Mamie Van Doren: Hollywood Tales, Marilyn Monroe, Howard Hughes

Every morning, Mamie Van Doren walks right down to the seashore close to her dwelling in Southern California and sits on the identical rock together with her ft within the Pacific. “It kind of heals me,” she says.

At 95, she has outlived nearly everybody. Her memoir, You Thought I Was Dead: My Life of Celebrities, Sex, and Champagne, is out now from Simon & Schuster, and he or she already has began the following e book — about Marilyn Monroe, who would have turned 100 this month.

Mamie — rhymes with “pay me” — knew her earlier than she was Marilyn. To her, she remains to be Norma Jeane Baker, a teen who defended a stranger on the Ambassador Hotel pool throughout the conflict years in Los Angeles.

By the Nineteen Fifties, Hollywood had repackaged them each as blond bombshells and set them towards one another — Van Doren was Universal’s reply to Fox’s Monroe, measurements printed aspect by aspect in fan magazines. Monroe died in 1962. Van Doren saved going. She has tales she has saved quiet for many years — about Howard Hughes, Tony Curtis, Jack Webb and others. Some, she is telling totally for the primary time. She just lately spoke with THR.

You’re 95. You appear extraordinary. What’s the key?

Well, one factor: I by no means smoked. I by no means did medication. When I used to be a teen, I did smoke pot, however I didn’t prefer it. I by no means drank that a lot. I stayed away from unhealthy individuals. I like canines. I’ve at all times had canines, and so they’re my finest mates. And I didn’t stick with anyone that wasn’t form to me. I’ve sort of been my very own girl. I do just about what I wish to do and what makes me really feel good.

Who did you look as much as whenever you had been developing?

I’ve at all times admired older actresses. When I used to be youthful, I simply liked Mae West and Marlene Dietrich. I simply adopted them and copied them in the whole lot. And in fact my favourite was Jean Harlow — I used to be solely 5 when she died. After seeing photos of her with platinum blonde hair, I believed: someday I’m going to have that hair. And so I bleached it, made it blonde.

Your identify was once Joan Lucille Olander. How did it grow to be Mamie Van Doren?

[A photographer] got here to see me for some horny photos. He was going to do a narrative on the brand new contract participant. That’s me. So he went over to the gallery the place I used to be taking photos and met me and mentioned I didn’t have a reputation. And he says, “What about Mamie?” Because Mamie [Eisenhower] was the primary woman then. And then they bought the Van Doren from someone’s nickname round there, and so they took that identify and gave it to me, made me Mamie Van Doren.

What did you suppose?

I believed it sounded too previous. It sounded extra like a mature girl. I mentioned, “I’m going to have to create another image for this name. I’m going to have to make it happen.” And I believe I did.

You’ve identified Marilyn Monroe since earlier than she was Marilyn Monroe. How did that begin?

I met her once I was 12 years previous. I used to be swimming within the pool on the Ambassador Hotel. She was a mannequin, and so they had been having this magnificence contest, and so they had been strolling across the swimming pool, and I used to be within the pool carrying on, making an attempt to get some consideration. Somebody mentioned, “Get the kid out of the pool.” I’ll always remember it. I felt horrible. And then some gal, Norma Jeane, mentioned, “Don’t talk to her like that.” I believed: “This is coming from somebody, a real beauty.” I ran over to her and I mentioned, “My name is Joanie Olander. I know your name is Norma Jeane. I just want to thank you.” She mentioned, “You’re so sweet.” And then I simply went again to my place — my condo with my household was proper behind the Ambassador Hotel.

By the time you had been each on the studios, you had been being arrange as rivals.

Universal would market me as their reply to Fox’s Monroe. The Hollywood magazines had us aspect by aspect. But I bumped into her at events throughout these years, and he or she solely had one black costume that she wore on a regular basis. I believed: “Doesn’t she have any money to buy another dress?” She was underneath contract at Fox. She simply had a kind of low cost contracts — $60 per week or one thing like that.

Tony Curtis informed you one thing about her as soon as.

He mentioned she was a nasty lay. I believed: “What is he going to say about me?”

When was the final time you noticed her?

I noticed her on the Russian Tea Room in New York per week earlier than she died. I used to be doing Gentlemen Prefer Blondes onstage. And I used to be asleep — I at all times sleep throughout the day — and I bought a name from [columnist] Earl Wilson. He mentioned, “Have you seen what’s happening on television? Turn it on.” So I turned it on, and Marilyn was being carried on a gurney with a grimy, old-looking blanket on prime of her. I used to be devastated. Then I had to do this play that night time, and I might hardly get via it. I began to cry.

Do you are feeling Hollywood ate her alive?

Well, it appeared that means, doesn’t it? She was susceptible, and I believe she truly thought that Bobby Kennedy was going to depart his spouse for her. And she most likely thought JFK would do the identical factor. He had no intention of doing that, and neither did Bobby. So, they disillusioned her, and it was extra rejection. And she had the rejection from Yves Montand, who she was doing a film with — she thought he was coming again and marrying her and divorcing Simone Signoret. I can’t inform you any extra as a result of I’m going to put in writing my e book. I’ve bought some actual goodies in there. You gained’t imagine it.

