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Cassandra
Peterson (born September 17, 1951) is an American actress best known
for her on-screen horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
She gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ wearing a black,
gothic, revealing, cleavage-enhancing gown as host of Movie Macabre, a
weekly horror movie presentation. Her wickedly vampish appearance is
offset by her comical character, quirky and quick-witted personality,
and Valley girl-type speech.
Born
in Manhattan, Kansas, Peterson grew up near Randolph, until the area
was flooded to create Tuttle Creek Reservoir; her family then moved to
Colorado Springs, Colorado. According to a 2011 interview, Peterson
states that as a child, while other girls were occupied with Barbie
dolls, she was more fascinated by horror-themed toys. During her teens,
Peterson worked as a go-go dancer in a local gay bar.
She
graduated from General William J. Palmer High School in 1969. Days
after graduating, she drove to Las Vegas, Nevada, where she became a
showgirl in "Viva Les Girls" at The Dunes, where she met Elvis Presley.
She had a small role as a showgirl in the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds
Are Forever, played a topless dancer in The Working Girls (1974), and
purportedly posed for the cover of Tom Waits's 1976 album, Small
Change.However, this story is apparently unverified as Peterson has
since described it as "a giant mystery", claiming that while she has no
memory of the event, the picture looks enough like her that she feels
"pretty sure" that it is.She is a vegetarian and has appeared in a
humorous Halloween-themed ad for PETA promoting a vegetarian diet.
She
has also played non-Elvira roles in many other films, most notably
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) with friend and fellow Groundling Paul
Reubens (as his Pee-wee Herman character) and Allan Quatermain and the
Lost City of Gold (1985) starring Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone.
Early career
In
the early 1970s, Peterson moved to Italy and became the lead singer of
the Italian rock band I Latins Ochanats. During this time she had a
chance encounter with director Federico Fellini, which led to a small
part in Roma (1972). Back in the United States she toured nightclubs and
discos around the country with a musical/comedy act, Mammas Boys. In
1979, she joined the Los Angeles-based improvisational troupe The
Groundlings, where she created a Valley girl-type character upon whom
the Elvira persona is largely based.
Peterson
auditioned for the role of Ginger Grant for the third Gilligan's Island
television movie in 1981, shortly before KHJ-TV offered her the
horror-host position.[8] Peterson also was a personality on Los Angeles
radio station KROQ 106.7 from 1982 to 1983.
Elvira Begins: Movie Macabre[edit]
Main article: Elvira's Movie Macabre
Peterson dressed as Elvira at the 2006 San Francisco Gay Pride parade.
In
the late spring of 1981, six years after the death of Larry Vincent,
who starred as host Sinister Seymour of a local Los Angeles weekend
horror show called Fright Night, show producers began the task of
bringing the show back.
The
producers decided to use a female host. They asked 1950s horror hostess
Maila Nurmi to revive The Vampira Show. Nurmi worked on the project for
a short time, but eventually quit when the producers would not hire
Lola Falana to play Vampira. The station sent out a casting call, and
Peterson auditioned and won the role. Producers left it up to her to
create the role's image. She and her best friend, Robert Redding, came
up with the sexy punk/vampire look after producers rejected her original
idea to look like Sharon Tate in The Fearless Vampire Killers.
Peterson's
Elvira character rapidly gained notoriety with her tight-fitting,
low-cut, cleavage-displaying black gown. Adopting the flippant tone of a
California "Valley girl", she brought a satirical, sarcastic edge to
her commentary. She reveled in dropping risqué double entendres and
making frequent jokes about her cleavage. In an AOL Entertainment News
interview, Peterson said, "I figured out that Elvira is me when I was a
teenager. She's a spastic girl. I just say what I feel and people seem
to enjoy it." Her campy humor, sex appeal, and good-natured self-mockery
made her popular with late-night movie viewers and her popularity
soared.
The
Elvira character soon evolved from an obscure cult figure to a
lucrative brand. She was associated with many products through the 1980s
and 1990s including Halloween costumes, comic books,[9][10] action
figures, trading cards, pinball machines, Halloween decor, model kits,
calendars, perfume and dolls. She has appeared on the cover of Femme
Fatales magazine five times. Her popularity reached its zenith with the
release of the feature film Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, co-written by
Peterson and released in 1988.
In September 2010, Elvira's Movie Macabre returned to television syndication in the U.S., this time with public-domain films.
Elvira on home video
In
1985, Elvira began hosting a home video series called ThrillerVideo for
U.S.A. Home Video and later International Video Entertainment (I.V.E.).
