Horror icon and “Mistress Of The Darkness” Elvira, portrayed by actress Cassandra Peterson, has been a staple to insanely spooky stories and Halloween themed events. The big-haired beauty wields a variety of eye-catching signature features and traits, in addition to her jet black, vampire-esque apparel. However, the actress opened up to Entertainment Weekly and gave intimate details about one very particular, and incredibly iconic, influence in her now trademark career. Peterson begins by admitting that, at the mere age of 17, she became a Vegas showgirl! She explained,
“I’ve been told I was the youngest showgirl in Las Vegas history, and I imagine that’s probably true. My parents had to sign a document with a lawyer, saying it was okay for me to work in the show. I was at the Dunes Hotel in a show called Viva Les Girls.”
She continued, “I was not allowed to go into the casino, drink, gamble. But I was allowed to dance onstage in my skivvies! Isn’t that bizarre? I tell people that story and they don’t believe it. I don’t believe it myself. It was a very very weird thing, 17 and dancing in Vegas.”
However, to much surprise, her story becomes exceptionally more intriguing as she recalls a specific night that essentially molded her career. Peterson explains,
“Elvis came to see my show. He invited me to a party at his suite, along with lots of other people, and he really kind of took to me, I think because I was 17, and probably all the other showgirls there were in their 30s… We did hang out one whole evening, a whole night, the next morning, and mostly talked, believe it or not. There was some kissing going on. But Elvis was watched very closely, since they were aware that I was [very young].”
The actress begins to delve into how wonderful Presley was, giving her the hard truth that she so desperately needed to hear.
“Elvis convinced me that this was no town for a young girl to be in, by herself, and that it would not lead to bigger and better things, that if I really wanted to make it in show business that I needed to get the Hell out of Vegas.”
The Halloween staple joked that had it not been for Presley’s advice, she very well may just have started her career as Vegas’ youngest showgirl and ended her reign as its oldest!