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Vampira remembered - actress Maila Nurmi
Vampira Remembered If you watched television in the 1950's, live shows were the norm. Even when it was movie night, often there would be a theme to it where a live host would announce the night's film and give some background on it before the lights dimmed and movie started. Of all the themes and hosts that were tried, none of them ever approached the popularity or the lasting recognition of Vampira. The original creator of the 'goth' look, actress Maila Nurmi first adopted the costume of Vampira for a Hollywood costume party in 1953. Modeling her costume and makeup on the look of a popular character in Charles Adams' New Yorker cartoons, Nurmi was an instant hit and so memorable that months later when a KABC television producer in Los Angeles was looking for a host for a late night horror movie night, he instantly thought of the 'Vampira' he had met. After some trouble, he managed to locate her and offer the job. The rest is history. Drawing on a talent for camp, Nurmi made Vampira much more Vamp than Vampire. Lavishing attention on her pet tarantula, talking about famous monsters she had dated, listing outlandish monster recipies like "Ghoulish Goulash" and stirring the ever present cauldron, she created a memorable late night fixture for much of the country, despite the shortness of her tenure. KABC canceled the show after only two years. Pressed for money, in 1956 Nurmi agreed to appear in film maker Ed Wood's new movie, 'Plan 9 From Outer Space', for $200. It is considered by many film critics to be the worst movie every made. Despite her lack of subsequent success in the film and television business, Nurmi could take some pride in the fact that her character's familiar 'goth' look with the pale skin, and heavy black makeup around the eyes, caught on with the counter-culture in the 1980's. Her Vampira is often called the 'Mother of the Goth Look'. Over the year many others tried to repeat the same formula, horror movies hosted by a campy hostess that was usually a vampire or some other sort of monster, but none ever came close to pulling it off as well as the original. Maila Nurmi died last week at the age of 85 in her Hollywood home.
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This intel was contributed by Howard
Howard
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May, 2012
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