For other uses of the name "Vampira," see Vampira (disambiguation)

Vampira (disambiguation)

Vampira may refer to:* Maila Nurmi , a 1950s TV horror hostess and star of the 1959 film Plan 9 From Outer Space, who performed under the name "Vampira"** The Vampira Show, the Emmy-nominated TV show that she hosted...

.

Vampira (also known as Old Dracula) is a 1974

1974 in film

The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J...

 comedy

Comedy film

Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...

/horror film

Horror film

Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...

 spoofing the vampire

Vampire

Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...

 genre. It stars David Niven

David Niven

James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...

 and Teresa Graves

Teresa Graves

Teresa Graves was an American actress and singer. As the star of Get Christie Love!, Graves is credited as being the first African American woman to star in her own hour long drama television series....

. Following the success of Young Frankenstein

Young Frankenstein

Young Frankenstein is a 1974 American comedy film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The supporting cast includes Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Richard...

, Vampira was renamed Old Dracula for release in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in an attempt to cash in on Young Frankenstein's success.

Plot

Count Dracula is an old vampire who, because of his advanced age, is forced to host tours of his castle to get new victims. In an attempt to revive his long-lost love, Vampira, Dracula sets out to collect blood from the bevy of Playboy Playmates

Playmate

A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of Playboy magazine as Playmate of the Month . The PMOM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, as well as a short biography and the "Playmate Data Sheet", which lists her birthdate, measurements, turn-ons, and...

 living at his castle. However, one of the Playmates whose blood is drained is black

Black people

The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...

, turning the revived Vampira into a black woman.

Dracula enthralls the hapless Marc to collect blood from three white women in hopes of restoring Vampira's original skin color. Dracula transfuses the blood into her but she is unchanged; however, her bite turns Dracula black. Marc and his love Angela race to destroy Dracula but are taken aback upon seeing Dracula's new skin tone. Their surprise gives the vampires time to slip away to catch a flight to Rio for Carnival

Carnival

Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...

.

Cast

Actor	Role
David Niven David Niven James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...	Count Dracula
Teresa Graves Teresa Graves Teresa Graves was an American actress and singer. As the star of Get Christie Love!, Graves is credited as being the first African American woman to star in her own hour long drama television series....	Countess Vampira
Nicky Henson Nicky Henson Nicholas Victor Leslie "Nicky" Henson is an English actor who has portrayed many roles since 1963. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1977. He was born in London.-Early life:...	Marc
Jennie Linden Jennie Linden Jennie Linden is an English film and television actress.Linden was born in Worthing to Marcus and Freida Fletcher, an architect and housewife. She attended the Central School of Speech and Drama at the age of 17 on a scholarship...	Angela
Linda Hayden Linda Hayden Linda Hayden is an English film and television actress, best known for her roles in 1970s British horror films and sex comedies.-Career:...	Helga
Bernard Bresslaw Bernard Bresslaw Bernard Bresslaw was an English actor. He is best remembered for his comedy work, especially as a member of the Carry On team.-Biography:...	Pottinger
Andrea Allan Andrea Allan Andrea Allan is an actress who appeared in many British films of the 1960s and '70s.This included the Carry On films, Carry on Spying and Carry on Cowboy, as well as The Wrong Box with Dudley Moore, Spanish Fly with Leslie Phillips and Vampira with David Niven...	Eve
Veronica Carlson Veronica Carlson Veronica Carlson is an English model and actress, famous for her roles in Hammer horror films.Born as Veronica Mary Glazer, Veronica Carlson spent most of her childhood in Germany where her father was stationed...	Ritva
Minah Bird Minah Bird Minah Ogbenyealu Bird, was a Nigerian model and actress active in the UK in the 1970s. After appearing in such films as Percy's Progress, The Stud and The London Connection, she vanished from public view from the late 1970s and was found dead in her London council flat, a few weeks after suffering...	Rose
Freddie Jones Freddie Jones Frederick Charles "Freddie" Jones is an English character actor.Jones was born in the town of Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, the son of Ida Elizabeth and Charles Edward Jones. He became an actor after ten years of working as a laboratory assistant with a firm making ceramic products,...	Gilmore
Frank Thornton Frank Thornton Frank Thornton is an English actor who is best known for playing Captain Peacock in Are You Being Served? and its sequel Grace & Favour and as Truly in Last of the Summer Wine.-Early life:...	Mr. King
Peter Bayliss	Maltravers
Cathie Shirriff	Nancy
Aimi MacDonald Aimi MacDonald Aimi MacDonald is a British actress. She is best known for her role as "The Lovely" Aimi MacDonald in the television sketch comedy show At Last the 1948 Show ....	Woman in hotel room
Patrick Newell Patrick Newell Patrick David Newell was a British actor known for his large size. It is reputed he gained weight as a deliberate attempt to boost his career, marking him out for some niche roles...	Man in hotel room
Kenneth Cranham Kenneth Cranham Kenneth Cranham is a film, television and stage actor. He starred in the title role in the popular 1980s comedy drama Shine on Harvey Moon. He also appeared in Layer Cake, Gangster No. 1, Rome, Oliver! and many other films. He is probably best known to horror genre fans as the deranged Dr...	Paddy, the Delinquent
Carol Cleveland Carol Cleveland Carol Cleveland is a British actress/comedienne, most notable for her appearances as the only significant female performer on Monty Python's Flying Circus.-Early life:...	Jane, the Delinquent's Victim
Luan Peters Luan Peters Luan Peters , also known as Karol Keyes, is an English actress.Born as Carol Hirsch, she made her stage debut in a pantomime aged four, then went on to win a drama scholarship at aged 16 after a performance of Twelfth Night...	Pottinger's Secretary
Nadim Sawalha Nadim Sawalha Nadim Sawalha is a Jordanian-born English actor and father of actresses Julia and Nadia Sawalha.He was born in Madaba in 1935 and came to England from Jordan in the 1950s, to study drama...	Airline Representative
Marcia Fox	Air Hostess
Penny Irving Penny Irving Penny Irving is a former actress and Sun newspaper Page 3 model. She is best remembered for her roles in the 1970s sitcom Are You Being Served? and in the movie adaptation of The Likely Lads .Penny also starred in the cult director Pete...	Playboy Bunny
Hoima McDonald	Playboy Bunny
Nicola Austin	Playboy Bunny
David Rowlands	Drunk
Ben Aris Ben Aris Benjamin Patrick Aris was an English actor who was best known for his parts in Hi-de-Hi! and To the Manor Born, and was also very active on stage. He was often cast as an eccentric, upper-class man....	Policeman

Release

The film was released theatrically in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 by American International Pictures

American International Pictures

American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...

 in 1975.

The film has still not been officially released on DVD

DVD

A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

.