"You ate what?" Cassandra Peterson is 70 and she got back into Elvira for the 40th anniversary of the character and looks EXACTLY like she did in 1988. She is astonishing.
The painting of Elvira's 'great aunt' is actually Cassandra sans make-up and hair. It was painted by her good friend Robert Redding, who also did her customized wigs. He sadly passed away in 1986. This film is dedicated to Robert's memory.
"She's like a red-headed version of Elvira". I laughed so hard when you said that because Cassandra Peterson, who plays Elvira has red hair under that black wig.
That explains a lot. I know it's a very tired and old stereotype, but there's maybe a grain of truth in every stereotype, and I personally have never encountered a redhead yet who didn't have a high-octane personality. Most were awesome, a few were jerks, but *none* were ever dull or boring! (That includes you, Ms Burton :-) )
First, Elvira can actually do the independent tassel twirls and she can get them going in opposite directions, a mean feat that few can do. Two she was actually a showgirl at one point in her career. And aside from all that, she is absolutely amazing for oh so many reasons ;)
Ashleigh, you have no idea. Elvira/Cassandra Peterson is a LEGEND. Yes, technically she is one of the first reactors for horror. She hosted b rated horror movies, with wisecracking commentary off and on for more than 33 yrs. She has made appearances in almost everything. Just an ICON.
Not even close to the first. Vampira has her beat by about three decades The horror hosts of the 1950s also included Gorgon, Morgus the Magnificent, Tarantula Ghoul, Zacherley, Selwin, and Marvin There have always been about 10-20 horror hosts each decade, and Elvira only came about in the 80s
Cassandra is the best. I had a meet and greet with her once, her real red hair, light make up, and she is the sweetest woman! Love her! Glad you got your see her quirky, scary comedy.
The recent reveal about her relationship that hit the news made me really happy for her. Granted it's her personal life and none of my business, it's really nice to hear that she's been in a happy, wholesome relationship for the last 16+ years and is just living her best life. She deserves it.
I literally clicked on this video just to say that she is the most amazing actress!! They say don't meet your heroes, but if Elvira is one of them.. DO IT! She is the sweetest, kindest, most warm and welcoming actress I've EVER had the pleasure of working with!
@@TheHighSorcerer I worked with her about 10 years ago now, and when she came out I was so surprised people didn't already know hahaha. They're the cutest freaking couple and just the absolute best to work with!
Little known fact, unless you’ve read her biography? She was one of the first kids ever to get penicillin! She was burned badly as a kid, leaving her with scars over large parts of her body, and was in the group of kids they tested it on. Also, she went on at least one date with Elvis while a Las Vegas showgirl and, when he found out how old she was at the time, he told her to get out of Vegas… she didn’t take his advice for a while, and when she did it was to join a show in Paris.
This is pretty great! Especially considering that Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) recently did an interview where she came out with her decades long partner. I cannot imagine the restraint of her lover to have kept "I have the ultimate big titty goth GF" a secret for that long. A stronger woman than I.
There's an incredible irony that Elvira was a TV show host who reacted to and commented on old horror movies. And here we have Ashleigh with her own RUclips show, watching Elvira's movie... Reaction videos never really went out of style, did they? :P
@@UltimateGamerCC she was also my "it" girl even before Jessica Rabbit. Six year old me walked into a grocery store with my parents and there was a life sized cardboard cutout of her in her signature laying on the couch pose and my jaw hit the floor
"You ate what?" Elvira is the woman in the painting. She's naturally a redhead and she wears a wig for her black 'do. ;-) She's just brilliant and she was someone that I watched from the time I was 6. Times were different back then. LOL!
Immediate first thought before even watching: is she aware Elvira is originally a TV show host that does stuff like this? Edit: 1:01 confirmed, Ashleigh has no idea. Yeah, for those who dont know, Elvira was a TV show host since the 1981 who watched b-rated horror films, offered a running commentary (so yes, reaction videos) along with doing skits between commercial breaks. She ran off and on through 2014, same actress the entire run and yes she dressed like that for all 33 years. Her most well known nickname is "Queen of Halloween" and is both a horror icon and a sex symbol as well as being considered a major influence on modern "horror" aesthetics. She has also appeared in crossovers with other major media outlets, including DC Comics and Scooby-Doo. Also... you ate what?
Yes, Elvira was one of the last old-school Wisecracking Late-Night Monster Movie Hosts (along with Commander USA on USA Network) in the late 80’s, before MST3K reinvented the genre in the 90’s, and hosts didn’t wisecrack just at the commercial breaks.
Anybody who openly hates on Elvira more than likely is jealous. They just would rather die than admit that out loud. Glad Ashleigh is not in that category of woman.
Elvira hosted a show called Elvira's Movie Macabre where she'd mock horror B-movies following in the footsteps of Vampira in the 1950s, who was the one in "Plan 9 from Outer Space. Both she and Vampira based their looks off Morticia from The Addams Family comic strip of the 1930s although Vampira tried to sue Elvira for copyright infringement.
I used to watch Movie Macabre when I was a kid. The movies were wonderfully awful, but it was Elvira as the hostess that really made the show great. That show is partly responsible for instilling in me a love of bad B-movies.
Lots of men did shows where they dress up and do humorous/creepy intros to old horror movies but Elvira was the only female that I can remember. Our local one in Virginia Beach was Dr. Madblood. Loved staying up past midnight to see it.
Petty much came to say this myself. I was eating and almost choked and did a spittake simultaneously when I heard Ashleigh say, "She's like a redheaded version of Elvira."
As someone has probably said, Cassandra Peterson is a natural redhead, and just wears that wig. But she's also was part of the Groundlings improv troup in California that also had Phil Hartman, Paul Reubens, and Edie McClurg. She had a cameo as a biker in "Pee Wee's Big Adventure".
@@BeeWhistler That portrait is literally her. That was a painting of Cassandra Peterson out of her Elvira make-up and wig. She looks exactly like that.
her beginnings are really awesome from to be a love relation with the one and only rock king! to brite on Europe with her band! i think she's not sufficient values about this movie comes to much of persons around! mee Catalonia spn for exemple.
A *"Pinko"* is a word that describe as being sympathetic to communism but not necessarily being a member of the "communist party". It is also used to describe anyone being leftist and/or socialist sympathies. seeing pink is a lighter shade of red and red bring the color associated with communism. So the color pink basically describes a "lighter form of communism".
Here's what I don't get about that. Red is also the color of the Republican Party, which is about the furthest thing from actual Communism you could possibly get, without becoming a straight-up Monarchy! So why would such a party adopt RED, the color of Communism, as their color?? Never been able to wrap my mind around that mystery!
@@jacob4920 well there's lots of stuff that goes around and I'm not 100% clear on what's the real reason on stuff but one of them is back in the 2000 electric with George W Bush the color Red was put for Republicans because both Red and Republican starts with the letter "R". If you go back to the 1970s of Carter vs Ford they used Red for Democrats and Blue for the Republicans due to they was using the Brutish method where they color Blue was used to show more Liberal controlled areas. Seeing now the modern times Liberal lean towards the Democratic party and the liberals count for a large share of the Democratic voters now days. So blue for the Democratic party. That's also why Democrats are considered Leftist because the leftist liberals are a big part of their voters.
@@JoeXTheXJuggalo1 I realize that. It's just funny the dichotomy of it. Before 2000, Red was a "Communist" color. Everyone literally agreed on that. The Soviet Union helped us to rally around that idea. It's just funny how and why the reversal occurred in the first place. It really was incidental, when you think about it. It's also just so ironic. Nowadays, "Pinko" almost means "Moderate Capitalist," rather than "Communist Sympathizer."
So it's worth noting that Elvira/Cassandra Peterson has had an incredibly rich career. She got second degree burns as a child from scalding hot water in an accident and was incredibly reluctant to show her back to people where there's some scars still. She worked in Las Vegas (yes as a dancer) and slept with Elvis and generally lived that life hard. Her then husband and she created the Elvira character, and it was a massive cult hit, resulting in the movie. And she's been an icon since then til now, and she's about to retire the character. And that was her as her aunt with her real red hair! :) Worth watching you some videos where she's talked to.
“You ate what” - This is seriously so good. Elvira is a queen and her comedy style is hilarious. She used to host a show in LA where she would watch B horror movies and comment on them. She deserved this!
