By Anika
Logan
American actress and sex siren of the 1950’s and 1960’s,
Jayne Mansfield was often referred to as the “poor man’s Marilyn
Monroe” although she lacked the ability to exude the same level
of vulnerability onscreen as Monroe did. Jayne, obsessed with
the color pink, soon found herself joining the ranks of the “Ma
girls” who were Marilyn Monroe and Mamie Van Doren, and then of
course, herself.
Jayne Mansfield was born Vera Jayne Palmer on April 19,
1933 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She arrived in Los Angeles in
1954 wanting to be a star. She studied acting at UCLA and soon
found small parts in television. Her first movie role was in
“Female Jungle” in 1954 followed by a sexy role in “Pete Kelly’s
Blues” in 1955. In February of the same year she was chosen as
Playboy’s ‘Playmate of the Month’, which brought her more of the
attention that she craved. A part in the Broadway show, “Will
Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” spilled over into the film version
in 1957. It was this film that was considered to be her
Hollywood breakthrough film and won her a tremendous amount of
male fans for her scantily dressed appearance. This established
her sex kitten persona.
Her high-pitched voice, bubbly smile and undeniable sex
appeal (including the way she enjoyed flaunting her body) led to
a series of roles in films where she was cast as a sex kitten, a
dumb blonde or both. Jayne Mansfield did manage to find some
more serious roles worthy of respect but for the most part she
continued to be typecast as, aforementioned, a sexy woman with
little brains. In 1964 Mansfield was offered the part of movie
star Ginger Grant on the series “Gilligan’s Island” but turned
it down, feeling that it only epitomized the stereotype she
wished to rid herself of (but never completely managed to do).
Jayne Mansfield was married three times and gave birth to
five children. In May 1950 she married Paul Mansfield and gave
birth to their daughter, Jayne Marie Mansfield on November 8,
1950. The couple was divorced on January 8, 1958 and Jayne
married her second husband, Mickey Hargitay on January 13, 1958.
She gave birth to three children, two boys and a girl, Miklos
Hargitay, Jr., born on December 21, 1958, Zoltan Hargitay, born
August 1, 1960 and Mariska Hargitay, born January 24, 1964.
Jayne and Mickey divorced in August 1964 and Jayne remarried yet
again in September 1964 to Matt Cimber with whom she had a son,
Antonio Raphael Ottaviano Cimber who was born on October 18,
1965. The couple divorced in July 1966. According to sources
close to the couple, Jayne always remained close friends with
her second husband Mickey.
In an interview done early in 1967 Jayne Mansfield was
quoted as saying, “I will never be satisfied. Life is one
constant search for betterment for me.” Jayne’s career was on a
downward spiral and she soon began performing in nightclubs to
keep money rolling in.
On the ill-fated night of June 28, 1967, Jayne performed
a show at a place called the Gus Stevens Supper Club in Biloxi,
Mississippi. She performed two shows, one at 9 PM and then one
later at 11PM. After the last show of the night, Jayne, her
three young children (Miklos, Zoltan and Mariska), her attorney
and companion Sam Brody, and their driver, a twenty-year old
friend named Ronnie Harrison headed out on the road on their way
to New Orleans because Jayne had a television guest spot the
following day. The car they were driving in was a 1965 or 1966
Buick. Early in the morning hours of June 29, while traveling on
Highway 90 (known today as I-10) between Slidell and New
Orleans, Jayne’s car collided with the back end of a tractor
trailer and went underneath the truck, killing Jayne, Sam and
Ronnie instantly.
The children, all asleep in the back seat,
suffered nothing more than a few minor cuts and bruises. The car
was described as appearing to be, “crumpled like a piece of
tinfoil after a cookout.” Jayne’s four Chihuahuas were also in
the car with them and one died as a result of the crash.
The world was shocked at the news of the horrendous end
to the life of actress Jayne Mansfield who was only 34 at the
time of her death. Jayne was buried in the Fairview Cemetery in
Plainfield, Pennsylvania (which is just outside Pen Argyl).
Dedicated to her memory is a cenotaph that was erected in
Hollywood Forever Memorial Park in Hollywood, California.
Jayne Mansfield’s final film, “Single Room Furnished” was
released the year following her death to much fanfare. Jayne
starred in a total of 25 films in her short career and struggled
hard for the respectability she always fell short of. The memory
of the beautiful woman with the exceptional figure who beguiled
so many is still an object of fascination for a select group of
people (much in the same way as Marilyn Monroe is, only in a
smaller quantity). What Jayne Mansfield could have done with her
life and her career from that point on will always remain a
mystery.
“Stars were made to suffer, and I am a star.”
Jayne Mansfield
“If you’re going to do something wrong, do it big, because the
punishment is the same either way.”
Jayne Mansfield
1933-1967
