Did Mamie Van Doren and Marilyn Monroe Really Feud?

Mamie Van Doren, who turns 95 on February 6, is the last surviving member of the trio of 1950s-era blond bombshells that became known as the “Three Ms”: herself, Marilyn Monroe, and Jayne Mansfield. And in the ensuing decades, reports of animosity between the three women have persisted.

El País, for example, reported recently that Van Doren suffered a “resounding defeat” in her “long-distance feud with Mansfield and, above all, with the stellar Monroe.” But Van Doren, who became known for roles in films like 1958’s Teacher’s Pet and 1968’s Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women, said Monroe was actually a friend and mentor.