Mamie Van Doren: Queen of the Drive-In (1 Viewer)

[Emcee]

Mamie Van Doren specialized in B-movie film noirs and coming-of-age melodramas during the 1950s. Jayne Mansfield, who considered Van Doren her professional nemesis, once called her the "drive-in's answer to Monroe".

Any fans?

 

[Robin9]

I'm not sure I qualify as a fan but I've always enjoyed Mamie Van Doren when I've seen her in films. I also have her interesting autobiography in which she does herself no favors. Perhaps it's time I uploaded some more photos of Mamie into the Blondes thread.

 

[Emcee]

I'm not sure I qualify as a fan but I've always enjoyed Mamie Van Doren when I've seen her in films. I also have her interesting autobiography in which she does herself no favors. Perhaps it's time I uploaded some more photos of Mamie into the Blondes thread.

I've seen few of her films, and those that I have she wasn't the star of the film. She was rarely the star of A-list features, but headlined a host of B-films, almost all showcasing her considerable singing talent and curvaceousness.

Overall, I find her to be the most bland of the Three M's: Monroe, Mamie, and Mansfield.

 

[Emcee]

I do wish HBO or someone would do Mamie justice, however, and give her a good bio-documentary. She's still alive and well and could easily be interviewed.

 

[Emcee]

Mamie (second from left) and Jayne Mansfield (fourth from left) attending a Halloween party some time around 1957.

 

[Emcee]

Mamie and her husband, bandleader Ray Anthony alongside Jayne and hers, actor-bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay.

 

[LouA]

I've seen few of her films, and those that I have she wasn't the star of the film. She was rarely the star of A-list features, but headlined a host of B-films, almost all showcasing her considerable singing talent and curvaceousness.

Overall, I find her to be the most bland of the Three M's: Monroe, Mamie, and Mansfield.

I'm not sure I qualify as a fan but I've always enjoyed Mamie Van Doren when I've seen her in films. I also have her interesting autobiography in which she does herself no favors. Perhaps it's time I uploaded some more photos of Mamie into the Blondes thread.

I would hardly call Mamie Van Doren bland , but she was least acclaimed of the fifties blonde triumvirate.
I agree that a documentary about her while she is still alive would be fantastic . Just her stories about people like Jayne M., Elvis , Eddie Cochrane , Bo Belinski , Ray Anthony etc . alone , would make it worthwhile .

 

[Emcee]

I would hardly call Mamie Van Doren bland , but she was least acclaimed of the fifties blonde triumvirate.
I agree that a documentary about her while she is still alive would be fantastic . Just her stories about people like Jayne M., Elvis , Eddie Cochrane , Bo Belinski , Ray Anthony etc . alone , would make it worthwhile .

I suppose I should clarify by usage of bland here. Mamie, in comparison to Monroe and Mansfield, comes off as somewhat second-rate and too mimicky for my tastes. She's quite lovely looking, but her filmography is cluttered with bad movies, which isn't any fault to her necessarily. She was the least talented of the three in opinion, acting-wise at least, but was arguably just as popular as Mansfield at least at her peak.

I think the reasoning behind my terminology lies in her career and her self-promoting image she executes to this day. She rubs me as semi-sleazy, and I find it rather difficult to believe anything she says in the interviews she gives nowadays. Her comments on Monroe and Mansfield come off, to me at least, as an attempt to grab some kind of tabloid fame today for knowing the two tragic blondes and for being the only surviving member of the Three M's trio.

I don't hold anything against Van Doren personally I should add. Actually, I was just viewing some of her movies on Amazon in consideration of purchasing a handful to add to my B-move gallery on my DVD shelf. I'm particularly in getting High School Confidential, often considered the zenith of drive-in teenager flicks, and a tri-bundle set including Vice Raid, The Girl in Black Stockings, and Guns, Girls, and Gangsters.

Perhaps if I did some more tinkering with her history I'd be more favorable of her presence and myth.

Where should I start?

 

[bujaki]

The last 3 titles are included in Kino's box. They're not bad films if you accept them for what they are: B pictures. And Mamie is effective in all of them. I enjoyed them. The transfers are quite good as well.

