NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Cassandra Peterson

Cassandra Peterson (born September 17, 1949) is an American actress best known for her on-screen horror host persona "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark". She gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ wearing a black, gothic, cleavage-enhancing gown as host of Movie Macabre, a weekly horror movie presentation. Her wickedly vampish appearance was offset by her comical character, quick-witted personality and Valley girl-type speech. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Riley County Courthouse, Manhattan Manhattan is a town located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic - President George Walker Bush (R) - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Actor (disambiguation). ... Horror hosts are a particular type of television presenter, often tasked with presenting low-grade films to television audiences. ... Persona literally means mask , although it does not usually refer to a literal mask but to the social masks all humans supposedly wear. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area City 1,290. ... KCAL-TV (Channel 9) is an independent station in Los Angeles, California owned by CBS Corporation. ... Gothic fashion is a clothing style worn by members of the Goth subculture. ... Aria Giovanni displaying cleavage Suzanne Valadon, painting by Renoir, 1885. ... â€œHorror Movieâ€ redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Biography

Early life

Born in Manhattan, Kansas, Peterson grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and graduated from General William J. Palmer High School in 1967. Days after graduating, she drove to Las Vegas, Nevada where she became a showgirl at The Dunes. The Guinness Book of World Records cited her as the youngest showgirl in Las Vegas history. She had a small role as a showgirl in the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, briefly dated Elvis Presley, played a topless dancer in Working Girls (1973), and posed (again as a stripper) for the cover of Tom Waits' 1976 album, Small Change.^[1] Riley County Courthouse, Manhattan Manhattan is a town located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. ... It has been suggested that History of Colorado Springs, Colorado be merged into this article or section. ... Name General William J. Palmer High School Address 301 North Nevada Avenue Town Colorado Springs, Colorado Established 1874 Community Urban Type Public Secondary Religion Secular Students Coeducational Grades 9 to 12 Accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges District Colorado State Department of Education Subdistrict Colorado Springs School District 11... Vegas redirects here. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Nevada. ... A Las Vegas showgirl, from the Folies Bergere. ... The Dunes in 1983 The Dunes Hotel was a Las Vegas, Nevada hotel/casino that operated from May 23, 1955 to January 26, 1993, and was the tenth resort to open on the Las Vegas Strip. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... â€œElvisâ€ redirects here. ... Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In the early 1970s, she 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 U.S., she toured nightclubs and gay 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. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Federico Fellini (January 20, 1920 â€“ October 31, 1993) was one of the most influential and widely revered film-makers of the 20th century. ... Roma, also known as Fellinis Roma, is a 1972 semi-autobiographical, poetic film depicting director Federico Fellinis move from his native Rimini to Rome as a youth. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area City 1,290. ... Improvisation is the act of making something up as you go along. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Peterson auditioned for the role of "Ginger" for the third Gilligan's Island TV movie in 1981, shortly before KHJ-TV offered her the horror-host position.(Femme Fatales, 1:3, Winter 1992/1993, p. 6) For the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) video game, see The Adventures of Gilligans Island. ... A television movie (also TV movie, TV-movie, made-for-TV movie, etc. ...

