Greenburgh Public Library Blog

The Three M's: Jayne Mansfield

Marcus Renna is an undergraduate student and the Greenburgh Public Library's summer Media Collections Intern. He is a film aficionado and connoisseur of vintage cinema. His series this summer-- The Three M's-- highlights the life and work of  some of classic Hollywood's most popular sirens. 

Jayne Mansfield

When asked to name a vintage blonde bombshell from the 1950’s, almost indisputably one will name only Marilyn Monroe, however many other equally talented actresses were often overlooked. Because of her untimely death and unfair treatment at Fox, Jayne Mansfield was not given a fair chance to shine as Monroe did. New to the Hollywood scene in 1957, Mansfield was promoted by her agent to star in a deluxe Broadway version of Frank Tashlin’s Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? Originally written with fellow bombshell Mamie Van Doren in mind(who turned the role down and regretted it), Jayne wasted no time stepping up to the plate to play Rita Marlowe. The Marlow role made Jayne famous and brought her instant stardom.

Intended to be a pun on Marilyn Monroe, the Broadway play gained instant success.  Meanwhile, Monroe had rebelled against Fox for the ill treatment she had been dealt. She had been suspended for turning down the role of Evelyn Nesbit in Richard Fleischer’s The Girl in The Red Velvet Swing, a film based on the real life story of Stamford White and his young lover Evelyn. Fox eventually replaced Monroe with Joan Collins but was still hungry for a bankable blonde bombshell, and so was the public, who could not get enough of Marilyn and the enchantment that she bestowed. The first pick was the Monroe-esque  Sheree North, but after a few bad films such as The Lieutenant Wore Skirts and How To Be Very, Very Popular Fox shelved Sheree and her career. This time Fox had their eye on the young and equally equipped Jayne Mansfield, who had taken the nation by surprise in her Broadway rendition of Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? Fox was so pleased with this new and promising talent that they actually bought the rights to Tashlin’s play, and signed Jayne for a 6 year, 6 motion picture contract.

Her first feature film was another one of Tashlin’s successes, The Girl Can’t Help It. The film was equipped with some of the greatest talent of the 1950’s such as Little Richard, Fats Domino, Julie London, and Ray Anthony (husband of fellow bombshell Van Doren). Aside from these talents Mansfield was partnered with Tom Ewell, who some of you may remember starred with Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch. Initially, the film gained some criticism for being “too much like Monroe”, but The Girl Can’t Help It was an international success, and the public wanted more of Mansfield. In 1957, she followed up with the Hollywood Version of Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? and she forever marked her territory and won her fame on the Hollywood red carpet.

A short time later Mansfield was shipped out to other studios where she had mediocre success in the film Too Hot to Handle. Around the same time that Mansfield had been loaned out to film Too Hot to Handle Fox brought her back to film the lavish period production It Happened in Athens, based on the life of Spiridon Louis, a young new comer who had won the first marathon of 1896 Olympics. Co-starring was the well-known Nico Minardos, and new comer Trax Colton whom Fox had been grooming to become the next teenage heart throb. In it, Mansfield plays Eleni Costa, the famed and beautiful actress who is object of every man’s desire (including her jealous lover Lt. Alexi Vindaros played by actor Nico Minardos). During her stay in Athens, she crosses paths with young Spiridon, played by Trax Colton, whose dream is to compete in the running marathon of the recently commenced 1896 Olympic Games. Upon meeting, Eleni and Spiridon instantly spark an attraction towards one another. To make matters worse, toying and bringing out the jealousy and competitiveness in her lover Alexi, as well as in her personal maid Christina, (who like Spiridon has traveled from the same town in Greece, and whom also shares an attraction with Spiridon), Eleni declares that whoever wins the race at the Greek Olympics shall have her for a wife.  Upon his victory, Spiridon is congratulated by Eleni, but is then advised by her to go after the girl he truly loves the most Christina Gratos played by Maria Xénia.

As charming as the film was, Fox was not pleased, and not only gave Trax Colton his pink slip, but also Jayne Mansfield. After the fall from Fox, Mansfield would only have one more minor success in the 1963 film Promises Promises! (alongside Mickey Hargitay and Tommy Noonan). In 1964 Fox would consider her for the starring role as Polly the Pistol, to replace Marilyn Monroe in Billy Wilder’s Kiss Me Stupid co-starring Dean Martin and Ray Waltson. Although accepting initially, Mansfield would have to step down and surrender the role to fellow blonde bombshell Kim Novak, as she was pregnant and expecting her 4^th child (famed television actress Mariska Hargitay of Law and Order).

Three years later, in 1967 Jayne would star in her final film role Single Room Furnished, in which she would play three different roles, (all women searching for the loves of their lives and not being able to find them). Unfortunately, just a few months down the line, we would lose Mansfield to a horrific car accident, and the film would forever remain unfinished.  We would be left with nothing but the distant memories of Mansfield, the talent that she was, and the talent that she could have been. However, Jayne remains alive forever in her many films that are waiting to be viewed by patrons like you. Stop by the Greenburgh Public Library to check out some of her films!

Fun Facts

• Jayne spoke five languages fluently: English, German, Hungarian, Italian, and Spanish.

• Jayne played multiple instruments including the piano as well as the violin.

• After her horrific car accident, truck companies installed what we refer to as a “Mansfield Bar”, this is to prevent any cars from going underneath a truck upon impact (as Mansfield’s did).

• Jayne turned down the role of “Ginger” on Gilligan’s Island long before Tina Louise accepted it. Jayne turned it down in hopes for more serious parts.

• Jayne’s film Spree is available for viewing at the Library of Congress. Pulled under a moral clause and deemed too risqué, Spree was pulled from theatres in 1967 (the year it aired). Today the only copy known to exist is available at the Library of Congress. Oh, and another fun fact it’s on the original 35mm reel!