--- As a little girl, Doris dreamed of being a Ballerina. Taking Dance lessons and performing as a child and later in a dance act with her partner "Jerry Doherty" at age fourteen, until the age of sixteen when in an automobile accident ended her hopes at being a dancing star. This is what led Doris to singing and acting, rather than dancing.Thus her singing lessons started, early in her goal to become a singer she would sing with bands, while singing at a gig with a band (Les Brown), she met Al Jorden whom she would eventually marry in 1941 and had a son named Terry, who was adopted later by Melcher.

--- Young Doris gained a small part in the Stage comedy play "the Woman" with Jane Seymour and Beryl Wallace in 1936, with her first movie being "This Time for Keeps"in 1942. However it was Warner Brothers Studios who first signed her and her first movie with them was in 1948 in "Romance of the High Seas", however her stardom came with the film "Calamity Jane" in 1953.

   Doris performed with many famous males including Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, James Dean, Bob Crosby, Les Brown, James Garner, Rock Hudson, Andre Previn, Ray Bolger, James Cagney and many more.