On November 14th, 2007, Mamie Van Doren - a fifties screen siren - was on hand in Tinseltown to kick off a unique promotion.
Ms. Van Doren's beguiling image will appear on a series of 1.5 liter bottles of wine; but, there is a curious twist - er - pull to 'em.
All the publicity stills of Mamie (in the buff!) are cleverly concealed beneath a nifty "peel away" label.
So guys - just spring for the wine, pop the cork, and peel away.
A fun fantasy for any man (or woman, who knows!).
The launching was at a Boffo VIP/Press Reception at the elegant Eleven Restaurant in West Hollywood, California.
The wine is called Mamietage® - a Bordeaux blend from Sonoma County's Armida Winery chosen by Mamie herself - with a limited production of only 2000 individually numbered bottles.
According to SX Magazine editors,
The delicious Bordeaux blend of Cabernet sauvignon, petite verdot, syrah and malbec was made and bottled by Armida Winery. This is a beautiful rich wine with flavors of black cherry, vanilla, and a touch of chocolate. The light tannins and medium body give way to a long fruit-filled finish.Mamietage® wine is distributed exclusively by Armida Winery and Wine Country Cellars. A percentage of proceeds from the sale of the Mamietage® collection will benefit Mamie's favorite charity: the Aids Healthcare Foundation.
Info: www.mamiewine.com
Van Doren is known as one of the 3 M's - 1/3 of a legendary trio of beautiful blonde bombshells from the fifties - which included Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield.
Van Doren carved a special niche for herself in cinema history.
Born Joan Olander in South Dakota in 1931, Mamie Van Doren's family relocated to California in the early 1940s.
Van Doren entered a few beauty contests in her teens, and like other Hollywood hopefuls, tried her hand at modeling.
After working as a band singer, Mamie Van Doren landed a full-fledged contract with Universal-International in 1953.
In 1955, Van Doren married bandleader Ray Anthony. A year later, the handsome couple celebrated the birth of a son.
That year, Van Doren left Universal. Because the studio failed to offer up the breakthrough roles she felt she deserved, she opted to freelance in films produced by a handful of studios (including Warner Brothers and MGM).
A few memorable roles in A-list films followed; "Teacher's Pet", for instance.
Her thoughts often drift back to the B-films. In retrospect, she realizes the features allowed her to shine in multi-faceted roles that showcased both her acting and singing talents.
Some film scholars argue that of the three popular blond sirens of the era, Mamie possessed the widest acting range and excelled especially at playing bad girls.
Perhaps her best-known film to date is the 1957 Warner Brothers release titled, "Untamed Youth".
Always one to move along with the times, Van Doren stayed in the Hollywood game in the late 50's by accepting roles in a string of drive-in quickies and sexploitation films.
Producer Albert Zugsmith featured her in seven films, including "The Beat Generation"1958), "The Big Operator" (1959), and "Sex Kittens Go to College" (1960).
In spite of the fact Mamie embodied Hollywood's Golden Age of the 50's, she's flashed forward intact - without clinging to the past - alive and kickin'.
May her star continue to shine brightly!
Rock Hudson & Mamie Van Doren in glory days!
Mamie Van Doren today...