 

[Emcee]

The last 3 titles are included in Kino's box. They're not bad films if you accept them for what they are: B pictures. And Mamie is effective in all of them. I enjoyed them. The transfers are quite good as well.

Most of the reviews I've read generally agree with you. As long as I expect the movies as B-films, I'll be good.

 

[Sam Favate]

There was a great song written about Mamie a few years back:

​

 

[Emcee]

The last 3 titles are included in Kino's box. They're not bad films if you accept them for what they are: B pictures. And Mamie is effective in all of them. I enjoyed them. The transfers are quite good as well.

I'm seriously considering buying them with my next paycheck. Of course, I already knew they were all B-films, so I don't I'll be disappointed necessarily.

 

[LouA]

I suppose I should clarify by usage of bland here. Mamie, in comparison to Monroe and Mansfield, comes off as somewhat second-rate and too mimicky for my tastes. She's quite lovely looking, but her filmography is cluttered with bad movies, which isn't any fault to her necessarily. She was the least talented of the three in opinion, acting-wise at least, but was arguably just as popular as Mansfield at least at her peak.

I think the reasoning behind my terminology lies in her career and her self-promoting image she executes to this day. She rubs me as semi-sleazy, and I find it rather difficult to believe anything she says in the interviews she gives nowadays. Her comments on Monroe and Mansfield come off, to me at least, as an attempt to grab some kind of tabloid fame today for knowing the two tragic blondes and for being the only surviving member of the Three M's trio.

I don't hold anything against Van Doren personally I should add. Actually, I was just viewing some of her movies on Amazon in consideration of purchasing a handful to add to my B-move gallery on my DVD shelf. I'm particularly in getting High School Confidential, often considered the zenith of drive-in teenager flicks, and a tri-bundle set including Vice Raid, The Girl in Black Stockings, and Guns, Girls, and Gangsters.

Perhaps if I did some more tinkering with her history I'd be more favorable of her presence and myth.

Where should I start?

Beat Generation , High School Confidential, Teachers Pet, Sex Kittens Go To College , and you might want to check out the CD of her singing on the Hoo Doo Label. If nothing else she was always entertaining ! The Kino box set is good as well.

 

[Osato]

The last 3 titles are included in Kino's box. They're not bad films if you accept them for what they are: B pictures. And Mamie is effective in all of them. I enjoyed them. The transfers are quite good as well.

Box set ordered! Can’t wait!!!

 

[JohnMor]

While it’s more of a glorified cameo than even a supporting role, I do enjoy her nightclub act in Teacher’s Pet. Great scene.

 

[Osato]

While it’s more of a glorified cameo than even a supporting role, I do enjoy her nightclub act in Teacher’s Pet. Great scene. View attachment 128272

Great photo!

Teachers Pet is on my list for sure!

 

[Keith Cobby]

While it’s more of a glorified cameo than even a supporting role, I do enjoy her nightclub act in Teacher’s Pet. Great scene. View attachment 128272

Great scene, great film, needs to be on blu ray. One for fans of Doris or Clark.

 

[Osato]

The last 3 titles are included in Kino's box. They're not bad films if you accept them for what they are: B pictures. And Mamie is effective in all of them. I enjoyed them. The transfers are quite good as well.

The Girl with black stockings was a great who done it. I enjoyed it.
On to the heist film “Guns, Girls and Gangsters”!

 

[Osato]

The Girl with black stockings was a great who done it. I enjoyed it.
On to the heist film “Guns, Girls and Gangsters”!

Loved this one too. Great to see Lee Van Cleef! I liked the music numbers by Mamie too.

The voiceovers were a bit much and I wish the film would’ve have not used them.

Vice Raid is next.

I may pick up Born Reckless as well.

 

[Osato]

I enjoyed Vice Raid but not as much as the other 2 films in the Blu-ray set.

Teachers pet and Born Reckless are 2 on my digital wish list.

High school confidential was listed as another one to see.

Ill have to research a bit to see which one sounds interesting to watch next.