5 Reasons You Should Become a Mamie Van Doren Fan

Nothing gets my goat more than categorizing Mamie Van Doren as one of the “three M’s,” essentially limiting her to a career defined by Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. In fact, there’s an old saying lumping all three together, which says something like, “You want Marilyn, you settle for Jayne, you get Mamie.” Each week it seems like Mamie shows enough kindness to respond to someone who wants to limit her to her associations with the other two, answering questions about what each was like. However, I fully support a new movement where Mamie gets recognized for her own achievements. So, here are five reasons you should start your town’s Mamie Van Doren Fan Club

1. She’s active on social media
   Look, this might be low hanging fruit, but not many people are willing to casually interact with fans on social media. However, Mamie is one of them. She’s incredibly active on both Facebook and Twitter, giving fans the opportunity to directly communicate with her. When she released China and Me, I DM’d her about an interview request, and she promptly responded (we still need to schedule). However, you don’t need private correspondence to get the full Mamie experience. She gladly shares her recollections, politics, and her life through the web, creating a virtual scrapbook of Old Hollywood that’s unlike anything else.
   
   
2. She’s a prolific author
   Mamie’s written 6 books if you include both editions of her autobiography, Playing the Field. Her first three were written in the 1960s, giving readers a one-of-a-kind peak into the life of a glamour girl during that time. Her other three are more reflective, offering insight that only comes with age while sparring no details. Unlike other autobiographies, Mamie doesn’t continuously paint herself as perfection. Instead, she’s honest about when she made a poor decision and how she got through it.
   
3. She’s an excellent actress
   I know people will argue until the cows come home about who was the best actress of the 1950s, but I’m not afraid to state Mamie deserves to be in most people’s top 10. Mamie absolutely dominated the B-movie market, resulting in films that pushed, or blatantly ignored, the Hayes Code. From Girl’s Town to Sex Kittens Go to College, Mamie delivered some of the best performances of the era. I’m a firm believer she should’ve gotten cast as Sugar Kane in Some Like It Hot, and I’ll gladly watch a Mamie film over most stars’ works simply because she shines brightly.
   
4. She’s nuanced and intelligent
   This kind of ties back to my spiel about her books, but the number one reason I’ve become Team Mamie over the years is her intelligence. She’s incredibly well-versed in an array of topics, allowing her to support her viewpoints in an eloquent and interesting way. She doesn’t try to hide herself behind the Hollywood machine. Instead, she lets everything hangout and will let the pieces fall where they may. One of my favorite Mamie interviews involves her supporting abortion in the early-1960s with a multi-page essay. If that’s not groundbreaking, I don’t know what is.
   
5. She’s constantly evolving
   I don’t know anyone who can deny they love seeing someone whose able to roll with the punches and change with the times. Mamie does just that. She’s not reliving her “glory days” or looking to take people back to the past. Instead, she’s incredibly current, casting off nostalgia in favor of getting fans to appreciate her for what she is today.

You can follow Mamie on Twitter and Facebook.