Glamour Ghoul

Glamour Ghoul

Author: Sandra Niemi

Publisher: Feral House

Published: 2021-01-12

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 1627311068

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Maila Nurmi, the beautiful and sheltered daughter of Finnish immigrants, stepped off the bus in 1941 Los Angeles intent on finding fame and fortune. She found men eager to take advantage of her innocence and beauty but was determined to find success and love. Her inspired design and portrayal of a vampire won a costume contest that lead to a small role on the Red Skelton show which grew into a persona that brought her the notoriety she desired yet trapped her in a character she could never truly escape. This is Malia’s story. Her diaries, notes, and ephemera and family stories bring new insights to her relationships with Orson Welles, James Dean, and Marlon Brando. Sandra Niemi—Malia’s niece—fills in the nuances of her life prior to fame and her struggles after the limelight faded and she found a new community within the burgeoning Los Angeles punk scene who embraced her as their own. , Includes rare photographs.


Book Synopsis Glamour Ghoul by : Sandra Niemi

Download or read book Glamour Ghoul written by Sandra Niemi and published by Feral House. This book was released on 2021-01-12 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Maila Nurmi, the beautiful and sheltered daughter of Finnish immigrants, stepped off the bus in 1941 Los Angeles intent on finding fame and fortune. She found men eager to take advantage of her innocence and beauty but was determined to find success and love. Her inspired design and portrayal of a vampire won a costume contest that lead to a small role on the Red Skelton show which grew into a persona that brought her the notoriety she desired yet trapped her in a character she could never truly escape. This is Malia’s story. Her diaries, notes, and ephemera and family stories bring new insights to her relationships with Orson Welles, James Dean, and Marlon Brando. Sandra Niemi—Malia’s niece—fills in the nuances of her life prior to fame and her struggles after the limelight faded and she found a new community within the burgeoning Los Angeles punk scene who embraced her as their own. , Includes rare photographs.


Vampira

Vampira

Author: W. Scott Poole

Publisher: Catapult

Published: 2014-08-18

Total Pages: 191

ISBN-13: 1619024209

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This whip-smart piece of pop culture details the life of the cult horror figure, as well as the much wider story of 1950s America, its treatment of women and sex, and a fascinating swath of Hollywood history. In Vampira, Poole gives us the eclectic life of the dancer, stripper, actress, and artist Maila Nurmi, who would reinvent herself as Vampira during the backdrop of 1950s America, an era of both chilling conformity and the nascent rumblings of the countercultural response that led from the Beats and free jazz to the stirring of the LGBT movement and the hardcore punk scene in the bohemian enclave along Melrose Avenue. A veteran of the New York stage and late nights at Hollywood's hipster hangouts, Nurmi would eventually be linked to Elvis, Orson Welles, and James Dean, as well as stylist and photographer Rudi Gernreich, founder of the Mattachine Society and designer of the thong. Thanks to rumors of a romance between Vampira and James Dean, his tragic death inspired the circulation of stories that she had cursed him and, better yet, had access to his dead body for use in her dark arts. In Poole's expert hands, Vampira is more than the story of a highly creative artist continually reinventing herself, but a parable of the runaway housewife bursting the bounds of our straight-laced conventions with an exuberant display of camp, sex, and creative individuality that owed something to the morbid New Yorker cartoons of Charles Addams, the evil queen from Disney's Snow White, and the popular, underground bondage magazine Bizarre, and forward to the staged excesses of Madonna and Lady Gaga. Vampira is a wildly compelling tour through a forgotten piece of pop cultural history, one with both cultish and literary merit, sure to capture the imagination of Vampira fans new and old.


