Ear: Vampira

Early in February, KATU interviewed Sandra Niemi about her revealing biography of her aunt, famed horror host Vampira, “Glamour Ghoul: The Passions and Pain of the Real Vampira, Maila Nurmi,” who was an Astoria High School graduate (bit.ly/NiemiNurmi).

The book is mainly based on her aunt’s diaries and notes and family stories. The book is available online. Sandra is pictured, inset, courtesy of KATU.

Maila moved to Los Angeles in 1941, determined to become successful and rich. But she wasn’t really noticed until she won a masquerade ball with an early Vampira-like costume — which she designed and sewed herself — and was invited to appear on KABC in L.A. She developed the wasp-waisted Vampira persona, and her career was on its way.

The book contains some interesting tidbits about Maila’s life. For one thing, she was friends with Oscar-winning actor Marlon Brando for 30 years. She also had a close platonic relationship with iconic actor James Dean. Maila had given up a child for adoption at age 20, and, missing her son, she “adopted” Dean, whose mother died when he was young.

Maila didn’t want to do Ed Wood’s movie “Plan 9 from Outer Space” (bit.ly/Plan9ugh), well-known as one of the worst movies ever made, but agreed only on the condition that she stay mute. She thought — correctly — that the dialogue she was given was “inane.”

And, the big secret: She was pregnant with Orson Welles‘ child, but couldn’t reach him to tell him. It was then announced on the radio that he had married Rita Hayworth. She and her mother took the train to New York, where her father lived. Maila had the baby there and gave him up for adoption.

Sandra found Maila’s son online, with the help of a DNA test and Ancestry.com. He lives in Vermont and was an attorney for 50 years.

Since he wanted to know who his mother was, Sandra told him. “Oh my gosh!” he replied. “I’ve waited 75 years to know who my mother is, and I find out she’s a vampire!”