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On February 6, 2025, Mamie Van Doren turned 94-years-old --- even though she would probably tell you she's just 92 because she claims 1933 instead of 1931 as her birth year.
One wonders, why hasn't there been some HBO or some other TV documentary done on Mamie? A&E has never even profiled her for a biography, or at least not to my knowledge.
Why is that? Is it because of low profile in the realm of Hollywood? Has Mamie no personal connections to have a documentary of her life done?
Honestly, while I haven't much fandom for Mamie anymore, I'd still like to see a good, well-produced documentary on one of Hollywood's classic blonde bombshells.
But would such a documentary contain too many false hoods on Mamie's behalf? We've discussed here before that she's wiggled her way into several areas of Marilyn and Jayne's life that can be debunked by quick Google searches.
One wonders, why hasn't there been some HBO or some other TV documentary done on Mamie? A&E has never even profiled her for a biography, or at least not to my knowledge.
Why is that? Is it because of low profile in the realm of Hollywood? Has Mamie no personal connections to have a documentary of her life done?
Honestly, while I haven't much fandom for Mamie anymore, I'd still like to see a good, well-produced documentary on one of Hollywood's classic blonde bombshells.
But would such a documentary contain too many false hoods on Mamie's behalf? We've discussed here before that she's wiggled her way into several areas of Marilyn and Jayne's life that can be debunked by quick Google searches.
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Mamie keeping Doris Day in the headlines.
ca.news.yahoo.com
Mamie Van Doren Reveals ‘Teacher’s Pet’ Costar Doris Day ‘Didn’t Like’ Her: ‘Female Jealousy’
Mamie Van Doren, 95, discusses her career and forthcoming memoir in a new interview, offering reflections on defining roles and Hollywood’s shifts. In comments to Closer about her new memoir, You Thou...
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So, apparently, Mamie is now saying she knew Marilyn "before she was Marilyn Monroe". She says, "To me, she'll always be Norma Jeane."
Mamie Van Doren: Hollywood Stories, Marilyn Monroe, Howard Hughes https://share.google/ojN6hsYHprgOtwGaR
Mamie Van Doren: Hollywood Stories, Marilyn Monroe, Howard Hughes https://share.google/ojN6hsYHprgOtwGaR
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Mamie published her autobiography, "Playing the Field", nearly forty years ago. Curious that she left out so many salacious or eventful details in her last "tell all" that would justify another memoir.
Her first book is available for free on the Internet Archive. I have no interest in re-reading it, but I couldn't remember if the book had a snapshot of Mamie with Marilyn or Jayne. Jayne, of course; no photos of Marilyn and Mamie because I doubt they were ever in the same room.
Her first book is available for free on the Internet Archive. I have no interest in re-reading it, but I couldn't remember if the book had a snapshot of Mamie with Marilyn or Jayne. Jayne, of course; no photos of Marilyn and Mamie because I doubt they were ever in the same room.
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Mamie (like Terry Moore) drastically overstates her importance and popularity during the 1950s. She has placed herself into so many situations involving Marilyn and Jayne, all accusations that can be debunked with a quick online search.
There is actual photographic evidence of Mamie with Jayne (just as you've posted above), and the two even worked together. If memory serves, they may have done some publicity-type stuff together, or maybe even one of those old-timey variety shows. They worked together in 1966 (less than a year before Jayne died) on LAS VEGAS HILLBILLYS, a micro-budget musical comedy that gave more screen time to country singers than Mamie and Jayne. As the story goes, though, Jayne didn't want to be shown on-camera with "the drive-in's answer to Marilyn Monroe", and refused to appear on-screen with Mamie. The two do share one scene, but you clearly see the links the camera crew went not to show them on screen at the same time. One biographer even says that the scenes were shot entirely separate of one another and then edited together in post-production.
In saying that, I'm sure Mamie had at least a working relationship with Jayne, but Jayne apparently didn't hold a high opinion of Mamie. That doesn't stop Mamie for saying she gave Jayne career advice or that she unknowingly contributed to Jayne's death in June 1967 by asking her to swap singing engagements with her at a little supper club in Mississippi.
As we've said elsewhere, I'm of the belief that Mamie never even met Marilyn. Mamie's stories about Marilyn have changed drastically over the years. She says they shared the same drama coach in the early 1950s, met in a bathroom once, and even claims that Marilyn asked her to accept her award she received for THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL. Stroll on over to Google Images, and you can see that claim is completely false. So, yeah, I seriously doubt the two ever even met.
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Kind of like how most of Hollywood claims that they were supposed to be at 10050 Cielo Drive when Manson's followers descended on the house, "but I didn't feel well and/or fell asleep and didn't go" to the non-existent party.
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It's odd to me that the interviewers never ask Mamie any obvious, probing questions about her claims. At least Jeanne Carmen would occasionally get asked by there are no photos of herself with Marilyn to bolster her claims of great friendship. Of course, Mamie has been a bit more slippery about her claims, keeping to at least semi-plausible encounters with Marilyn rather than scurrilous tales like Jeanne concocted.
Also interviewers often seem to have no sense of who Mamie actually was; they seem to think that as an actress in 50s films she was on par with Marilyn rather than a few steps ahead of being a bit-player.
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The twenty-first century seems to be largely unaware that the twentieth century ever happened. So if you tell an interviewer today that "I'm so very grateful for my spectacular career and for all the millions of fans that still write to me," when you never even made a movie, the media just accepts it as fact.
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I've never actually thought about it this way, but you're right. Mamie is never directly questioned about her "friendship" with Marilyn. I might be wrong, but I'm wanting to say I recall an interview from when Mamie was younger (say, in the 1980s) when she says she "barely knew" Marilyn. I'm not entirely sure, so I might be wrong on the details.
I do know that Mamie has always placed herself inside Jayne's story, whether it be by declining the lead in ROCK HUNTER on Broadway, or by saying the two shared career advice with one another.
Mamie has used Marilyn and Jayne to crawl out of obscurity.
This, I think, comes from Mamie's own overstating of her importance in the era, and we've said, the interviewers' lack of knowledge of anything before 2000.
I must admit there was a time where I felt Mamie was a stronger contender to dethroning Marilyn from her status as Hollywood's resident blonde bombshell, but I've since reassessed my view. Jayne, as I see it, was Marilyn's only real "threat", and even that window of time was quite brief.
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It's true but, in fairness, there's just so much now now. Inundated with endless currentness, there is less reason for people to look to the past. I mean if I grew up in an era of bottomless current content, I doubt I would have chosen reruns of HOGAN'S HEROES.
You were bamboozled by Mamie herself.
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Yes, I was.