I've already noted that since books on major stars have been done ad nauseam, publishers began offering works on third-tier or even fringe "celebrities," often with some sort of hook to make the book of more interest. Maila Nurmi was a wannabee actress and sometime model whose greatest claim to fame was having a silent role as a ghoul in Ed Wood's not-so-classic Plan Nine from Outer Space. She had appeared for about a year as Vampira on a LA TV show as a hostess for schlock horror films, Author Poole admits this book is not a traditional biography; there simply isn't enough material to work with. Instead Poole puts Nurmi in perspective with the mores and attitudes of the period she lived in, especially in regards to the role of women. To his credit, Poole resists pretension for the most part, and the book is more interesting than you would at first imagine. Poole writes of how Cassandra Peterson, also known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, pretty much stole Vampira's act, and a legal battle ensued. Nurmi's first husband, actor-writer Dean Reisner, wrote screenplays for Dirty Harry, The Beguiled, Play Misty for Me, and other Clint Eastwood flicks, among others, and she hung out with Janes Dean for a time, although their connection is rather tenuous. Reviewing this book. one critic claims that "Vampira is up there with Vincent Price," which is, of course, ridiculous, as Price was a gifted actor with a long, long career and Nurmi was strictly camp-of-the-moment.
Verdict: Well-written look at fringe celebrity who had a brief Hollywood flicker. ***.
She is one of the most famous personalities who is so well known for doing so little. I think Elvira only made her even more notorious.
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Agreed! "So well known for doing so little" -- love it!
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