TBS on either friday, or saturday night, would have a film done by her, then it would roll into monster vision with Joe Bob Briggs until like 3am. I would watch it every weekend.
"Why am I telling you all this stuff, it doesn't matter." Yes, yes it does, Ashleigh. We ALL love to hear what you and Hubbin are up to. ❤️❤️❤️ You ate WHAT?
Fun fact: Elvira actually got her show biz start as a Las Vegas showgirl at the tender age of 18!! I'm sure you already have your Wednesday movies lined up for this month, but if you haven't, you definitely need to watch Tucker and Dale VS Evil! It's a great "horror-lite" movie with tons of laughs!!
Actually she was 17! I just finished her autobiography. She said she went from being the worlds oldest Girl Scout to being vegas’s youngest showgirl. And she said she would’ve been the oldest show girl if it hadn’t been for Elvis Presley who told her to develop her singing voice instead. What a life this woman has had!
Elvira has her own tv show where she’s be the host presenting scary movies. Each commercial break, she’s crack jokes and be funny. She’s lovable and an icon.
It used to be a pretty common TV format. I remember USA Network had "USA Up.... All Night" with Rhonda Sheer, who was similarly endowed, watching generically bad movies, rather than specifically horror ones.
I have been an Elvira fan since the beginning of her career with the character. I was 4 years old in 1981, watching her show in Los Angeles with my dad. Also, there is actually a song ABOUT her, by a band called "Ghoultown". It's "Mistress of the Dark." She even stars in their music video. She said in her recent memoir that she was a Vegas showgirl in the 70's, until she went to a party at the house of a friend of a friend of a friend. Later in the night she ran into the owner of the house, and he told her that showgirls burn out fast, she should quit and go to Hollywood. If it was anyone else, she wouldn't have listened to him, but it was Elvis Presley.
"Don't you ever wear anything else?" "Yeah, sometimes I like to wear something lowcut and sexy" Cassandra Peterson, who plays Elvira, is a redhead. The painting is how she really looks. She has a non-Elvira cameo in Pee Wee's Big Adventure. She plays a biker chick. She used to be a Las Vegas showgirl. Hence the tassel spinning talent. She recently wrote an autobiography. It's a good read. You should probably watch her second film, Elvira's Haunted Hills. BTW, the dog's name is Algonquin. Gonk for short.
LOL--Elvira wasn't in Plan 9, that was "Vampira," a character that Cassandra Peterson was inspired by when she came up with Elvira. Plan 9 was made when Cassandra Peterson was a little kid haha Great reaction--this movie is awesome
Back in the 60s through the mid 80s, lots of TV stations had late night horror movie shows. Some of them, Svengoolie, Rhonda Shear, Ghoulardi, Witchiepoo and a few others became nationally known. Elvira surrpassed them all. She was such a personality, comedian, dancer and singer with a look that stopped you in your tracks. Cassandra used her fame to promote many worthy charities.
This is because she had a weekly horror movie (I think it was Friday night), and it was always a hoot to watch the movie, and her. That was a great time to grow up! You ate what? Also Ashleigh, you were hilarious with the extended open mouth shot when you reacted to her comment about "head and no complaints yet" 12:44. If it was intentional, well done. If it just happened, even funnier, your timing was spot on!
Vampira wasn't even the first, though she was among the crop of early ones in the 1950s. There were others, Vampira was "just" another one at the time. But her relatively short-lived stint has lived on to reach icon status.
Elvira - Cassandra Peterson - grew up in a brothel that is where she learned how to spin her tassels. Also she wrote the script for the movie. Her humor is all over the film. It is a great flick.
Elvira actually was the host of a late night horror show in the 80's, exactly like at the start of the film, so they just went and made a film where she was a real person rather than a character. Also, I just noticed that crazy hot-dog guy from The Happening was in this(the creepy guy she "stabbed" in the bowling alley), and the wheelchair wizard kid from A Nghtmare on Elm Street 3.
I remember seeing an episode of Counting Cars (I think) and she brought that same car in to the shop to get some work done on it. A bit of restoration I think. The guys went nuts. xD She was a super sweet lady. She came to pick it up in full costume/makeup and they about had heart attacks. Was actually really wholesome to watch.
Yep. Danny Koker of "Counting Cars" used to do a similar show to hers on a Las Vegas TV station. He called himself The Count, a sort of Las Vegas Elvis version of Dracula. He and Cassandra Peterson became friends so when the T-Bird needed some fixing up, she brought it to Danny and it became an episode of Counting Cars. She was entertaining as always. BTW Peterson was also a Las Vegas show girl at one time.
I snorted when you said “dirty pillows.” By the way, the woman from “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” was also in “Carrie”. She was one of the teenage girls, the one with the glasses.
Edie McClurg has been in dozens of movies and probably over 100 tv shows. Carrie was her film debut. She has been in 2 Cheech and Chong movies. She was Mallory's mom in Natural Born Killers. She was in Back to School, Mr Mom, The Secret of NIMH, Curly Sue, The Rugrats Movie, A Bug's Life, Van Wilder, Cars (1 and 2) and Frozen, to name a few.
"You ate WHAT?" It's so funny, I've never seen this, barely heard of it, but honestly it's an instant classic, 10/10 would have on my movie shelf! Thank you so much for this channel, I love watching movies with you for the first time, it feels like watching with a friend!
fun fact, her car is a 58 T-bird modified with a barbed wire license plate frames & rearview mirror, spider grill and custom steering wheel. There is a model kit of the car available and lastly, this movie shows how much fun life can be if you're not a prude.
Cassandra Peterson , the actress who has always portrayed Elvira , has always been so nice and gracious to fans. And is still charming and gorgeous at 70 years of age.
Cassandra Peterson is an American actress, writer and singer. She is best known for her portrayal of the horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Peterson gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ-TV in her stage persona as Elvira, hosting Elvira's Movie Macabre, a weekly B movie presentation.
"Haven't you seen any old Roger Corman movies?" "No." Yes you have. Everyone has. He's the most prolific film maker of all time, he's been making movies for 60 years at an absurd rate.
At an absurd rate, and it shows. He's distributed more cheese than Wisconsin. The titles of his films read with the same air of excellence as the ones credited to Martin Sheen's brother, and he was responsible for Roller Gator.
He made _The Little Shop of Horrors_ (1960) featuring a young Jack Nicholson as a masochistic dental patient. Bill Murray played this character in the 1986 musical film version.
That old school burlesque humor still hits just the right spot. This was Elvira at the top of her game, and it is a privilege to see it in this channel with someone who can appreciate the cornball mixed with the naughty.
I've suggested this to her a couple times. It's kinda a minor dissapointed I have with the order in which she reacts to things, mainly her patreon picks who don't do their homework and suggest movies with references to older movies that she should see before those movies. One reason so she gets them, another reason, so they don't spoil those films as well.
As a child growing up in the 80s, I was completely aware of Elvira and her personality, but her TV show was on past my bedtime and I didn't get to watch it. So i legitimately thought the Oak Ridge Boys song was her theme song.
"You ate what". It was funny when you said the painting is a red-headed version of Elvira because Cassandra Peterson has red hair. She wears a wig as Elvira. If you're going to be Morticia Adam's you will still need those assets. ( Personally, I think your assets are fine.) When I moved to CA from MA in 81, I discovered Elvira. She used to host a late night horror movie on Saturday nights. Some of the movies were bad and some not so bad. The appeal was Elvira ripping the movies. All the jokes, innuendos and double entendres were regular staples of her show. I remember that they had a big promotion when they showed House of Wax. 7-11 was giving out free 3D glasses. Elvira's look was influenced by Vampira, who was in Plan 9 From Outer Space, and Morticia Adams.
I still have the 12-inch single of the song that she recorded for that 3D show. Went down to Tower Records in H'wood to get it autographed. The guy behind me in line said, "Wow, this is even better than 3D". Elvira gave him the stink eye. 😂
Cassandra is actually a red head herself and actually makes a cameo in PeeWee's Big Adventure without the Elivira drag. She and Paul Reuben (PeeWee Herman) are great friends.
The lady who played Elvira was a very talented entertainer. She was a comedian, dancer and magician. She had a Vegas show for many years. If you want to play her for Halloween it bears mentioning that some of her decolletage came from shadowing makeup as you can tell from the closing scene.