Tell me about Howard Hughes. You had been 14 years previous when he found you.

I went to the Mocambo membership — I’d by no means been there, I’d been outdoors asking for autographs. A household pal took me inside, and abruptly a waiter came to visit and gave me a be aware. It mentioned that Howard Hughes wish to meet me. The those who had been with me mentioned, “Oh my God, it’s wonderful. He owns a studio.” I gave his affiliate my cellphone quantity. [The next day at] about 8 o’clock within the morning, he referred to as me. I hadn’t even had an opportunity to inform my mom.

Your mom was okay sending you in a automobile to satisfy Howard Hughes, realizing his fame?

My mother was 16 when she bought pregnant and had me at 17. She didn’t suppose something a lot about it. I informed her the whole lot – I didn’t maintain any secrets and techniques from her. She informed me, “If you do anything, you’ve got to tell me so you won’t get in any trouble.” She actually protected me.

So you had breakfast collectively. What occurred?

He despatched a automobile, and we went to the Players restaurant on Sunset Boulevard. The very first thing he requested me was if I used to be a virgin. So, I knew he was searching for a virgin. I didn’t inform him whether or not I used to be or I wasn’t. I didn’t suppose it was any of his rattling enterprise.

And then he took you to the Garden of Allah. What was that place like?

Oh, it was like slightly city in there. Quite a lot of bushes — lovely, full bushes. And then the pool was formed just like the Mediterranean. The water was very darkish blue and really, very chilly. And they’d cottages — little homes — and so they had been actually lovely inside. Very giant and open. And then it smelled — you could possibly odor the wooden. I bear in mind the robust scent of the room as a result of it was sort of previous.

It was the essence of Hollywood in a single place. Writers, film stars, events each night time.

Oh, yeah. Quite a lot of writers went there as a result of they favored to put in writing there and there was lots of historical past there. We had an exquisite dinner, and it was an expertise the place I didn’t know whether or not I ought to or I shouldn’t.

And that’s whenever you had your Jean Harlow second.

I bought out of the bathe with a towel round me, and I used to be pondering — did Jean Harlow do it? Do you suppose I ought to? And I believed: “Hell, Jean did it. I’m going to do it.” So I jumped in.

How was it?

He handled me actually kindly. And I informed him, “I can’t be with you without a condom.” And I seemed, and there was one already on. When I seemed, there wasn’t that a lot there. Compared to the one [man] I’d had earlier than, this one was smaller.

Tony Curtis was one other story solely.

I had a bungalow at Universal proper between Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis — these had been for the superstars. He was doing Spartacus. He knocked on the door at lunchtime, and I invited him in. And that was after we did it.

How was it?

Oh my God. He simply got here and got here and got here. I’ve by no means seen anybody like that. I believed, “Well, maybe he hadn’t been doing it with Janet [Leigh]. What was he saving it up for?”

You write within the e book about Elizabeth Short — the Black Dahlia. You knew her.

I saved that to myself for a very long time. I promised my mom I wouldn’t say something to anyone as a result of all people was underneath suspicion and I used to be scared to demise. But she was not a prostitute. Everybody referred to as her a whore. She wasn’t a whore. She labored her butt off to get ideas — to go to Hawaii.

Why Hawaii?

She needed to go there together with her fiancé. He was a flying ace — he bought killed, went down on his final flight. They had been planning on going to Hawaii collectively, after which his physique was despatched there. She needed to go there and fulfill what they had been going to do collectively. She was staying via New Year’s to make more cash. And I gave her the $100 that I bought so she might get there quicker.

And then she was murdered.

When I noticed that image within the newspaper that morning, I fainted. My mom needed to name the physician. I believed I used to be going to die.

The police by no means questioned you?

Never. Never heard one phrase from the police.

There’s one other, extra disturbing chapter within the e book about Jack Webb, the star of Dragnet.

I had informed it a very long time in the past — about 30 years in the past — and no person actually noticed it. Aaron Spelling launched us. Jack mentioned he’d like to satisfy me and he requested me to go to dinner. Very boring. I didn’t take pleasure in it in any respect. About two weeks later, he requested if I’d like to come back to his producer’s home to take a look at a film.

On the way in which dwelling, he mentioned he needed to cease off at his home. I mentioned I’d wait within the automobile. He was adamant about me coming in. So, I went in and sat close to the door. He comes out of the kitchen with a glass of wine and says, “This is the greatest wine you’ve ever tasted. Just take a sip of it.” I took a tiny, tiny sip. All of a sudden, I began getting dizzy. The subsequent factor I knew, I used to be tied up in a chair. Then I used to be in a mattress. I used to be drugged and raped.

Why couldn’t you go to the police?

He was related with the police division. Nobody would imagine me. So I needed to endure it. That was the worst factor that ever occurred to me. I by no means trusted a person after that.

And you saved it secret for many years.

Nobody would imagine me. He was Jack Webb.

It’s within the e book now.

It is. And I’ll inform you one thing — I’m very, very grateful that I’ve lived this lengthy. I admire issues extra at the moment than I ever have.

This story appeared within the June 10 challenge of The Hollywood Reporter journal. Click here to subscribe.