampira - who in addition to the Elvira persona inspired the likes of other lovely creatures of the night like Lily Munster (of The Munsters - 1964) and Warner Comic's Vampirella (1969) - three of my top ten favorite vampire gals. Yes, it's true. We most likely wouldn't have these ghoul gals if it weren't for Maila Nurmi.

Yvonne De Carlo as Lily Munster

Forrest J Ackerman's Vampirella

Nurmi's life story was that of tabloid news. She was television's first horror host on KABC-TV.  Throughout the 50s she'd grab any appearance as Vampira in both TV and film. She starred on Broadway in the horror-themed "Spook Scandals" in which she "screamed, fainted, lay in a coffin and seductively lurked about a mock cemetery" - according to reviews. She was also a chorus-line showgirl and a frequent pin-up model posing for magazines like "Famous Models", "Gala" and "Glamorous Models".

She was stalked by creeps (both unknown and known - including the likes of famous Hollywood legends like Marlon Brando, who used to climb into her apartment via fire escape for late night booty calls - and had a baby with Orson Wells, who because he was married decided to give it away. James Dean, who had a brief relationship with Nurmi, believed she was "obsessed by a Satanic force".

She went on to hit even harder times - did odd jobs including linoleum installation, and being increasingly desperate for work reluctantly said yes to Ed Wood's "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (dubbed the worst movie ever made - although today it's got a bit of a cult following)

 

Bad Blood...

In 1981 she was asked to revive her Vampira character for television, in which she wanted actress Lola Falana to play the title role. Producers disagreed and Nurmi ended up quitting. They put out a casting call and comedic actress Cassandra Peterson auditioned and aced the role. Unable to continue using the name Vampira (which Nurmi owned the exclusive rights for) the producers quickly renamed the show Elvira's Movie Macabre. Although Nurmi quit the project, she claimed Peterson was hired without her approval and she responded by suing Peterson for supposed similarities between the Elvira and Vampira characters. She lost... and with that, slipped into obscurity.

 

Elvira with a "hands-on" assistant, 1981 to present...

 

In her later years she would meet fans in diners to talk about the old days, and she began to write her autobiography that sadly, she never got to finish. Although married three times she was found dead alone in her North Hollywood garage apartment by her niece January 10, 2008. She was 85. Notes for her autobiography were found in shirt pockets, behind picture frames and taped to backs of calendars. Fortunately, her niece decided to gather up these bits and pieces and continue where her auntie had left off...

 So there you have it... stay tuned for MORE Monster Trivia throughout this October and as Maila Nurmi used to sign off on her show...

"Bad dreams, darlings!"

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