Even though she's now 70, she still is amazingly gorgeous. My dad said he'd met her, and she was absolutely the most gracious and pleasant person he'd met. She is basically the yang to Dollys Yin.
It's a satire of the early days of television. Screen Gems released the old Universal horror and monster movies, suggesting they hire local hosts. They were a big hit and the formats would change over time. Monsters, horror, Japanese Kaiju, science-fiction. The first host was Vampira and Zachertey. After the death of Sinister Seymour the LA host, they hired Cassandra Peterson who became Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
Chicago area had Svenghoulie, played by WFLD announcer Jerry G. Bishop, on a show originally titled "Screaming Yellow Theatre." I'm told a lot of these shows have been picked up by an "old TV Show" cable network. This was back when newspaper TV listings would indicate the friday night timeslot as "Movie" without listing the title. Svenghoulie would present public domain horror movies, sci-fi flicks, and japanese monster films. (Apparently they had someone in programming who needed new glasses, because from time to time an old film noir would also creep in. Monster, mobster... what's the difference?) Until I moved out to the left coast, I had never heard of Elvira before.
"You ate WHAT?" Funny enough, Elvira's real name is Cassandra Peterson and she's a natural Red Head. Also in Plan 9 that was Vampira, played by Maila Nurmi. Who would later sue Cassandra over stealing her 'character' when she came up with Elvira. She lost the law suit though.
“Pinko” is a 50s-60s term that people referred to socialist. Being as communist were considered “Reds”, people that were sympathetic to them were called “pinko‘s” kind of like if you dilute red you get pick.
Wiki: "Pinko is a pejorative coined in 1925 in the United States to describe a person regarded as being sympathetic to communism, though not necessarily a Communist Party member. It has since come to be used to describe anyone perceived to have leftist or socialist sympathies." This is correct. I'm in my 50s and I've only ever heard it used as a reference to communist sympathizers. Pretty sure it was first applied to communism THEN usurped more broadly to include socialism or just anyone who didn't think like them. I'm such a pedant.
@@ThePlaySpace-CurtainCall No, "pinko" is specifically NOT for communists. Communists were called "reds". Pinkos were obviously a diluted form of that.
This is a very underrated movie. One of my favorites. So many great quotes. And the dog is called Gonk because his real name is Algonquin, Gonk for short.
It always shocks me that the classic Elvira dress manages to be so revealing while also covering up her burn scars from her childhood. Like, damn, that was engineered incredibly. I love Cassandra Peterson.
"She's like a red-headed version of Elvira." Elvira's really name is Cassandra Peterson & she is a redhead in real life. Before she came up with her Elvira character she was a Vegas Showgirl, had relationships with Jimi Hendrix & Elvis Presley. Now in her 70's she still looks amazing. That is not meant to be Elvira in Ed Wood, it was the original TV horror host vamp Vampira. Fun fact , the actress who plays the uptight "Chastity Pariah" was also one of the mean girls in Carrie. "You Ate What?"
I "met" Cassandra back in 2019 for work. The big wigs at my job were giving her a tour of the offices and passed by my cubicle. She doesn't look at all in her 70s and her red hair really stuck out. She was still as funny and joyful as ever. Anyway, she visited because we were making an Elvira pinball game and they wanted her approval/see what she thought. She seems shorter in person as well. Fun fact: The very first role she had was as a dancer in a Sean Connery James Bond film. You ate what??
For the scene with the casserole monster, the guys operating the puppet had to be real close to Cassandra and were pretty much sitting between her legs to pull off the effect. She basically said “Knock yourselves out.”
I met her many years ago (around 2001) while working security for Dragon*Con. She was showing her new movie, "Elvira's Haunted Hills". And my "job" was to sit through the movie, with Alice Cooper (yes, the rock star) beside me, making sure nobody bothered him while he watched the movie. It was a great time...!
I've met her twice over the years. She's a very nice person and genuinely loves her fans. She's about to turn 70, which you couldn't tell by looking at her in or out of character, and has said she's probably going to retire the Elvira character soon.
"You ate WHAT?" Lol, Elvira is a master at camp comedy. I definitely think you and hubbins should dress up as Morticia and Gomez, have fun with your first Hallowe'en in the new house.
I applaud Cassandra for having a meaningful relationship for so long, and being able to keep it out of the tabloids. The Elvira brand is important to geek culture...B-movies were discovered because of her.
Love Elvira/Cassandra to death, her being true to her self, and being such an awesome queen of horror is amazing. Never would have guessed, but as long as she's happy that's all that matters.
Local horror hosts have been around almost as long as tv itself. Elvira was; for the most part, the first nationally syndicated host. For more info on the most remembered local hosts see American Scary a great documentary on the subject.
@@kageakuma3009 I would have. I know sexual orientation isn't a choice, but a woman who has received the kind of constant barrage of disturbing male attention I am quite positive Ms. Peterson has received would probably do her best to become a lesbian out of sheer self-defense.
"...she was in Planes, Trains, and Automoiles..." - Yup...but you missed her the other day in Carrie where she played one of the snotty girls at Carrie's school...
"You ate what?" The actress playing the morality police, Chastity Pariah, is played by the lovely Edie McClurg. She was in Ferris Bueller, and said he was a righteous dude. She has been in so many different projects and is one of my favorite character-type actresses.
And Elvira’s show on KHJ, in the 80s? She was hilarious. Yes, her costume cleavage, coupled with her brazen attitude, ruffled many parents’ groups feathers back then. But even a red-blooded 80s youngster was smart enough to know that Elvira on TV was a true package deal - sexy AND funny.
Cassandra Peterson is one year younger than I am and she's aged a LOT better. She's also done pretty much every type of entertainment that ever got published. She fronted for the Elvira movie program, has voiced a gazillion cartoon characters, also video games, has done her own movie (obviously), has done cameos and guest shots in a ton of comedy shows, both as Elvira and as a character, was a guest judge in the television series "Face Off" where makeup artists compete to see who can make the best costumes/prosthetic monsters/fantasy characters, etc., and was on three episodes of "Fantasy Island." And for a fair amount of time was one of the great pin-up queens of the world. Comicons, game-cons, pretty much any convention, she was there. (I remember one...back when I was in my 30's...ah well...memories.)
First time commenting, but I've always wanted to tell you how much I adore your laugh. 😀 I just love those full-body laughs. So glad you reacted to this! I was fortunate enough to meet Elvira several years ago after winning a look-a-like contest...the prize being dinner with her and 10 of my friends. Cassandra Peterson is one of the nicest celebs you'll ever meet, and we had such a blast hanging out with her. The friends I brought with me for the dinner were my Rocky Horror castmates, and she told us how she'd auditioned to play Magenta for the film version, and a few days after she found out that she didn't get the role she got the call to audition to be a TV movie host. And the amazing Elvira was born!
"american werewolf in London" --- ooooooo! now we're talking... I remember that film decades ago.. i've seen it twice.. .. last time was like 1990. lol
"Plan 9 from Outer Space" had "Vampira" in it, not Elvira. Vampira was an early TV horror movie reactor in LA in the 1950's. Elvira came along decades later.
You ate WHAT? “Stop saying the words and using the things” Now, that is advice to live by!!! Also, I compliment you on a stellar cross-reference between Elvira-Mistress of the Dark and When Harry Met Sally!! That is a pro-level film reference!! 👻🎃🚂
You mentioned both "first movie reactor" and Plan 9... the character Vampira from Ed Wood and actress from Plan 9 did the same sort of horror movie showcase before Elvira. Maila Nurmi (Vampira) even unsuccessfully sued Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) for "stealing her act". Peterson got her start as a go-go dancer. She did several full nude layouts before she became Elvira (pics easily found online). She also appears in a g-string and pasties on the cover of the Toms Waits album, 'Small Change'. The hair was a wig. Peterson is a natural redhead.
That's not Cassandra on the cover of 'Small Change', she's debunked that urban myth repeatedly. But people should still listen to the album, it's fantastic!
Elvira is a modern a tv horror movie hostess, like Vampira from the 1950’s who was portrayed in the movie ‘Ed Wood’. Other famous horror movie hosts are Svengoolie and Joe Bob Briggs. It’s a long and proud tradition.
@@kathyastrom1315 Rich Koz was the son of svengoolie and still does the Svengoolie show, he’s still hilarious. Also Count Floyd from sctv was a tribute to old time horror hosts.
