Basic Provisions
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Mamie Van Doren has spoken candidly about the sexual affair she had with Che Guevara in 1961.
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The Old Hollywood legend reveals all the details of the "ecstasy" they experienced after meeting at a party in his new memoir, "« You thought I was dead ».
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«"I thought, 'A charming smile, a soft Spanish accent, and an overall charming appearance in a military uniform. What could go wrong?'" she writes.
What happens when a movie icon meets a Marxist revolutionary icon? "Ecstasy," apparently.
At least, that was the case with Mamie Van Doren, one of the last of the Marilyn Monroe-inspired blonde beauties to make a real impact on Hollywood before its own revolution in the 1960s. Van Doren, born Joan Lucille Olander, doesn't miss a beat in her turbulent journey through the golden age of filmmaking in her new memoir. «"You thought I was dead."» , published by Post Hill Press.
In one of the gripping scenes, Van Doren recalls an unexpected erotic encounter that happened to her during the filming of the movie "« An American in Buenos Aires» It was 1961 in the Argentine capital. After a grueling day on set, she and her co-star, Jean-Pierre Aumont, a former member of the French Resistance during World War II, planned to unwind at a lavish party hosted by a local industrialist.
Van Doren writes of seeing Omon with a "broad smile" at an event, chatting with an equally charming compatriot whom he introduced as "Generalissimo Ernesto Che Guevara." Although his mustache was "a little sparse and unkempt" and his hair "not quite suitable for going out," Van Doren writes, "We sipped our drinks, looking at each other. I thought, 'Charming smile, soft Spanish accent, overall charming appearance in a military uniform. What could go wrong?'"«
Che Guevara in 1965. Photo: AFP via Getty.
Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, nicknamed Che, had risen to prominence several years before meeting Van Doren. A native of Cuba, Guevara traveled the world, developing a powerful and influential philosophy of anti-capitalist, anti-colonial revolution, the central tenet of which was guerrilla warfare. He played a decisive role in the Cuban Revolution and later visited countries such as Algeria and Bolivia to foster the development and implementation of nascent revolutionary movements.
When he met Van Doren in 1961, he was just days away from traveling to Congo to help resolve the escalating political crisis. By 1967, he was dead, executed by a US-backed Bolivian firing squad after organizing a resistance group in Santa Cruz.
But in Buenos Aires, Guevara, as Van Doren recalls, pulled a "little trick." "I asked our host to change my sign so I could sit next to you," Van Doren says, adding that he "once wanted to be an actor" but lost interest because it required "too much waiting.".
At a posh party, Van Doren asked Guevara if he liked American films. He replied that he loved "American cowboy movies," explaining that "Gene Autry's films are classic examples of revolution... [Autrey] comes to a town where chaos reigns. The townspeople are being robbed of their cattle. They are being driven off their land. They are being overcharged for food and underpaid for what they produce on their farms and ranches... He exposes the conspirators and restores order, fending off the mercenaries with a hail of bullets... You could say that Mr. Autry and I are in the same business—seeking justice for the defenseless and the weak.".
Van Doren accepted the charming revolutionary's offer to drive her back to her apartment. There, events took an unexpected turn.
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«"There are love scenes, and then there are love scenes. Almost always, they're spiced with the promise of an unexpected turn of events. The armed guard at the bedroom door was perhaps the most unexpected turn of all," writes Van Doren.
«"Che and I wasted no time. He hugged me and kissed me. My goosebumps merged into a cosmic jolt, and I was instantly overwhelmed with desire," she continues. "Before I knew it, we were naked, and Che was carrying me to bed," instilling in her a feeling that "the right amount of champagne can create, an ebb and flow that tears me away from all reality except sensation. In short, Che was an incredibly stunning man. My previous fatigue disappeared. I closed my eyes and surrendered to his strength and dexterity. We experienced simultaneous orgasm more than once. I don't remember the crazy words we uttered. I closed my eyes in ecstasy.".
As Van Doren recounts, she and Guevara barely slept, and the next day they had to be dragged out of bed. Van Doren asked Aumont to cover for her on the set ("Naughty girl! You're not feeling well, you're under Guevara," she recalls him joking). But the crisis in the Congo didn't wait for Che.
Mamie Van Doren in 1960. Photo: Herbert Dorfman/Corbis via Getty.
«"When I'm done in Congo, I'll be returning to Bolivia. Would you like to come and visit me? Bolivia is a beautiful country," Van Doren said, addressing Guevara. "It was an unexpected invitation. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The prospect immediately awakened my spirit of adventure.".
Something just wouldn't let her say yes.
Guevara described a "camp in a remote area of the rainforest" where there were jaguars, exotic flowers, and champagne flowing. And yet, "alarm bells were ringing in my head. But adventures involving a lover, whether breaking studio rules with Tony Curtis or searching for John Dillinger in Lawrence Tierney, always aroused in me a reckless excitement.".
A call from her young son, Perry, brought her back to reality. "I have a little boy who needs me, Che. I also have a career, and I'm going to be in a movie. As much as I love you, I couldn't risk my life because it would put my son's life at risk, too." In her characteristically extravagant manner, Van Doren declined Guevara's request for a brief visit. "I walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. 'Revolution is temporary. A bullet is forever.'".
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.