Vintage Bad Girl Crush – Mamie Van Doren
This week’s
#badgirlcrush is one of the blonde beauties of the golden Hollywood era, Mamie
Van Doren.
Mamie was born
Joan Lucille Olander in February 1931 in South Dakota, and by May 1942 the
family moved to Los Angeles.
Show business was
always going to be Mamie’s calling and in 1946 she began working as an usher at
the Pantages Theatre, Hollywood. Between bit parts
in television shows and numerous beauty contests, Mamie’s luck came in the day
she won the Miss Palm Springs title in 1948, and was spotted by director Howard
Hughes.
With her bombshell 36-22-25 figure, it was no
surprise she posed for Alberto Vargas in 1951!
Hughes gave Mamie
some small roles in his films, before she signed a contract with Universal
Studios in 1953 ; they had big plans for her hoping she would bring the same
level of fame as her blonde doppelganger, Marilyn!
She would become
well know as one of the three M’s of Hollywood in the 1950’s alongside Monroe
and Mansfield, though Mamie grew tired of Universal only casting her in unknown
roles so she accepted offers from other studios and became a star and icon of
Bad Girl movies that became cult films!
One of her most
memorable roles was in Untamed Youth, as she became the first actress to sing
rock’n’roll music in an American film, a total Bad Girl!
Like many
actresses of the era, Mamie juggled film roles and modelling to climb the
Hollywood ladder to stardom and she also posed for Playboy twice in 1963, but
was never made a playmate.
When the film
roles no longer interested her, Mamie honed her singing and dancing talent to
develop a nightclub act and she appeared at the infamous Whiskey A Go Go on the
same night as The Beatles and Jayne Mansfield, but ended up with George
Harrison’s drink all over her!
In the late 60’s during the Vietnam War, Mamie
performed for U.S troops but not on an official tour as it was deemed unsafe,
but Mamie, in the depths of her own depression, arranged her own travel and
arrived at the front line and combat zones to keep the soldiers entertained for
three months.
No stranger to a front
cover, here’s Mamie posing up a storm!
Although Mamie
retired from show business she went on to release an autobiography ‘Playing The
Field’ lifting the lid on her life in Hollywood in the 50’s and 60’s, and is a
social media fan still actively on facebook and twitter, you can also still
purchase photos from her website www.mamievandoren.com
Bad Girl Style
If there’s one
starlet’s wardrobe we could raid it would be Mamie’s!
Queen of the
sweater and shorts combo, and my what we would do for that springolator
collection!
Mamie noted her
favourite designers in the height of her career as Chanel, (Coco being a close
friend!) Traina Norell ,Galanos and Cecil Chapman, and never being much of a
drinker or smoker has kept her looking gorgeous to this day!
We wish we looked this glamorous lounging around at
home!
Sweater, shorts and springolators,
a total knockout!
Looking dreamy in baby pink,
one of the ultimate sweater girls!
Channel your inner Mamie with limited edition items
from our new collection :
The Vixen Top in classic White & Black and we just love our most recent edition, Red & Black Stripes! You can find them on The Original Bad Girl website here
Boatneck and
classic cut, pair with your favourite bullet bra to get that iconic 50’s
silhouette!
The Maria Top – White
Turn heads
in this versatile gypsy top, on or off the shoulder is up to you! Southern
hemisphere Bad Girls pair with your high waisted shorts, and for the Northern
ladies, wide leg trousers will give a subtle nod to the 40’s!
Make sure to tag
your photos with #theorignalbadgirl #tobgstyle so we can see your Bad Girl style
and for the chance to be featured on our Instagram! x
Patsy - Jungle Pat
(Columnist for The Original Bad Girl Blog)
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