This page will contain additional articles about Mamie Van Doren, as they become available.Mamie Van DorenMamie Van Doren (born February 6, 1931) is a American actress and sex symbol. Mamie Van DorenShe was born Joan Lucille Olander in Rowena, South Dakota, the daughter of Warner Carl Olander (March 30, 1908-June 4, 1992) and Lucille Harriet Bennett (January 21, 1912-August 27, 1995). She is of Swedish ancestry. Her mother named her after Joan Crawford. In 1939, the family moved to Sioux City, Iowa. In May 1942, they moved to Los Angeles. In early 1946, Joan went to work as an usherette at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The following year she had a bit part on an early television show. She also sang with Ted Fio Rito's band and entered beauty contests. In the summer of 1949, at age sixteen, she won the titles "Miss Eight Ball" and "Miss Palm Springs." While doing the Miss Palm Springs contest, she was discovered by Howard Hughes. She lunched with him and he gave her a bit part in Jet Pilot at RKO, which was her motion picture debut. Her line of dialogue consisted of one word, "Look!" Though production of the movie was in 1949 and 1950, it was not released until 1957. The following year, 1951, she posed for famous pin-up girl artist Alberto Vargas, the painter of the glamorous "Varga Girls." His painting of Van Doren was on the July cover of Esquire. She was briefly married at seventeen, when she and first husband, Jack Newman, eloped to Santa Barbara. But it turned out that he was abusive, so she quickly got out of the marriage. She did a few more bit parts in movies at RKO, including His Kind of Woman (1951) starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell and Vincent Price. About her appearance in that one, Van Doren has said, "If you blinked you would miss me. I look barely old enough to drive." She then began working on the stage. She was a showgirl in New York in Monte Proser's nightclub version of Billion Dollar Baby. Songwriter Jimmy McHugh discovered her for his musicals, then decided she was too good for the chorus line and should have dramatic training. She studied with Ben Bard and Bliss-Hayden. While appearing in the role of Marie in a showcase production of Come Back, Little Sheba, she was seen by Phil Benjamin, a casting director at Universal International. On January 20, 1953, she signed a contract with Universal. The studio had big plans for her, hoping she would bring the success that 20th Century Fox had with Marilyn Monroe, the reigning sex symbol of the era. It has been said that because the day she was signed was also the day President Eisenhower was inaugurated, the studio decided to give her the name Mamie for Ike's wife, Mamie Eisenhower, and Van Doren because it sounds Dutch. Her first movie for Universal was Forbidden (1953), playing a singer. She then made The All American (1953), playing Susie Ward, a girl from the other side of the tracks who is the man-trap at a campus beer joint. In Yankee Pasha (1954) starring Tony Curtis and Rhonda Fleming, she played a slave girl, Lilith. Van Doren starred as the "bad girl" archetype in several teenage cult movies of the 1950s. She also appeared in some of the first movies to feature Rock & Roll music. She became identified with this rebellious style, and made some Rock records. While she and the other blonde bombshells did not attain the same level of superstar status as Monroe, Van Doren did become one of the leading sex symbols of the day. Marilyn, Mamie and Jayne Mansfield were known as the "Three M's," and Van Doren achieved legendary status as being the sole survivor. But while Monroe did Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Mansfield had a big success with Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, a part that was originally written for Van Doren, who turned it down, Universal stuck Van Doren with Francis the talking mule in Francis Joins the WACS. Van Doren has had five husbands, sportswear manufacturer Jack Newman (married 1950-divorced 1950), bandleader, composer and actor Ray Anthony (married 1955-divorced 1961), baseball player Lee Meyers (married 1966-divorced 1967), businessman Ross McClintock (married 1972-divorced 1973) and actor Thomas Dixon (married 1979-present). She and Anthony had one son, Perry Ray Anthony (born March 18, 1956). Her on-again off-again engagement to baseball player Bo Belinsky broke off for good in 1964. In her tell-all autobiography, she acknowledged numerous affairs, including ones with Clark Gable and Joe Namath. Some of her more noteworthy movies include