In the 1950s there were three celebrated blonde sex symbols: Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren, they were collectively known as “The Three M’s”.
Mamie Van Doren celebrated her 91st birthday over the weekend and she is something that should be celebrated.
A true sex symbol from the 1950s, part of the studio system who worked with the likes of Jane Russell, Robert Mitchum, Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, Gloria DeHaven, Ann Miller, Rhonda Fleming, Clarke Gable, Doris Day and Jackie Coogan to name a few.
Early on in her career she was known primarily for B films, but a number of those films have reached cult status, including the film Untamed Youth. Quentin Tarantino being a huge film fan and acknowledging her successes named a character after her in Pulp Fiction, a subtle nod to the early cult actress and sex symbol.
Doren had a career in the Golden Age of cinema and is noted for having a number of romantic encounters with who’s who of leading men of the time, she has detailed all of this in her 1980s best seller book Playing the Field.
Mamie Van Doren’s fame has lasted and she has changed career direction a number of times. But overall she is a smart strong woman who has an enduring image that has morphed and changed over the years and even now she has a strong social media presence and is outspoken for causes close to her heart.
As a celebrated blonde bombshell, Doren married a number of times but her last marriage is the one that has lasted the years, Thomas Dixon, she married in 1979 and they are still married today and he helps manage her website, posting regular photos, some still proving why the title of sex symbol still applies after all these years. Coincidentally Doren is also known as the “First Authentic Sex Kitten In Cyberspace”.
After the collapse of the studio system Doren continued to act in both film and TV and made a number of stage appearances.
Mamie in the mid-1960s teamed up with blonde rival, Jayne Mansfield twice, in the films Promises! Promises and The Las Vegas Hillbillys, let it be known that both stars tolerated each other on set.
Pivoting her career towards the end of the 1960s, Doren travelled with the USO to entertain the troops in Vietnam. Before returning to TV and film making a number of cameo appearances.
In the 1980s Mamie reached a new level of fame choosing to pursue philanthropic causes close to her heart including supporting the gay community and appearing at a Los Angeles Gay Pride event in 1987, long before it was attended by celebrities.
In recent years Mamie Van Doren has continued to showcase the famed sex symbol status continually celebrating her body and life but also proving to the world that at any age you can continue to have a strong sex appeal and it should be celebrated.
Mamie Van Doren is still active and whether it be tweeting up a storm, putting the finishing touches on an upcoming book, or she can be found posting regular articles on her blog, Inside/Out The Dangerous Blog of Mamie Van Doren. The very frequent posts are a great read and an intriguing insight into a woman that is living an incredible life.
It would be fascinating to sit down with her, have a margarita or two and listen to the amazing life she has lived. Hear her reminisces about the numerous leading men, her marriages and the never-ending drive that has kept her going and helped continue this amazing career as one of the original sex goddesses of cinema.
Mamie Van Doren’s blog, Inside/Out The Dangerous Blog of Mamie Van Doren
https://mamievandoreninsideout.wordpress.com/