Genre: Biography
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9780813180953
University of Kentucky Press
452 Pages
$34.95; $33.20 Amazon
May 6, 2021
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jayne Mansfield (1933-1967) was driven not just to be an actress but to be a star. One of the most iconic sex symbols of her time, she was known for her platinum blonde hair, hourglass figure, outrageously low necklines, and flamboyant lifestyle. Hardworking and ambitious, Mansfield proved early in her career that she was adept in both comic and dramatic roles, but her tenacious search for the spotlight and her risqué promotional stunts caused her to be increasingly snubbed in Hollywood.
In this joyful biography, the first definitive one of Mansfield, Eve Golden reveals the star that Andy Warhol called "the poet of publicity" as a smart, determined woman. While she always had her sights set on the silver screen, Mansfield got her start as Rita Marlowe in the Broadway show Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? She made her film debut in the low-budget drama Female Jungle (1955) before landing the starring role in The Girl Can't Help It (1956). Mansfield followed this success with a dramatic role in The Wayward Bus (1957), winning a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year, and starred alongside Cary Grant in Kiss Them for Me (1957). Despite her popularity, her appearance as the first celebrity in Playboy and her nude scene in Promises! Promises! (1963) cemented her reputation as an outsider.
Golden looks beyond Mansfield's flashy public image and tragic death to fully explore her life and legacy. This funny, engaging biography offers a nuanced portrait of a fascinating woman who loved every minute of life and lived every minute to the utmost.
✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽
I am a huge classic film fan and own thousands of them. I also own hundreds of biographies of Hollywood actors, directors, studios, etc. I'm not interested in the actors of today, mostly because I watched those films with my parents. So I am of course eager to get my hands on anything written about actors from the past. Therefore, I wanted to read this biography.
Much has been written about actress Jayne Mansfield, but I've never thought anything had given her any justice. Eve Golden is a prolific author who has written other Hollywood biographies, and I've found her to be a fair judge and not biased on one side or the other.
Jayne Mansfield was an enigma. She wanted it all: marriage, motherhood, and utter Stardom. She tried to have it all, and failed so miserably, but never conceded that she did. She was a lovely person, both lovely in face and in her treatment of others, but was never taken seriously. Perhaps it's because she was given terrible scripts and offers; perhaps it's because she herself was at fault. I first saw her many, many years ago in a film called The Girl Can't Help It, and thought she was delightful. In that film, her gangster boyfriend wanted her to be a star, but all she wanted was a home and family. Maybe this is what should have happened to her in real life, but it was not meant to be.
She had a kind nature and while true stardom eluded her, she signed every object fans thrust in front of her. She talked to all reporters, even though they trashed everything she did and spoke badly of her. She went on tours, both to plug films and see the soldiers overseas. Jayne never landed in one place for any length of time, dragging both children and pets (and even husbands) with her.
When she died, reporters tried to make it lurid stories to sell papers. Lies were told, and to this day there are people that still believe them. She was thirty-four years old, still beautiful and young, like her fellow actors who died young - Marilyn Monroe and Jean Harlow. But while they achieved their own brand of stardom, Jayne never achieved hers until after her death. It's a sad commentary.
I will say I was at first skeptical of this biography when Ms. Golden quoted a Bob Hope film - The Lemon Drop Kid - as being a western. It's not; he plays a con artist and the movie takes place during the Christmas season. I watch it every year during the holidays. So, you can see why I was skeptical. But I found the rest of her information quite well researched and quotes from Jayne's family accompany this.
This is a hefty book that delves into Jayne's birth and upbringing; her need to have a man in her life at all times - perhaps because she craved love as well as adoration? - and her struggle to make a name for herself in Hollywood. It's well-researched, goes into great length of a recounting of Jayne's film, stage, etc., appearances and what the result of those were. Not only were reporters cruel, but other actors and studio executives. Yet Jayne never had an unkind word to say about anyone.
She was also educated, played two instruments and spoke several languages. She loved children and animals. It makes one think when you read this. You get an insight into who the woman really was. She wasn't perfect; no one is nor can they aspire to be so. But when you cease reading this book, you think how nice it would have been to sit and talk with her. But since that's impossible, you can still read the book. Highly recommended.
More on Eve Golden's Books: https://www.amazon.com/Eve-Golden/e/B000APSXOA/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1
No comments:
Post a Comment