Mamie Van Doren facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mamie Van Doren
Van Doren in 1957
Born	Joan Lucille Olander (1931-02-06) February 6, 1931 (age 94) Rowena, South Dakota, U.S.
Occupation	Actress model singer nightclub performer
Years active	1951–present
Works	List of performances
Spouse(s)	Jack Newman ​ ​ (m. 1950; div. 1950)​ Ray Anthony ​ ​ (m. 1955; div. 1961)​ Lee Meyers ​ ​ (m. 1966; div. 1967)​ Ross McClintock ​ ​ (m. 1972; annulled 1973)​ Thomas Dixon ​ (m. 1979)​
Children	1
Signature

Mamie Van Doren (born Joan Lucille Olander; February 6, 1931) is an American actress, singer, and model. She became famous in the 1950s and 1960s. She was known as one of the "Three M's" along with Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. These three actresses were friends and worked around the same time.

In 1953, Mamie Van Doren, whose birth name was Joan Lucille Olander, signed a seven-year contract with Universal Studios. The studio hoped she would be their own version of Marilyn Monroe. While at Universal, she starred in many types of movies, including teen dramas, musicals, and comedies. She has been married five times.

Van Doren was born in Rowena, South Dakota. Her family later moved to Sioux City, Iowa. In 1942, they moved to Los Angeles, California. In 1949, when she was 18, she won the titles Miss Palm Springs and Miss Eight Ball. Film producer Howard Hughes noticed her when she was Miss Eight Ball. He helped her get small roles in RKO films like His Kind of Woman (1951) and Two Tickets to Broadway (1951). She also appeared in Jet Pilot (1957).

On January 20, 1953, Van Doren signed her contract with Universal. The studio changed her name to Mamie Van Doren. The "Van Doren" part came from the studio saying she looked more Dutch than Swedish. The "Mamie" part came from the then-First Lady Mamie Eisenhower.

During her time at Universal, Van Doren starred in movies such as Running Wild (1955) and The All American (1953). She also acted in films outside Universal, including Untamed Youth (1957), Teacher's Pet (1958), and High School Confidential (1958). She appeared on TV shows like What's My Line? and The Jack Benny Program.

After Universal did not renew her contract in 1959, Van Doren found it harder to get acting jobs. She starred in many B movies, which are lower-budget films. Some of these include Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968) and The Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966), where she acted with Jayne Mansfield.

In the 1970s, Van Doren went to Vietnam to entertain U.S. troops during the Vietnam War. She decided to retire from acting partly because of the sad deaths of Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. In 1987, Van Doren released her autobiography, Playing the Field: My Story. On February 1, 1994, she received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She also had a website where she shared stories about her life. In 2022, Van Doren released her most recent book, China & Me. She is now writing a third autobiography called Secrets of the Goddess.

Early Life and First Steps

Mamie Van Doren was born on February 6, 1931. Her parents were Warner Carl Olander and Lucille Harriet Bennett. Her family moved from South Dakota to Sioux City, Iowa in 1939. Then, in May 1942, they moved to Los Angeles.

In 1946, Van Doren started working as an usher at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The next year, she had a small part in an early TV show. She also sang with Ted Fio Rito's band. She entered several beauty contests. In the summer of 1949, at age 18, she won the titles Miss Eight Ball and Miss Palm Springs.

Film producer Howard Hughes discovered Van Doren when she won Miss Palm Springs. He helped her start her acting career by giving her roles in several RKO films.

Career Beginnings

Early Films and Training

Howard Hughes, a film producer, noticed Mamie Van Doren after she won Miss Palm Springs. Hughes helped her get a four-film contract with RKO.

In 1950, Hughes gave Van Doren a small role in Jet Pilot (1957). This film was shot from 1949 to 1950 but released later. It starred John Wayne and Janet Leigh. This was Van Doren's first movie role. She also had small parts in Footlight Varieties (1951) and Two Tickets to Broadway (1951). She appeared in His Kind of Woman (1951) with Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell. She said that if you blinked, you might miss her in that movie.

Van Doren was coached by Natasha Lytess, who also coached Marilyn Monroe. Van Doren and Monroe met a few times while they were both being coached by Lytess.

A friend suggested that Van Doren work on stage for a play called Billion Dollar Baby. This started her career as a showgirl. She also became one of the "Vargas Girls" for Esquire magazine.

In New York City, she met boxer Jack Dempsey. They went to many clubs together. Dempsey even got engaged to Van Doren. However, Van Doren decided to move back to Hollywood. She felt it would be better for her acting career.

Van Doren later met songwriter Jimmy McHugh, who became her manager. McHugh helped her get into a drama school and arranged for her to perform at Ben Bard's Theater. Film scouts and casting agents often watched plays at Bard's theater. Van Doren acted in plays like Once in a Lifetime. She also got advice from actress Carolyn Jones.

McHugh's connections helped Van Doren get a screen test for Paramount Pictures. She performed a scene from The Big Knife. Paramount decided not to sign her a few days later. They told her it was because she looked too much like Marilyn Monroe.

