Before Deidre Hall became one of Days of Our Lives’ most beloved stars, she spent one very hot summer playing Electra Woman. The 1976 Krofft Supershow segment, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, became a cult favorite, but Hall’s memories of making it sound less like superhero glamour and more like a heat-stroke seminar with capes. She looked back on taking the job, the brutal set conditions, and why the show still baffles her.
Key Takeaways
- Hall played Electra Woman before becoming DAYS’ Marlena Evans.
- Hall said taking the superhero role was basically a goof.
- The Electra Woman and Dyna Girl set had no air conditioning during a hot Los Angeles summer.
- Hall and Judy Strangis did much of their own hair and makeup.
- She is still surprised the campy 1970s series became a cult favorite.
Electra Woman Was a Hot Mess
Hall spoke to Soaps.com about starring as Lori, aka Electra Woman, before she joined DAYS as Marlena Evans. “I went, ‘Eh, I got nothing else to do.’ ” She later admitted, “I did not realize in that moment that it would be a brutal summer,” and added, “We were just sweltering all the time.”
The problem was not only the Los Angeles heat. Hall said the Kroffts did not rent a studio with air conditioning, which feels like a bold choice when your actors are in superhero costumes and heavily styled hair. She and Judy Strangis (Dyna Girl) also did much of their own hair and makeup because, apparently, the real villain was production logistics.
The show itself followed Lori and Judy, magazine reporters who transformed into Electra Woman and Dyna Girl to fight colorful villains. It was campy, bright, and very much from the school of Saturday morning television, where everything came with a catchphrase and a machine that looked like it might explode if someone sneezed near it.
Hall Still Can’t Believe It Worked
Hall remains surprised that Electra Woman and Dyna Girl still has fans decades later. “It has no right to be a hit,” she said. Then she added, “How bad was it!” That is not exactly a DVD box-set endorsement, but it is very funny and probably very honest.
The working conditions were so hot that Hall and the others would sneak over to the nearby Donnie & Marie soundstage to cool off. That set had an ice rink, so it had to stay cold. Jane Elliot, who guest-starred as Cleopatra before becoming General Hospital’s Tracy Quartermaine, even brought ice skates to work.
And no, Hall did not keep the costume. “They made three costumes,” she said, and none went home with the stars. That feels impolite, but also weirdly perfect for a show that somehow became beloved while everyone involved was melting under studio lights.