Patty filled the bucket with tar and dumped feathers. Literally tarred and feathered. To get an oil-based substance like tar off, gasoline works wonders. It's not healthy, and is highly flammable, but it works. Just be sure to rinse several times and moisturize after.
My grandmother used to sing Elvira to me as a child because the 'oom bop a mow mow' made me laugh. Good memories of her. I squealed a little when you brought it up because I feel like not many people I know have a clue about that song.
When I was in college in the mid-80s, I was in the band, and we would play “Elvira” at the basketball games. When we got to the verse that starts, “Eyes that look like heaven,” the entire (mostly male) brass section stood up and sang it, while the woodwinds played in the background. We liked to change up the songs occasionally-our version of Al Jarreau’s “Boogie Down” started with drums banging and us all hooting and hollering, then at the same second, all yelling, “Let’s go boogie down-uh!!” then the horns started. Loads of fun! We were considered one of the best college pep bands in the Midwest.
So glad you went "Elviral," definitely a kindred spirit and it was time you met. As for American Werewolf, it has humor in it but may still scare the k-r-a-p out of you, so be forewarned. This has been an excellent start to Hallowbeans.
I had never seen Elvira, though she's one of my boyfriend's favorites. She's about to turn 70 in real life and she still looks phenomenal! Does she eat anything? I mean You eat WHAT?! I love your reactions Ashleigh! Keep up the great fun of Hallobeans!
![Gucci Mane & Sexyy Red - You Don't Love Me [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/j7IBqyFKT4c/mqdefault.jpg)
"You ate what?" Cassandra Peterson is 70 and she got back into Elvira for the 40th anniversary of the character and looks EXACTLY like she did in 1988. She is astonishing.
that woman definitely got some of the good genes in the lottery.
She got some of that potion from Death Becomes Her
30th
@@ronmaximilian6953 Elvira debuted on TV in 1981 so it's 40th anniversary this year
@@Ivan-yp4uu sorry. I thought you're talking about the movie
The painting of Elvira's 'great aunt' is actually Cassandra sans make-up and hair. It was painted by her good friend Robert Redding, who also did her customized wigs. He sadly passed away in 1986. This film is dedicated to Robert's memory.
Your reaction to:
Bob: “How’s your head?”
Elvira: “Haven’t had any complaints yet.”
Was priceless. 🤣🤣🤣
Ashleigh's Reactions Are The Best.
Blazing Saddles Is Proof Of This.
"you're not supposed to break the fourth wall like that"
she's Elvira. she can do whatever she damn well pleases.
It's Elvira. We would have been disappointed if she *didn't* talk to the camera.
that's the same house on the universal studios lot that was used for the Burbs movie, and munsters tv show.
Elvira was BORN to break the fourth wall.
And then some!
she could put a bomb in a building & blow it up with me in it & i’d thank her
"She's like a red-headed version of Elvira". I laughed so hard when you said that because Cassandra Peterson, who plays Elvira has red hair under that black wig.
The painting of the red head on the wall is herself
@@mordicus420 Exactly. Which is why I thought her comment was so funny.
That explains a lot. I know it's a very tired and old stereotype, but there's maybe a grain of truth in every stereotype, and I personally have never encountered a redhead yet who didn't have a high-octane personality. Most were awesome, a few were jerks, but *none* were ever dull or boring! (That includes you, Ms Burton :-) )
omg me tooo she is a red head lol...
I just found out that the exterior of the house is the same that was used on the TV show The Munsters. It’s such a great Easter egg!
First, Elvira can actually do the independent tassel twirls and she can get them going in opposite directions, a mean feat that few can do. Two she was actually a showgirl at one point in her career. And aside from all that, she is absolutely amazing for oh so many reasons ;)
She started out as a showgirl
Ashleigh, you have no idea. Elvira/Cassandra Peterson is a LEGEND. Yes, technically she is one of the first reactors for horror. She hosted b rated horror movies, with wisecracking commentary off and on for more than 33 yrs. She has made appearances in almost everything. Just an ICON.
i had such a boner crush on her, then my mom decided to be Elvira one Halloween and she ruined it...
@@UltimateGamerCC lmao! Sorry dude, but that's hilarious
@@nate1066pollock lol it's ok to laugh, i'm not that upset, i've got other boner crushes that woman cant ruin. XD
Not even close to the first. Vampira has her beat by about three decades
The horror hosts of the 1950s also included Gorgon, Morgus the Magnificent, Tarantula Ghoul, Zacherley, Selwin, and Marvin
There have always been about 10-20 horror hosts each decade, and Elvira only came about in the 80s
@@UltimateGamerCC My GOD!! That's traumatizing!! No one would blame you if you needed counseling after that!
Cassandra is the best. I had a meet and greet with her once, her real red hair, light make up, and she is the sweetest woman! Love her! Glad you got your see her quirky, scary comedy.
The recent reveal about her relationship that hit the news made me really happy for her. Granted it's her personal life and none of my business, it's really nice to hear that she's been in a happy, wholesome relationship for the last 16+ years and is just living her best life. She deserves it.
@@TheHighSorcerer Right?! I'm happy for her. She is awesome.
I literally clicked on this video just to say that she is the most amazing actress!! They say don't meet your heroes, but if Elvira is one of them.. DO IT! She is the sweetest, kindest, most warm and welcoming actress I've EVER had the pleasure of working with!
@@TheHighSorcerer I worked with her about 10 years ago now, and when she came out I was so surprised people didn't already know hahaha. They're the cutest freaking couple and just the absolute best to work with!
Little known fact, unless you’ve read her biography? She was one of the first kids ever to get penicillin! She was burned badly as a kid, leaving her with scars over large parts of her body, and was in the group of kids they tested it on.
Also, she went on at least one date with Elvis while a Las Vegas showgirl and, when he found out how old she was at the time, he told her to get out of Vegas… she didn’t take his advice for a while, and when she did it was to join a show in Paris.
This is pretty great!
Especially considering that Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) recently did an interview where she came out with her decades long partner. I cannot imagine the restraint of her lover to have kept "I have the ultimate big titty goth GF" a secret for that long. A stronger woman than I.
“Tidy Bowl” is the name of a popular toilet cleaner, yet another pun.
"You ate what?"
My ma told me she treated them undies like fruit roll up. Sat down wrapped it round her finger and watched a movie.
There's an incredible irony that Elvira was a TV show host who reacted to and commented on old horror movies. And here we have Ashleigh with her own RUclips show, watching Elvira's movie...
Reaction videos never really went out of style, did they? :P
Elvira was Mystery Science Theater 3000 before Mystery Science Theater 3000
@@joealine77 indeed, only her focus was Horror and only Horror, she was also the first popular goth girl on TV.
@@UltimateGamerCC she was also my "it" girl even before Jessica Rabbit. Six year old me walked into a grocery store with my parents and there was a life sized cardboard cutout of her in her signature laying on the couch pose and my jaw hit the floor
@@joealine77 Mystery Science Theater 3000 made a movie, Maybe we can get Ashleigh to react to it for Turkey DAy. It is a turkey after all.
And Elvira wouldn't have done it without vampira and her campy movies.
"You ate what?" Elvira is the woman in the painting. She's naturally a redhead and she wears a wig for her black 'do. ;-) She's just brilliant and she was someone that I watched from the time I was 6. Times were different back then. LOL!
“How’s your head?”
“Haven’t had any complaints yet.”
Ashleigh.exe has stopped working
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Immediate first thought before even watching: is she aware Elvira is originally a TV show host that does stuff like this?
Edit: 1:01 confirmed, Ashleigh has no idea. Yeah, for those who dont know, Elvira was a TV show host since the 1981 who watched b-rated horror films, offered a running commentary (so yes, reaction videos) along with doing skits between commercial breaks. She ran off and on through 2014, same actress the entire run and yes she dressed like that for all 33 years. Her most well known nickname is "Queen of Halloween" and is both a horror icon and a sex symbol as well as being considered a major influence on modern "horror" aesthetics. She has also appeared in crossovers with other major media outlets, including DC Comics and Scooby-Doo.
Also... you ate what?
Love me some Cassandra Petterson
There is nothing original about her, a cheap Vampira knock off!
Yes, Elvira was one of the last old-school Wisecracking Late-Night Monster Movie Hosts (along with Commander USA on USA Network) in the late 80’s, before MST3K reinvented the genre in the 90’s, and hosts didn’t wisecrack just at the commercial breaks.