Movie Macabre

In the late spring of 1981, when Larry Vincent (who starred as host Sinister Seymour of a local Los Angeles weekend horror show called Fright Night) died, show producers began searching for his replacement. Deciding to use a female host, producers asked 1950s horror host 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 continued with the project and sent out a casting call. Cassandra auditioned against 200 other horror hostess hopefuls, and won the role. Producers left it up to Cassandra to create Elvira's image. She and best friend Robert Redding came up with the sexy punk/vampire look after producers jeered her original idea to look like Sharon Tate in The Fearless Vampire Killers. Shortly before the first taping, producers received a cease and desist letter from Nurmi. Unable to continue with the Vampira character, the name Elvira was chosen. What followed was Elvira's Movie Macabre featuring a ditzy valley-girl type character named Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. With heavily applied drag queen style horror make-up and a towering black beehive wig concealing her flame-red hair, the transformation from Cassandra Peterson to the sexy Elvira was so drastic that no one ever recognized her out of costume. Seymour (played by Larry Vincent) was a television horror host that presented -- and heckled -- low-budget horror and science fiction movies on Fright Night on KHJ-TV and Seymours Monster Rally on KTLA, both local stations in Los Angeles between 1969 and 1974. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area City 1,290. ... Fright Night was the name of at least two science fiction and horror movie programs. ... Maila Nurmi (born Maila Elizabeth SyrjÃ¤niemi, December 21, 1921 in Petsamo, Finlandâ€”now Pechenga, Russia) created the well-remembered 1950s character of Vampira. ... The Vampira Show is a 1950s Emmy-nominated television show hosted by Vampira. ... Lola Falana (born Loletha Elaine Falana on September 11, 1942 in Camden, New Jersey) is an American dancer and actress of Cuban and African American descent. ... Sharon Marie Tate (January 24, 1943 â€“ August 9, 1969) was a Golden Globe-nominated American actress. ... The Fearless Vampire Killers is a 1967 movie directed by Roman PolaÅ„ski and written by GÃ©rard Brach. ... Cease-and-desist is a legal term meaning essentially stop: It is used in demands for a person or organization to stop doing something (to cease and desist from doing it). ... Cassandra Peterson (born September 17, 1951) is better known for her on-screen persona Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. She gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ wearing a black, gothic, cleavage-enhancing gown as host of Movie Macabre, a weekly horror movie presentation. ...

The Elvira character rapidly gained notoriety with her tight fitting, low cut black gown which showed more cleavage than had ever appeared on local Los Angeles television before. The movies featured on Elvira's Movie Macabre were always B grade (or lower). Elvira reclined on a red Victorian couch, introducing and often interrupting the movie to lampoon the actors, the script, and the bad editing. Adopting the flippant tone of a California valley-girl, she brought a satirical, sarcastic edge to her commentary without ever being crass or mean-spirited. And like a macabre Mae West, she revelled in dropping risque double entendres as well as making frequent jokes about her eye-popping display of cleavage. In an AOL Entertainment News interview, Peterson revealed, "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, obvious sex appeal, and good-natured self-mockery endeared her to late-night movie viewers as her popularity soared. At the same time Elvira was embraced as an icon of the waning 1980s punk movement as well as the emerging Goth subculture. The King of the Bs, Roger Corman, produced and directed The Raven (1963) for American International Pictures. ... MAE-West is a major Internet peering point located in San Jose, California. ... This article is about the late 20th / early 21st century subculture. ...

The demand for Elvira increased throughout the Eighties. A frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and many other talk shows, she also produced a long series of Halloween-themed TV ads for Coors Light Beer and Mug Root Beer. She did guest roles on television dramas such as CHiPS, The Fall Guy, and Fantasy Island, and appeared on numerous awards shows as a presenter. However, despite the fact that her success is forever linked to her image as Elvira, Peterson has never been reluctant to appear in television interviews and specials as herself. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Coors may refer to: People Adolph Coors (1847-1929) started brewery Adolph Coors III grandson was kidnapped and murdered Pete Coors Things Adolph Coors Company of Golden, Colorado Coors Brewing Company Coors Field This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... CHiPs is an American television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios that aired on NBC from September 15, 1977 to July 17, 1983. ... The Fall Guy was an American television series produced for ABC. It ran from 1981 to 1986 and starred Lee Majors, Heather Thomas and Douglas Barr. ... Fantasy Island refers to two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network. ...

In 1982, with the surprising success of Movie Macabre, Knott's Theme Parks hired Elvira to replace Seymour as the host of its annual Halloween Haunt during the month of October. Elvira would appear nightly at the park, live on stage with a Halloween-themed musical comedy revue similar to her Mamma's Boys act from the 1970s. Knotts Berry Farm is a brand name of two separate entities: a theme park in Buena Park, California, and a manufacturer of food specialty products (primarily jams and preserves) based in Placentia, California. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ...

