Yours cruelly, Elvira Memoirs of the mistress of the dark

Elvira, 1951-

Book - 2021

"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 th...e 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"--

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Subjects
Published
New York : Hachette Books 2021.
Language
English
Main Author
Elvira, 1951- (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
xx, 284 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm
ISBN
9780306874352
  • Prologue
  • Chapter 1. Kansas
  • Chapter 2. Colorado Bound
  • Chapter 3. Horror, Holidays, and Hormones
  • Chapter 4. The Virgin Groupie
  • Chapter 5. Life-A-Go-Go
  • Chapter 6. Are You Experienced?
  • Chapter 7. Fear and Lack of Clothing in Las Vegas
  • Chapter 8. Vive Les Girls (It's Showtime!)
  • Chapter 9. Through the Looking Glass
  • Chapter 10. All Shook Up
  • Chapter 11. It's Not Unusual
  • Chapter 12. Rome If You Want To
  • Chapter 13. Arrivederci, Roma
  • Chapter 14. LA Woman
  • Chapter 15. You'll Never Work in This Town Again
  • Chapter 16. Mama's Boys
  • Chapter 17. Do You Believe in Magic?
  • Chapter 18. The Groundlings
  • Chapter 19. A Hollywood Horror Story
  • Chapter 20. Boobs 'n' Beer
  • Chapter 21. Mistress of the Dark
  • Chapter 22. Saturday Night Dead
  • Chapter 23. Hey Swami
  • Chapter 24. Briarcliff Manor or Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?
  • Chapter 25. Livin' in a Haunted House
  • Chapter 26. The Pigeon from Hell
  • Chapter 27. The Elvira Show
  • Chapter 28. Lite a Flame
  • Chapter 29. Hello, Goodbye
  • Chapter 30. Baby Love
  • Chapter 31. Elvira's Haunted Hills
  • Chapter 32. The Hardest Part
  • Chapter 33. Just Like Starting Over
  • Chapter 34. Ch-Ch-Changes
  • Chapter 35. Both Sides Now
  • Epilogue
  • Acknowledgments
Review by Library Journal Review

Peterson's memoir of life in the limelight is titled after her iconic role but covers a much more storied career. Peterson narrates, delivering the product in a polished manner that incorporates her distinctive brand of humor. As is the case for many Baby Boomers, the music of her era helps define her through childhood and drives the direction of her career. She covers the tumultuous years of Beatlemania and the summer of love before sharing stories of finding work as dancer and singer in the 1970s. She has encountered seemingly every classic rock star, from Frank Zappa to Jimi Hendrix to Elvis. However, the meat really begins when she moves to acting, and lands the role of Elvira. Here, her voice shows its greatest enthusiasm for the character, as well as her compassion for animals, though the narrative turns away from show biz stories and further toward her personal life. VERDICT For one generation of readers, the people Elvira encounters will have significant weight, but for others, this book may be more of an introduction.--Aaron Heil, State Lib. of Kansas

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