Back in 1949, when Mamie Van Doren was just 18 years old, she stepped into the spotlight as "Miss Eight Ball," crowned by the Los Angeles Press Club. This was a big deal, especially since she was following in the footsteps of none other than Marilyn Monroe, who had won the title the year before. In an exclusive interview with Closer, Mamie recalls, “I knew I wasn’t your average girl. I had curves in all the right places, and it dawned on me that maybe I was destined for the big screen.”
A Star is Born: Mamie's Rise in Hollywood
And boy, did Mamie take the world by storm. The glamorous blonde became a household name in the late '50s, dazzling audiences with her performances in movies like Teacher’s Pet, High School Confidential!, and The Private Lives of Adam and Eve. She wasn’t afraid to play the bad girl either—those roles were packed with energy and excitement. “The wholesome, Goody Two-Shoes characters? They didn’t have much staying power,” Mamie reflects at 89. “But the ones with flair? Those stuck around.”
Life Beyond the Spotlight
By the end of the '60s, Mamie’s movie career had slowed down, but unlike some of her fellow blond bombshells, like Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, she’s been living a long and fulfilling life. “I’m surprised I’ve made it this far,” she says with a chuckle. “But every morning I wake up, I’m grateful.”
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Mamie’s personal life has been as colorful as her career. She’s been married five times, including to bandleader Ray Anthony, who gave her her only child, Perry, in 1956. Eventually, she left the chaos of Hollywood for a quieter life in Newport Beach, California. “The city was full of people experimenting with LSD and walking around half-naked,” she remembers. “I didn’t want my son exposed to that.” Despite her multiple marriages, she’s found lasting love with dentist-actor Thomas Dixon, whom she married in 1979.
A Heart for Hollywood's Legends
During her heyday, Mamie crossed paths with some of Hollywood’s biggest names. One of her favorites? None other than Clark Gable, her leading man in Teacher’s Pet. “He was the king of kings!” she exclaims. “I felt like I was sharing something special with Carole Lombard, Vivien Leigh, and Jean Harlow—all those legends. That time with Clark lives vividly in my memory.”
