Mamie Van Doren
American actress (born 1931)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mamie Van Doren (/ˈmeɪmi væn ˈdɔːrən/; born Joan Lucille Olander;[1] February 6, 1931)[1] is an American retired actress. The last living blonde bombshell from the Golden Age of Hollywood,[2][3] she is one of the "Three M's",[4][5] a group formed by Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, who were contemporaries.[6] In 1953, Van Doren, then named Joan Lucille Olander, signed a seven-year contract with Universal, which hoped that she would be their version of Monroe. She starred in teen dramas, exploitation, musical, comedy, and rock and roll films, among other genres, many of which have gone on to become cult classics.[7] She was one of the leading sex symbols in the 1950s.
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February 6, 1931
- Actress
- singer
- nightclub performer
Mamie Van Doren | |
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Van Doren in 1957 | |
| Born | Joan Lucille Olander February 6, 1931 Rowena, South Dakota, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1951–2012 |
| Works | List of performances |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 1 |
| Signature | |
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Van Doren was born and raised in Rowena, South Dakota, but her parents moved to Sioux City, Iowa, and eventually to Los Angeles in 1942 before she married Jack Newman. In 1949, at the age of eighteen, she won Miss Palm Springs and Miss Eight Ball. As Miss Eight Ball, she was discovered by film producer Howard Hughes, who put her in the RKO films His Kind of Woman (1951), Two Tickets to Broadway (1951), and Jet Pilot (1957) in minor roles.[8] In 1950 she was dating the heavyweight boxer Jack Dempsey,[9] over thirty-five years her senior, in New York City and was engaged to him. However, she left him to go back to Los Angeles. On January 20, 1953, Van Doren signed a contract with Universal, who wanted her to be Universal's equivalent of Monroe. While at Universal, Van Doren changed her name to Mamie Van Doren, the "Mamie" from then–First Lady Mamie Eisenhower and the "Van Doren" from Universal's telling Van Doren she was more Dutch than Swedish.[10]
During her time at Universal, Van Doren starred in movies such as The Second Greatest Sex (1955), Running Wild (1955), and The All American (1953). Outside of Universal she starred in Untamed Youth (1957), Teacher's Pet (1958), High School Confidential (1958), Born Reckless (1958), The Beat Generation (1959), and Sex Kittens Go To College (1960). She starred on television shows such as What's My Line?, The Jack Benny Program, and The Bob Cummings Show. After Universal failed to renew her contract[why?] in 1959, Van Doren struggled to find work as a free agent. She starred in many B movies, such as Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968),[8] The Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966) with Mansfield, and 3 Nuts in Search of a Bolt (1964), a film which challenged the Hays Code. The same year, she appeared in the June 1964 Playboy magazine with nude photos of her on the set of the film.
Van Doren has married five times and had intimate affairs with many other Hollywood actors. She went to Vietnam in the 1970s to entertain troops during the Vietnam War. Partially because of the sudden deaths of Mansfield and Monroe, she decided to retire from acting. In 1987 Van Doren released her autobiography, Playing the Field: My Story. On February 1, 1994, she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[11][12] In 1998, she created her website, describing herself as “the first authentic kitten on Cyberspace".[13]
Early life
Van Doren was born Joan Lucille Olander on February 6, 1931, in Rowena, South Dakota, a small community about nine miles (14 km) from Sioux Falls.[14] She was the only child of Warner Carl Olander (1908–1992) and Lucille Harriet Bennett (1912–1995), who had met through a Swedish Lutheran congregation in the Rowena area and married in August 1930.[15] Her mother named her Joan after actress Joan Crawford, whom she admired.[16] Van Doren later described her ancestry as predominantly Swedish, with Irish and German branches on her mother's side; her maternal grandmother was born in Gothenburg, Sweden.[15]
The Olanders lived modestly during the Great Depression. Warner Olander worked at a local rock quarry, where, according to his daughter, he was paid by the load and could earn about seven dollars on a good day.[15] Van Doren recalled Rowena as a small rural community centered on a church, school, railroad station and a cluster of businesses, including a filling station, grocery store, grain elevator and hardware store operated by a relative.[15] Her childhood was closely connected to her extended family and to the surrounding farm community.
In 1939, when Van Doren was eight, her parents moved to Sioux City, Iowa, after her father obtained work as a mechanic. Van Doren remained for a period on the 160-acre (65 ha) farm of her maternal grandparents in Rowena.[17] She recalled her grandmother, whom she called "Dah", as the dominant figure in the household and her grandfather, "Pa", as the relative who regularly took her into town.[17] She also spent time with a maternal uncle on the farm. In her memoir, Van Doren recalled walking roughly a mile and a half to a two-room schoolhouse regardless of weather and described an early experience of flying in an airplane over the ranch.[17] She later characterized her childhood in this period as one shaped by the economic difficulties of the Depression.
