All Photos: Alan Mercer
Mamie Van Doren has been a close friend for over a decade now. She was the very first interview I did on my blog in February 2009. I featured her again in September 2010 with a more in-depth interview and lots of photos. In March of 2015 we did our 10 year anniversary photo session. If you haven’t seen any of these blogs you should check them out in addition to this one. The links are right below. You will be able to learn more about her past in these blogs. Now we focus on the future of this Sex Symbol of a Certain Age.
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AM: Mamie, recently Alan Eichler put some videos on Youtube of you performing your nightclub act from the early 80’s. My jaw dropped open when I saw them. You are amazing. Did you know how good you were?
MVD: No, I never even thought about it. I was blessed with the ability to entertain people and I don’t have a problem with it. I know I don’t have the strongest voice. I’m not Barbra Streisand, but I have always felt the music.
AM: You do a great job singing.
MVD: It comes from within. It’s a portrayal and when I sing a song it all comes out. People can actually feel it. I like intimate rooms because it makes the performance more personable and you can reach people more so than in a huge auditorium where you can get kind of lost.
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AM: Did you perform to large crowds in Vietnam?
MVD: No when I was entertaining in Vietnam in fire stations, it wasn’t that large.
AM: I know you worked hard out there.
MVD: They were very much in need of entertainment. They were starving for it. I would often work on a tank. I’d be on stage for an hour and have them come up on stage with me so I could hug, kiss and sing to them.
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AM: I know they were thrilled to see you in person.
MVD: They really adored me and I was so thankful I could do something for them. No one back in the States realized the torment they were going through. They were risking their lives and many didn’t come back. They didn’t want to be there anymore than we wanted them to be there. That was so sad. It was a terrible war.
AM: I can’t believe you had the courage and stamina to go there.
MVD: I’ve always had the feeling of wanting to do things like that. I was born this way. I feel like I was meant to go out and do that.
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AM: So your entertaining is tied in with healing others. You went to Vietnam and you also worked the first AIDS benefits before anyone else.
MVD: I did a lot of AIDS benefits. I was one of the first along with Vivian Blaine. I went to all the gay clubs and performed. That’s how it all started. I raised $40,000 which was a big deal in those days.
AM: It’s still a big deal.
MVD: People today don’t know what really happened in those days. It wasn’t until Rock Hudson died two years later that people started talking and then of course Elizabeth Taylor took over. She was able to make a lot more money. Unfortunately Elizabeth wouldn’t let me come to any of the functions anymore. That was unkind of her. All the people who had helped for the first two years never got the credit they deserved.
AM: That information is starting to get now. Alan Eichler has really helped in getting that word out.
MVD: Many people did a lot of good things that nobody knows about today. I was one of the only ones who got up and sang. At least I was doing something. I believe very deeply in karma. People go through bad karma and it’s a natural thing, but it disappears and then the good karma comes. You just have to get through the bad karma first.
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AM: You have to make the right choices right?
MVD: Yes, when I am experiencing good karma I like to take advantage of it because I know I’m going to get some bad karma again. I believe this has to do with a past life. (Laughter)
AM: Mamie you used to wear a lot of Chanel, but now you are through with it?
MVD: Oh yes! It’s too matronly looking and passé for me. (Laughter)
AM: So now you are reinventing yourself as a teenager.
MVD: Oh yeah, I’m getting my clothes from Dolls Kill and wearing a nose ring.
AM: You’re doing all the things the kids are doing now, right?
MVD: Yes, but I’m ahead of them. I’ve got plans for the next decade. I’ve been through my old stage and I don’t need it anymore.
AM: You’re not tired of social media yet are you? Some people get tired of it.
MVD: No, I like attention even though I’m very private. That’s one of the reasons I moved to Newport Beach. In Hollywood it’s like living in an open book. I’m not into gossip. I’ve been living here since 1966.
AM: You have always been ahead of your time and you still are.
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MVD: Well, bless your heart. I am so elated and grateful that we met and became friends.
AM: It was meant to be.
MVD: You are part of my karma. You are part of me.
AM: I agree and you are a part of me and you always have been.
MVD: Yes, when I don’t see you for a year and then you’re here it’s like you never left. It’s like it’s the next day. I think of you all the time. You’re always on my mind. I even feel like I am a part of your family.
AM: That’s because you are.
MVD: You’re a big part of my life and I love you.
AM: I love you too sweetheart.
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