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| Just one example of all the Elvira merchandise on display at Stan Lee's Comikaze. |
Long before there was "Mystery Science Theater 3000," there
was "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark." Or at
least there was on Channel 9 in Los Angeles, back in the 1980s. With her big black head of hair, her Morticia
Addams-style dress, her smile, and her wit, she made Sunday afternoons
interesting during my teenage years.
Family life on Sundays centered on church back then, so after the
morning service, and lunch, there usually wasn’t much to do until the evening
service began. I suppose some might have
argued that I should have spent the afternoon hours in contemplation, reading
my Bible and praying. (Some did). But I filled those empty hours by listening
to music, reading science fiction novels, and watching bad horror movies with
Elvira.
I’ve never been one to mock Sci-Fi movies and TV shows. I might critique them afterward, noting where
they deviated from scientific principles, or noting character inconsistencies
and plot loopholes, but I’ve never liked it when people criticize a Sci-Fi show
for bad acting or poor production values.
Nor do I enjoy hearing a running stream of mocking by my fellow viewers,
who of course would have made the show so much better, if only they had
acted out the parts, made the props, written the script, or filmed the
movie. Science Fiction represents the
theater of dreams. As such, it hosts
visions of futures that might await us.
Some of those we might actually want to live in. Some of them we often fear are imminent. Many explore our potential as human
beings. But no representation of what
does not currently exist can ever be perfect.
Even with the largest budgets, the most imaginative talents, and the
best tools technology has to offer, many of the best visions of the future can
never be captured on film. Each Sci-Fi
program is a pioneering effort to capture the spirit of an idea with the time,
people, and resources available. To mock
such efforts seems rather small-minded to me. Perhaps that's why I never connected with “Mystery Science Theater 3000” like I did with
“Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.”
Perhaps such arguments could be applied to horror
stories. I’m not a great lover of the genre,
so I don’t know about that. What I do
know is that Elvira sat down with me in her Victorian style settee on Sunday
afternoons. Because of her presence, her
dialogue, and the sense of fun she injected into the programs, I watched movies
I never would have watched otherwise. I
can’t remember those movies now, nor were they important to me then. What I remember is Elvira, talking to me as
if she and I were discussing the merits, or lack thereof, of the movie we were
watching. What I remember is how she
made those Sunday afternoons fun.
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| The strong lighting certainly did Adam West (pictured on right) no favors. |
Cassandra Peterson, who played Elvira, was a featured guest
at Stan Lee’s Comikaze. Interviews with
the featured guests took place at one end of the exhibit hall. Strong lighting washed out the guests’ faces,
and attendees had to stand during their conversations. I was curious what Adam West, who played
Batman in the old TV show, might say, but after a few minutes of “Oh yeah,
keeping fit, went to the beach the other day," and so on, I decided to focus
more on what was going on in the rest of the exhibit hall. Which was a shame, because I’m sure I would
have enjoyed some of what the featured guests had to say, if only organizers
had devoted more consideration to attendees’ comfort.
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| How about an Elvira-o-lantern? |
Perhaps I should have stood around anyway, because people like
Adam West and Cassandra Peterson were a part of my life during my teen
years. But at least I’ve got my memories
of Sunday afternoons with Elvira. I
never saw her as a “mistress of the dark,” but rather as a light that illuminated
the darkness, and a voice of levity and interest amid the otherwise drab and
dull. Come to think of it: aren’t those
the very qualities we look for in companions and friends?
Thank you, Elvira, for sharing your Sunday afternoons with
me.
Dragon Dave
Related Internet Links
Wikipedia page on Cassandra Peterson
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