The Jayne Mansfield Collection [discussion thread] (1 Viewer)

[Emcee]

Rock Hunter

ROCK HUNTER was my favorite of her movies for a really long time. I guess it's really her signature part: she played fictional screen siren Rita Marlowe on the Broadway stage and in the movie version. The role really established her star persona and made her star. ROCK HUNTER is a delicious send-up of the old school way of TV advertisement. Jayne and Tony Randall work well together, and it's a shame that they didn't get paired up again. Perhaps they would've had Jayne stuck around in Hollywood and been assigned better pictures.

the sheriff and fractured jaw

FRACTURED JAW is a misfire. Kenneth More is a decent enough leading man, but this fish-of-water story just seems a little ill-suited for Jayne. I guess the movie itself is pretty good, but it's just too long-winded and Jayne plays second fiddle to More, who can be a little irksome outside of smaller doses. The movie does provide some humor, Jayne sings some obviously dubbed songs (Connie Francis stepped in for her vocals), but she does do decent with the Western accent. The main issue is that the part of Kate is just a bland, thankless role for her. To be one of the flashiest movie stars of the late-'50s, Fox sure cast her in some sorry pictures.

 

[Osato]

I just ordered Kiss Them For Me. I read the reviews but I think I’ll still enjoy it.

 

[Osato]

ROCK HUNTER was my favorite of her movies for a really long time. I guess it's really her signature part: she played fictional screen siren Rita Marlowe on the Broadway stage and in the movie version. The role really established her star persona and made her star. ROCK HUNTER is a delicious send-up of the old school way of TV advertisement. Jayne and Tony Randall work well together, and it's a shame that they didn't get paired up again. Perhaps they would've had Jayne stuck around in Hollywood and been assigned better pictures.

View attachment 127145​

FRACTURED JAW is a misfire. Kenneth More is a decent enough leading man, but this fish-of-water story just seems a little ill-suited for Jayne. I guess the movie itself is pretty good, but it's just too long-winded and Jayne plays second fiddle to More, who can be a little irksome outside of smaller doses. The movie does provide some humor, Jayne sings some obviously dubbed songs (Connie Francis stepped in for her vocals), but she does do decent with the Western accent. The main issue is that the part of Kate is just a bland, thankless role for her. To be one of the flashiest movie stars of the late-'50s, Fox sure cast her in some sorry pictures.

View attachment 127146

Thanks for your reviews and thoughts.
I really enjoyed Rock Hunter and Jayne is great in the film too.

I’m not in a hurry but I am really enjoying trying to find films of Lake, Mansfield, Van Doren and Dors.

 

[Beckford]

I’m not in a hurry but I am really enjoying trying to find films of Lake, Mansfield, Van Doren and Dors.

I don't think anyone's mentioned the movie so far, but I've always enjoyed Mansfield's 1960 film Gli Amore di Ercole/The Loves of Hercules/Hercules vs the Hydra. If you have any fondness for sword and sandal films, you may want to check it out. Jayne plays a glamorous queen opposite real life hubby Mickey Hargitay as Hercules. I think it's fairly difficult to find these days - even in DVD. But - as you indicated - a certain amount of fun comes in the search.
Diana Dors gave several outstanding performances in the 50's, all of which are available, I think, in either DVD or Region 2 Blu-ray, The Last Page aka Man Bait, Lady Godiva Rides Again (terrific supporting work from Dors in both) and Yield to the Night, a tough crime drama that features what's probably her all-time best starring performance.
If you like flashy blondes - which you certainly seem to - I'd recommend the entertaining 1960 comedy Who Was That Lady?, which you might be able to locate on DVD. Tony Curtis, Dean Martin and Janet Leigh star. But platinum bombshells Barbara Nichols and Joi Lansing, ideally teamed as sexy sisters, are hilarious in their extended segment. While they're onscreen they absolutely steal the picture. And look sensational as they do it.

 

[Robin9]

Thanks for your reviews and thoughts.
I really enjoyed Rock Hunter and Jayne is great in the film too.

I’m not in a hurry but I am really enjoying trying to find films of Lake, Mansfield, Van Doren and Dors.

You shouldn't have trouble finding Veronica Lake's best movies because they're on Blu-ray disc: This Gun For Hire, Sullivan's Travels, The Glass Key, The Blue Dahlia and Ramrod. There's a DVD boxset of Mamie Van Doren films still available. Much of Diana Dors is now on disc including The Long Haul and Passport To Shame on a U.K Blu-ray disc. The one of hers I want is The Unholy Wife which co-star Rod Steiger described as garbage.

 

[Emcee]

The Unholy Wife

The Unholy Wife (1957) - Diana Dors DVD

Enjoy to browse through our collection of rare and hard-to-find movies

rare-movie-collector.com

 

[Emcee]

Veronica Lake

Not a big fan of Veronica Lake. For me, about the most interesting thing about her was her peek-a-boo hairdo. On film, she lacked charisma and any distinct personality. A product of her time, I suppose.​

 

[Emcee]

I really enjoyed Rock Hunter and Jayne is great in the film too.