Van Doren also described herself as frequently ill during childhood. According to her recollections, she underwent three operations before the age of seven and suffered a severe hemorrhage at about four years old. She also recalled having a growth removed from her face, leaving a small scar that became a source of teasing at school.[18] These accounts come primarily from Van Doren's memoir and later biographical interviews and should therefore be understood as recollections rather than independently documented medical records.
In 1939, Van Doren's parents began establishing a home in Sioux City, and in May 1942 the family moved to Los Angeles, where her father sought better employment opportunities during the wartime economy.[19] The move brought Van Doren, then eleven, into the environment of the American film industry. She later recalled becoming fascinated by performers including Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Spencer Tracy, Fred Astaire, Katharine Hepburn, Jean Harlow, Mae West and Ginger Rogers.[20] In her autobiography, she described the movies as presenting both glamour and the promise of romantic fulfillment, and recalled that they helped inspire her ambition to become a Hollywood actress.[20]
The family's first years in Los Angeles were comparatively unsettled. Van Doren recalled living in a boarding house before the family moved into an apartment on Raymond Avenue and subsequently into a larger residence.[21] During her adolescence she became increasingly interested in the entertainment business. She later recalled an incident in which a man exposed himself to her while she was riding in a car; she wrote that the experience temporarily contributed to a distrust of men. The incident is described in her 1964 memoir My Naughty, Naughty Life! and has not been independently corroborated.[22]
At about thirteen, Van Doren persuaded the management of the Hollywood Pantages Theatre to employ her as an usherette. The job gave her an opportunity to watch films regularly and brought her into closer contact with Hollywood's theatrical environment.[19] She also frequented a nearby drugstore, influenced by the contemporary Hollywood story that Lana Turner had been discovered at Schwab's Pharmacy. By this time, Van Doren had begun bleaching her naturally dark hair platinum blonde, an appearance she associated with the screen stars she admired.[23]
Van Doren's first exposure to television came while she was still a teenager. She obtained a small part on a local television program associated with impresario Nils Granlund, who was known professionally as N. T. G. Granlund reportedly remarked on her resemblance to Jean Harlow.[19] Van Doren later recalled appearing on the program in heavy makeup and being introduced as "Little Joanie, the Flower Girl." She described Granlund's program as resembling an early version of the television talk show and recalled that she and her mother became friendly with him.[23] She also performed as a singer with the orchestra led by Ted Fio Rito, giving her an early connection to the Los Angeles nightclub and entertainment circuit.[19]
Van Doren's parents were concerned about her entering show business while she was still young. She later recalled that they feared the dangers of Hollywood, particularly after the 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short, who became known as the Black Dahlia.[23] Van Doren subsequently maintained that she and her mother had known Short socially. This account was elaborated in her 2026 memoir You Thought I Was Dead, which describes a friendship between the two young women during Van Doren's early years in Los Angeles.[24] Contemporary reporting on the memoir likewise describes Van Doren's account of a close friendship with Short, although the details remain primarily based on Van Doren's recollections.[25]
By the late 1940s, Van Doren was combining entertainment work with appearances in beauty contests. In the summer of 1949, at age eighteen, she entered the Miss Palm Springs competition at the Montecito Hotel in Palm Springs, California, and won the title.[26] She was subsequently selected as the Los Angeles Press Club's beauty queen, receiving the title "Miss Eight Ball".[26] The pageant success brought her increased attention in the Los Angeles entertainment community and helped move her from amateur beauty contests toward professional opportunities in film and television. She left Los Angeles High School around this time, later recalling that she had disliked school and had become more interested in pursuing a career in show business.[27]
Her success at Palm Springs also brought her to the attention of film producer Howard Hughes, marking the beginning of the transition from Joan Olander, an aspiring young performer, to the actress who would later be known professionally as Mamie Van Doren.[26]
Acting career
1949–1953: Beginnings
Film producer Howard Hughes pursued Van Doren after she was crowned Miss Palm Springs, and, according to Van Doren, his first question was, "Are you a virgin?"[28] Van Doren said that he was controlling when they dated. She said in a 2005 interview that Hughes took her to a spot on Vermont Avenue for a braless photoshoot in a white sweater.[29] Van Doren would often meet Howard Hughes at the Garden of Allah Hotel.[29] Hughes signed Van Doren a four-film contract with RKO.