Book Synopsis Vampira by : W. Scott Poole

Download or read book Vampira written by W. Scott Poole and published by Catapult. This book was released on 2014-08-18 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This whip-smart piece of pop culture details the life of the cult horror figure, as well as the much wider story of 1950s America, its treatment of women and sex, and a fascinating swath of Hollywood history. In Vampira, Poole gives us the eclectic life of the dancer, stripper, actress, and artist Maila Nurmi, who would reinvent herself as Vampira during the backdrop of 1950s America, an era of both chilling conformity and the nascent rumblings of the countercultural response that led from the Beats and free jazz to the stirring of the LGBT movement and the hardcore punk scene in the bohemian enclave along Melrose Avenue. A veteran of the New York stage and late nights at Hollywood's hipster hangouts, Nurmi would eventually be linked to Elvis, Orson Welles, and James Dean, as well as stylist and photographer Rudi Gernreich, founder of the Mattachine Society and designer of the thong. Thanks to rumors of a romance between Vampira and James Dean, his tragic death inspired the circulation of stories that she had cursed him and, better yet, had access to his dead body for use in her dark arts. In Poole's expert hands, Vampira is more than the story of a highly creative artist continually reinventing herself, but a parable of the runaway housewife bursting the bounds of our straight-laced conventions with an exuberant display of camp, sex, and creative individuality that owed something to the morbid New Yorker cartoons of Charles Addams, the evil queen from Disney's Snow White, and the popular, underground bondage magazine Bizarre, and forward to the staged excesses of Madonna and Lady Gaga. Vampira is a wildly compelling tour through a forgotten piece of pop cultural history, one with both cultish and literary merit, sure to capture the imagination of Vampira fans new and old.


Ghoul Strike!

Ghoul Strike!

Author: Andrew Newbound

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0545229383

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When twelve-year-old, psychic ghost hunter Alannah Malarra faces demons from another dimension, rather than the treasure-hoarding ghosts she is used to, she needs the help of protectors from the Attack-ready Network of Global Evanescent Law-enforcers (A.N.G.E.L.) police force to help her quell the dangerous uprising.


Book Synopsis Ghoul Strike! by : Andrew Newbound

Download or read book Ghoul Strike! written by Andrew Newbound and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2010 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When twelve-year-old, psychic ghost hunter Alannah Malarra faces demons from another dimension, rather than the treasure-hoarding ghosts she is used to, she needs the help of protectors from the Attack-ready Network of Global Evanescent Law-enforcers (A.N.G.E.L.) police force to help her quell the dangerous uprising.


Yours Cruelly, Elvira

Yours Cruelly, Elvira

Author: Cassandra Peterson

Publisher: Hachette Books

Published: 2021-09-21

Total Pages: 390

ISBN-13: 0306874369

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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. While her sisters played with Barbie dolls, Cassandra built model kits of Frankenstein and Dracula, and idolized Vincent Price. Due to a complicated relationship with her mother, Cassandra left home at 14, and by age 17 she was performing at the 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 group, 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. Cassandra doesn't shy away from revealing exactly who she is and how she overcame seemingly insurmountable odds. 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. Instant New York Times Bestseller, Los Angeles Times Bestseller, USA Today Bestseller, Publishers Weekly Bestseller A New York Times Best Books to Give This Season selection


Book Synopsis Yours Cruelly, Elvira by : Cassandra Peterson

Download or read book Yours Cruelly, Elvira written by Cassandra Peterson and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2021-09-21 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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. While her sisters played with Barbie dolls, Cassandra built model kits of Frankenstein and Dracula, and idolized Vincent Price. Due to a complicated relationship with her mother, Cassandra left home at 14, and by age 17 she was performing at the 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 group, 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. Cassandra doesn't shy away from revealing exactly who she is and how she overcame seemingly insurmountable odds. 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. Instant New York Times Bestseller, Los Angeles Times Bestseller, USA Today Bestseller, Publishers Weekly Bestseller A New York Times Best Books to Give This Season selection