Teacher's Pet (1958) at Paramount, Born Reckless (1958) at Warner Bros., and High School Confidential! (1958) at MGM. But many of the productions she starred in were low-budget B-movies. They are largely unknown to later generations, though some have gained a following for their high camp value. Besides the casting decisions at Universal, a problem with her career was poor management. In 1959, Universal chose not to exercise the option in her contract. Van Doren was now a free agent and had to struggle to find work. Some of her later movies were foreign and independent productions, such as The Blonde from Buenos Aires (1961), The Candidate (1964), The Navy vs the Night Monsters (1966) and Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968), which was directed by Peter Bogdanovich, who used another name, fearing the movie would ruin his reputation. In 1963, she posed twice for Playboy to promote her movie Three Nuts In Search of a Bolt (1964). In 1964, Van Doren was at the Whisky A Go-Go on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood when The Beatles were at the club, and a drunk George Harrison accidentally threw his drink on her when he was really trying to throw it on some bothersome journalists She also developed a nightclub act and did a lot of theatre work. She performed in stage productions of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Dames at Sea at the Drury Lane Theatre, Chicago, and did shows such as Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter and The Tender Trap at the Arlington Park Theatre. During the Vietnam War she did tours for U.S. troops in Vietnam, for three months in 1968 and again in 1970. In addition to USO shows, she visited hospitals, including the wards of amputees and burn victims that many other celebrities stayed away from. Her appearances on TV have include The Jack Benny Show, Fantasy Island and L.A. Law. She did a nightclub act in Las Vegas in the 1970s. In 1987, she wrote her autobiography, with Art Aveilhe, titled Playing the Field: My Story, published by GP Putnams, New York. Starting at age sixty, she has had plastic surgery to maintain a youthful appearance. She has written about this and discussed it in interviews. You can read about Mamie Van Doren and her past exploits at her very own website, where "the first authentic sex-kitten in cyberspace" gives one of the most intimate looks at a celebrity's personal life on the Internet. Included at her long, detailed site are photos, stories and anecdotes about Hollywood and her career, and an articulate and opinionated political weblog. "The Web is the perfect place for an appreciation of Hollywood Glamour. Take a look at it through my eyes, kids!" Mamie Van Doren has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7057 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. Filmography
Quotes
This page about Mamie Van Doren includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about Mamie Van Doren News stories about Mamie Van Doren External links for Mamie Van Doren Videos for Mamie Van Doren Wikis about Mamie Van Doren Discussion Groups about Mamie Van Doren Blogs about Mamie Van Doren Images of Mamie Van Doren |
|
Mamie Van Doren has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7057 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. The Champrau d'Amour, designed by Louis Mariette, is valued at $2.7 million (US) and is covered in diamonds. "The Web is the perfect place for an appreciation of Hollywood Glamour. Take a look at it through my eyes, kids!". On June 14, 2004, Witt modeled what is believed to be the most expensive hat ever made, for Christie's auction house in London. Included at her long, detailed site are photos, stories and anecdotes about Hollywood and her career, and an articulate and opinionated political weblog. with her cat Jessie and her boyfriend, screenwriter Nathan Foulger. You can read about Mamie Van Doren and her past exploits at her very own website, where "the first authentic sex-kitten in cyberspace" gives one of the most intimate looks at a celebrity's personal life on the Internet. Witt currently resides in L.A. She has written about this and discussed it in interviews. She plays Kriemhild in this filmic interpretation of the epic poem Das Nibelungenlied. Starting at age sixty, she has had plastic surgery to maintain a youthful appearance. In between these two gigs, she went to South Africa to shoot the German TV-Movie Kingdom in Twilight. In 1987, she wrote her autobiography, with Art Aveilhe, titled Playing the Field: My Story, published by GP Putnams, New