Comments on Bright Lights After Dark: Remembering Maila Nurmi (1921-2008)

You are more than welcome Stephanie.We have starte...

2008-01-17T00:28:00.000-08:00

You are more than welcome Stephanie.

We have started a myspace page so that information can be more easily disseminated.

http://www.myspace.com/officialmailanurmi

Hope to see you all there.

Gabrielle

Thanks Jerry. That was beautifully written. I was ...

2008-01-14T16:10:00.000-08:00

Thanks Jerry. That was beautifully written. I was thinking about Vampira all day, and your Jung references, so I wrote a mythic tribute on my acidemic blog, referencing yours. and that reminds me, I should go link it

Dear G,Thank you SO much for writing in and tellin...

2008-01-13T15:24:00.000-08:00

Dear G,

Thank you SO much for writing in and telling us more. As soon as I heard of Maila's passing I began to pray that Dana would be involved in helping find her final resting place at her favorite place and had begun searching old phonebooks for his number.

Your posting alerted me to the fact that all would be well and that Dana and Maila were close at the end, because, as you know, she was prone to take hiatuses from everyone based upon the moment and inclination and at the time of her death, we were on one.

Do please, keep me in the loop, I wish to attend the funeral dressed to properly honor my dear friend and inspiration and to see her off on her final journey.

Which might not be very far, as knowing Maila she'll be visiting us all in-between hanging at the cemetary with Ed, Tyrone Powers,Criswell, Rudolph Valentino, Virginia Rapp and so many more of the interesting and amazing people who have gone before us.

Stephanie Locke
msstephanielocke@aol.com

Thank you so much Jerry and Stephanie.....She was ...

2008-01-12T22:32:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much Jerry and Stephanie.....

She was so many things to so many people. She was a legend, the amalgamation of bitting wit, forked tongue and a beauty rare and exotic. She lead the charge for women of multiple generations allowing us to be both bold an feminine. She was that silhouette, out of the darkness, all curves and nipped waist with a voice like a kittens purr and laughter like a clap of thunder.

But more than the character she played, more than Vampira she was our friend. My husband and I were both blessed to care for her for many years in whatever little way we could. Maila knew her mind and it often made for interesting conversations. We did our best to make sure that her life, as private and reclusive as it was filled with beautiful flowers and trips to the store, a party here and there and dinner with family.

Dana Gould met her and cared for her for many years. He introduced us to her and we worked for him looking after her. He was always by her side and deserves much credit for caring for her and making sure she was always comfortable. He is an amazing man and she loved him out of mind.

Maila was a bit leery of strangers and newcomers as so often happened they had an agenda and Maila was never one to suffer fools gladly....

She was a master raconteur and could spin visions of places long gone and people from a seemingly alternate universe. She made me laugh, she drove me crazy....she was family.

I will never forget her eyes. They will stay with me forever. Fortunately before she passed I was lucky enough to take her portrait. From the moment I snapped the image I knew I had captured her the way I saw her...not as Vampira but as the incomparable Maila Nurmi. She did it her way....and I will miss her so very much.

I don't know if I can post the picture I took of here here as I don't know how to but it is on the profile page of my livejournal. My name is exandthecity.

I know Dana is trying to get a plot secured at Hollywood Forever and I also know there will be some sort of grand send off befitting our Grand Dame....

- G

Thank you very much Jerry....and Stephanie...She w...

2008-01-12T22:30:00.000-08:00

Thank you very much Jerry....

and Stephanie...

She was so many things to so many people. She was a legend, the amalgamation of bitting wit, forked tongue and a beauty rare and exotic. She lead the charge for women of multiple generations allowing us to be both bold an feminine. She was that silhouette, out of the darkness, all curves and nipped waist with a voice like a kittens purr and laughter like a clap of thunder.

But more than the character she played, more than Vampira she was our friend. My husband and I were both blessed to care for her for many years in whatever little way we could. Maila knew her mind and it often made for interesting conversations. We did our best to make sure that her life, as private and reclusive as it was filled with beautiful flowers and trips to the store, a party here and there and dinner with family.

