Mamie

In the 1950s, there seems to have been a pecking order when it came to blonde starlets. Marilyn Monroe was at the top—waaaaay at the top—followed by Jayne Mansfield, and then followed by Mamie Van Doren.

All three had to overcome typecasting and a perception by some in the public they were bimbos. They certainly were not.

Mamie Van Doren wasn’t helped with her relationship with Dodgers pitcher and night carouser Bo Belinsky, the man with the “million dollar arm and a 10-cent brain” as someone in baseball once put it.

1963 wasn’t altogether the best year for Van Doren. She was having success on stage, but a movie casting went sour and she and Belinsky kept having relationship problems.

Columnist Vernon Scott interviewed Van Doren a number of times over the years. He did it twice in 1963. First up is this story from January 23rd. She got irked because of Mansfield’s place in the pecking order, which translated into cash. The movie was eventually named Promises.... Promises!.

Pay Troubles Keep Jayne, Mamie From Same Film
By VERNON SCOTT
UP-International
HOLLYWOOD — Amid lamentations from girl watchers it was sadly announced this week that Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren will not costar in a new motion picture.
Nature lovers and students of the body beautiful (blonde sex siren division) must forego this doubleheader.
It appears that Mamie and Jayne were to share billing in a dandy little epic titled "Promise Her Anything" until Mamie discovered Jayne was getting preferential treatment in the money department.
Advised that La Mansfield was grabbing off 2 1/2 per cent more of the profits, Mamie stamped her pretty little foot and quit cold.
There is nothing personal in this off-camera set-to, but it just goes to show that moola is thicker than peroxide, and the picture (produced by actor Tommy Noonan), will go on without Mamie.
"I have nothing against Jayne at all," said the Van Doren girl. "We've met several times and I like Jayne very much.
"I'm sorry we won't be making the picture together because the two of us would have been very good in the roles. I was to play a smart blonde and Jayne a dumb blonde. The parts were absolutely equal."
Jayne was just as sweet as Mamie: "I'm disappointed we won't be working together. Mamie would have been a big plus in the picture. But if she was unhappy with the arrangements I certainly understand why she didn't accept the role."
The difference between the two girls at this moment is that Mansfield will pick up $50,000 cash for her efforts while Mamie blew the same amount with her walkout.
"That's a lot of money," Mamie exclaimed. "But I'll make up for it in my night club act. I'm leaving for Australia for two weeks in a club down there starting later this month."
Both actresses are noted for ample endowments in the torso department, particularly in the upper regions just south of the neckline. Doubtless comparisons would have been made had they costarred.
Other than their obvious physical charms, neither girl feels they have much in common. Mamie put it this way:
"We're both actresses, we're both blondes and we play sultry parts in movies. Outside of that we aren't at all alike. Certainly our personal lives are very different."
Both girls sense the irresistible effect their combined talents would have on male moviegoers. In their own way these two buxom beauties would make the finals of the Miss America contest look like child's play.
"Td love to work with Jayne sometime in the future," Mamie said. "I think it would be fun."
Said Jayne: "It would be wonderful if another picture came along that would be good for both of us."
Take heart, girl watchers, a Mansfield-Van Doren faceoff yet may enrich your lives.

Mansfield and Van Doren did appear together in the independent film The Las Vegas Hillbillys (evidently the title was spelled by some mountain yokel) starring Ferlin Husky and the music of Dean Elliott of Chuck Jones Tom and Jerry fame (Marvin Miller was signed to do narration, but it didn’t make the finished film).

This brings us to our second story of 1963, a story of love going wrong. It appeared in papers on July 25th.

Mamie Van Doren Looking For Another Boyfriend
By VERNON SCOTT
HOLLYWOOD (UPI) - Mamie Van Doren returned to movieland this week broken hearted, 10 pounds underweight and unengaged.
To hear Mamie tell it, her break-up with sometime baseball pitcher Bo Belinsky is the greatest tragedy to befall a couple since Romeo and Juliet.
She managed to keep her emotions under control, however, saying, "I really was in love with Bo, but no one took us seriously because we were engaged on April Fool's Day. I'm still not over Bo, but the only way to forget a man is to find another one."
Dreams Anew
Mamie, throwing caution to the wind, ordered a glass of milk on the rocks (to gain back some of the lost pounds) and dreamed aloud about a new beau, as opposed to the old Bo.
"I've been divorced five years now (from bandleader Ray Anthony) and it's time for me to think about settling down again," she said.
"The kind of guy I want has to be an outdoorsman; a professional athlete would be perfect. I wouldn't want him to drink or be a nightclub habitue.
"I don't care about his age. He could be anywhere between 18 and 80 as long as he's healthy and likes to swing.
"Maybe a lifeguard would be nice, but I guess they don't have much money. It would help if the guy is rich, too. One thing for sure, he can't be an actor or a musician."
Mamie's man hunt is necessary, she says, to fill the void left by Belinsky.
"Everything was all right between us when I left two months ago to tour the East Coast in 'Silk Stockings'," Mamie said.
"But he thought I was going out with other men. It wasn't true, but I couldn't convince him.
"I may never find another man like Bo. Good left-handed pitchers are very rare you know. I used to go to the ballpark to watch him pitch, and it was a wonderful thing to see—all grace and rhythm."
Hitters Graceful Too
Mamie failed to note that the hitters were graceful too against Belinsky. When the Los Angeles Angels uncoupled Bo his record was one win against seven losses. "Just the same, Bo was my kind of man because he was a daredevil," she pouted. "I like daredevils.
"My next boyfriend will have to be willing to take chances too. And he'll have to be an American. I've dated enough foreigners to last me a lifetime."
Mamie plans to head for personal appearances in Australia this summer and to do a little husband hunting on the side.
"You can never tell where your next boyfriend will come from," she concluded. "A girl has to keep her eyes open every minute."

There’s something Monroe, Mansfield and Van Doren have in common. They all appeared on the Jack Benny TV show. You can be sure Jack hired intelligent people, not bubbleheads.

Marilyn Monroe was 36 when she died. Jayne Mansfield was 34. Mamie Van Doren has just turned 90. Her Untamed Youth, High School Confidential and Sex Kitten Goes to College days are long gone but she’s still around to enjoy some fun cult classic films she starred in like the rest of us.