Elvira
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Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is the screen persona of Cassandra Peterson (born September 17, 1951). She gained fame wearing dark, gothic, cleavage-enhancing clothing as host of Elvira's Movie Macabre, a weekly horror movie presentation.
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Early life
Born in Manhattan, Kansas, Peterson grew up in Colorado. She became a showgirl at The Dunes in Las Vegas at age 17. In Italy, she was the lead singer in a rock band and a chance encounter with Federico Fellini led to a small part in Roma (1972). Back in the US, she joined the Los Angeles-based improvisational troupe The Groundlings.
Creation of Elvira
Shortly after her marriage to Mark Pierson (now her business manager) in 1981, she created the character Elvira after a successful audition to be a horror movie show hostess and was the first such host to be nationally syndicated. One of the first successful horror hostesses, Vampira (Maila Nurmi), later unsuccessfully sued Peterson over character rights.
In 1988, Peterson starred as her flirtatious creation opposite Edie McClurg and Jeff Conaway in the comedy: Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Critic Leonard Maltin, in his 2005 Movie Guide, gives the film a "Bomb" rating, or no stars on a scale of one to four (four being best). The film was a modest success however as teenage boys everywhere came out in droves to ogle Peterson's ample bosom.
Elvira has become a symbol of Halloween, and owns the trademark to her wig and costume. She also sang "Monster Rap" and "Haunted House" on the Elvira's Monster Hits album.
See also
External link
- Official web page (http://www.elvira.com/)
- Cult Sirens: Elvira (http://www.cultsirens.com/elvira/elvira.htm)