Many of these films were hand-selected by Peterson. Choosing to stay
away from the more explicit cannibal, slasher and zombie films of the
time, these were generally tamer films such as The Monster Club and Dan
Curtis television films, as well as many episodes of the Hammer House of
Horror television series. She refused to host Make Them Die Slowly,
Seven Doors of Death, and Buried Alive, so the videos were released on
the LIVE Home Video label without Elvira's appearance as hostess. After
this, several extended episodes of the British namesake series Thriller
(i.e. The Devil's Web, A Killer in Every Corner, Murder Motel) were also
released without an appearance by Elvira; in some, such as Buried
Alive, the cast replaced her.
The
success of the ThrillerVideo series led to a second video set, Elvira's
Midnight Madness through Rhino Home Video. In 2004 a DVD horror-film
collection called Elvira's Box of Horrors was released, marking Elvira's
return to horror-movie hosting after a ten-year absence.
Comic books
Elvira
appeared in comic books from DC Comics, Eclipse Comics and Claypool
Comics. DC published a short-lived series in the mid-80s titled Elvira's
House of Mystery. Claypool took over the series and in the 1990s
distributed a new series, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, co-branded with
and distributed by Eclipse. After Eclipse ceased publication, the series
was distributed solely by Claypool. The series was edited and
occasionally written by Richard Howell and featured photographic covers
with interior stories and art by Kurt Busiek, Dan Spiegle, Jim Mooney,
Steve Leialoha, and others. It ran for 166 issues, plus two trade
paperback collections. In 2012 another series, also titled Mistress of
the Dark, was announced for a 2013 debut. It will be written by R.H.
Stavis and drawn by Jeff Zarnow.
Computer and pinball games[edit]
In
the late 1980s and early 1990s, a number of Elvira-themed computer
games were produced:Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, Elvira 2: The Jaws of
Cerberus and Elvira: The Arcade Game.
Two Elvira-themed pinball machines were produced by Bally/Midway: Elvira and the Party Monsters(1989) and Scared Stiff(1996).
Calendar series
In
the early 1990s, Peterson began a series of successful Elvira calendars
featuring characteristically provocative and campy poses in various
macabre settings. One calendar photo is seen throughout the video game
Blood.
Comikaze Expo
In
2012 Peterson became an investor in Comikaze Entertainment Inc., which
hosts Comikaze Expo, one of the largest pop culture conventions in the
United States. She and fellow investor, Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee,
were guests of honor at the inaugural Comikaze Expo in 2011. Comikaze
CEO Regina Carpinelli refers to Peterson as the "Mistress of the
Board".[15]
Movies, television and video
Diamonds Are Forever (1971), small role as a dancer
Fellini's Roma (1972), small role as a dancer
The Working Girls (1974)
Cheech & Chong's Next Movie (1980), small role
Elvira's Movie Macabre (1981), TV horror hostess
Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again (1982), small role as "the busty nurse."
Stroker Ace (1983), a bit part in this Burt Reynolds film.
The Fall Guy, episode "October the 31st"
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985), small role as a biker mama.
ThrillerVideo (1985), home video series for U.S.A. and later I.V.E.
The music video for My Mistake by Phantom, Rocker & Slick – (1986)
WrestleMania 2 (1986), guest commentator
Echo Park (1986), supporting role in Susan Dey drama.
Elvira's Halloween Special (1986)
Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1987), secondary role as the evil Queen Sorais.
Elvira,
Mistress of the Dark (1988), title character and co-writer. (She, Sam
Egan, and John Paragon collaborated on the original script.) Peterson's
first feature film.
Coors TV commercials (1988), spokesman.
The
Super Mario Bros. Super Show (1989), as herself, she appeared in the
last sitcom segment of the program, called The Ghoul of My Dreams.
Parker Lewis Can't Lose – Season 2, Episode 19, "Boy Meets Girl II", appeared as Elvira (1992)
The
Elvira Show (1993), CBS pilot revolving around two witches, played by
Elvira and Katherine Helmond, moving to Manhattan, Kansas, with their
talking cat.[16]
Helicopters with Elvira (1993–1995)
The Ketchup Vampires (1995)
Space Ghost Coast to Coast – Episode 27, "Switcheroo", appeared as Elvira (1996)
Draw Your Own Toons (1998, series 1 only)
Elvira's Ghost Stories Spooktacular show (1999)
The Martin Short Show – TV Episode #1.35 (as Elvira) (1999)
The Howard Stern Radio Show – TV Episode 19, June 1999
Bride of Monster Mania (2000) (TV)
Scares & Dares (2001) (TV)
Elvira's
Haunted Hills (2001). After several years of unsuccessful attempts to
make a sequel to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Cassandra and her manager
and then-husband Mark Pierson decided to take matters into their own
hands and finance a second movie themselves. In November 2000, Cassandra
wrote and co-produced Elvira's Haunted Hills. The film was shot on
location in Romania for just under one million dollars. With little
budget left for promotion, Cassandra and Mark screened the film at AIDS
charity fund raisers across America. For the many people in attendance,
this was the first opportunity to see the woman behind the Elvira
character. On July 5, 2002, Elvira's Haunted Hills had its official
premiere in Hollywood. Elvira arrived at the premiere in her Macabre
Mobile. The film would later be screened at the 2003 Cannes Film
Festival.
