Mamie Van Doren, Hollywood’s golden-era sex symbol, isn’t holding anything back as she revisits old Hollywood scandals ahead of receiving the Legacy Award at the Cinecon Film Festival. At 94, Van Doren is also promoting her upcoming documentary and new book, sharing intimate details from her glamorous yet tumultuous career.
In a recent candid interview, Van Doren revisited an arranged date with legendary actor Rock Hudson. At the time, Universal Studios assured her Hudson was gay and “safe” to go out with, but Van Doren revealed things quickly took an unexpected turn.
“With Rock Hudson, they said he was gay at the studio, ‘You don’t have anything to worry about,’” she told IndieWire. “But that’s not true at all. He came on to me. In my book, I told about having a Crimmins skirt and him getting very passionate and rolling on the kitchen floor.”
Hudson, who tragically passed away in 1985 from AIDS-related complications, was widely rumored to be gay, though Hollywood carefully maintained his public image as a leading ladies’ man. Van Doren had previously discussed this in her 1987 memoir, “Playing the Field: My Story.”
“Universal invested a lot of money in Rock, and it was important for his image to remain that of a ladykiller. Rock did what was expected of him,” she explained.
Van Doren also opened up about her uncomfortable encounter with actor Gig Young, known for his troubling personal life, who she refused to date. Young would later tragically murder his wife before taking his own life in 1978. “I have a really good nose for horse flesh,” Van Doren noted. “I refused to go out with him.”
Reflecting on her career, Van Doren expressed gratitude for her long life and the opportunity to escape Hollywood’s darker side, unlike her peers Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, who both died tragically young. “I’ve got a couple of wonderful angels on my shoulder,” she said. “I really believe that, and I have a connection with God.”
After leaving Hollywood for Newport Beach in the 1960s, Van Doren focused on raising her son away from the spotlight. Despite distancing herself from the Hollywood scene, she proudly embraces her iconic status.
“I like being sexy. Hell, I like sex,” Van Doren declared boldly. “I certainly opened a lot of doors during a postwar time when things were very conservative. I wasn’t going to be playing nun roles, that’s for sure.”
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I’m sorry, but come on, Just another actress, that most thought had already passed on to the great stage in the sky, promoting the usual “tell all” book and apparently an upcoming documentary. What do you think? Is Elvis maybe gonna pop up in the near future promoting his new recipe cook book of out of this world pizzas?