Dana Gould met her and cared for her for many years. He introduced us to her and we worked for him looking after her. He was always by her side and deserves much credit for caring for her and making sure she was always comfortable. He is an amazing man and she loved him out of mind.

Maila was a bit leery of strangers and newcomers as so often happened they had an agenda and Maila was never one to suffer fools gladly....

She was a master raconteur and could spin visions of places long gone and people from a seemingly alternate universe. She made me laugh, she drove me crazy....she was family.

I will never forget her eyes. They will stay with me forever. Fortunately before she passed I was lucky enough to take her portrait. From the moment I snapped the image I knew I had captured her the way I saw her...not as Vampira but as the incomparable Maila Nurmi. She did it her way....and I will miss her so very much.

I am not sure if you can leave images here but the last photograph taken of her is on my livejournal.

I know Dana is trying his best to secure a plot for her at Hollywood Forever and we will be having some sort of send off. Plan are still in the works....

- G

What sad news! I was coincidentally speaking to so...

2008-01-12T15:42:00.000-08:00

What sad news!

I was coincidentally speaking to someone last night about wanting her to speak at a screening of Plan 9 from Outer Space we're doing in Los Angeles this month.

In her honor, we'd like to do a tribute to her at the screening.

If anyone wants to take part in the tribute, please contact me (Kimberly) at sbigfilmfest@yahoo.com.

Hello Stephanie. Devil bless you! Vampira is the s...

2008-01-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

Hello Stephanie. Devil bless you! Vampira is the sexiest glamour ghoul in the world. I am a 21 year old guy and believe me, I refuse to think that no one is as seductive as Vampira and Bettie Page. Good luck with writing her biography. I'm interested in reading it.

Your fiend( Vampira humor!)

Reaper

Stephanie Locke wrote: "I first met Maila Nurmi in...

2008-01-11T22:46:00.000-08:00

Stephanie Locke wrote: "I first met Maila Nurmi in the early 90's when I was working for the Mark & Brian show and it was all because of you."

And I, in turn, would never have gotten to know Maila if it weren't for you. So thank you, Stephanie, for introducing me to a person who enriched both our lives. And thank you for your comments. If there is anything Bright Lights After Dark and its readers can do to assist the friends who are trying to have her buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetary, please let me know, and I will do what I can to spread the word.

Dear Jerry,I first met Maila Nurmi in the early 90...

2008-01-11T22:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Jerry,
I first met Maila Nurmi in the early 90's when I was working for the Mark & Brian show and it was all because of you.

You had always told me I bore a resemblance, so when the boys wanted her to come to their drive in screening of Plan 9 From Outer Space, I made sure to find her.

We became instant friends. Her first words to me were "I used to have a figure like that" and I almost bit my tongue trying NOT to tell her that I'd been admiring her for years and occasionally impersonated her in the dungeon, 'though the smallest my waist ever got whilst corsetted was 19".

Over the years I was lucky to be in an Ed Woods documentary called Flying Saucers Over Hollywood talking about how amazing Maila was and squiring her about town as needed.

There is no one like Vampira. She had a 17" waist, a scream like no other and an amazing wit. To visit with her was to listen to a veritable encyclopedia of Hollywood stories and to hear her speak of Ed Wood's People was to learn that Bela Lugosi did not curse.

I hope to do a lot of writing about her and how amazing she was. Maila once told me she was the inspiration for over 100 different characters in film and comics, those included: Vampira, Natasha (of Boris & Natasha), much of Morticia Addams as she was portrayed on the Addams Family, Cruella De Ville and of course, Elvira, who, until 12 noon on the first day of filming her television show was called "Vampira". It was then dropped because Maila had showed up at the station threatening to sue.

Maila never had the aboveground fame she deserved. But she has been worshipped in her own way by legions the world over and she always will be.

I'm told that her friends are trying to get her buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetary (where Maila and I used to go to eat "Monster Cheese" (muenster) and drink cocktails. I am going to look into seeing if a fund is established that we can contribute to.

She died at home, in her sleep, regretfully with no surviving family matters so there is much work to be done.

I'm glad you got to spend time with her.

Stephanie Locke