The Elvira character rapidly evolved from obscure cult figure to lucrative brand-name and "Mistress of all Media", spawning countless products throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including Halloween costumes, model kits, calendars, perfume, and dolls. She's 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 (cowritten by Peterson) in 1988. She also did many non-Elvira character-roles in other films, most notably "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" (1985) with friend and fellow Groundling, Pee-wee Herman, aka Paul Reubens. For the band, see 1990s (band). ... This article is about the holiday. ... The Femme Fatales are a group of female mutants that serve as mercenaries for hire. ... Paul Reubens (born Paul Rubenfeld on August 27, 1952) is an American actor, writer, and comedian, known professionally for his character Pee-wee Herman. ...

In 1992, CBS filmed the pilot episode for Elvira, a proposed sitcom with Peterson and Katherine Helmond as witches living in a small town. Network executives balked at the ribald humor and decided the series was too risque for television. The series was shelved and the pilot was never aired. Katherine Marie Helmond (July 5, 1928, Galveston, Texas) is an American film, theater and television actress. ...

Elvira on Home Video

In 1985, Elvira began hosting a home video series for Thriller Video. These were films hand-selected by Elvira herself. Choosing to stay away from the more explicit zombie, cannibal and slasher films of the time, these were generally tamer films such as The Monster Club and Dan Curtis TV films. She refused to host Make Them Die Slowly and Seven Doors of Death, so the videos were released on the LIVE Home Video label without Elvira's appearance as hostess. Contents: Top - 0â€“9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 28 Days Later (2002) 28 Weeks Later (2007) After Death (1988) (Zombie 4: After Death) The Aftermath (1982) Alien Dead... Poster for Cannibal Holocaust, one of the best-known cannibal films. ... The slasher film is a sub-genre of horror film typically involving a masked, psychopathic killer who stalks and graphically murders a series of victims in a random, unprovoked fashion, usually teenagers or young adults who are away from adult supervision and involved in illicit activities (e. ... The Monster Club is a British horror film released in 1980. ... Dan Curtis (born August 12, 1928) is a director and producer of television and film, probably best known for the afternoon TV series Dark Shadows, which originally aired from 1966 to 1971 and has aired in syndication for the last thirty years. ... Make Them Die Slowly redirects here. ... For the UK progressive metal band, see The Beyond (band). ...

The success of the Thriller Video series lead to a second video set, Elvira's Midnight Madness. In 2004, she revisted this concept with a similar horror film collection on DVD, titled " Elvira's Box of Horrors". After more than ten years, Box of Horrors was the return of Elvira hosting horror movies ala Movie Macabre.

Mistress of the Dark

In the late 1980s and early 1990s a number of Elvira-themed computer games were produced [1]

Two Elvira themed pinball machines were produced by Bally/Midway. Elvira and the Party Monsters was released in 1989 and Scared Stiff was put out in 1996. This article is in need of attention. ...

In 1989, she was sued by actress Maila "Vampira" Nurmi for alleged unauthorized use of her likeness and character. Besides the similarities in the format and costumes, Elvira's closing line for each show, wishing her audience "Unpleasant dreams," was notably similar to Vampira's closer: "Bad dreams, darlings..." uttered as she walked off down a misty corridor. The court ruled in favor of Peterson, holding that "'likeness' means actual representation of another person's appearance, and not simply close resemblance." Peterson claimed that Elvira was nothing like Vampira aside from the basic design of the black dress and black hair. Nurmi herself claimed that Vampira's image was based on Charles Addams character "Morticia Addams." Maila Nurmi (born Maila Elizabeth SyrjÃ¤niemi, December 21, 1921 in Petsamo, Finlandâ€”now Pechenga, Russia) created the well-remembered 1950s character of Vampira. ... Charles Samuel Addams (January 7, 1912â€“September 29, 1988) was an American cartoonist known for his particularly black humor and macabre characters. ... Four major characters from the original television adaptation: Thing (foreground) with Uncle Fester, Morticia and Gomez Addams The Addams Family is the creation of American cartoonist Charles Addams. ...