In 1950 Hughes gave Van Doren an uncredited bit part in Jet Pilot (1957) at RKO Radio Pictures, which was filmed from 1949 to 1950 but released in 1957. The title, which starred John Wayne and Janet Leigh, was her film debut. She said that she had a good experience with Leigh, who allowed Van Doren to fly in her jet.[30] Her line of dialogue consisted of one word, "Look!". Van Doren had a small role in Footlight Varieties (1951) as the girl in the theater in the final scene of the film. Van Doren appeared uncredited in Two Tickets to Broadway (1951).[31] The film starred Tony Martin and former co-star Janet Leigh.[28]
Van Doren did a few more bit parts in movies at RKO, including His Kind of Woman (1951), starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, and Vincent Price. The film was shot on the back lot of the David O. Selznick Studio. About her appearance in this movie, Van Doren said, "If you blinked, you would miss me. I looked barely old enough to drive." She was on the film for three months and, because of the money she earned, bought an MG car. Van Doren also met Gloria Swanson who asked her, "Is that your real color of hair?"[28]
Van Doren was coached by Natasha Lytess, who had also coached Marilyn Monroe. The two actresses met several times when Van Doren was being coached by Lytess.[28] However, Van Doren stopped her lessons with Lytess because "Natasha spent most of our lessons talking, however, and there was very little time left, after her long-winded speeches on the art of acting, to actually perform for her".[32]
In her memoir, Van Doren tells of her relationship with Charles Fischetti, an American mobster and the cousin of Al Capone, whom she met in Las Vegas who often sent money to Van Doren from Chicago. He died of a heart attack in 1951.[33]
Danielle Cory, an RKO worker and friend of Van Doren, suggested that Van Doren work on stage for the play Billion Dollar Baby, which began her stage career as a showgirl. The show was held at the Proser Cafe Theatre, near Jack Dempsey's restaurant. Cory additionally suggested that Van Doren should audition for Alberto Vargas to be one of the "Vargas Girls" in Esquire.[28] Vargas ended up picking Van Doren as one of his models.
In New York City Van Doren met boxer Jack Dempsey at the Jack Dempsey's Broadway Restaurant. Dempesy frequented the Billion Dollar Baby show and held a celebration for the cast.[28] Dempsey requested to have dinner with Van Doren, which they later had at the Stork Club, and they had a conversation with Sherman Billingsley, the founder of the venue. Since Dempsey was treated as a celebrity, the couple wentto many other clubs, such as the Copacabana and the 21 Club.[34] Dempsey got engaged to Van Doren, then decided to move back to Hollywood because she thought it would be better for her career.[28] According to Barry Lowe, Van Doren was, "Near penniless, out of work, and frightened for the future" due to Billion Dollar Baby not being successful.[35]
At the request of Sammy Fain, Van Doren met songwriter Jimmy McHugh.[28] McHugh had an interest in Van Doren's career and became her manager. Van Doren has stated that since she was managed by McHugh, who was dating gossip columnist Louella Parsons, that Parsons disliked her.[28] McHugh told Van Doren that he would enroll her in a drama school and additionally arranged for her to be at Ben Bard's Theater. Bard had an acting school and put on plays that were attended by film scouts, casting agents, and directors. Van Doren was in Bard's theater productions, such as Once in a Lifetime and At War with the Army.[35] At Bard's school Van Doren was given advice by Carolyn Jones, and she was taught by Aaron Spelling in private, which broke Bard's school rules.[36] Van Doren also went to many of McHugh's parties, attended by Darryl F. Zanuck, Louis B. Mayer, and Buddy Adler. This allowed Van Doren to have a screen test for Paramount Pictures.[36]
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.Van Doren says in her autobiography, Playing the Field, that she decided to do a scene from The Big Knife for her Paramount screen test.[28] Van Doren later stated that during the audition, "I played the scene with as much intensity as I had ever played a role, feeling the character's pain and anguish so acutely that it became my own.” After the audition, according to Van Doren, McHugh told her, "They're going to offer you a contract.", Paramount decided not to sign Van Doren a few days later. Van Doren stated that Paramount gave the reason of her looking too similar to Marilyn Monroe, and she believes that it was because Parsons pressured Paramount into not signing her.[28]
Van Doren performed in the Bliss-Hayden Theater. McHugh had called the Harry Hayden, manager of the theater, and made time for Van Doren to perform.[28] While performing, Van Doren caught the attention of Phil Benjamin, a Universal casting director, who was in the audience. Benjamin called McHugh, and Van Doren met Benjamin at Universal Studios.[28] Benjamin believed that Van Doren was fit for the role of a singer in the upcoming Universal film Forbidden (1953), starring Tony Curtis. Van Doren met the director of Forbidden, Rudolph Maté, and requested that Van Doren sing "I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby", one of McHugh's songs. Maté approved, and Van Doren filmed the scene shortly after.[28]
On January 20, 1953, Van Doren signed a seven-year contract with Universal. Van Doren, whose signing day coincided with the Inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower, was given the first name "Mamie" after Eisenhower's wife, Mamie Eisenhower. She was given the last name "Van Doren" after Van Doren was told by the studio that she looked more Dutch than Swedish.[37] Universal had intended for Van Doren to be their "answer to Marilyn Monroe." However, unlike other Marilyn Monroe lookalikes, Van Doren did not portray the "dumb blonde" role in films.
