Do you consider Jayne Mansfield a tragic Hollywood figure?

tragic indeed

No her death was horrific but she seemed to have a lot of fun in her life.

I consider her tragic. At the end of her life she had to resort to stripping to make money and hung around The Church of Satan.

More tragic than MM actually. When I think of her legacy, it’s pretty much just one film—“The Girl Can’t Help It”—Sophia Loren’s stink eye, and her daughter. As fab as Mariska is, JM is hardly held in a high regard like Marilyn, who gets to be remembered for her body of work by most. Mansfield’s star was totally burning out in the end, and she is always considered an imitation of MM. She’s even more of a tragic figure to me because much of her existance in Hollywood was the result of a raw deal.

She was first to be kicked off on her season but I still think the exposure helps book better gigs and raised her club fees. She has toured a bit with the more famous queens and got some better wigs. It's not that tragic.

I don't understand your reply, R5.

Anyway, I saw her on an episode of "This is Your Life" and she came across as possibly the sweetest, warmest, kindest person who ever lived. Her family was there. They were simple, poor folks who adored her. I agree with the poster upthread who wrote that she seemed to have a lot of fun in her life, although she was struggling at the time of her death - desperate for gigs and exposure (!) and money, and drinking a lot. "The Girl Can't Help It" is a great movie; too bad she couldn't have had more of those.

I remember that when she died my gay older brother was completely shattered.

R4 & R6 It wasn’t one of her leading roles but she was pretty good in ‘Who Spoiled Rock Hunter?’ as well.

Before I watched it, I only knew of her due to her tragic exploits but I was actually quite impressed by her performance though I admittedly did have low expectations.

At least she has the terrific Loni Anderson tv biopic to sustain her legacy.

[quote] It wasn’t one of her leading roles but she was pretty good in ‘Who Spoiled Rock Hunter?’

What?! The title is "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter", and she was the STAR of the pic. She initiated the role on Broadway and the pic was made especially for her.

She's really quite good in THE WAYWARD BUS, where she is romanced by skeevy Dan Dailey. Joan Collins has a small role.

No I don't. She exploited herself to the maximum, and thought she could become a star based on her looks, body and dumb blonde persona.

Marilyn on the other hand, did not want to be known for her beauty, sex appeal and dumb blonde persona. She was driven to study the craft of acting throughout her career, and she even married Arthur Miller in hopes that it would give her a bit of gravitas. I do think she loved him, but the love stemmed from admiration and respect more than sexual chemistry. I was a wee child when JM was in her final years, and trust me, she made Fergie(and her desperation) look like Garbo.

Do I feel sad for her and her family? Yes. But I feel she was 100% responsible for her downfall.

R9 I would say Tony Randall was the main character in it but I get your point.

And as for me butchering the title, that’s what lack of sleep does to me!

Jayne's death car is on display in Los Angeles at the Dearly Departed Tours and Artifact Museum.

In 2017 we opened our Artifact Museum which includes a piece of The Hindenburg, Rock Hudson's death bed, Natalie Wood's prescription bottle and Jayne Mansfield's 1966 Buick death car.

Which Fergie, R11 ?

No I don't.

[quote] Marilyn on the other hand, did not want to be known for her beauty, sex appeal and dumb blonde persona. She was driven to study the craft of acting throughout her career, and she even married Arthur Miller in hopes that it would give her a bit of gravitas.

This is tragically true, Marilyn was a victim of her own success when it came to her legion of lesser clones like Mansfield. Even Crawford who disliked Marylin intensely said that the girl had talent and she was sorry when she died. Of Mansfield Crawford said "That's not even an actress. That's boobs with a mouth trying to get publicity. It isn't hard work to stick your chest out and make everyone stare at your tit's. Please!"

R16, Joan Crawford isn't an actress either, she's a "star". Same with Marilyn--her attempts at serious "acting" were flat.

her death was horrific. She was the first person I had heard of being decapitated since Marie Antoinette but it was probably pretty painless.

Many do not agree with you R17.

R18 just awoke from a 50 year coma.

she wasn't? That's what I remember from the news because I was young and at the time thought it was a horrid way to go. Was it fake news?

r18 Which must be why MM resorted to stripping naked to hog magazine covers in 1962. She was just a few months away from becoming a JM-level train wreck then. The only difference between them was that MM died after Happy Birthday Mr. President, which shrouded the death in intriguing conspiracy theories and kept her iconic. JM does not have that level of mystery to her life and death, thus why less iconic.

No. She was an insult to Monroe and contributed to her misery. Talentless. Trashy. No love for her

LOL R16 Joan Crawford actually said that about Jayne Mansfield? If she did that's funny. Crawford was a hot mess LOL. I love her.

She was not decapitated.

Crawford notoriously fucked Monroe and then stalked her.

R19, but many, many others would agree with me. The only good acting Crawford really did was in Johnny Guitar and Mildred Pierce. Aside from those two roles, she was a star, not an actress. Same with Monroe.

I see. It was rumors that she was decapitated which would make sense since they went under the tractor trailer. So it was "fake" news.

Her wig flew off but she kept her head.