And she just released a book and came out :)
@@js0988 She definitely took her look from Vampira, but sexed it up in a way Vampira couldn't in the 50s.
I thoroughly loved this reaction. Thank you for not hating on Elvira and appreciating her feminine form instead of the hate. Love it!!!
Anybody who openly hates on Elvira more than likely is jealous. They just would rather die than admit that out loud. Glad Ashleigh is not in that category of woman.
If you really love Dolly Parton, you’ve got to add “9 to 5” to your list of movies to review.
Yesss, that's the one with Lilly Tomlin, right? XD
...and Straight Talk. Especially because of her radio career.
That movie is a must for Dolly fans.
Or Rhinestone, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas... And my personal favorite Straight Talk 😁
I would be extremely surprised if she hasn't seen this.
“Gonk” is short for “Algonquin”. The dog’s full name.
Ash having a callback to "dirty pillows" from Carrie is just another reason these are so enjoyable.
Her terrible jokes and her ability to drop them in perfect timing for her television show was awesome 👌
"She's a redheaded version of Elvira", can't wait till you find out....lol
😉
I thought Cassandra Peterson is a natural redhead.
@@ronmaximilian6953 She is. Just look up her old photo shoots. 😁
Elvira hosted a show called Elvira's Movie Macabre where she'd mock horror B-movies following in the footsteps of Vampira in the 1950s, who was the one in "Plan 9 from Outer Space. Both she and Vampira based their looks off Morticia from The Addams Family comic strip of the 1930s although Vampira tried to sue Elvira for copyright infringement.
I used to watch Movie Macabre when I was a kid. The movies were wonderfully awful, but it was Elvira as the hostess that really made the show great. That show is partly responsible for instilling in me a love of bad B-movies.
Lots of men did shows where they dress up and do humorous/creepy intros to old horror movies but Elvira was the only female that I can remember. Our local one in Virginia Beach was Dr. Madblood. Loved staying up past midnight to see it.
I still remember when she was showing The Blob and she interviewed her special guest, a bowl of Jello.
@@wendywoodruff2871 Rhonda Shear
"She's like a red-headed version of Elvira." LMAO! You have no idea how right you are! #GINGERLIVESMATTER
Perfect comment Tobias!
Petty much came to say this myself.
I was eating and almost choked and did a spittake simultaneously when I heard Ashleigh say, "She's like a redheaded version of Elvira."
Indeed!! Gingers are AWESOME!!! And need to be protected from extinction. Also... TFW no ginger GF.... :(
Gingers have no souls
Elvira was a redhead in RL :P
I still snort laugh at the "How's your Head" joke. That'll never get old
One of my favorite movie lines of all time.🤣
I knew exactly how she was going to react to that joke, and I was honestly thinking about nothing but that the whole review until it happened.
Looks at the painting of the actual actress and says it's a red headed version of her character self. Incredibly meta! I love it!
In Pee Wee's Big Adventure, she was actually the woman in the biker bar that said "I say you let ME have him!"
Paul Rubens was supposed to make an appearance in Elvira's movie as well, but apparently, they ran into some kind of a scheduling problem.
She was.....?? Dang, and I've seen that so many times. Heh heh
@@scottfield5849 I was amazed when I found out
I love that movie and didn't know it until literally a week ago.
Yeah Large marge sent him
As someone has probably said, Cassandra Peterson is a natural redhead, and just wears that wig. But she's also was part of the Groundlings improv troup in California that also had Phil Hartman, Paul Reubens, and Edie McClurg. She had a cameo as a biker in "Pee Wee's Big Adventure".
So that portrait of her great-aunt was basically her?
And she did ring side commentary at the main event of Wrestlemania 2 with Hulk Hogan vs King Kong Bundy in a steel cage!
@@BeeWhistler That portrait is literally her. That was a painting of Cassandra Peterson out of her Elvira make-up and wig. She looks exactly like that.
her beginnings are really awesome from to be a love relation with the one and only rock king! to brite on Europe with her band! i think she's not sufficient values about this movie comes to much of persons around! mee Catalonia spn for exemple.
A *"Pinko"* is a word that describe as being sympathetic to communism but not necessarily being a member of the "communist party". It is also used to describe anyone being leftist and/or socialist sympathies.
seeing pink is a lighter shade of red and red bring the color associated with communism. So the color pink basically describes a "lighter form of communism".
I was looking for this comment. Glad I don't have to be repetitive. ^_^
@@jazflanagan8693 I guess you was going to basically comment the same thing but wanted to check if someone had already commented it?
Here's what I don't get about that. Red is also the color of the Republican Party, which is about the furthest thing from actual Communism you could possibly get, without becoming a straight-up Monarchy! So why would such a party adopt RED, the color of Communism, as their color?? Never been able to wrap my mind around that mystery!
@@jacob4920 well there's lots of stuff that goes around and I'm not 100% clear on what's the real reason on stuff but one of them is back in the 2000 electric with George W Bush the color Red was put for Republicans because both Red and Republican starts with the letter "R". If you go back to the 1970s of Carter vs Ford they used Red for Democrats and Blue for the Republicans due to they was using the Brutish method where they color Blue was used to show more Liberal controlled areas. Seeing now the modern times Liberal lean towards the Democratic party and the liberals count for a large share of the Democratic voters now days. So blue for the Democratic party. That's also why Democrats are considered Leftist because the leftist liberals are a big part of their voters.
@@JoeXTheXJuggalo1 I realize that. It's just funny the dichotomy of it. Before 2000, Red was a "Communist" color. Everyone literally agreed on that. The Soviet Union helped us to rally around that idea.
It's just funny how and why the reversal occurred in the first place. It really was incidental, when you think about it. It's also just so ironic. Nowadays, "Pinko" almost means "Moderate Capitalist," rather than "Communist Sympathizer."
So it's worth noting that Elvira/Cassandra Peterson has had an incredibly rich career.
She got second degree burns as a child from scalding hot water in an accident and was incredibly reluctant to show her back to people where there's some scars still.
She worked in Las Vegas (yes as a dancer) and slept with Elvis and generally lived that life hard.
Her then husband and she created the Elvira character, and it was a massive cult hit, resulting in the movie. And she's been an icon since then til now, and she's about to retire the character. And that was her as her aunt with her real red hair! :)
Worth watching you some videos where she's talked to.
Elvira is a rip of vampira (plan 9 from outer space), elvira was taken to court over the character and lost
@@gdiaz8827 rip off or homage, Elvira elevated horror hosting to an art and is objectively the best there ever was.
Not just Elvis. She lost her virginity to Tom Jones!
And there are also very successful two games - for Amiga, Atari ST and MSDos.
@@dacsus also at least 3 pinball machines and an Atari lynx game
“You ate what” - This is seriously so good. Elvira is a queen and her comedy style is hilarious. She used to host a show in LA where she would watch B horror movies and comment on them. She deserved this!
It was nationally syndicated at some point. I used to watch it in Detroit.
@@badbiker666 Yep, we saw he in Louisiana, too. I swear I remember seeing her on Mtv at some point.
👍Elvira ruled the darkness in Chicagoland also🖤🖤🖤
TBS on either friday, or saturday night, would have a film done by her, then it would roll into monster vision with Joe Bob Briggs until like 3am. I would watch it every weekend.
"Why am I telling you all this stuff, it doesn't matter."
Yes, yes it does, Ashleigh. We ALL love to hear what you and Hubbin are up to. ❤️❤️❤️
You ate WHAT?
Fun fact: Elvira actually got her show biz start as a Las Vegas showgirl at the tender age of 18!! I'm sure you already have your Wednesday movies lined up for this month, but if you haven't, you definitely need to watch Tucker and Dale VS Evil! It's a great "horror-lite" movie with tons of laughs!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE Tucker and Dale!!
Actually she was 17! I just finished her autobiography. She said she went from being the worlds oldest Girl Scout to being vegas’s youngest showgirl. And she said she would’ve been the oldest show girl if it hadn’t been for Elvis Presley who told her to develop her singing voice instead. What a life this woman has had!
Tucker and Dale.. YES!
Age 17
If anyone wants to see her old show-girl getup check out the cover for Tom Waits's album Small Change.
Elvira has her own tv show where she’s be the host presenting scary movies. Each commercial break, she’s crack jokes and be funny.
