By Lucie M. Winborne, ReMind Magazine
She’s been called a lot of things — Miss Eight Ball, Miss Palm Springs, the Blonde Bombshell, even one of “The Three M’s” (in conjunction with platinum-tressed stars Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe). But one thing no one would ever call Joan Lucille Olander, a.k.a. Mamie Van Doren, is uncomfortable in her own skin.
Mamie, who took her stage name from first lady Mamie Eisenhower, has proved she is more than comfortable with her ample curves and rebellious style over the course of her seven-decade career.
Mamie started life humbly. Born to Warner and Lucille Olander in Rowena, S.D., on Feb. 6, 1931, the actress/author/nightclub star noted that while her life has been “full of excitement” and that she’s always done essentially whatever she wished, she also “came up the hard way” on a farm with no electricity or running water. Fate took a turn when she was discovered by Howard Hughes upon winning the Miss Palm Springs title at age 18. Hughes not only helped launch her film career with RKO Radio Pictures, but also dated her for five years. While those initial roles were minor and uncredited, Mamie’s first major outing came alongside Tony Curtis in the football flick The All American, followed by a string of others including Ain’t Misbehavin’, Running Wild and the rock ‘n’ roll film Untamed Youth, which was initially condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency (which only made it more popular). Later, when her movie career took a downturn, she appeared in live theater and developed a nightclub act in Las Vegas.
For all her bad-girl film roles and wild-child ways, including photos in Playboy, outrageous quotes and a provocatively titled autobiography, Mamie gave generously of her talents. During the Vietnam War, she participated in USO shows and made hospital visits to amputee and burn wards. Her last film appearance was in 2002’s Slackers, where she made a cameo appearance. In 2007 she launched her own wine brand at age 76. Thrice divorced (a fourth marriage was annulled), with one son by second husband Ray Anthony, she currently lives in Newport Beach, Calif., with her fifth husband, Thomas Dixon. Today, the couple maintains a website featuring memorabilia, Mamie’s “bedtime stories,” biographical information and the actress’ political views.
“I came to Hollywood determined to follow in Jean Harlow’s footsteps, but I was determined not to die young,” Mamie Van Doren once said. “My hope was to endure. And endure I have.”
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