In January 1953 Van Doren took college courses from professors at University of California while training to be an actress at Universal. She also took lessons for horseback riding, diction, scene study, and ballet.[28] On February 26, 1953, Van Doren went on a date with Rock Hudson, arranged by Universal, for the 10th Golden Globe Awards.[38] According to Van Doren herself, she had an encounter with Joan Crawford, who "drunkenly tried to flirt with Rock [Hudson]."[39] Midway through the event, Van Doren had a conversation with Monroe while doing her lipstick.[40] In her autobiography, Van Doren describes engaging in sexual activity with Hudson at her parents' house after the event had ended.[41]
1953–1960: Rise to prominence
Van Doren's first major role was in The All American (1953), a college football film directed by Jesse Hibbs. The film centers on a college quarterback whose life takes a turn after his parents die in a car accident.[42] Van Doren later said that Hibbs encouraged her to fondle him and often put her hand at his groin during rehearsals.[43] The film also starred Tony Curtis, Lori Nelson, and Richard Long. In The All American, Van Doren played Susie Ward, an ambitious waitress initially looking to find a wealthy spouse near a university.[42] Susie Ward is a sultry, flirtatious, and manipulative person who tricks an inebriated person into proposing to her.[44] Due to good reviews from Universal-International executives, Van Doren was sent on tour to promote the film.[45]
Van Doren's second major film was the 1954 film Yankee Pasha. The film was based on Edison Marshall's 1947 novel of the same name, which Universal had recently purchased. Yankee Pasha revolves around a man who sails the ocean, played by Jeff Chandler, to find his true love, a woman forced into slavery, portrayed by Rhonda Fleming. The eight-week shooting schedule exhausted Van Doren, resulting in weight loss.[46] Van Doren has said that she was attracted to Joseph Pevney, director of Yankee Pasha.[47] She had a relationship with him, and Van Doren said that she embraced Pevney in his office.[47]
In Playing the Field, Van Doren claimed that she auditioned for 20th Century Fox Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was not the studio that released the film, hoping to get the role of Ado Annie in the film version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!. Despite Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II liking her audition, she was denied the role which was given to Gloria Grahame instead.
Van Doren starred in the 1954 film Francis Joins the WACS, playing the role of Corporal Bunky Hilstrom.[48] Universal also let Van Doren go to the 1954 premiere of The Glenn Miller Story with Conrad "Nicky" Hilton Jr., son of Conrad Hilton. Van Doren later entered into a relationship with him.[49] Van Doren has recounted that Conrad Hilton disapproved of her being in a relationship with Nicky Hilton.[49] Van Doren almost ended her romantic relationship with Hilton due to his behavior on a double-date with her friend.[50]
Van Doren completely ended her relationship with Hilton while shooting Edward Buzzell's Ain't Misbehavin' (1955), with Van Doren starring as "Jackie". In the film, Van Doren was cast as a dumb blonde. Van Doren became annoyed that she kept getting similar roles.[51] On the set, she met Prince Axel of Denmark. Prince Axel was in contact with Van Doren and invited her to several events.[51] However, Van Doren was in a relationship with bandleader Ray Anthony.
Van Doren began working on The Second Greatest Sex, a film directed by George Marshall, in May 1955. The film co-stars Jeanne Crain and George Nader.
Van Doren appeared opposite an uncredited and unknown Clint Eastwood in Star in the Dust. Though Van Doren garnered prominent billing alongside John Agar and Richard Boone, she appears rather briefly as the daughter of a ranch owner.[citation needed] By this time, Van Doren had grown tired of Universal which was casting her in non-breakthrough roles. Van Doren began accepting bigger and better roles in better movies from other studios.
Van Doren went on to star in several bad girl movies that later became cult films. She also appeared in some of the first movies to feature rock 'n' roll music and became identified with this rebellious style, and she made some rock records. One of her rock 'n' roll films, Untamed Youth, was later featured in the 1990 Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode "Untamed Youth".[citation needed]
Some of Van Doren's more noteworthy movies include Teacher's Pet (1958) at Paramount Pictures, Born Reckless (1958) at Warner Brothers, High School Confidential (1958), and The Beat Generation (1959), the latter two at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Van Doren has said Teacher's Pet is her favorite role, as she got to work with Clark Gable.[52] Van Doren was just as well known for her provocative roles. She was in prison for Girls Town (1959), which provoked censors with a shower scene where audiences could see Van Doren's naked back. As Eve in The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (1960), she wore only fig leaves, and in other films like The Beautiful Legs of Sabrina (1959), Sex Kittens Go to College (1960), and Vice Raid (1960), audiences understood the nature of the films from the titles.
1959–present: Later career
After Universal Studios chose not to renew her contract in 1959, Van Doren became a free agent and struggled to find work. Some of her later movies were foreign and independent productions, which did little to keep her image in the public's eye. Many of the productions were low-budget B movies with some having gained a cult following for their high camp value.[53][54]
The first of these later films was Sex Kittens Go to College (1960), which co-starred Tuesday Weld and Mijanou Bardot, sister of sultry French actress Brigitte Bardot. Following the completion of the Argentine film The Blonde from Buenos Aires (1961), Van Doren took time off from her career. She came back in The Candidate (1964), soon followed by Freddy in the Wild West, both of which were low-budget films that made little impact.[citation needed] In 1964, Tommy Noonan convinced Van Doren to appear in 3 Nuts in Search of a Bolt. Van Doren had turned down Noonan's previous offer to star opposite Jayne Mansfield in Promises! Promises! and was replaced with Marie McDonald.[citation needed] In 3 Nuts in Search of a Bolt, Mamie did a beer-bath scene but is not seen nude. She posed for Playboy to promote the film.[citation needed]
Van Doren next appeared in The Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966) released by Woolner Brothers.[54] This film co-starred Mansfield; this was the only time two of "The Three M's" appeared together in a film. A sequel was titled Hillbillys in a Haunted House, but Van Doren turned this role down, and was replaced by Joi Lansing. She then appeared in The Navy vs. the Night Monsters (1966), a science fiction movie.[53] In 1967, she appeared in You've Got to Be Smart, and starred in the science fiction film Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968), the following year, directed by Peter Bogdanovich.
In 1970, Van Doren had a supporting role in the western comedy The Arizona Kid. In 1975, she starred in the film That Girl From Boston, adapted from a Robert Rimmer novel, but the film was never released. Since then, Van Doren has appeared only in cameos in low-budget films. Van Doren's last film appearance was a role in the direct-to-video drama The American Tetralogy (2013).[55] Van Doren's guest appearances on television include Jukebox Jury, What's My Line, The Bob Cummings Show, The Jack Benny Show, Fantasy Island, Burke's Law, Vega$ and L.A. Law. Van Doren also developed a nightclub act and performed in live theater. She performed in stage productions of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Dames at Sea at the Drury Lane Theater in Chicago as well as appeared in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? and The Tender Trap at the Arlington Park Theater. In the 1970s, Van Doren performed a nightclub act in Las Vegas.
Van Doren has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7057 Hollywood Boulevard. In 2005, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to her.[56]
Since 2025, Mamie Exposed! The Life and Loves of the Last Blonde Bombshell, a documentary about Van Doren's life and career, has been in production.[7] In 2026, she released her memoir, You Thought I Was Dead: My Life of Celebrities, Sex, and Champagne.[57]
Other ventures
Van Doren was never a Playboy Playmate, but she posed twice for the magazine in 1964 to promote her movie 3 Nuts in Search of a Bolt (1964). By this point in her career, her figure measured 38DD-26-36 (self-described in 1997). She said "I don't even want to say double-D because they're even bigger than that."[citation needed]
In 1964, Van Doren was a guest at the Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California when The Beatles were at the club visiting with Jayne Mansfield, and an inebriated George Harrison accidentally threw his drink on her when trying to throw it on some bothersome journalists.[58] During the Vietnam War, she gave tours for U.S. troops in Vietnam for three months in 1968, and again in 1970.[59] In addition to USO shows, she visited hospitals, including the wards of amputees and burn victims.[citation needed]
Van Doren released Playing the Field (1987), her autobiography, which brought much attention and proved to be her biggest media splash in over 25 years.[60][61] She has consistently denied in interviews ever having breast implants. In 2006, Mamie posed for photographs for Vanity Fair with Pamela Anderson as part of its annual Hollywood issue. The same year, she expressed opposition to the Iraq War.[62][63] In an interview with Fox News in February 2020, Van Doren announced that she was working on a follow-up to her autobiography. She remarked that "...a lot has happened between 1987 and 2020. So now I'm writing about what it's like getting older and appreciating life a little more as you go along, as well as getting smarter as you get older. There's so much to write about."[64] Van Doren practices Buddhism.[65]
The title of her follow-up book was announced in December 2021 as China & Me: Wind Flapping, Feather Pulling, and Love on the Wing, a memoir about her pet parrot China. Van Doren describes the story as "a look behind the curtain into my everyday life. It's often funny, but, like so many things in life, it has its moments of sadness. Over the decades I've integrated a wild animal into a human household, played matchmaker to find him a mate, and cared for his offspring. I'm blessed to have had China as companion, confessor, and straight man all these years; and he's still with me today."[66] The book was published in September 2022.[67]
In an interview with Closer in January 2021, she reflected on the #MeToo movement, saying 'I've thought a lot about that. There are some things I would question, but I've also always been behind any woman with a problem because I have had plenty of them myself. [In my time] if I wanted to go to bed with someone, I'd go to bed with them, but I never did it for a movie. [A predator] would know that he was in for a fight if he ever came around me. [It would be] nails out, kicking and screaming.'[68]
Van Doren had a website from the late 90s to the early 2010s.[69] Van Doren had a theater section, where she would post various movies. She also showed many nude and semi-nude images taken by Julie Strain. Van Doren started her own blog on which she regularly writes about a very diverse array of topics. As of July 2023 she is still posting to her blog.[70] [2] Van Doren holds mostly liberal views, having supported President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris.[citation needed]
Personal life
Marriages and relationships
Van Doren's personal life received considerable attention from the press during the 1950s and 1960s, when her marriages and relationships with entertainers and professional athletes frequently became part of her public image. In her 1987 autobiography, Playing the Field: My Story, she discussed many of these relationships, sometimes providing details that were not reported at the time. Later profiles have similarly emphasized the contrast between the highly publicized nature of her romantic life and her efforts to maintain a degree of independence within Hollywood's publicity system.[71][2]
Jack Newman
Van Doren met sportswear manufacturer Jack Newman around 1949. Newman was a friend of her father, and the two sometimes attended boxing matches together. Van Doren and Newman became engaged and married in Santa Barbara, California, in 1950, after which they honeymooned in San Francisco.[71]
In Playing the Field, Van Doren recalled that she viewed marriage as a way of leaving her parents' home and beginning an independent adult life. She also acknowledged that she understated her age when the marriage took place. According to her recollections, she initially enjoyed Newman's affluent lifestyle, including his residence in Beverly Hills, California, but the relationship deteriorated quickly. She described Newman as possessive and jealous of the attention she received from other men and alleged that his behavior toward her became abusive.[71]
Van Doren later recalled an incident in which Newman threatened to throw her from a second-story balcony, an episode she said was interrupted when neighbors intervened. She also described an occasion when he destroyed one of her favorite hats.[71] These allegations are based principally on Van Doren's later recollections; contemporary independent documentation of the incidents is limited. The marriage ended after less than a year.[72]
Before the divorce was finalized, Van Doren became involved with former heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey. Dempsey, who was more than three decades older than Van Doren, had met her through the boxing and nightclub circuit. The relationship attracted press attention, and the couple became engaged in 1951.[18][73] Van Doren later recalled that she and Dempsey were able to frequent prominent New York establishments such as the Stork Club, the Copacabana and the 21 Club.[71] She ultimately returned to Los Angeles and ended the engagement as she pursued opportunities in the film industry. Dempsey's engagement to Van Doren is also documented in biographical accounts of the boxer.
Ray Anthony
In 1955, Van Doren began a relationship with bandleader, trumpeter and actor Ray Anthony. Anthony was then working on the film Daddy Long Legs (1955), and after completing his work on the production he and Van Doren took a vacation together in Hawaii. Van Doren later recalled that photographers followed the couple during the trip, contributing to the publicity surrounding their relationship.[74]
The couple married on August 29, 1955, in Toledo, Ohio.[75] Their only child, Perry Ray Anthony, was born on March 18, 1956. Contemporary music-industry reporting confirmed the birth and identified Ray Anthony as the child's father.[76] Van Doren later said that the pregnancy occurred before the marriage and that the circumstances surrounding her pregnancy affected her relationship with Universal Studios, which was concerned about the public image of its contract actresses.[77]
The marriage subsequently deteriorated. Van Doren filed for divorce in 1958, citing cruelty, while later accounts also described Anthony's frequent absences and the pressures created by their respective careers.[78] The divorce was finalized on March 22, 1961, with Van Doren receiving custody of Perry.[79] Van Doren subsequently described her son as an important influence on her decisions about work and family life. In a 1987 interview, she said that Perry had remained close to her and her fifth husband, Thomas Dixon.[80]
During the early 1960s, Van Doren was also romantically linked with several public figures. Among the more extensively documented relationships was her engagement to Bo Belinsky, a pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels. Belinsky and Van Doren became engaged in April 1963, and their relationship was widely covered by the press.[81][82] The engagement ended later that year. Belinsky subsequently said that the two remained friends.[82]
Van Doren's autobiography also discusses relationships and encounters with a number of other entertainment figures. These accounts include references to actors, musicians and other prominent figures of the period. Because many of these stories were published years after the alleged events and are based largely on Van Doren's own recollections, they are generally treated as autobiographical claims rather than independently established facts.[71][2]
Lee Meyers
On July 1, 1966, Time reported that Van Doren had married Lee Meyers, a 19-year-old minor-league baseball pitcher associated with the California Angels. The marriage took place in Boise, Idaho, and Van Doren was 33 at the time.[83] Contemporary newspaper accounts indicate that the marriage had actually taken place earlier in May 1966, although published reports differed on the exact date.[84]
In Playing the Field, Van Doren gave a considerably more personal account of the marriage. She wrote that she had become pregnant after a relationship with football player Joe Namath and that she married Meyers after telling him that he was the father. She later said that the pregnancy ended in an abortion.[85] These details derive from Van Doren's autobiography and have not been independently established. In keeping with the personal nature of the account, the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy and abortion have generally been reported as Van Doren's own recollection.
The marriage was short-lived. Van Doren later attributed its breakdown to differences in temperament and Meyers' drug use.[85] The couple separated and subsequently divorced. Baseball histories record that Meyers continued playing in the minor leagues after the marriage; he died in a car accident in California in 1972.[86]
Ross McClintock
Van Doren's fourth marriage was to businessman Ross McClintock. The couple married in 1972, during the period when Van Doren was involved in political and entertainment activities. The marriage was extremely brief and was annulled by an Orange County Superior Court judge after 37 days.[87]
McClintock was a businessman and former executive associated with the Fluor Corporation. His 1985 obituary in the Los Angeles Times described his marriage to Van Doren as lasting 37 days and specifically stated that it was annulled rather than simply dissolved by divorce.[87] Van Doren later characterized the relationship as unsuccessful and moved on relatively quickly.
Thomas Dixon
Van Doren met actor and future husband Thomas Dixon while performing in a stage production of Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?. Dixon was working as an actor in the production, and the two became friends before beginning a relationship.[2] Van Doren later recalled that the two spent time together while the production was touring and that Dixon eventually accompanied her to California.