She’s lovable and an icon.
It used to be a pretty common TV format. I remember USA Network had "USA Up.... All Night" with Rhonda Sheer, who was similarly endowed, watching generically bad movies, rather than specifically horror ones.
I have been an Elvira fan since the beginning of her career with the character. I was 4 years old in 1981, watching her show in Los Angeles with my dad. Also, there is actually a song ABOUT her, by a band called "Ghoultown". It's "Mistress of the Dark." She even stars in their music video.
She said in her recent memoir that she was a Vegas showgirl in the 70's, until she went to a party at the house of a friend of a friend of a friend. Later in the night she ran into the owner of the house, and he told her that showgirls burn out fast, she should quit and go to Hollywood. If it was anyone else, she wouldn't have listened to him, but it was Elvis Presley.
"Don't you ever wear anything else?"
"Yeah, sometimes I like to wear something lowcut and sexy"
Cassandra Peterson, who plays Elvira, is a redhead. The painting is how she really looks. She has a non-Elvira cameo in Pee Wee's Big Adventure. She plays a biker chick. She used to be a Las Vegas showgirl. Hence the tassel spinning talent. She recently wrote an autobiography. It's a good read. You should probably watch her second film, Elvira's Haunted Hills.
BTW, the dog's name is Algonquin. Gonk for short.
LOL--Elvira wasn't in Plan 9, that was "Vampira," a character that Cassandra Peterson was inspired by when she came up with Elvira. Plan 9 was made when Cassandra Peterson was a little kid haha
Great reaction--this movie is awesome
Back in the 60s through the mid 80s, lots of TV stations had late night horror movie shows. Some of them, Svengoolie, Rhonda Shear, Ghoulardi, Witchiepoo and a few others became nationally known. Elvira surrpassed them all. She was such a personality, comedian, dancer and singer with a look that stopped you in your tracks. Cassandra used her fame to promote many worthy charities.
To be fair, Rhonda Shear didn't host just horror movies, she was the Joe Bob Briggs of late night movies on USA.
This is because she had a weekly horror movie (I think it was Friday night), and it was always a hoot to watch the movie, and her. That was a great time to grow up! You ate what? Also Ashleigh, you were hilarious with the extended open mouth shot when you reacted to her comment about "head and no complaints yet" 12:44. If it was intentional, well done. If it just happened, even funnier, your timing was spot on!
I always looked forward to that show every week.
Yeah I remember that. Though my eyes were pretty glued to her... eh... middle section!
I was younger and not into horror, but she was pervasive in pop culture. I was well aware of her as well.
The movies always sucked but her commentary was funny. It wasn’t as good as MST3000 though.
Breaking the fourth wall was de rigeur in that show.
That wasn't Elvira in Plan 9, that was Vampira, a horror host from the 1950's. Vampira was the first ever horror host.
Vampira SUED Elvira for gimmick infringement and lost because she got her idea from Morticia Addams.
came here to say that. :)
Vampira wasn't even the first, though she was among the crop of early ones in the 1950s. There were others, Vampira was "just" another one at the time. But her relatively short-lived stint has lived on to reach icon status.
Elvira - Cassandra Peterson - grew up in a brothel that is where she learned how to spin her tassels. Also she wrote the script for the movie. Her humor is all over the film. It is a great flick.
Elvira actually was the host of a late night horror show in the 80's, exactly like at the start of the film, so they just went and made a film where she was a real person rather than a character.
Also, I just noticed that crazy hot-dog guy from The Happening was in this(the creepy guy she "stabbed" in the bowling alley), and the wheelchair wizard kid from A Nghtmare on Elm Street 3.
"She's like a redhead version of Elvira". Cassandra Peterson is a natural redhead 😉 You ate WHAT?
I remember seeing an episode of Counting Cars (I think) and she brought that same car in to the shop to get some work done on it. A bit of restoration I think. The guys went nuts. xD She was a super sweet lady. She came to pick it up in full costume/makeup and they about had heart attacks. Was actually really wholesome to watch.
Yep. Danny Koker of "Counting Cars" used to do a similar show to hers on a Las Vegas TV station. He called himself The Count, a sort of Las Vegas Elvis version of Dracula. He and Cassandra Peterson became friends so when the T-Bird needed some fixing up, she brought it to Danny and it became an episode of Counting Cars. She was entertaining as always. BTW Peterson was also a Las Vegas show girl at one time.
Ashleigh, you really should watch Pee Wee’s Big Adeventure! Get yourself a tequila based drink to go with it❣️
You ate WHAT?
Yes! Cassandra Peterson was in it though not as the Elvira. She played the biker mama.
I snorted when you said “dirty pillows.”
By the way, the woman from “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” was also in “Carrie”. She was one of the teenage girls, the one with the glasses.
also from ferris bulers day off
@@gopherb And Thornton Mellon's secretary in "Back to School".
Edie McClurg has been in dozens of movies and probably over 100 tv shows. Carrie was her film debut. She has been in 2 Cheech and Chong movies. She was Mallory's mom in Natural Born Killers. She was in Back to School, Mr Mom, The Secret of NIMH, Curly Sue, The Rugrats Movie, A Bug's Life, Van Wilder, Cars (1 and 2) and Frozen, to name a few.
@@shaitanlavey Damn, leave some for the rest of us,.....
@@shaitanlavey and of course we'll always remember her as Lucille Tarlek on WKRP in Cincinnati
"You ate WHAT?" It's so funny, I've never seen this, barely heard of it, but honestly it's an instant classic, 10/10 would have on my movie shelf! Thank you so much for this channel, I love watching movies with you for the first time, it feels like watching with a friend!
"The black stuff" was tar. Gasoline is one of the only things strong enough to melt it off.
You ate WHAT? And I love that Dirty Pillows had entered your language!
fun fact, her car is a 58 T-bird modified with a barbed wire license plate frames & rearview mirror, spider grill and custom steering wheel. There is a model kit of the car available and lastly, this movie shows how much fun life can be if you're not a prude.
A little surprised you didn’t note “Grab a tool and start bangin’!” That’s my favorite line. Too funny!
THIS WEEK IS AN EDIE MCCLURG DOUBLE FEATURE!
Cassandra Peterson , the actress who has always portrayed Elvira , has always been so nice and gracious to fans. And is still charming and gorgeous at 70 years of age.
Cassandra Peterson is an American actress, writer and singer. She is best known for her portrayal of the horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Peterson gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ-TV in her stage persona as Elvira, hosting Elvira's Movie Macabre, a weekly B movie presentation.
Also - has been in a same sex relationship for the past 19 years and came out of the closet last week!
She is a very talented woman, funny personality.
You ate WHAT?
Great memories! Grew up watching these b-movies on KHJ as well.
Unpleasant dreams...💗
Watched her all the time.
"She's like a redheaded version of Elvira." Heh.
"Haven't you seen any old Roger Corman movies?"
"No."
Yes you have. Everyone has.
He's the most prolific film maker of all time, he's been making movies for 60 years at an absurd rate.
At an absurd rate, and it shows. He's distributed more cheese than Wisconsin. The titles of his films read with the same air of excellence as the ones credited to Martin Sheen's brother, and he was responsible for Roller Gator.
He’s never made an unprofitable movie. The man is a legend.
He made _The Little Shop of Horrors_ (1960) featuring a young Jack Nicholson as a masochistic dental patient. Bill Murray played this character in the 1986 musical film version.
@@oaf-77 "If a tree fell in the forest, would Roger Corman go over budget?" - MST3k
I saw his Fantastic Four movie. Yikes
That old school burlesque humor still hits just the right spot.
This was Elvira at the top of her game, and it is a privilege to see it in this channel
with someone who can appreciate the cornball mixed with the naughty.
You ate WHAT? Also when she dumps the tar on herself, its a reference to the 1983 movie Flashdance which would be a fun reaction video.
And the car wash was a reference to "Cool Hand Luke".
I've suggested this to her a couple times. It's kinda a minor dissapointed I have with the order in which she reacts to things, mainly her patreon picks who don't do their homework and suggest movies with references to older movies that she should see before those movies. One reason so she gets them, another reason, so they don't spoil those films as well.
You never realize how well Carrie and Flashdance merge until this movie! 😄
As a child growing up in the 80s, I was completely aware of Elvira and her personality, but her TV show was on past my bedtime and I didn't get to watch it. So i legitimately thought the Oak Ridge Boys song was her theme song.
