Status
Call number
Publication
Description
"The woman behind the icon known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, the undisputed Queen of Halloween, reveals her full story, filled with intimate bombshells, told by the bombshell herself. On Good Friday in 1953, at only 18 months old, 25 miles from the nearest hospital in Manhattan, Kansas, Cassandra Peterson reached for a pot on the stove and doused herself in boiling water. Third-degree burns covered 35% of her body, and the prognosis wasn't good. But she survived. Burned and scarred, the impact stayed with her and became an obstacle she was determined to overcome. Feeling like a misfit led to her love of horror. Due to a complicated relationship with her mother, Cassandra left home at 14, and by age 17 she was performing at the famed Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas. Run-ins with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Tom Jones helped her grow up fast. Then a chance encounter with her idol Elvis Presley, changed the course of her life forever, and led her to Europe where she worked in film and traveled Italy as lead singer of an Italian pop band. She eventually made her way to Los Angeles, where she joined the famed comedy improv troupe, The Groundlings, and worked alongside Phil Hartman and Paul "Pee-wee" Reubens, honing her comedic skills. Nearing age 30, a struggling actress considered past her prime, she auditioned at local LA channel KHJ as hostess for the late night vintage horror movies. Cassandra improvised, made the role her own, and got the job on the spot. Yours Cruelly, Elvira is an unforgettably wild memoir. Always original and sometimes outrageous, her story is loaded with twists, travails, revelry, and downright shocking experiences. It is the candid, often funny, and sometimes heart-breaking tale of a Midwest farm girl's long strange trip to become the world's sexiest, sassiest Halloween icon"--… (more)
User reviews
The book is also very well written, engaging, and funny. The woman can set a scene!
All this being said, and even though it in all encompassed a small amount of the book, there are multiple instances of incredibly uncomfortable fatphobia. Additionally, in a powerful chapter about sexual assult, she outright states that it's impossible for a woman to assult a man, which is so far from correct. I would be lying if I said that didn't boil my blood, and I almost put the book down permanently.
In the end, I am glad I finished the book. I am glad to know more about her life. These issues did impact how much I enjoyed the read. I'm choosing to mention them perhaps as trigger warning, or perhaps because I am just the kind of person that but can't help but point out this type of behavior when I see it.
This book would appeal to the Elvira fan and it shows how much work went into making this iconic character, but the book would also appeal to anyone looking into show biz types of the 70's, because they are here. She met anyone who was anyone in Vegas or rock music in general, including Elvis and Tom Jones.