Newspaper article comparing Van Doren with Marilyn Monroe, July 26, 1953

Universal Studios and Stardom

1953 publicity photo for Universal

Mamie Van Doren performed at the Bliss-Hayden Theater. A casting director from Universal, Phil Benjamin, saw her perform. Benjamin thought Van Doren would be a good singer for an upcoming Universal film called Forbidden (1953). Van Doren sang one of McHugh's songs for the director, and she filmed the scene as a singer.

On January 20, 1953, Van Doren signed a seven-year contract with Universal. Her signing day was the same day as the inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower. She was given the first name "Mamie" after Eisenhower's wife, Mamie Eisenhower. The studio gave her the last name "Van Doren" because they thought she looked more Dutch than Swedish. Universal wanted Van Doren to be their answer to Marilyn Monroe. However, Van Doren did not usually play the "dumb blonde" roles that Monroe often did.

In January 1953, Van Doren took college courses from professors at University of California. She also trained to be an actress at Universal. She took lessons in horseback riding, speaking clearly, and ballet.

Van Doren's first big role was in The All American (1953). This was a college football movie. Van Doren received good reviews from Universal executives. She went on a tour to help promote the film.

Her second major film was Yankee Pasha (1954). This movie was based on a 1947 novel. Van Doren played a woman forced into slavery. The eight-week filming schedule was very tiring for her.

Van Doren also tried out for a role in Oklahoma! at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The creators of the musical, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, liked her audition. But she did not get the role.

Van Doren starred in the 1954 film Francis Joins the WACS. Universal also allowed her to go to the premiere of The Glenn Miller Story (1954) with Conrad "Nicky" Hilton Jr.. Van Doren later had a relationship with him.

Van Doren in a swimsuit photoshoot in 1955

Van Doren ended her relationship with Hilton while filming Ain't Misbehavin' (1955). In this movie, Van Doren played a "dumb blonde." She was getting tired of always getting similar roles. On the set, she met Prince Axel of Denmark. Prince Axel stayed in touch with Van Doren and invited her to events. At this time, Van Doren was in a relationship with bandleader Ray Anthony.

Van Doren and Anthony went on a vacation to Hawaii. Photographers often followed them. The trip ended because Anthony had to attend a movie premiere.

Van Doren began working on The Second Greatest ... (1955) in May 1955. She also appeared with an unknown Clint Eastwood in Star in the Dust. By this time, Van Doren was tired of Universal giving her small roles. She started taking bigger roles in better movies from other studios.

Van Doren in 1958

Van Doren starred in several "bad girl" movies that later became popular with fans. She also appeared in some of the first movies to feature rock 'n' roll music. She became known for this rebellious style and even made some rock records. One of her rock 'n' roll films, Untamed Youth, was later shown on the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Some of Van Doren's most notable movies include Teacher's Pet (1958) at Paramount Pictures, Born Reckless (1958) at Warner Brothers, and High School Confidential (1958).

After Universal Studios did not renew her contract in 1959, Van Doren became a "free agent." This meant she struggled to find work. Many of her later movies were independent or foreign films. These were often low-budget B movies. Some of them gained a special following because of their fun, over-the-top style.

Later Career and Life

One of Van Doren's later films was ... Kittens Go to College (1960). After filming The Blonde from Buenos Aires (1961), Van Doren took a break from her career. She returned in The Candidate (1964). In 1964, Tommy Noonan convinced Van Doren to appear in 3 Nuts in Search of a Bolt.

Van Doren next appeared in The Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966). This film also starred Jayne Mansfield. It was the only time two of "The Three M's" appeared together in a movie. She then acted in the science fiction movie The Navy vs. the Night Monsters (1966). In 1968, she starred in another science fiction film, Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women, directed by Peter Bogdanovich.

Van Doren also performed in nightclubs and live theater. She was in stage productions like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. In the 1970s, she performed a nightclub act in Las Vegas.

During the Vietnam War, she toured for U.S. troops in Vietnam in 1968 and again in 1970. Besides performing in USO shows, she visited hospitals. She met soldiers who had been injured.

In 1970, Van Doren had a supporting role in the western comedy The Arizona Kid. Since then, she has mostly appeared in small roles in low-budget films. Her last film appearance was in The American Tetralogy (2013). Van Doren also made guest appearances on TV shows like What's My Line and The Jack Benny Show.

In 1987, Van Doren released her autobiography, Playing the Field. This book brought her a lot of attention. In 2006, Mamie posed for photographs for Vanity Fair magazine with Pamela Anderson. In 2020, Van Doren announced she was working on another book. She said she wanted to write about getting older and appreciating life more.

Mamie Van Doren Today

The title of her new book was announced in 2021 as "China & Me: Wind Flapping, Feather Pulling, and Love on the Wing." It is a memoir about her pet parrot, China. Van Doren describes the book as a look into her everyday life. She says it is often funny but also has sad moments. The book was published in September 2022.

Van Doren had a website from the late 1990s to the early 2010s. In recent years, she has used Twitter. She also started her own blog where she writes about many different topics. As of July 2023, she is still posting to her blog.

She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7057 Hollywood Boulevard. In 2005, she also received a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. Van Doren often shares her liberal views and has supported political figures like President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Selected Filmography

Discography

Albums

Singles (selected)

See also

• Marilyn Monroe
• Jayne Mansfield
• Sheree North
• Tuesday Weld

Images for kids

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  Van Doren in 1957

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  Mamie Van Doren's signature