A Haunting Figure
Too many horror actresses are forgotten these days. It’s a shame really. I’m not talking about the blonde, bikini-clad damsels in distress who screamed their way through the entire film. Women like Nurmi and Yvonne de Carlo blazed trails. Women could be something more than prey for the hideous monster; they could be the monster (only cuter and less slimy).
Maili Nurmi perfected her “Vampira” character as a host for a California station’s Friday night horror cinema in the 1950s. Sadly, she was only employed there for one season. Down on her luck, filmmaker Ed Wood (not a very good filmmaker but a filmmaker nonetheless) asked her to be in his now-cult-classic “Plan 9 for Outer Space.”
She played Bela Lugosi’s zombiefied wife and had absolutely no lines. She just walked around in maybe two scenes with her arms out-stretched looking terribly gothic. I have to admit she made more of an impact with no lines than some of the speaking characters did. (You can’t do much with lines like, “ Future events such as these will effect you in the future.") I love this movie for the atrocious dialogue, but I still have to admit that Lugosi and Nurmi stole the show.
Later in life, she was asked to help create another horror hostess. This would be where Elvira got her start. After a disagreement with the station, Nurmi left the show and tried to sue Cassandra Peterson. Nurmi lost the suit, but not the hearts of thousands of fans.
Days after her death, I found pages of notes on the Internet written by fans saying how much she meant to them. One fan gushed about how privileged he felt to have met her at a convention, but regretted not having asked her for a picture.
I’m happy people still remember who she was. I hate to see the faces of old horror cinema slip into the darkness.
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About Me
I'm a fourth generation Floridian. I have degrees from Chipola Junior College (when it was still a junior college) and the University of West Florida. When I was at UWF, I lived off of exit 13. Back in Panama City, I began working at News 13 on November 13th, 2006. Thirteen has proved to be my lucky number. Last year, I joined the Panama City Roller Derby League. When I'm not providing the Panhandle with the latest news, I'm tearing up the track with over 20 other roller girls, two of which are also News 13 employees. I'm sure I drive everyone at work insane with all my talk of derby. But hey, that's how I roll.
Recent Entries:
- I’m Going to Read Like Its 2009
- Our First Christmas
- New Traditions and New Paint
- Better Together
- 28 Days
- Nice Day for a Fit Wedding
- Seek and Ye Shall Find
- Do Not Panic! Or at Least Panic in your Predesignated Subgroups!
- This is my Cat Post
- Help Me Get Married!!!
- Star Search
- Zen and the Art of Wedding Planning
- Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori
- Here’s to Health and Lots of Tea
- Ch-ch-ch-changes
Other News13 Blogs:
- The Casual Historian - Larche Hardy
- Derby Girl - Enocha Van Lierop
- The Newby - Jessi Chapin
- Gainesville, Georgia's All American Girl - Tuquyen Mach
