In 1988, Maila Nurmi sued actress Cassandra Peterson who plays Elvira, for copying her Vampira character and television series.
The only known kinescope films of the show are held in a private collection and have not been publicly seen since the series ended in 1955.
Vampira's look was based on the mother character from The Addams Family comic strips created by Charles Addams, who did not receive the first name 'Morticia' until the 1964 TV version. The name Vampira was thought up by Maila Nurmi's husband at the time, Dean Riesner.
The Vampira Show was broadcast live on Saturday nights and consisted mainly of introductions and short sketches shown before, after and in between movie presentations. Nearly none of this footage has survived, except for a few segments shot on film from a video monitor that was to be used in a promotional segment.
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