Special Sub-Topic: Marvelous Mamie Van Doren Click Here To Play: Marvelous Mamie Van Doren

What is Mamie Van Doren's birth name?

Joan Lucille Olander. She was named after Joan Crawford.

Where was Mamie Van Doren born?

Rowena, South Dakota. Mamie started life with her family on a farm. She was the daughter of Warner Carl Olander (March 30, 1908-June 4, 1992) and Lucille Harriet Bennett (January 21, 1912-August 27, 1995).

What year was Mamie Van Doren born?

1931. February 6. She's an Aquarian. She was born five years after Marilyn Monroe and two years before Jayne Mansfield.

When she was a girl, Mamie Van Doren received a cherished autograph outside the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles from what childhood idol?

Mae West. Shortly after moving to Hollywood, Joan (Mamie) and her mother attended an event at the Ambassador, where the future Mamie Van Doren shyly asked Miss West for her autograph. The star inscribed, "To Joanie -- a very pretty girl." Joan (Mamie) slept with it under her pillow. But her real idol was Jean Harlow, she's always said, though she believes she follows in both their footsteps.

Universal Studios chose Mamie Van Doren's name from what two popular personages?

A President's wife and a quiz show contestant. Universal Studios inked a seven-year deal with her on January 20, 1953, on Eisenhower's inauguration day. They named her "Mamie" for Ike's wife. Deciding she needed a vaguely European surname to match her spectacular Swedish looks, they chose "Van Doren" from Charles Van Doren, then the reigning champion on TV's first "big money" quiz show, "The $64,000 Question".

Mamie Van Doren moved to Hollywood in what year?

1942. She was born in Rowena, South Dakota, in 1931; the family moved to Sioux City, Iowa, in 1939; and in 1942 they settled in Hollywood.

Mamie Van Doren's first job in Hollywood (at age 13) was what?

An usherette at the Pantages Theatre. Her job as an usherette, much like Carol Burnett's first Hollywood job some years later, was Mamie's introduction to show business and allowed her to watch films for free!

Mamie Van Doren's first speaking role in films consisted of one word: "Look!" Who starred in that film?

John Wayne. She was discovered by Howard Hughes when, at age 16, she won "Miss Eight Ball" and "Miss Palm Springs". He cast her in "Jet Pilot" (uncredited), starring John Wayne, which was produced in 1949 and 1950, though not released until 1957.

Which of the following is NOT a quotation from Mamie Van Doren?

"Sex symbols are born and not made.". That quotation is from actress Teresa Wright, refusing to pose for cheesecake photographs. One of the most outspoken, well-written actresses who's ever lived, Mamie Van Doren's books and website are testimony to her brains -- as well as beauty.

Mamie Van Doren and Jayne Mansfield co-starred in what two films?

"The Las Vegas Hillbillys" and "Three Nuts in Search of a Bolt". "The Las Vegas Hillbillys" (1966) and "Three Nuts in Search of a Bolt" (1964).Though Mamie and Jayne were professional friends, Jayne was notoriously jealous of Mamie in the "sexual conquest" department. With sad irony, Van Doren asked Mansfield to fill in for her at Gus Stevens' Supper Club in Biloxi, Mississippi, when a conflicting theatrical engagement arose for Miss Van Doren. It was after that appearance that Jayne Mansfield was killed in an accident on June 29, 1967 at around 4 a.m., while being driven to New Orleans.

"Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women" (1968), starring Mamie Van Doren, was directed by what up-and-coming young director?

Peter Bogdanovich. Bogdanovich used a pseudonym (Derek Thomas), fearing the movie would ruin his reputation.

Before she was an actress, Mamie Van Doren was a band singer.

t. Still in her teens, Mamie sang with Ted Fio Rito's band and entered beauty contests. In "Teacher's Pet" (1958), with Doris Day and Clark Gable, Mamie warbled the unforgettable "Girl Who Invented Rock and Roll" -- thus laying (accurate) claim to being the first female rock and roll singer. She sang in several films, including 1958's "Born Reckless" -- whose tagline was, "Mamie Rocks 'Em With 7 Red-Hot Reckless Tunes"!

Mamie Van Doren and Tuesday Weld were featured together in what two films?

"Sex Kittens Go to College" and "The Private Lives of Adam and Eve". "Sex Kittens Go to College" in 1960, "The Private Lives of Adam and Eve" in 1961. The two actresses were friends.

How many marriages has Mamie Van Doren had?

5. Jack Newman was a sportswear manufacturer with whom she eloped to Santa Barbara at seventeen. He was a wife-abuser and she quickly got out of the marriage. Ray Anthony, bandleader, fathered Mamie's son, Perry, in 1956. Baseball player Lee Meyers was husband #3. Businessman Ross McClintock was #4. Mamie's fifth marriage was to actor and video producer Thomas Dixon.

At 18, Mamie Van Doren posed for famed painter of the "Vargas Girls", Alberto Vargas, and his painting of her appeared on the cover of what magazine?

Esquire. Her painting appeared on the July 1951 cover, when she was 20.

Mamie Van Doren has children.

t. Her son, Perry, by band leader Ray Anthony, was born in 1956 and is a Southern California real estate agent.

Including her early uncredited roles, Mamie Van Doren has appeared in how many films?

40. According to IMDB, her first role was in 1951's "Footlight Varieties". Her 40th appearance was in 2002's "Slackers".

What film featured Mamie Van Doren as "Silver Morgan" and jazz singer Mel Torme as the leader of a motorcycle gang?

Girl's Town. Released in 1959, the film also starred Elinor Donohue ("Father Knows Best") as Mamie's kid sister, and Sheilah Graham as a nun. It also featured Paul Anka's rendition of "Ave Maria". They don't make 'em like that any more.

Mamie Van Doren co-starred with Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows in what unforgettable film?

College Confidential. Released in 1960, Steve Allen played a sociologist conducting a survey at Collins College about the lives and mores of young people. Mamie played Sally Blake.

Mamie Van Doren is happily single, swinging and still dating in her 70s.

f. She's been happily and steadily married to Thomas Dixon since 1979. They reside in Newport Beach, California, from which they conduct their various enterprises and personally maintain Mamie Van Doren's outrageous, outspoken website.