Before Cassandra Peterson transformed herself into Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, she was a young showgirl in Sin City who received advice from The King.
“I did [get advice from Elvis Presley],” the 68-year-old recently told Closer Weekly. “It was the best advice in the world.”
“I was a showgirl in Las Vegas and Elvis told me to get the heck out of Las Vegas and pursue a singing career and, because he was Elvis, I decided to do that,” Peterson continued. “At the time I was the youngest showgirl in Las Vegas; I was 17. If it wasn’t for Elvis, I would now be the oldest [showgirl] in Las Vegas, I’m positive.”
Peterson claimed she had a “sort of a date” with the musician, but insisted nothing happened because she was underage at the time. However, she told the outlet that didn’t stop her from being “completely smitten” with him.
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“Oh, God, yeah. I was,” said Peterson. “I was a fan. I just found a movie, an 8mm movie, of me dancing to ‘Hound Dog’ when I was about 4 or 5 years old. I was a huge fan my whole life.”
As for what really transpired between Peterson and Presley, she teased “you’ll have to read my autobiography to hear the details.” According to the outlet, Peterson’s memoir is set to be released sometime in 2020.
After her encounter with Presley, Peterson went on to marry actor Mark Pierson in 1981. They welcomed a daughter named Sadie Pierson, in 1991. Peterson and Pierson ultimately called it quits in 2003.
Presley passed away in 1977 at age 42 from a heart attack. Peterson said she never forgot Presley’s message.
“I’m still doing as much as ever, so I look forward to the day when I can miss it, to tell you the truth,” she said.
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Back in 2016, the star recalled her encounter with Presley to Entertainment Weekly.
“I was 17 when I started as a showgirl in Las Vegas,” she recalled at the time. “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 OK for me to work in the show. I was at the Dunes Hotel in a show called ‘Viva Les Girls.’”
“It was really odd,” Peterson continued. “I had to come and go by the back door. 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.”
And then came the night when Presley himself came to see her 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,” claimed Peterson. “Anyway, I loved Elvis. I had grown up with Elvis being one of my idols. My parents were giant Elvis fans. The fact that I was meeting him was beyond belief. 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].
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“But he couldn’t have been more wonderful and I really do credit him with changing my life. I, at the time, thought I had reached the pinnacle of show business, becoming a Las Vegas showgirl. 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."
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The actress is also grateful she “rarely” gets recognized as the glamourous ghoul.
“I’m thrilled when I don’t get recognized because then I can go have a normal everyday existence and not be on and not have to put on makeup to go to the grocery store, you know?” she said. “So, yeah, that’s a really good thing. I’m one of the luckiest celebrities I know.”
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Peterson recalled a comical moment during Halloween in New York City when some fans didn’t realize she was the real deal.
“Everyone was going, ‘Oh my God. Your costume is amazing! You look exactly like Elvira,’” she said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, thank you very much.’”