On Halloween night of 1992, Elvira appeared with rock band U2 when they played at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on their ZOO TV tour. Just as she apparently did some 14 years later, she declared her candidacy for President, noting that "we already have two boobs in the White House, might as well be mine." Following a couple of corny jokes, she led the crowd to sing "Happy Birthday" to drummer Larry Mullen, Jr., whose birthday is on Halloween. U2 is an Irish rock band featuring Bono (Paul David Hewson) on vocals and guitar, The Edge (David Howell Evans) on guitar and pianos and vocals, Adam Clayton on bass, and Larry Mullen Jr on drums and vocals. ... Dodger Stadium is a large outdoor baseball stadium in Los Angeles, California at ChÃ¡vez Ravine. ... Happy Birthday may refer to: Happy Birthday to You, a traditional song Happy Birthday (1970 album), a record by Pete Townshend Happy Birthday (1980 song), a record by Stevie Wonder Happy Birthday (1981 album), a record by Altered Images Happy Birthday (1983 song), a song by Weird Al Yankovic Happy... Larry Mullen, Jr. ... This article is about the holiday. ...

In the early Nineties she released a very successful calendar featuring Elvira in various locations (on a studio set) and in poses. One of the months can be seen in the video game Blood, hanging on various walls. Nude modeling photos of Peterson from her pre-Elvira days are still popular on the internet. Blood is a PC game developed by Monolith Productions and distributed by GT Interactive. ...

In 1997 Ray Productions of Orlando, Florida produced the first haunted house chain endorsed by Elvira titled 'Elvira's Nightmare Haunted House. The attraction was fully themed and endorsed by Elvira and remained open for two Halloween seasons in Atlanta, Georgia.

The "Elvira" character has her own version of a motion simulator ride called "Superstition". The theme is that Elvira has created her own virtual theme park and she is transporting you there. You then ride her favorite ride, "Superstition" a roller coaster based on luck. The ride was recently at Carowinds in Charlotte, NC during October when the park turns into Scarowinds. For the past few years, the ride has also appeared at Six Flags Great America during Fright Fest. The ride replaces Space Shuttle America during that time. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 405 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (1628 Ã— 2411 pixel, file size: 943 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 405 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (1628 Ã— 2411 pixel, file size: 943 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Drag queens on a float at San Francisco Pride 2005 Dykes on Bikes start the parade. ... Carowinds is a 105 acre theme park, located adjacent to I-77 on the stateline between North and South Carolina, in Charlotte and Fort Mill, respectively. ... Six Flags Great America is Chicago and Milwaukees Six Flags theme park located in Gurnee, Illinois. ... Fright Fest is an event that takes place at Six Flags parks during the Halloween season. ... Space Shuttle America viewed from Sky Trek Tower Space Shuttle America (also known as Space Shuttle America - The Next Century) is a motion simulator ride at Six Flags Great America that opened in 1994. ...

In February 2003, Peterson filed for divorce from her husband/manager of 25 years, Mark Pierson. She retained all rights to the Elvira character despite Pierson's long time involvement.

During the weekend of January 13, 2006, Peterson held an estate sale at her Hollywood Hills home which constituted many household, personal and movie memorabilia items. The estate sale was due to her recent divorce in which her assets had to be evenly divided. Peterson still lives in Hollywood. January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Hollywood Hills, an unofficial designation of part of the City of Los Angeles, California, are part of the eastern section of the low transverse range of the Santa Monica Mountains, which extends from the Los Feliz District and Hollywood, on the south side of the Valley, to Pacific Coast... The household is the basic unit of analysis in many microeconomic and government models. ... A souvenir stall in London, England A souvenir (from the French for memory) is an object that is treasured for the memories associated with it. ...

