Maila Nurmi(1922-2008)
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
The original glamour ghoul herself, "Vampira", of late night 1950s
television, was actually born Maila Syrjäniemi (later changed to the
easier surname Nurmi) on December 11, 1922 in Gloucester, Massachusetts (not Finland as she often claimed). Her
uncle was the multiple Olympic medal runner
Paavo Nurmi.
It was director Howard Hawks, of all
people, who discovered Maila while she was performing in
Mike Todd's Grand Guignol
midnight show "Spook Scandals". Hawks escorted the lovely blonde beauty
to Hollywood with the hopes of grooming her into the next
Lauren Bacall. Cast in the film version of
the Russian novel "Dreadful Hollow", the project was put on hold so
many times that Maila walked out of her contract in frustration. She
became a cheesecake model and an Earl Carroll dancer for several years
in his revues, sharing a chorus line at one time with future burlesque
stripper Lili St. Cyr.
Married at the time to child actor-turned-screenwriter
Dean Riesner, she came up with the idea of
"Vampira" at a masquerade contest where she based her costume on
Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons.
Heavily painted up with long fingernails, a mane of raven-colored hair,
and slim-waisted black attire, the Morticia gimmick won the best
costume award that night... and more. She caught the attention of local
television and was placed under contract to Channel 7 in Hollywood to
see if she could encourage late night viewers to stay up and watch its
regular programming of cheapjack horror schlock. The macabre madam was
a genuine hit (for one season, at least, in 1954-55), adding a sexy
nuance and silly double entendres to her campy horror set.
She earned an Emmy Award nomination in 1954 for "Most Outstanding
Female Personality". Fan clubs sprouted up all over the world. She
appeared in "Life", "TV Guide" and "Newsweek" magazine articles, and
could be seen around and about town and in Las Vegas judging contests
and making variety special appearances. Songs were written about the
"Queen of Horror". She even appeared with arms outstretched and
ghoulishly attired in the worst cinematic failure of all time,
Edward D. Wood Jr.'s
Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957),
as Bela Lugosi's zombie-like mate, for which
she is infamously associated. Lugosi actually was a huge fan of hers
and had always wanted to work with her. Wood shot some footage of her
years later as a tribute to Lugosi (he died in 1956 during filming) and
added it before the film's release.
By the late 1950s, Maila's extended "15 minutes" of fame was over. With
her career at stake (pun intended), she stretched things out with
haphazard appearances in abysmal movies
[The Beat Generation (1959);
Sex Kittens Go to College (1960)]
before closing the lid permanently on "Vampira". In later years, Maila
divorced her writer/husband and became passionately involved in animal
protection rights. A painter on the sly, she created some "Vampira"
portraits that became a collector's item. Living very modestly in
Southern California, she appeared in a small gag cameo in the film
I Woke Up Early the Day I Died (1998).
Malia Nurmi died at age 85 of natural causes at her home in Los
Angeles, California on January 10, 2008.
television, was actually born Maila Syrjäniemi (later changed to the
easier surname Nurmi) on December 11, 1922 in Gloucester, Massachusetts (not Finland as she often claimed). Her
uncle was the multiple Olympic medal runner
Paavo Nurmi.
It was director Howard Hawks, of all
people, who discovered Maila while she was performing in
Mike Todd's Grand Guignol
midnight show "Spook Scandals". Hawks escorted the lovely blonde beauty
to Hollywood with the hopes of grooming her into the next
Lauren Bacall. Cast in the film version of
the Russian novel "Dreadful Hollow", the project was put on hold so
many times that Maila walked out of her contract in frustration. She
became a cheesecake model and an Earl Carroll dancer for several years
in his revues, sharing a chorus line at one time with future burlesque
stripper Lili St. Cyr.
Married at the time to child actor-turned-screenwriter
Dean Riesner, she came up with the idea of
"Vampira" at a masquerade contest where she based her costume on
Charles Addams' New Yorker cartoons.
Heavily painted up with long fingernails, a mane of raven-colored hair,
and slim-waisted black attire, the Morticia gimmick won the best
costume award that night... and more. She caught the attention of local
television and was placed under contract to Channel 7 in Hollywood to
see if she could encourage late night viewers to stay up and watch its
regular programming of cheapjack horror schlock. The macabre madam was
a genuine hit (for one season, at least, in 1954-55), adding a sexy
nuance and silly double entendres to her campy horror set.
She earned an Emmy Award nomination in 1954 for "Most Outstanding
Female Personality". Fan clubs sprouted up all over the world. She
appeared in "Life", "TV Guide" and "Newsweek" magazine articles, and
could be seen around and about town and in Las Vegas judging contests
and making variety special appearances. Songs were written about the
"Queen of Horror". She even appeared with arms outstretched and
ghoulishly attired in the worst cinematic failure of all time,
Edward D. Wood Jr.'s
Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957),
as Bela Lugosi's zombie-like mate, for which
she is infamously associated. Lugosi actually was a huge fan of hers
and had always wanted to work with her. Wood shot some footage of her
years later as a tribute to Lugosi (he died in 1956 during filming) and
added it before the film's release.
By the late 1950s, Maila's extended "15 minutes" of fame was over. With
her career at stake (pun intended), she stretched things out with
haphazard appearances in abysmal movies
[The Beat Generation (1959);
Sex Kittens Go to College (1960)]
before closing the lid permanently on "Vampira". In later years, Maila
divorced her writer/husband and became passionately involved in animal
protection rights. A painter on the sly, she created some "Vampira"
portraits that became a collector's item. Living very modestly in
Southern California, she appeared in a small gag cameo in the film
I Woke Up Early the Day I Died (1998).
Malia Nurmi died at age 85 of natural causes at her home in Los
Angeles, California on January 10, 2008.