Kosher Chinese

Kosher Chinese

Author: Michael Levy

Publisher: Holt Paperbacks

Published: 2011-07-05

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1429972831

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An irreverent tale of an American Jew serving in the Peace Corps in rural China, which reveals the absurdities, joys, and pathos of a traditional society in flux In September of 2005, the Peace Corps sent Michael Levy to teach English in the heart of China's heartland. His hosts in the city of Guiyang found additional uses for him: resident expert on Judaism, romantic adviser, and provincial basketball star, to name a few. His account of overcoming vast cultural differences to befriend his students and fellow teachers is by turns poignant and laugh-out-loud funny. While reveling in the peculiarities of life in China's interior, the author also discovered that the "other billion" (people living far from the coastal cities covered by the American media) have a complex relationship with both their own traditions and the rapid changes of modernization. Lagging behind in China's economic boom, they experience the darker side of "capitalism with Chinese characteristics," daily facing the schizophrenia of conflicting ideologies. Kosher Chinese is an illuminating account of the lives of the residents of Guiyang, particularly the young people who will soon control the fate of the world.


Book Synopsis Kosher Chinese by : Michael Levy

Download or read book Kosher Chinese written by Michael Levy and published by Holt Paperbacks. This book was released on 2011-07-05 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An irreverent tale of an American Jew serving in the Peace Corps in rural China, which reveals the absurdities, joys, and pathos of a traditional society in flux In September of 2005, the Peace Corps sent Michael Levy to teach English in the heart of China's heartland. His hosts in the city of Guiyang found additional uses for him: resident expert on Judaism, romantic adviser, and provincial basketball star, to name a few. His account of overcoming vast cultural differences to befriend his students and fellow teachers is by turns poignant and laugh-out-loud funny. While reveling in the peculiarities of life in China's interior, the author also discovered that the "other billion" (people living far from the coastal cities covered by the American media) have a complex relationship with both their own traditions and the rapid changes of modernization. Lagging behind in China's economic boom, they experience the darker side of "capitalism with Chinese characteristics," daily facing the schizophrenia of conflicting ideologies. Kosher Chinese is an illuminating account of the lives of the residents of Guiyang, particularly the young people who will soon control the fate of the world.


Ghoul

Ghoul

Author: Michael Slade

Publisher: Penguin Canada

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 464

ISBN-13: 9780143016519

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Spectrelike and sinewy, dressed in a grey cape and top hat, with a bone-white face and the eyes of a madman, The Ghoul crawls from the London sewers to kill bloodily, perversely, inexplicably In Vancouver, the horror-rock group Ghoul cavorts onstage, its act a bizarre and violent front for sinister skulduggery. Is there a connection between London's orgy of killings and Vancouver's underworld sleaze? The answer lies in the dark obsessions and twisted fantasies of an old Rhode Island family whose tainted past will not lie quiet in its grave …


Book Synopsis Ghoul by : Michael Slade

Download or read book Ghoul written by Michael Slade and published by Penguin Canada. This book was released on 2004 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spectrelike and sinewy, dressed in a grey cape and top hat, with a bone-white face and the eyes of a madman, The Ghoul crawls from the London sewers to kill bloodily, perversely, inexplicably In Vancouver, the horror-rock group Ghoul cavorts onstage, its act a bizarre and violent front for sinister skulduggery. Is there a connection between London's orgy of killings and Vancouver's underworld sleaze? The answer lies in the dark obsessions and twisted fantasies of an old Rhode Island family whose tainted past will not lie quiet in its grave …


The Tommy Gun Dolls

The Tommy Gun Dolls

Author: Daniel Cooney

Publisher:

Published: 2017-11-14

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780692854310

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Volume One: THE BIG KNOCKOVER A cross-dressing, gin-soaked grifter leads a gang of bawdy burlesque girls to avenge their friend's murder in Prohibition Era San Francisco, knocking off Mob-owned speakeasies for clues in this sordid tale of tragic romance. Signed by the author.


