How Elvis Presley Changed Elvira’s Life Forever

For nearly 45 years, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, has been a fixture in the world of all things spooky and tongue-in-cheek. Since her first appearance hosting Elvira’s Movie Macabre back in 1981, the character—famous for her black dress, towering beehive, and sharp wit—has become a symbol of campy horror and gothic glamour. The show ran for five years, spun off into two feature films, and cemented Elvira as a pop culture mainstay, with her image popping up on everything from action figures to kitchenware. She’s even penned a memoir and a cookbook, calling herself the Santa Claus of Halloween, and her catchphrases like “unpleasant dreams” have kept fans coming back for more. But behind the makeup and the wisecracks is Cassandra Peterson, whose journey to becoming Elvira almost took a very different turn.

From Small-Town Girl to Las Vegas Showgirl

Peterson grew up in Colorado after being born in Kansas, always drawn to the macabre—she preferred monster toys over Barbies as a kid. She trained as a ballerina and, while still in high school, worked as a go-go dancer at a local gay bar and nightclub. At 14, after watching the 1964 musical Viva Las Vegas starring Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret, she set her sights on becoming a showgirl in Las Vegas. By 17, she’d moved out and convinced her parents to let her tag along on a trip to Vegas. After seeing a show at the Dunes Hotel, the dance captain told her she’d be perfect for their summer production, Viva Les Girls. Her parents weren’t thrilled.

“They said, ‘No way in hell,’ and dragged me out of there by my falls,”

Peterson recalled in Pamela Des Barres’ book Let’s Spend the Night Together. She spent the rest of her final year at school threatening to run away until her parents finally relented.

“The day I graduated, I threw my stuff into my Firebird and drove to Las Vegas. I started rehearsals and became a showgirl.”

A Night with the King

It was in Vegas that Peterson’s life took a turn she never expected. Her flatmate was seeing Joe Esposito, Elvis Presley’s road manager, and scored an invite to Presley’s hotel suite. Peterson, a massive fan, managed to tag along. She soon found herself sitting next to Elvis at the piano, singing harmonies.

“We went off in a corner; just me and him, one-on-one, no one else,”

she remembered. They chatted into the early hours about everything from Presley’s family to his views on spirituality and the dangers of drugs.

Then, Presley gave her advice that would stick with her for life.

“You have a good voice. Have you ever taken singing lessons?”

he asked. When she said no, he replied,

“You ought to get out of Vegas. If you stay here you’ll wind up like one of these old showgirls. You won’t have anything when you get older, and that’ll be the end of you.”

Peterson admitted,

“If anybody else had told me that, I would have thought they were full of shit. But he was Elvis.”

She later told AP News,

“He absolutely changed my life, 100%... He said, ‘This is no place for a 17-year-old girl. You need to get the hell out of here.’”

New Beginnings and Lasting Influence

Taking Presley’s words to heart, Peterson found a singing coach the very next day. Not long after, she and her fellow showgirls were asked to audition for a singing role, and she landed the part. That led her to Europe, where she worked as a singer and actress in Italy.

“Honestly, I tell everyone, I was the youngest showgirl in Las Vegas at the time. I would now be the oldest showgirl in Las Vegas,”

she joked to AP News.

“[I’d] probably be doing it still. So, thank you, Elvis. Oh, you saved my life.”

Peterson’s gratitude for Presley’s advice is clear—even in Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, she wears a T-shirt with his image as a nod to the King. That one night in Vegas gave her the confidence to chase something bigger, and in doing so, she became a legend in her own right. The goth crowd—and anyone who loves a bit of camp—has never looked back.