Jayne Mansfield - Exposed? (1 Viewer)

[Eric Huffstutler]

Maybe the subject should read Jayne Mansfield, the lack of exposure!
Jayne Mansfield (aka Vera Jane Palmer 1933-1967) was well know for her uhhh...(+)(+) assets :b - and was once considered a major competition to Marilyn Monroe but came on the scene too late. Plus, Jayne was cast-typed as a dumb blonde when in fact she had an IQ of a genius and was a shrewd marketing agent. What did she market???... herself.
She convinced Hollywood and movie goers that she was a major movie star when in reality she was nothing more than a bit part player given top billing.
Out of roughly 30 movies she was in, only two or three (that I know of) was put out by a major studio (20th Century Fox) The Girl Can't Help It in 1956 and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? in 1957 are two of them. But I wonder just how much real celluloid time she clocked over those 30 films? There are only about 5 on DVD currently and out of those 5 movies I bet she shows up maybe a total of 20 minutes.

• When will Fox release The Girl Can't Help It?
• Anyone else have any comments on Jayne's "marketing" strategy?

Loni Anderson did an excellant portrayal of Jayne in The Jayne Mansfield Story which was released in 1980. Alan Landsburg Productions owns the rights but I believe USA may have distributed it and if so, wonder with this new merger if it will come out on DVD?
Any inside info on this?

 

[Steve_Ch]

>>Plus, Jayne was cast-typed as a dumb blonde when in fact she had an IQ of a genius and was a shrewd marketing agent.

 

[Holden Pike]

Dick Cavett once introduced her on his show with, "And here they are, Jayne Mansfield."
A piece of trivia not many people realize: Jayne's daughter with bodybuilder husband Mickey Hargitay (played by Schwarzenegger in that made-for-TV biopic starring Loni Anderson) is "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star Link Removed. She was in the car accident that killed her mother.

 

[Steve_Ch]

>>is "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star

 

[ReggieW]

I believe I saw an A & E Biography where the claims of her "genius level IQ" (did she ever claim this herself?) were just that....PR. One of Hollywoods great urban legends according to some of her agents and managers who were interviewed. She certainly wasn't dumb, but there is no evidence that she was Einstein either. I don't necessarily believe that she was that well marketed anyway. I mean, she was always in Marilyn's shadow, and was relegated to the B-movie category while still in her prime. I do not necessarily believe that movie-goers were ever convinced that Jayne was a big star, but she was quite a media celebrity, much in the way Pamela Lee is today. Personally, I was not very impressed with her "marketing strategy." However, I felt really bad for her in those last few years. Sadly, she never acquired the mega-star status of Harlow or Monroe.
Reg:frowning: