Mamie van Doren

[webmaster]

Fifty years later, Van Doren mixes with film-industry types at Vanity Fair’s Oscars party last month.

The unstoppable bombshell
More than a half century after she arrived in Hollywood, O.C.'s Mamie Van Doren is still in the spotlight.

In 1958's "Teacher's Pet," she starred alongside Clark Gable and Doris Day, but instead of launching into the mainstream like Marilyn Monroe, or even Jayne Mansfield, she soon landed back in B-movies, movies with titles such as "Girls Town," "Vice Raid" and "Sex Kittens Go to College."

"I had a couple of people who didn't like me, and that really hurt," she says, arguing that her career suffered because of foes such as gossip columnist Louella Parsons (Mamie says she was jealous of her) and the archbishop of New York, Cardinal Francis Spellman (his crusade against racy films included Mamie's "Girls Town").


http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/li ... 108643.php

[Jas1]

On my google D Day alert today there was an article about a waitress in New York who had played a scene in Pillow Talk - the coat check girl where Rock tries to persuade Tony to take Moose Moran off his hands. She says she had to dye her usually blond hair red for the part as 'Doris Day did not like blondes'.

[Ken]

Barbara Nicholes another blond was in Pajama Game with Doris and was not asked to dye her hair!!

[webmaster]

Good point Ken. And what about Elizabeth Fraser in Tunnel of Love, Mamie van Doren in Teacher's Pet, Dorothy Malone in Young at Heart - and there must be more - Virginia Mayo I just thought of.

Also how many blondes have you seen in 'blonde superstar' movies - ie, Marilyn, Grace Kelly, et al?

[Ralph]

Martha Hyer was forced to dye her blond hair red for "Lucky Me." I have read that it was at Doris Day's request.

[Jas1]

I really don't think it would have been Doris Day's thing (then or now) to behave in this way. On the other hand, Mr Melcher was doing alot of things [in her name] that Miss Day was not aware of, so who knows?

[webmaster]

SHE IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE A WOMAN WHO CAPITALIZED ON SMUT TO GET HER 15 MINUTES OF FAME....
SHE IS NO DORIS DAY NOW, THEN, OR IN THE FUTURE...

Aren't we being a touch judgemental here?

[Jas1]

Yes, I have no problem with Mamie Van Doren - actually think I could quite like her - she certainly has fun and seems to live life to the full, oh, and she obviously adores dogs, now that must be a bonus - even for Doris!

Mamie - very much has her own look and I certainly do not criticise it.