The couple lived together for several years before marrying on June 26, 1979. Dixon, who was also involved in writing and editing and had worked as an actor and dental professional, was considerably younger than Van Doren.[2][88] The marriage became Van Doren's longest-lasting relationship. In later interviews, she described Dixon as her most enduring partner and spoke of their shared interest in animals, particularly birds.[89]
Van Doren's relationship with Dixon also coincided with a shift in her public life. During the 1970s she increasingly concentrated on stage and nightclub appearances and on selective film and television work rather than maintaining the level of studio activity associated with her 1950s career. By the 1980s she was describing herself as selective about professional projects while continuing to perform and record music.[89]
Tony Conigliario
Van Doren dated Boston Red Sox player Tony Conigliaro in 1969. Conigliario led Major League Baseball with 32 home runs in 1965. He was top ten in the American League in home runs in 1965, 1966, and 1970. Conigliario suffered a stroke in 1982 and died eight years later.[90]
Family
Van Doren has one child, Perry Ray Anthony, from her marriage to Ray Anthony. Perry remained close to his mother as an adult and lived near her and Thomas Dixon for a period. In a 1987 interview, Van Doren described him as a major source of motivation and said that becoming a mother had influenced her determination to continue working and to provide for him.[80]
Van Doren's autobiographical writing presents motherhood as an important counterpoint to the highly publicized romantic life associated with her screen career. She wrote openly about the difficulties of balancing parenting with acting, touring and relationships, while later interviews emphasized her continuing relationship with Perry and her family life with Dixon.[71][2]
Filmography
- Footlight Varieties (1951)
- His Kind of Woman (1951)
- Two Tickets to Broadway (1951)
- Forbidden (1953)
- The All American (1953)
- Hawaiian Nights (1954)
- Yankee Pasha (1954)
- Francis Joins the WACS (1954)
- Ain't Misbehavin' (1955)
- The Second Greatest Sex (1955)
- Running Wild (1955)
- Star in the Dust (1956)
- Untamed Youth (1957)
- The Girl in Black Stockings (1957)
- Jet Pilot (1957)
- Teacher's Pet (1958)
- High School Confidential (1958)
- Born Reckless (1958)
- Guns, Girls, and Gangsters (1959)
- The Beat Generation (1959)
- The Beautiful Legs of Sabrina (1959)
- The Big Operator (1959)
- Girls Town (1959)
- Vice Raid (1960)
- College Confidential (1960)
- Sex Kittens Go to College (1960)
- The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (1960)
- The Blonde from Buenos Aires (1961)
- The Candidate (1964)
- Freddy in the Wild West (1964)
- 3 Nuts in Search of a Bolt (1964)
- The Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966)
- The Navy vs. the Night Monsters (1966)
- You've Got to Be Smart (1967)
- Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968)
- The Arizona Kid (1970)
- That Girl from Boston (1975)
- Free Ride (1986)
- The Vegas Connection (1999)
- Slackers (2002)
- The American Tetralogy (2012)
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Untamed Youth | EP | Prep Records |
| 1976 | Mamie – As in Mamie Van Doren | LP | Churchill Records |
| 1986 | The Girl Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll | LP | Rhino Records |
| 1997 | The Girl Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll | CD | Marginal Records |
| 2011 | Still a Troublemaker | CD/iTunes | Ferguson Records |
| 2017 | Ooh Ba La Baby: Her Exciting Rock N' Roll Recordings (1956–1959) | CD | Hoodoo Records |
Singles
| Year | Single | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Salamander/Go, Go, Calypso! | 45 rpm | Prep Records |
| Something to Dream About/I Fell in Love | 45 rpm | Capitol Records | |
| 1958 | Nobody but You/A Lifetime of Love | 45 rpm | Dot Records |
| Don't Fool Around, Sabrina (Be Mine, Be Mine, Be Mine)/Fashion for Ladies | 45 rpm | RCA Records (Italy) | |
| 1959 | The Beat Generation/I'm Grateful | 45 rpm | Dot Records |
| 1964 | Bikini with No Top on the Top (with June Wilkinson)/So What Else Is New | 45 rpm | Jubilee Records |
| 1967 | Cabaret/The Boy Catcher's Theme | 45 rpm | Audio Fidelity |
| 1984 | State of Turmoil | 12" Single | Corner Stone Records |
| 1986 | Young Dudes/Queen of Pleasure | 12" Single | Rhino Records |
| 2024 | "I Told Ya I Love Ya, Now Get Out/Ich Liebe Dich" (with Pink Martini) | 45 rpm | Heinz Records |
| 2024 | "Ich Liebe Dich" (with Pink Martini) | 45 rpm | Heinz Records |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Organization | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Miss Palm Springs | N/a | Won | [11] |
| Los Angeles Press Club | Miss Eight Ball | Won | [91] | |
| 1957 | Palm Springs Rodeo Queen | N/a | Won | [92] |
| 1994 | Hollywood Walk of Fame | Star - Motion Pictures | Honored | [93] |
| 2005 | Palm Springs Walk of the Stars | Golden Palm Star | Honored | [56] |
| 2020 | Roger Neal Oscar Viewing Gala | Icon Award | Honored | [94] |
| 2025 | Cinecon Classic Film Festival | Cinecon Legacy Award | Honored | [95] |
Bibiliography
- Van Doren, Mamie (1987). Playing the Field: My Story. Putnam. ISBN 978-0399132407.
- Van Doren, Mamie (2022). China & Me: Wing Flapping, Feather Pulling, and Love on the Wing. Independently Published. ISBN 979-8351166513.
- Van Doren, Mamie (2026). You Thought I Was Dead. Permuted Press. ISBN 979-8895653234.