Cassandra Peterson remains a supporter of animal rights, and an active member of PETA. She continues to make appearances as Elvira. [2] People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals logo People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an animal rights organization based in the United States. ...

Movies, TV, and Video

WrestleMania 2 was the second annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event from the World Wrestling Federation (although the first WrestleMania was only on pay-per-view in select areas). ... Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is a 1988 film directed by James Signorelli. ... Coors may refer to: People Adolph Coors (1847-1929) started brewery Adolph Coors III grandson was kidnapped and murdered Pete Coors Things Adolph Coors Company of Golden, Colorado Coors Brewing Company Coors Field This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Elviras Haunted Hills is a 2001 film directed by Sam Irvin. ... For other uses, see AIDS (disambiguation). ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... ... The Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival de Cannes), founded in 1939, is one of the worlds oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals. ... E!: Entertainment Television is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite network. ... Red Riding Hood is a film released in 2006. ... Randal Kleiser (born July 20, 1946 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American film director and producer. ... Red Riding Hood is a film released in 2006. ... Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill (born 5 May 1983) is a British actor. ... I Love the 80s is a television program that was produced by BBC in the United Kingdom and later for American TV audiences by VH1. ... VH1 (VH-1: Video Hits One until 1994) is an American cable television channel that was created in January 1985 by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communications and owners of MTV. VH1 and sister channel MTV are currently part of the MTV Networks division... For other uses, see Playboy (disambiguation). ... TV1 is a general entertainment channel available on Australias Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television pay television services. ... TV1 is a general entertainment channel available on Australias Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television pay television services. ... Actress Maila Nurmi (born December 21, 1921) portrayed Vampira in many shows, and starred in Ed Woods Plan 9 From Outer Space. ... Fox Reality is a reality TV network on U.S. cable and satellite. ... is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Reality television is a genre of television programming in which the fortunes of real life people (as opposed to fictional characters played by actors) are followed. ... Bozo the Clown is the name of a clown whose widespread syndication in early television made him the best-known clown character in the United States. ...

Recording career

Elvira recorded several songs for her Halloween albums in the 1980s and 1990s. Here is her discography:

References in popular culture

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... For other uses, see charm. ... All Halliwells Eve is an episode of The WB drama series, Charmed. ... Alyssa Jayne Milano (born December 19, 1972) is an American actress and singer. ... Phoebe Halliwell is a fictional character on the WB television series Charmed portrayed by Alyssa Milano. ... This article is about the holiday. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Jane Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. ... Barbarella was originally a French science fiction comic book created by Jean-Claude Forest, who originated the character for serialisation in the French magazine V-Magazine in 1962. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Fraudcast News is the 22nd and last episode of The Simpsons fifteenth season, first aired on May 23, 2004 in the United States on FOX.. *The Writers Guild of America gave this episode a 2005 WGA Award, winning the Paul Selvin Award, which honors works that focus on First Amendment... Im Spelling as Fast as I Can is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season. ... The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, created by Maxwell Atoms, is an American animated television series that currently airs on Cartoon Network and Teletoon. ... This article is about the television program ReBoot. ... Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures (also known as Tiny Toon Adventures or Tiny Toons) is an American animated television series created and produced as a collaborative effort between Steven Spielberg and Warner Bros. ... Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action television series based on the Superman comic books. ... The Daily Planet is a fictional broadsheet newspaper that appears in Superman stories published by DC Comics. ... Perry White is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comics, and is the editor-in-chief of the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet. ... Big Bad Beetleborgs (and later Beetleborgs Metallix, see below) was a short-lived American television series produced by Saban. ...

Contents

Biography

Early life

Movie Macabre

Elvira on Home Video

Mistress of the Dark

Movies, TV, and Video

Recording career

References in popular culture

See also

Footnotes

References

External links

Contents

Biography GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Early life

Movie Macabre

Elvira on Home Video

Mistress of the Dark

Movies, TV, and Video

Recording career

References in popular culture

See also

Footnotes

References

External links

Biography