Farewell to Vampira-- RIP

[egorschamber]

Sad, sad news and a terrible loss to monster kids.
Maila "Vampira" Nurmi has left us, according to Tom Weaver (in a post on the Classic Horror Film Board)
and Joe Moe (in a post on the Scarlet Street "Final Curtains" forum).
No further details yet.

[Tom Smith Monsternut]

RIP Vampira ! Fangs for the memory's !

Tom

[Penny Dreadful]

I just found out about this.  Very sad news.  Maila Nurmi was a very intelligent and articulate person, and a television horror host Icon.  I consider her an inspiration and wish I could have had the opportunity to have met her. 

[ProfGriffin]

Greetings and Farewell Vampira.

A recipe for Vampira:
2 oz. Theda Bara
(vamp, vamp)
2 oz. Morticia
(morbid Victorian)
3 oz. Norma Desmond
(Sunset Boulevard)
4 oz. Tallulah Bankhead
(the voice, dahling)
2 oz. Marilyn Monroe
(demons are a ghoul's best friend)
3 oz. Katherine Hepburn
(Victorian English)
2 oz. Bettie Davis
(mama, baby)
3 oz. Billie Burke
(dilettante)
3 oz. Marlene Dietrich
(singing voice)
8 oz. Bizarre pin-up
Add 3 lizard eggs, 2 mothballs and a glass eye from a pygmy. Shake
vigorously till steaming

She started here career as a model, actress and dancer in Hollywood,
but her life was forever changed when she attended the Ball Caribe
Masquerade Party in Hollywood in 1953. She attended dressed as a
vampish character based on the Charles Addams drawing of Morticia
from the New York Times. She beat out 2000 contestants in the
costume contest and won first prize! She also won the attention of K-
ABC channel 7 producer Hunt Stromberg Jr. He hired her to host the
station's new late-night horror show, called what else? The Vampira
Show!

The Horror Show premiered in 1954 and Vampira quickly got national
attention. Fan clubs and magazine articles followed. Soon she was
jet setting with Hollywood icons like James Dean and Marlon Brando.
Unfortunately, she was fired from the studio after only just a year
and a half. Why? Vampira claims she was blacklisted from Hollywood
because she didn't cooperate with the Hollywood factory.

I'm not too sure what that means coming from a late-night TV Horror Hostess!.

There was an infamous Vampira tape that a good friend dupped for me in 2003 from the
footage that HE got after joining the Creature Features group and
securing the footage from a fan there (whew!)
Originally in the possession of Dave (The Rocketer) Stevens, the
TV footage is short but breathtaking.

To hear Vampira's voice! Never heard it before that tape. Very blue-blood,
aristrocratic, and powerful. He body language...seductive yet creepy,
(nothing wrong with that combo)and her humor....well, shall we say it
is very appropriate for All Gallows Eve! (sorry, I was treading on
Forry's territory there)

I just wanted to say that seeing the footage, I'd have to say
that Vampira DID have cause to sue Elvira. I mean, the opening, with
the fog and candles and more importantly, that couch! It looked like
the same one!
It has been said that Malia was on board Movie Macabre in the
beginning and helped to develop it. But left after conflicts arose.
I've also read that she was very difficult to work with.
(Malia not Cassandra)

That tape footage is priceless, breathtaking and just plain fun. Oh, and
as a special treat, Art Baker, the host of You Asked For It,
introduces the footage in an old 'the history of channel 7' bit
holding keys with faces emblazoned on them.

Great stuff.

RIP Vampira
Prof. Griffin

[neonnoodle]

RIP Vampira...thanks for all those memorable vampiric moments.

[ProfGriffin]

Here's Vampira playing around with the one and only Bela Lugosi.

[hhwolfman]

I am sure Eddie and Bela met her at the crossroads. HHW

[ProfGriffin]

A couple of more photos.

[Wich2]

(Geez, Bela - a little gauche, that Grab!)

Rest indeed, Maila. Thanks.

-Craig W.

[mike c]

RIP Vampira... sad to see you go.
Maila Nurmi was reported to be a pain in the butt by a lot of folks, but ya can't deny her the place in horror history she carved for herself. She was a self-determined woman, and had her own sometimes bizarre take on the world, and was a real character.
At any rate, I'm sure she has some answers now.
Rest in peace, my dear.

Mike C.

[ProfGriffin]

http://www.youtube.com/v/me9pT2Z8BqQ&rel=1

Vampira in the flesh

[poseablemonster]

Rest in Peace, and rest assured, you left something very important behind, Vampira.  After all, not everyone has a Misfits song written about them.

[raycastile]

I'm sorry to see Vampira slip away from this world.  I would have liked to have met her one of these days.  What a lady.  Waaaay ahead of her time.  So sad that the pathfinders are often the last to benefit from their innovations.

[Mego73]

I wrote this on the Mego board and like there I hope I am not double posting:

I apologize if this has been posted before but it is news to me that Vampira, aka Maila Nurmi has passed away.

http://blogging.la/archives/2008/01/rip_vampira_aka_maila_nurmi.phtml

Let's fling a silver hubcap in the air in her honor.

(yes, I know Plan 9 actually used off the shelf flying saucer model kits for thier alien ships, but they do look like hubcaps)

Now that I look I did miss this post:

http://universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=543.0

But the link is new so hope others enjoy the link

[Mego73]

I missed this post before I posted about Vampira. RIP Vampira!