Book Synopsis The Tommy Gun Dolls by : Daniel Cooney

Download or read book The Tommy Gun Dolls written by Daniel Cooney and published by . This book was released on 2017-11-14 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volume One: THE BIG KNOCKOVER A cross-dressing, gin-soaked grifter leads a gang of bawdy burlesque girls to avenge their friend's murder in Prohibition Era San Francisco, knocking off Mob-owned speakeasies for clues in this sordid tale of tragic romance. Signed by the author.


Glamour Ghoul

Glamour Ghoul

Author: Sarina Dorie

Publisher: Independently Published

Published: 2021-07-23

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13:

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Wicked witches. Murder. Mystery. When a serial killer of werewolves is on the loose, who are you going to call? Not only is Vega Bloodmire a teacher at the most prestigious magical boarding school for witches, and a powerful witch, but she also has a curse for getting herself into situations where she has to solve mysteries-even when she should be minding her own business. She thrives when she is able to use skilled and powerful magic, crush her enemies, and destroy those who would harm her students and those she loves. She is less comfortable being a good role model, consoling with hugs and kind words, and being "nice." As is often the case, Vega has found herself in a most uncomfortable situation, putting her skills to the test. She is now guardian to a fifteen-year-old girl with cancer. When her charge insists on taking care of an injured puppy, it is only one of many problems Vega faces at the close of a school year. When a connection is made between a victim who died after being shot with silver bullets and the puppy's wound, Vega suspects someone is on the hunt for werewolves and shifters. As a shifter herself, Vega understands the stigma of being unable to control magical transformations and the way society shuns those who are different. In order to pay for her charge's medical treatment, Vega decides to hunt a poacher and acquire all his silver bullets. If she happens to do something "nice" for the betterment of Witchkin society and gets rid of a werewolf serial killer in the process, she isn't opposed to the idea-so long as no one tries to thank her for being selfless and good. Can Vega discover who has been killing werewolves before another victim dies? This book starts with Vega Bloodmire's life before working at Womby's School for Wayward Witches when she was a new and inexperienced teacher at Lady of the Lake School for Girls. GLAMOUR GHOUL is the 11th book in the series of mysteries taking place at a magical academy, but these whodunnits are fine to be read in any order. Clean, cozy, no sex or swearing, PG 13-perfectly fine for teens or grandmas who like mysteries with magic.


Book Synopsis Glamour Ghoul by : Sarina Dorie

Download or read book Glamour Ghoul written by Sarina Dorie and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2021-07-23 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wicked witches. Murder. Mystery. When a serial killer of werewolves is on the loose, who are you going to call? Not only is Vega Bloodmire a teacher at the most prestigious magical boarding school for witches, and a powerful witch, but she also has a curse for getting herself into situations where she has to solve mysteries-even when she should be minding her own business. She thrives when she is able to use skilled and powerful magic, crush her enemies, and destroy those who would harm her students and those she loves. She is less comfortable being a good role model, consoling with hugs and kind words, and being "nice." As is often the case, Vega has found herself in a most uncomfortable situation, putting her skills to the test. She is now guardian to a fifteen-year-old girl with cancer. When her charge insists on taking care of an injured puppy, it is only one of many problems Vega faces at the close of a school year. When a connection is made between a victim who died after being shot with silver bullets and the puppy's wound, Vega suspects someone is on the hunt for werewolves and shifters. As a shifter herself, Vega understands the stigma of being unable to control magical transformations and the way society shuns those who are different. In order to pay for her charge's medical treatment, Vega decides to hunt a poacher and acquire all his silver bullets. If she happens to do something "nice" for the betterment of Witchkin society and gets rid of a werewolf serial killer in the process, she isn't opposed to the idea-so long as no one tries to thank her for being selfless and good. Can Vega discover who has been killing werewolves before another victim dies? This book starts with Vega Bloodmire's life before working at Womby's School for Wayward Witches when she was a new and inexperienced teacher at Lady of the Lake School for Girls. GLAMOUR GHOUL is the 11th book in the series of mysteries taking place at a magical academy, but these whodunnits are fine to be read in any order. Clean, cozy, no sex or swearing, PG 13-perfectly fine for teens or grandmas who like mysteries with magic.


