WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATING WOMEN IN FILM This year, the museum will join the nation in celebrating Women’s History Month by exploring the legacy of women in film. Our history is rich with women who made a significant impact in the film industry, including some from the Pikes Peak Region. Marceline Day was one of the earliest woman actors from the Pikes Peak Region. Marceline Newlin was born in Colorado Springs on April 24, 1908 to Frank and Irene Newlin. When she began her filming career with her younger sister Alice in 1924, they changed their last name to Day. She performed alongside many notable actors including John Wayne, John Barrymore, and Lon Chaney. One of her most noteworthy films was her role in “The Cameraman”—a romantic comedy about a man hopelessly in love with a woman working at MGM studios. Fast-forward to one of Colorado Springs most iconic women in film, Cassandra Peterson who created the campy vampirelike creation Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Peterson was born in Manhattan, Kansas on September 17, 1951. When she was seven years old, the Peterson Family moved to Colorado Springs. After high school, Peterson became a showgirl in Las Vegas, then moved to Italy to sing in a pop-rock band. From these experiences, she created the character Elvira. E for Elvira display in the Story of Us exhibit When she moved back to L.A., she worked with a host of emerging talents including Adrienne Barbeau, Lorraine Newman, and Pee Wee Herman. Wondering when her time would come, Cassandra stated, “Finally the phone rang. I was working at the theater, doing auditions, starving- the usual stuff- when I got this call. They’d seen my work at the theater. They wanted a sexy comedienne to host a horror-movie-show in L.A.” – Cassandra’s 1983 Interview with the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. The show was a huge hit and Peterson’s career took off as the popularity of her campy Elvira persona soared into America’s pop culture. Marceline Day & Lon Chaney MUSELETTER FEB 2019| PG 2
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