"You ate what". It was funny when you said the painting is a red-headed version of Elvira because Cassandra Peterson has red hair. She wears a wig as Elvira. If you're going to be Morticia Adam's you will still need those assets. ( Personally, I think your assets are fine.)
When I moved to CA from MA in 81, I discovered Elvira. She used to host a late night horror movie on Saturday nights. Some of the movies were bad and some not so bad. The appeal was Elvira ripping the movies. All the jokes, innuendos and double entendres were regular staples of her show. I remember that they had a big promotion when they showed House of Wax. 7-11 was giving out free 3D glasses.
Elvira's look was influenced by Vampira, who was in Plan 9 From Outer Space, and Morticia Adams.
And I have the feeling we’ll be seeing Morticia later this month with the lights on?
I grew up in Southern California, and remember her show on KHJ channel 9. It's great that she was such a Southern CA tradition!
I still have the 12-inch single of the song that she recorded for that 3D show. Went down to Tower Records in H'wood to get it autographed. The guy behind me in line said, "Wow, this is even better than 3D". Elvira gave him the stink eye. 😂
Yup, she is a redhead collar and cuffs, as seen in her playboy debut. 😍😍😍😍
@@ericwalker8636 Like one 50's 3-D movie advertised, "She'll knock BOTH your eyes out!"
Cassandra is actually a red head herself and actually makes a cameo in PeeWee's Big Adventure without the Elivira drag.
She and Paul Reuben (PeeWee Herman) are great friends.
*Were*
They were both members of the comedy troupe The Groundlings along with Edie Mcclurg.
"I say... You let me have him, first..."
she was also in an episode of the super mario bros. tv show
Yep... She studied at GROUNDLINGS with him (and many others)...
The lady who played Elvira was a very talented entertainer. She was a comedian, dancer and magician. She had a Vegas show for many years.
If you want to play her for Halloween it bears mentioning that some of her decolletage came from shadowing makeup as you can tell from the closing scene.
Even though she's now 70, she still is amazingly gorgeous. My dad said he'd met her, and she was absolutely the most gracious and pleasant person he'd met. She is basically the yang to Dollys Yin.
It's a satire of the early days of television. Screen Gems released the old Universal horror and monster movies, suggesting they hire local hosts. They were a big hit and the formats would change over time. Monsters, horror, Japanese Kaiju, science-fiction.
The first host was Vampira and Zachertey. After the death of Sinister Seymour the LA host, they hired Cassandra Peterson who became Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
Zacherly doesn’t get the credit he deserves, modern hosts like Svengoolie owe a lot to his style.
Detroit area had Sir Graves Ghastly as a horror host. He was awesome!
@@johnw8578 So sad that almost all those old Sir Graves shows were taped over by a cheap network that didn't want to save the old tapes. :(
Chicago area had Svenghoulie, played by WFLD announcer Jerry G. Bishop, on a show originally titled "Screaming Yellow Theatre." I'm told a lot of these shows have been picked up by an "old TV Show" cable network. This was back when newspaper TV listings would indicate the friday night timeslot as "Movie" without listing the title. Svenghoulie would present public domain horror movies, sci-fi flicks, and japanese monster films. (Apparently they had someone in programming who needed new glasses, because from time to time an old film noir would also creep in. Monster, mobster... what's the difference?)
Until I moved out to the left coast, I had never heard of Elvira before.
"You ate what?!"
Elvira was so popular when I was growing up ... So many women dress as her for Halloween back in the day...
Ah Elvira, my first crush ever. She was always the highlight of my Fridays way back when. Glad you are checking this out
Lots of people had a crush on the Mistress of the Double Ds, me included.
@@darthken815 same here, and the actress/model Dina Dors 😋😋😋😍😍😍
Elvira is gorgeous 😍but my first crush was another redhead called " Tiffany " every schoolboys wet dream 😍
"You ate WHAT?" Funny enough, Elvira's real name is Cassandra Peterson and she's a natural Red Head. Also in Plan 9 that was Vampira, played by Maila Nurmi. Who would later sue Cassandra over stealing her 'character' when she came up with Elvira. She lost the law suit though.
Omg, I just remembered that TV used to end after certain time and it's all just static afterward.
“Pinko” is a 50s-60s term that people referred to socialist.
Being as communist were considered “Reds”, people that were sympathetic to them were called “pinko‘s” kind of like if you dilute red you get pick.
A new wrinkle in my brain! Thanks for this, I had zero idea what it meant either lol
yes, Socialism is Communism Lite.
Wiki: "Pinko is a pejorative coined in 1925 in the United States to describe a person regarded as being sympathetic to communism, though not necessarily a Communist Party member. It has since come to be used to describe anyone perceived to have leftist or socialist sympathies."
This is correct. I'm in my 50s and I've only ever heard it used as a reference to communist sympathizers. Pretty sure it was first applied to communism THEN usurped more broadly to include socialism or just anyone who didn't think like them. I'm such a pedant.
Pinko is a pejorative word for communists. Socialists are different.
@@ThePlaySpace-CurtainCall No, "pinko" is specifically NOT for communists. Communists were called "reds". Pinkos were obviously a diluted form of that.
This is a very underrated movie. One of my favorites. So many great quotes. And the dog is called Gonk because his real name is Algonquin, Gonk for short.
There's also a famous piece of music used in the original Dawn of the Dead called "The Gonk". It was reused in the end credits of Shaun of the Dead.
I thought she was saying 'gawk' as in to stare...b/c that's what men did just gawk at her 'assets!.
It always shocks me that the classic Elvira dress manages to be so revealing while also covering up her burn scars from her childhood. Like, damn, that was engineered incredibly.
I love Cassandra Peterson.
"She's like a red-headed version of Elvira."
Elvira's really name is Cassandra Peterson & she is a redhead in real life.
Before she came up with her Elvira character she was a Vegas Showgirl, had relationships with Jimi Hendrix & Elvis Presley. Now in her 70's she still looks amazing.
That is not meant to be Elvira in Ed Wood, it was the original TV horror host vamp Vampira.
Fun fact , the actress who plays the uptight "Chastity Pariah" was also one of the mean girls in Carrie.
"You Ate What?"
In "Ed Wood" that was actress Lisa Marie. But she was indeed portraying the original Vampira, who was in "Plan 9..."
I "met" Cassandra back in 2019 for work. The big wigs at my job were giving her a tour of the offices and passed by my cubicle. She doesn't look at all in her 70s and her red hair really stuck out. She was still as funny and joyful as ever. Anyway, she visited because we were making an Elvira pinball game and they wanted her approval/see what she thought.
She seems shorter in person as well.
Fun fact: The very first role she had was as a dancer in a Sean Connery James Bond film.
You ate what??
The Bond film is Diamonds are Forever.
@@richardb6260 correct it was.
I played Elvira Pinball in the 80's if you tried to start the game without putting in a quarter her voice said "Don't touch me there" LOL!
@@skeletordanzig4999 LOL awesome.
yee, i remember Elvira pinball
For the scene with the casserole monster, the guys operating the puppet had to be real close to Cassandra and were pretty much sitting between her legs to pull off the effect. She basically said “Knock yourselves out.”
I met her many years ago (around 2001) while working security for Dragon*Con. She was showing her new movie, "Elvira's Haunted Hills". And my "job" was to sit through the movie, with Alice Cooper (yes, the rock star) beside me, making sure nobody bothered him while he watched the movie. It was a great time...!
I've met her twice over the years. She's a very nice person and genuinely loves her fans. She's about to turn 70, which you couldn't tell by looking at her in or out of character, and has said she's probably going to retire the Elvira character soon.
"You ate WHAT?" Lol, Elvira is a master at camp comedy. I definitely think you and hubbins should dress up as Morticia and Gomez, have fun with your first Hallowe'en in the new house.
I applaud Cassandra for having a meaningful relationship for so long, and being able to keep it out of the tabloids. The Elvira brand is important to geek culture...B-movies were discovered because of her.
Love Elvira/Cassandra to death, her being true to her self, and being such an awesome queen of horror is amazing. Never would have guessed, but as long as she's happy that's all that matters.
Local horror hosts have been around almost as long as tv itself. Elvira was; for the most part, the first nationally syndicated host.
For more info on the most remembered local hosts see American Scary a great documentary on the subject.