Monroe was a very good film actress. The material she was given to work with was insulting. She had a poetic quality that made, for instance, 'some like it hot 'better than its script. And she had great comedic timing. She basically played whores and sluts, but elevated them and was never vulgar. She always added humanity, feeling and vulnerability to them. She sang and danced very well. She was very good in 'bus stop' for instance. I think she was at her best in that film, and 'some like it hot'. She was good in niagara, clash by night, the 7 year itch, and many more. She is at the same time overrated, overexposed, and misjudged.

Here is Jayne showing off her acting skills.........

Jayne and Mickey.

Mariska looks nothing like her

R33, I don't agree at all. She looks a LOT like her in that picture.

"It isn't hard work to stick your chest out and make everyone stare at your tit's. Please!"

You mean like this?

Ah, but this is Norma Jean. Hollywood was cruel to the blondes who put out and closed its doors to the ones who refused. Mansfield wasn't a beauty. Marilyn was one of a kind lovely.

I hate John Lennon.

Barbara, please!

Jayne and Mickey must have had outrageously hot sex.

R36 what a lovely photo. Thank you. Never seen before

Just her death was tragic. Jayne Mansfield was a completely artificial construct; she knew what she was doing.

One of my treasures is a vinyl copy of Jayne Mansfield reads Shakespeare, She's terrible.

Lol R42 ? Did that REALLY happen ? I love that Mansfield recorded shakespeare while Vivien Leigh recorded Beatrix potter

R37, that's fucked up.

She sure was fucked up considering how supposedly intelligent she was.

JM's problem was that she was never as big a star as MM in life. Nor did she get to have a publicized affair with JFK right before dying. So yeah, more tragic but less iconic.

Jayne had talent, but unfortunately was so enamored of the white-trash fantasy of 'stardom' that she cheapened herself with her numerous publicity stunts and quick money-making schemes like the "Jayne Mansfield Hot-Water Bottle" and spent more time on "living the life of a star" that she made stupid career decisions at Fox, turning down "Anatomy of a Murder" in favor of "Kiss Them For Me" because she was thrilled at the chance to be in a movie with Cary Grant. On the other hand, I'm not sure how long her film career would have lasted into the '60s as the era of the blond bombshell was coming to a close. I'm not sure how much longer MM could have lasted as a major star into the '6Os either - she wanted to be treated as a serious actress but people forget that being a sex symbol was also very important to her as well.

If even an A-lister like Monroe had to resort to nudity to get on magazine covers once she got older, what choice did b-list Mansfield have but to do those vulgar publicity stunts? It was that or be forgotten. Mansfield truly was a tragic Hollywood figure.

Monroe wouldn't have gone very far in the sixties anyway. Taylor, hepburn, Wood, the last generation of studio stars were all gone by 1970. Can you even imagine Monroe in the hippie era or the 70's? It was never meant to be. She embodies the 50's, the post war exuberance, the pin up with the breast shells. A happy time in our collective psyche. And its perfect that we never saw her old. That's poor Norma Jean 's most triumphant legacy

Ditsy bombshells can only degenerate into dumb fraus once aging happens. Bombshell celebrity don't last unless through early death.

Say what you will the gal knew how to decorate...

Jayne's tragedy is that she entered the one industry where it is self-promotional skills, not high IQ, that matters.

R51, that is fucking gaudy.

The den...

Jayne was second only to Barbara Payton in tragic Hollywood declines. Someone walked in once when he heard Jayne freaking out. She had climbed halfway up her "leather" wall and was screaming her head off while Sam Brody crawled around naked on the floor flicking his tongue in and out like a giant lizard. They were out of their minds on pills, booze and acid.

Not at all. At least she had a heart-shaped pool.

Jayne Mansfield was the Kim Kardashian of her day. Not beautiful, not a star, just an obnoxious train wreck.

She was 60 years ahead of her time when it came to self-promotion. Insane, hilarious publicity stunts every week (a pink elephant as a birthday present, walking an ocelot down Hollywood Boulevard) — she even installed an open bar in her Pink Palace that was open day and night to any reporters who wanted to stop by.

The swimming pool ...

Her self-promotion was heavy-hand and yet counter-productive. It didn't fascinate the public, it repulsed them. Good self-promotion would be the so called activism actresses of the late 60s. Jayne's methods were passe and so she became passe. Such was her tragedy.

If Jayne Mansfield had lived she probably would have ended up like Mamie Van Doren, a faded sex symbol who lived on past memories.

Mamie made a few memorable movies such as Teacher's Pet with Clark Gable and Doris Day but by the time the 1960's rolled around she only appeared in dreck movies. Close to 90 she still tries to cash in as being a sex siren.

Both Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren appeared in the D List movie, Las Vegas Hillbillies. They disliked each other so much that they refused to share scenes together and body doubles had to be used.

Jayne might get better gigs than Mamie, but she would have come to a similar place had she lived.

r62 As would Monroe. Bombshells just don't age well, that with their affinity for surgeries and substances.

Not really, her death was shitty though. She accomplished things, had a career, got married and had five kids who turned out normal.

She was very pretty when young.

She was a successful whore who went to the top....her jugs took her a long way and got her a pink swimming pool.

Way to go jaynie!

Looking at pictures of the car wreck, it's a miracle anyone survived that.

[quote]Her family was there. They were simple, poor folks who adored her.

Her family was upper-middle class.

Jayne reportedly had an IQ of 149. I wonder if Mariska inherited that 'gift' from her mother.

She isn't bad at all.