The E! True Hollywood Story – Scream Queens (2004) Hostess
The Tony Danza Show – TV Episode #1.34 (2004)
Monsterama: A Tribute to Horror Hosts (2004) (TV)
Elvira's Box of Horrors (2004), horror film collection on DVD
Red Riding Hood (2004)
I Love the '80s VH1 – Peterson made appearances (both as herself and as Elvira) on several editions.
I Love the Holidays (2005) (TV)
I Love the '80s 3-D (2005), VH1 TV miniseries
Playboy Presents: Hef's Halloween Spooktacular (2005) (Hostess)
TV1 (2005), Peterson (as Elvira) hosted a show on Australian-based cable TV channel TV1; the format was similar to her old show.
The Secret Life of Superfans (2006)
Vampira: The Movie (2006). Peterson discusses the Vampira lawsuit.
I Love the '70s: Volume 2 (2006), VH1 TV miniseries
Living in TV Land – Sherman Hemsley (2006), TV Episode
Elvira's Movie Macabre DVD series – (September 2006)
The Girls Next Door – Girls Will Be Ghouls (October 2006) Elvira visits The Playboy Mansion to promote her Playboy-inspired DVD.
The
Search for the Next Elvira (October 13, 2007), TV reality show by Fox
Reality. On April 19, 2006, Peterson announced she would be seeking a
few good "Elviras" via a reality television program. Some[who?] mistook
this for an announcement of her retirement. As of October 2006, she had
cleared up the rumor by stating that she wanted to find other people to
play the role, so that the character could appear at the multitude of
personal appearance requests. As Peterson stated in an interview, there
were many Bozos (the clown) making personal appearances, even though
Larry Harmon himself had died since, so she saw no reason there could
not be more Elviras.
Medium (2009), Special cameo appearance as Elvira in the beginning of the "Bite Me" episode.
The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009), Amber
Appeared in the Ghoultown music video for their song "Mistress of the Dark". (2009)
Appeared as a downloadable character in the Sony PlayStation 3 game Pain (October 2009)
A professional dominatrix in the season 3 episode Sniper of Nash Bridges
All About Evil – Linda (2010)
Elvira's Movie Macabre Horror Hostess – (2010)
Last Man Standing – Special cameo appearance as Elvira (2011)
Elvira's
Not a Witch – a 45 second viral video that spoofed a campaign ad by US
Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell (October 2010)[19]
RuPaul's Drag Race – Special guest judge as Elvira in first episode (2012)
Counting Cars - Had her car decked out,; appeared in and out of costume on episode "Satanic Mechanic"(2012)
Oddities
(one episode, 2011) - In this show about a strange antique shop in New
York City called Obscura, owners Mike, Evan and Ryan visit Peterson and
present her with a necklace made of extracted human teeth.
Discography[edit]
Peterson recorded several songs for her Elvira Halloween albums in the 1980s and 1990s:
Elvira and the Vitones 3-D TV (Rhino Records, 1982)
Vinyl Macabre (Rhino Records, 1983)
Elvira Presents Haunted Hits (Rhino Records, 1987)
Elvira Presents Monster Hits (Rhino Records, 1994)
Elvira Presents Revenge of the Monster Hits (Rhino Records, 1995)
Elvira's Gravest Hits (Shout! Factory, 2010)
She
also performed on a track called "Zombie Killer" for the band Leslie
and the Ly's, released in February 2008. The music video for the track
features Leslie & The Ly's performing to a sold out audience of
zombies in a fictional venue called "Elvira Stadium." A 7" single was
released.
Elvira impersonators[edit]
In
the mid-1990s, Cassandra Peterson enlisted female impersonators
Christian Greenia (Cassandra Fever) from Los Angeles, California, and
Patterson Lundquist ("Elvira's Twin") from Atlanta, Georgia as her
"official Elvira impersonators", calling them "the best she'd ever
seen." They later appeared with her as co-judges on The Search for the
Next Elvira.[20] The first official female Elvira impersonator, April
Wahlin, the winner of The Search for the Next Elvira, was passed the
crown on October 31, 2007. As the winner of the reality show, Wahlin
made a few appearances during her one-year "reign" from October 31, 2007
to October 31, 2008. Greenia and Lundquist continue to appear as Elvira
for various events across the country.
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