@@kageakuma3009 I would have. I know sexual orientation isn't a choice, but a woman who has received the kind of constant barrage of disturbing male attention I am quite positive Ms. Peterson has received would probably do her best to become a lesbian out of sheer self-defense.
@@jimballard1186 is that a serious statement? That's a reach at worst and stupid at best
@@punklover99 It's a serious statement buried inside wry irony.
Ashleigh, you would not believe how different Cassandra Peterson looks when she's not Elvira!
And how wise and intelligent she in RL is.
Equally beautiful but totally different!
She lived up in the Hollywood hills in the early 80’s next house over to my friend’s. It’s true, only her voice gives away who she is.
She kind of did the Aunt is Cassandra out of makeup
@@JCinLapel yes. In real life, you could walk by her and have no clue.
The first television horror host is generally accepted to be Vampira But I believe Elvira has to be the most recognized --
Young Ashleigh: “Why does Mom keep snacks in her underwear drawer ?”
You Ate What ?!
"...she was in Planes, Trains, and Automoiles..." - Yup...but you missed her the other day in Carrie where she played one of the snotty girls at Carrie's school...
...and Ferris Buellers Day Off
And at the age of 17, she was the youngest showgirl in Las Vegas at the Dunes Hotel...she knew Elvis!
"You ate what?"
The actress playing the morality police, Chastity Pariah, is played by the lovely Edie McClurg. She was in Ferris Bueller, and said he was a righteous dude. She has been in so many different projects and is one of my favorite character-type actresses.
She was also in Carrie!
She was in the Groundlings comedy group with Elvira AKA Cassandra, Cheech & Chong, and Paul Ruebens AKA Pee Wee Herman
She was also Herb's wife in 'WKRP'.
@@TabaquiJackal906 Uh-huh, Uh-huh!
Plains, Trains, and Automobiles "You're F*cked"
And Elvira’s show on KHJ, in the 80s? She was hilarious. Yes, her costume cleavage, coupled with her brazen attitude, ruffled many parents’ groups feathers back then. But even a red-blooded 80s youngster was smart enough to know that Elvira on TV was a true package deal - sexy AND funny.
Shout tv has some of the old Movie Macabre episodes. They’re still a lot of fun.
There was nothing like her Movie Macabre show. Great weekend viewings!
Cassandra Peterson is one year younger than I am and she's aged a LOT better. She's also done pretty much every type of entertainment that ever got published. She fronted for the Elvira movie program, has voiced a gazillion cartoon characters, also video games, has done her own movie (obviously), has done cameos and guest shots in a ton of comedy shows, both as Elvira and as a character, was a guest judge in the television series "Face Off" where makeup artists compete to see who can make the best costumes/prosthetic monsters/fantasy characters, etc., and was on three episodes of "Fantasy Island." And for a fair amount of time was one of the great pin-up queens of the world. Comicons, game-cons, pretty much any convention, she was there. (I remember one...back when I was in my 30's...ah well...memories.)
Cassandra Peterson just released a memoir. I'm reading it right now, and she's been through some things. Amazing she's as awesome as she is!
Yea the bit about Tom Jones.... he lost all my respect after his comment about her.
Very true, she had it difficult for awhile. But she got through & is a real trooper.
@@kylereese4822 It's not unusual to be a jerk about anyone.
You ate WHAT?
The end is a shoutout to Peterson’s Vegas showgirl roots. I highly advise you look up her backstory, as it is quite fascinating.
The whole book she just dropped. SO. GOOD.
Gonk is short for Algonquin, the familiar's full name. Loved this reaction video. Long Live Elvira!
First time commenting, but I've always wanted to tell you how much I adore your laugh. 😀 I just love those full-body laughs. So glad you reacted to this! I was fortunate enough to meet Elvira several years ago after winning a look-a-like contest...the prize being dinner with her and 10 of my friends. Cassandra Peterson is one of the nicest celebs you'll ever meet, and we had such a blast hanging out with her. The friends I brought with me for the dinner were my Rocky Horror castmates, and she told us how she'd auditioned to play Magenta for the film version, and a few days after she found out that she didn't get the role she got the call to audition to be a TV movie host. And the amazing Elvira was born!
She was also 70 this year! She still looks absolutely stunning and does Elvira often
"american werewolf in London" --- ooooooo! now we're talking... I remember that film decades ago.. i've seen it twice.. .. last time was like 1990. lol
"Plan 9 from Outer Space" had "Vampira" in it, not Elvira. Vampira was an early TV horror movie reactor in LA in the 1950's. Elvira came along decades later.
You ate WHAT? “Stop saying the words and using the things” Now, that is advice to live by!!! Also, I compliment you on a stellar cross-reference between Elvira-Mistress of the Dark and When Harry Met Sally!! That is a pro-level film reference!! 👻🎃🚂
“You ate what?” I am so happy that you watched this movie, one of my favourite comedies ever!
You mentioned both "first movie reactor" and Plan 9... the character Vampira from Ed Wood and actress from Plan 9 did the same sort of horror movie showcase before Elvira. Maila Nurmi (Vampira) even unsuccessfully sued Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) for "stealing her act".
Peterson got her start as a go-go dancer. She did several full nude layouts before she became Elvira (pics easily found online). She also appears in a g-string and pasties on the cover of the Toms Waits album, 'Small Change'.
The hair was a wig. Peterson is a natural redhead.
...as anyone who has seen those pics can testify.
Yup, the biggest shock when watching those pics is that A) she is actually a redhead and B) that the drapes do match the carpet.
That's not Cassandra on the cover of 'Small Change', she's debunked that urban myth repeatedly. But people should still listen to the album, it's fantastic!
Funny, too, since I think Vampira took her look from her Morticia Addams Halloween costume.
@@greatestscott6599 Pretty sure that Vampira admitting that was why she lost her case against Elvira.
Elvira is a modern a tv horror movie hostess, like Vampira from the 1950’s who was portrayed in the movie ‘Ed Wood’.
Other famous horror movie hosts are Svengoolie and Joe Bob Briggs.
It’s a long and proud tradition.
Chicago had the Son of Svengoolie who was hilarious! Lots of fond memories of watching him in the ‘80s.
@@kathyastrom1315 Rich Koz was the son of svengoolie and still does the Svengoolie show, he’s still hilarious.
Also Count Floyd from sctv was a tribute to old time horror hosts.
@@kathyastrom1315 also Roddy McDowell played a horror host in Fright Night (1985)
Patty filled the bucket with tar and dumped feathers. Literally tarred and feathered.
To get an oil-based substance like tar off, gasoline works wonders. It's not healthy, and is highly flammable, but it works. Just be sure to rinse several times and moisturize after.
My grandmother used to sing Elvira to me as a child because the 'oom bop a mow mow' made me laugh. Good memories of her. I squealed a little when you brought it up because I feel like not many people I know have a clue about that song.
When I was in college in the mid-80s, I was in the band, and we would play “Elvira” at the basketball games. When we got to the verse that starts, “Eyes that look like heaven,” the entire (mostly male) brass section stood up and sang it, while the woodwinds played in the background.
We liked to change up the songs occasionally-our version of Al Jarreau’s “Boogie Down” started with drums banging and us all hooting and hollering, then at the same second, all yelling, “Let’s go boogie down-uh!!” then the horns started. Loads of fun!
We were considered one of the best college pep bands in the Midwest.
I remember it as a crossover hit in the 70's, that and "Where Have You Gone, Randolph Scott?".
So glad you went "Elviral," definitely a kindred spirit and it was time you met. As for American Werewolf, it has humor in it but may still scare the k-r-a-p out of you, so be forewarned. This has been an excellent start to Hallowbeans.
I had never seen Elvira, though she's one of my boyfriend's favorites. She's about to turn 70 in real life and she still looks phenomenal! Does she eat anything? I mean You eat WHAT?! I love your reactions Ashleigh! Keep up the great fun of Hallobeans!
To have a smooth face in your 70's takes plastic surgery.
"I don't think I could fill her seashells." That's something to hear.
Does Ariel know how the three seashells works?
AKA: C-shells?
No, but I'm sure the girl from Total Recall does.
@@StCerberusEngel Demolition Man*
@@ChuckZombie I know. Seashell bikini...three seashells...Total Recall. Think about it, friend. lol
So get some B-shells.
(Rimshot)