It is easily one of my favorite classic satires.

 

[Emcee]

THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT is getting a Criterion release.

Press Release - Criterion Press Release: The Girl Can't Help It (1956) (Blu-ray)

In 1956, Frank Tashlin brought the talent for zany visual gags and absurdist pop-culture satire that he’d honed as a master of animation to the task of capturing, in glorious DeLuxe Color, a brand-new craze: rock and roll. This blissfully bonkers jukebox musical tells the story of a mobster’s...

www.hometheaterforum.com

 

[Osato]

You shouldn't have trouble finding Veronica Lake's best movies because they're on Blu-ray disc: This Gun For Hire, Sullivan's Travels, The Glass Key, The Blue Dahlia and Ramrod. There's a DVD boxset of Mamie Van Doren films still available. Much of Diana Dors is now on disc including The Long Haul and Passport To Shame on a U.K Blu-ray disc. The one of hers I want is The Unholy Wife which co-star Rod Steiger described as garbage.

Thanks for the recommendations on Lake. I now have all of these titles either on disc or digital. Ramrod is out of print but I found a used Blu-ray copy.

Thank you for the Dors title recommendations too!!! I’ll have to check on Amazon uk for her titles as her fame was larger there than in the US.

 

[Keith Cobby]

I'm a big fan of Veronica Lake, particularly This Gun For Hire and Sullivan's Travels. There's a great video tribute to her on YouTube set to Love is Blue.

 

[Osato]

ROCK HUNTER was my favorite of her movies for a really long time. I guess it's really her signature part: she played fictional screen siren Rita Marlowe on the Broadway stage and in the movie version. The role really established her star persona and made her star. ROCK HUNTER is a delicious send-up of the old school way of TV advertisement. Jayne and Tony Randall work well together, and it's a shame that they didn't get paired up again. Perhaps they would've had Jayne stuck around in Hollywood and been assigned better pictures.

View attachment 127145​

FRACTURED JAW is a misfire. Kenneth More is a decent enough leading man, but this fish-of-water story just seems a little ill-suited for Jayne. I guess the movie itself is pretty good, but it's just too long-winded and Jayne plays second fiddle to More, who can be a little irksome outside of smaller doses. The movie does provide some humor, Jayne sings some obviously dubbed songs (Connie Francis stepped in for her vocals), but she does do decent with the Western accent. The main issue is that the part of Kate is just a bland, thankless role for her. To be one of the flashiest movie stars of the late-'50s, Fox sure cast her in some sorry pictures.

View attachment 127146

Agreed on fractured jaw. Watched it split over 2 nights. Found it to be long and low on laughs too. Disappointing.

 

[Emcee]

Agreed on fractured jaw. Watched it split over 2 nights. Found it to be long and low on laughs too. Disappointing.

Visually, FRACTURED JAW is beautiful. And Mansfield does play a "different" character in it. Kate isn't a "dumb blonde" part, but it doesn't really stretch her talents, either. My main complaints would align with yours: the movie is too long and not funny enough.​

 

[Osato]

I noticed there are several versions of The Fat Spy on dvd. Is there one that is recommended. I know this is a lesser film but would like to see it.

 

[Osato]

Kiss Them For Me I did not enjoy. It felt like the story was thin. Jayne was good in it though. Not a film I’ll watch again soon.

 

[Osato]

The Burglar sounds like a good film. I believe it is on digital HD.

Any fans of this one?

 

[Robin9]

The Burglar sounds like a good film. I believe it is on digital HD.

Any fans of this one?

Yes, I enjoy this film. I think it's one of Jayne's most interesting performances, partly because it's unlike anything else she ever did. The Burglar is in Volume Two of the TCM Columbia Film Noir Box-set.

I've made this point before but it bears repeating. I'd like to see a remake of this film with the story being told this time from the girl's point of view. She's a young waif lusted after by men she can't stand while the one man she does want is uninterested. She goes away and is duped and used by a man who pretends he loves her.

 

[bujaki]

+1 on The Burglar.

 

[RolandL]

The Burglar sounds like a good film. I believe it is on digital HD.

Any fans of this one?

It was on TCM recently. It has some scenes of the Steel Pier in Atlantic City.

 

[Robert Crawford]

The Burglar sounds like a good film. I believe it is on digital HD.

Any fans of this one?

Yes, I enjoy this film. I think it's one of Jayne's most interesting performances, partly because it's unlike anything else she ever did. The Burglar is in Volume Two of the TCM Columbia Film Noir Box-set.

I've made this point before but it bears repeating. I'd like to see a remake of this film with the story being told this time from the girl's point of view. She's a young waif lusted after by men she can't stand while the one man she does want is uninterested. She goes away and is duped and used by a man who pretends he loves her.

A good film that I last watched back in 2020. I have that TCM DVD boxset and when it was on sale, purchased the HD digital from Vudu for $5.00. I agree with was one of Jayne's most interesting and better performances. Dan Duryea was great in this movie as the film title's character.