York. In 2003 and 2004, she turned her back to Hollywood and lived in the UK most of the time, filming The Upside of Anger opposite Kevin Costner and starring as Evelyn in a new stage-production of Neil LaBute's The Shape of Things. She did a nightclub act in Las Vegas in the 1970s. She turned down the role of Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man and made her comeback to mainstream cinema in the 2002 romantic comedy Two Weeks Notice. Her appearances on TV have include The Jack Benny Show, Fantasy Island and L.A. Law. She also played a college graduate who talks about losing her virginity in the experimental Ten Tiny Love Stories and the trailer trash girl Barbie in American Girl, which has not been released yet. In addition to USO shows, she visited hospitals, including the wards of amputees and burn victims that many other celebrities stayed away from. She had a small part in Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky, which was in fact intended as a reference to her roles in Dune and Liebestraum. troops in Vietnam, for three months in 1968 and again in 1970. In the years following, things got more quiet around Witt. During the Vietnam War she did tours for U.S. Demented and her stage-debut in Robbie Fox's musical The Gift at the now closed Tiffany Theater in Los Angeles, in which she played a high priced stripper with a disease. She performed in stage productions of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Dames at Sea at the Drury Lane Theatre, Chicago, and did shows such as Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter and The Tender Trap at the Arlington Park Theatre. 2000 was a busy year for Witt with guest starring roles on the shows Ally McBeal, and The Sopranos, the lead in the comedy Playing Mona Lisa, an instant-classic turn as an anal porn star in John Waters' Cecil B. She also developed a nightclub act and did a lot of theatre work. After Cybill got cancelled, Alicia got another leading role in the Scream-ish campus-horror Urban Legend and the animated feature Gen 13 which was never released, because the studio stopped funding before the completion of the movie. In 1964, Van Doren was at the Whisky A Go-Go on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood when The Beatles were at the club, and a drunk George Harrison accidentally threw his drink on her when he was really trying to throw it on some bothersome journalists. Holland's Opus, Alexander Payne's abortion comedy Citizen Ruth, Passion's Way and Bongwater. In 1963, she posed twice for Playboy to promote her movie Three Nuts In Search of a Bolt (1964). Between seasons, she kept on starring in feature films; Mr. Some of her later movies were foreign and independent productions, such as The Blonde from Buenos Aires (1961), The Candidate (1964), The Navy vs the Night Monsters (1966) and Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968), which was directed by Peter Bogdanovich, who used another name, fearing the movie would ruin his reputation. She was introduced to a larger audience playing the role of Zoey Woodbine, the daughter of actress Cybill Shepherd's character in the sitcom Cybill from 1995 to 1998. Van Doren was now a free agent and had to struggle to find work. This performance made Madonna want Witt to be cast as her witch-lover in the first segment The missing ingredient of Four Rooms. In 1959, Universal chose not to exercise the option in her contract. In 1994, Alicia landed her first lead-role in a feature film playing the disturbed teenager Bonnie in Fun. She received the Special Jury Recognition Award at the Sundance Festival and was nominated for Best Actress at the Independent Spirit Awards. Besides the casting decisions at Universal, a problem with her career was poor management. She then went on to small parts in Mike Figgis' Liebestraum (in which her brother Ian also appears), the Gen-X drama Bodies, Rest & Motion and the TV-Movie The Disappearance of Vonnie. They are largely unknown to later generations, though some have gained a following for their high camp value. At that time, Alicia was already supporting herself playing the piano at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. But many of the productions she starred in were low-budget B-movies. That was the last collaboration between the two for the time being. Some of her more noteworthy movies include Teacher's Pet (1958) at Paramount, Born Reckless (1958) at Warner Bros., and High School Confidential! (1958) at MGM. He would again cast her in the segment Blackout in his short-lived HBO series Hotel Room. In her tell-all autobiography, she acknowledged numerous affairs, including ones with Clark Gable and Joe Namath. Soon, David Lynch, whom she refers to as a mentor, created the role of Gersten Hayward in his hit series Twin Peaks especially for her. Her on-again off-again engagement to baseball player Bo Belinsky broke off for good in 1964. At age 14, Alicia earned her High School Diploma and, shortly thereafter, moved permanently to Hollywood with her mother to pursue a career as a full-time actress. She and Anthony had one son, Perry Ray Anthony (born March 18, 1956). She took piano lessons at Boston University and won several national and international classical piano competitions, including the Bartok-Kabalevsky International Piano Competition. Van Doren has had five husbands, sportswear manufacturer Jack Newman (married 1950-divorced 1950), bandleader, composer and actor Ray Anthony (married 1955-divorced 1961), baseball player Lee Meyers (married 1966-divorced 1967), businessman Ross McClintock (married 1972-divorced 1973) and actor Thomas Dixon (married 1979-present). After this, Witt left Hollywood for six years, concentrating on school and music. But while Monroe did Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Mansfield had a big success with Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, a part that was originally written for Van Doren, who turned it down, Universal stuck Van Doren with Francis the talking mule in Francis Joins the WACS. He then cast her for the movie Dune (1984), where she played Muad'Dib's young sister Alia of the Knife. Marilyn, Mamie and Jayne Mansfield were known as the "Three M's," and Van Doren achieved legendary status as being the sole survivor. Witt was discovered by David Lynch, when she appeared on the first episode of That's Incredible in 1980, reciting Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. While she and the other blonde bombshells did not attain the same level of superstar status as Monroe, Van Doren did become one of the leading sex symbols of the day. Alicia Roanne Witt (born August 21, 1975 in Worcester, Massachusetts) is an American actress. She became identified with this rebellious style, and made some Rock records. Dune (1984) as Alia. She also appeared in some of the first movies to feature Rock & Roll music. Twin Peaks (1990, Episode 8) as Gersten Hayward. Van Doren starred as the "bad girl" archetype in several teenage cult movies of the 1950s. Fun (1994) as Bonnie. In Yankee Pasha (1954) starring Tony Curtis and Rhonda Fleming, she played a slave girl, Lilith. Four Rooms (1995) as Kiva. She then made The All American (1953), playing Susie Ward, a girl from the other side of the tracks who is the man-trap at a campus beer joint. Holland's Opus (1995) as Gertrude Lang. Her first movie for Universal was Forbidden (1953), playing a singer. Mr. It has been said that because the day she was signed was also the day President Eisenhower was inaugurated, the studio decided to give her the name Mamie for Ike's wife, Mamie Eisenhower, and Van Doren because it sounds Dutch. Citizen Ruth (1996) as Cheryl. The studio had big plans for her, hoping she would bring the success that 20th Century Fox had with Marilyn Monroe, the reigning sex symbol of the era. Urban Legend (1998) as Natalie Simon. On January 20, 1953, she signed a contract with Universal. Demented (2000) as Cherish. While appearing in the role of Marie in a showcase production of Come Back, Little Sheba, she was seen by Phil Benjamin, a casting director at Universal International. Cecil B. She studied with Ben Bard and Bliss-Hayden. Playing Mona Lisa (2000) as Claire Goldstein. Songwriter Jimmy McHugh discovered her for his musicals, then decided she was too good for the chorus line and should have dramatic training. Vanilla Sky (2001) as Libby. She was a showgirl in New York in Monte Proser's nightclub version of Billion Dollar Baby. Two Weeks Notice (2002) as June Carter. She then began working on the stage. I look barely old enough to drive.". About her appearance in that one, Van Doren has said, "If you blinked you would miss me. She did a few more bit parts in movies at RKO, including His Kind of Woman (1951) starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell and Vincent Price. But it turned out that he was abusive, so she quickly got out of the marriage. She was briefly married at seventeen, when she and first husband, Jack Newman, eloped to Santa Barbara. The following year, 1951, she posed for famous pin-up girl artist Alberto Vargas, the painter of the glamorous "Varga Girls." His painting of Van Doren was on the July cover of Esquire. Her line of dialogue consisted of one word, "Look!" Though production of the movie was in 1949 and 1950, it was not released until 1957. She lunched with him and he gave her a bit part in Jet Pilot at RKO, which was her motion picture debut. While doing the Miss Palm Springs contest, she was discovered by Howard Hughes. In the summer of 1949, at age sixteen, she won the titles "Miss Eight Ball" and "Miss Palm Springs.". She also sang with Ted Fio Rito's band and entered beauty contests. The following year she had a bit part on an early television show. In early 1946, Joan went to work as an usherette at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. In May 1942, they moved to Los Angeles. In 1939, the family moved to Sioux City, Iowa. Her mother named her after Joan Crawford. She is of Swedish ancestry. She was born Joan Lucille Olander in Rowena, South Dakota, the daughter of Warner Carl Olander (March 30, 1908-June 4, 1992) and Lucille Harriet Bennett (January 21, 1912-August 27, 1995). Mamie Van Doren (born February 6, 1931) is a American actress and sex symbol. For, to be glamorous, to be beautiful, is to be doomed eventually to be disappointed.". Our profession is perhaps the most competitive in the world. As young women we were told that we were infinitely desirable and beautiful, only to discover that there was always someone coming up behind who was more desirable and beautiful. "There is a history of calamitous and violent deaths among the glamorous girls that boggles the mind and chills the blood, especially if you're one of the few survivors.. "I don't wear panties anymore - this startles the Hollywood wolves so much they don't know what to pull at, so they leave me alone.". And endure I have.". My hope was to endure. "I came to Hollywood determined to follow in Jean Harlow's footsteps, but I was determined not to die young. Without my brain, I don't think the rest of me would be too hot.". "My best asset is my brain. Van Graaf. Mrs. Slackers (2002) (Screen Gems, Sony) .. Rita. The Vegas Connection (1999) (Pacific Films) .. Debbie Stockwell. Free Ride (1986) (Galaxy International Pictures) .. That Girl from Boston (1975) (Moonstone Films). aka The Arizona Kid. Girlfriend .. I Fratelli di Arizona (1971) Italian .. Moana. Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968) (Filmgroup Production) .. Miss Hathaway. You've Got to be Smart (1967) (Producers Releasing Organization) .. Boots Malone. Las Vegas Hillbillys (1966) (Woolner Brothers) .. Nora Hall. The Navy vs the Night Monsters (1966) (Real Art) .. Samantha Ashley. The Candidate (1964) (Cosmat Production) .. aka The Wild, Wild West (USA). Olivia .. Freddy und das Lied der Prärie (1964) German .. Saxie Symbol. Three Nuts In Search of a Bolt (1964) (Adrian Weiss Productions) .. The Blonde from Buenos Aires (1961) (Argentinian Films). Sally Blake. College Confidential (1960) (Univeral) .. Evie Simms. The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (1961) (Universal) .. Mathilda West. Dr. Sex Kittens Go to College (1960) (Allied Artists) .. Mary Gibson. The Big Operator (1959) (MGM) .. Carol Hudson. Vice Raid (1959) (United Artists) .. Silver Morgan. Girls Town (1959) (MGM) .. Mary Gibson. The Big Operator (1959) (MGM) .. aka This Rebel Age. Georgia Altera .. The Beat Generation (1959) (MGM) .. Vi Victor. Guns, Girls, and Gangsters (1959) (United Artists) .. Gwen Dulaine. High School Confidential! (1958) (MGM) .. aka The Beautiful Legs of Sabrina. Sabrina .. Le Bellissime gambe di Sabrina (1958) Italian (Cinecittā Studios) .. Jackie Adams. Born Reckless (1958) (Warner Bros.) .. Peggy DeFore. Teacher's Pet (1958) (Paramount) .. Penny Lowe. Untamed Youth (1957) (Warner Bros.) .. Harriet Ames. The Girl in Black Stockings (1957) (United Artists) .. Ellen Ballard. Star in the Dust (1956) (Universal) .. Irma Bean. Running Wild (1955) (Universal) .. Birdie Snyder. The Second Greatest Sex (1955) (Universal) .. Jackie. Ain't Misbehavin' (1955) (Universal) .. Bunky Hilstrom. Cpl. Francis Joins the WACS (1954) (Universal) .. Lilith. Yankee Pasha (1954) (Universal) .. Hawaiian Nights (1954) (Universal). Susie Ward. The All American (1953) (Universal) .. Singer (uncredited). Forbidden (1953) (Universal) .. Blonde in theatre (credited as Joan Olander). Footlight Varieties (1951) (RKO) .. (credited as Joan Olander). Two Tickets to Broadway (1951) (RKO) .. Lodge guest at bar (uncredited). His Kind of Woman (1951) (RKO) .. WAF. Jet Pilot (Production: 1949-1950) (Released: 1957) (RKO) .. |