Popular Fads and Crazes through American History [2 volumes]

Popular Fads and Crazes through American History [2 volumes]

Author: Nancy Hendricks

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2018-08-17

Total Pages: 897

ISBN-13: 1440851832

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This informative two-volume set provides readers with an understanding of the fads and crazes that have taken America by storm from colonial times to the present. Entries cover a range of topics, including food, entertainment, fashion, music, and language. Why could hula hoops and TV westerns only have been found in every household in the 1950s? What murdered Russian princess can be seen in one of the first documented selfies, taken in 1914? This book answers those questions and more in its documentation of all of the most captivating trends that have defined American popular culture since before the country began. Entries are well-researched and alphabetized by decade. At the start of every section is an insightful historical overview of the decade, and the set uniquely illustrates what today's readers have in common with the past. It also contains a Glossary of Slang for each decade as well as a bibliography, plus suggestions for further reading for each entry. Students and readers interested in history will enjoy discovering trends through the years in such areas as fashion, movies, music, and sports.


Book Synopsis Popular Fads and Crazes through American History [2 volumes] by : Nancy Hendricks

Download or read book Popular Fads and Crazes through American History [2 volumes] written by Nancy Hendricks and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2018-08-17 with total page 897 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This informative two-volume set provides readers with an understanding of the fads and crazes that have taken America by storm from colonial times to the present. Entries cover a range of topics, including food, entertainment, fashion, music, and language. Why could hula hoops and TV westerns only have been found in every household in the 1950s? What murdered Russian princess can be seen in one of the first documented selfies, taken in 1914? This book answers those questions and more in its documentation of all of the most captivating trends that have defined American popular culture since before the country began. Entries are well-researched and alphabetized by decade. At the start of every section is an insightful historical overview of the decade, and the set uniquely illustrates what today's readers have in common with the past. It also contains a Glossary of Slang for each decade as well as a bibliography, plus suggestions for further reading for each entry. Students and readers interested in history will enjoy discovering trends through the years in such areas as fashion, movies, music, and sports.


The Entertainer

The Entertainer

Author: Margaret Talbot

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 433

ISBN-13: 1594631883

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Using the life and career of her father, writer Margaret Talbot tells the story of the rise of popular culture through a personal lens. The arc of Lyle Talbot's career is in fact the story of American entertainment. Born in 1902, Lyle left small-town Nebraska in 1918 to join a traveling carnival. From there he became a magician's assistant, an actor in a traveling theater troupe, a romantic lead in early talkies, then an actor in major Warner Bros. pictures, then an actor in cult B movies, and finally a part of the advent of television, with regular roles on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and Leave It to Beaver. In her impeccably researched narrative--a combination of Hollywood history, social history, and family memoir--Margaret Talbot conjures warmth and nostalgia for those earlier eras of '10s and '20s small-town America, '30s and '40s Hollywood.--From publisher description.


Book Synopsis The Entertainer by : Margaret Talbot

Download or read book The Entertainer written by Margaret Talbot and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2012 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using the life and career of her father, writer Margaret Talbot tells the story of the rise of popular culture through a personal lens. The arc of Lyle Talbot's career is in fact the story of American entertainment. Born in 1902, Lyle left small-town Nebraska in 1918 to join a traveling carnival. From there he became a magician's assistant, an actor in a traveling theater troupe, a romantic lead in early talkies, then an actor in major Warner Bros. pictures, then an actor in cult B movies, and finally a part of the advent of television, with regular roles on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and Leave It to Beaver. In her impeccably researched narrative--a combination of Hollywood history, social history, and family memoir--Margaret Talbot conjures warmth and nostalgia for those earlier eras of '10s and '20s small-town America, '30s and '40s Hollywood.--From publisher description.