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Affectionately, Jayne Mansfield
Discover the story of an actress, who earned fame and fortune with a seductive smile, an eye-popping hourglass figure, and a "dumb blonde" persona that belied the fact that she spoke five languages and was a concert violist and pianist. Jayne Mansfield was an American actress in film, theatre, and television. She was also a nightclub entertainer, a singer, and one of the early Playboy Playmates. She was a major Hollywood sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s. She was 20th Century Fox's answer to Marilyn Monroe and came to be known as the "Working Man's Monroe" and as America's "Smartest Dumb Blonde." She was also known for her well-publicized personal life and publicity stunts, such as wardrobe malfunctions.
Jayne became a major Broadway star in 1955, a major Hollywood star in 1956, and a leading celebrity in 1957. Her film and stage career was short-lived, yet she experienced several box office successes and won a Theatre World Award and a Golden Globe. She enjoyed success in the role of fictional actress Rita Marlowe, both in the 1955-1956 Broadway version and the 1957 Hollywood film version of Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? She showcased her comedic skills in The Girl Can't Help It (1956), her dramatic assets in The Wayward Bus (1957), and her sizzling presence in Too Hot to Handle (1960). She also sang for studio recordings, including the album Shakespeare, Tchaikovsky & Me and the single "As the Clouds Drift By," which was backed with "Suey," both featuring legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix).
Jayne's notable television work included television dramas Follow the Sun and Burke's Law , game shows The Match Game and What's My Line? , variety shows The Jack Benny Program and The Bob Hope Show , The Ed Sullivan Show , and a large number of talk shows.
By the early 1960s, Jayne's box office popularity had declined and Hollywood studios lost interest in her. In the sexploitation film Promises! Promises! (1963), she became the first major American actress to have a nude starring role in a Hollywood motion picture.
She was married three times and had three children. The world was stunned when died in a car accident at the young age of thirty-four.
This profusely illustrated biography reveals her private life, her tragic death, and her roles in films, stage plays, and television appearances. Everything you've ever wanted to know about her can be found in Affectionately, Jayne Mansfield.
Jayne became a major Broadway star in 1955, a major Hollywood star in 1956, and a leading celebrity in 1957. Her film and stage career was short-lived, yet she experienced several box office successes and won a Theatre World Award and a Golden Globe. She enjoyed success in the role of fictional actress Rita Marlowe, both in the 1955-1956 Broadway version and the 1957 Hollywood film version of Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? She showcased her comedic skills in The Girl Can't Help It (1956), her dramatic assets in The Wayward Bus (1957), and her sizzling presence in Too Hot to Handle (1960). She also sang for studio recordings, including the album Shakespeare, Tchaikovsky & Me and the single "As the Clouds Drift By," which was backed with "Suey," both featuring legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix).
Jayne's notable television work included television dramas Follow the Sun and Burke's Law , game shows The Match Game and What's My Line? , variety shows The Jack Benny Program and The Bob Hope Show , The Ed Sullivan Show , and a large number of talk shows.
By the early 1960s, Jayne's box office popularity had declined and Hollywood studios lost interest in her. In the sexploitation film Promises! Promises! (1963), she became the first major American actress to have a nude starring role in a Hollywood motion picture.
She was married three times and had three children. The world was stunned when died in a car accident at the young age of thirty-four.
This profusely illustrated biography reveals her private life, her tragic death, and her roles in films, stage plays, and television appearances. Everything you've ever wanted to know about her can be found in Affectionately, Jayne Mansfield.
- GenresNonfictionBiography
398 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 19, 2017
The only thing I knew about Jayne Mansfield was that her daughter is Mariska Hargitay(Olivia Benson for my SVU lovers). She is often mentioned in books about Marilyn Monroe as someone that Fox hired to replace her. I had thought I'd never seen one of her movies but it turns out I'd seen one A Guide For The Married Man in which she has a tiny part ( btw A Guide For The Married Man is an awful film. Please don't ever watch it). So I didn't really know that much about her. I Googled her and was informed (falsely) that she had been beheaded in car accident. So I didn't know what to expect when I started Affectionately, Jayne Mansfield.
Its not really a biography though you do get an overview of her life. It mostly focuses on her movies. You get a Filmography complete with reviews and tons of pictures. Also included are plays, tv appearances, and her night club act. Jayne Mansfield, I believe was a victim of her time and its sexist standards. She was hired for sex appeal and then shunned for being sexy. She was considered a joke and not taken seriously despite having an above average IQ and being fluent in 5 languages. She was considered immoral and not family friendly all the while having 5 children at home. Nothing Jayne did was good enough. She was hired to be a Marilyn clone but then everyone complained that she was too much like Marilyn.
I would love to read more about Jayne Mansfield because she seemed like an woman ahead of her time. I would only recommend Affectionately Jayne Mansfield too classic film lovers or Jayne Mansfield fans.
Its not really a biography though you do get an overview of her life. It mostly focuses on her movies. You get a Filmography complete with reviews and tons of pictures. Also included are plays, tv appearances, and her night club act. Jayne Mansfield, I believe was a victim of her time and its sexist standards. She was hired for sex appeal and then shunned for being sexy. She was considered a joke and not taken seriously despite having an above average IQ and being fluent in 5 languages. She was considered immoral and not family friendly all the while having 5 children at home. Nothing Jayne did was good enough. She was hired to be a Marilyn clone but then everyone complained that she was too much like Marilyn.
I would love to read more about Jayne Mansfield because she seemed like an woman ahead of her time. I would only recommend Affectionately Jayne Mansfield too classic film lovers or Jayne Mansfield fans.
May 4, 2017
Let me start by saying that this book is tied for my favorite book on Jayne. Also note that it is NOT a biography. While it contains one, it is mostly of an extended filmography filled with behind the scenes information that lets you know what was going on during filming both personally and professionally for Jayne.
Koper traces Jayne’s life through her film, television, and stage work. You see the meteoric rise of Jayne’s star as well as her unfortunate downfall through reviews and behind-the-scenes facts. I don’t know about you guys but I love reading IMDB’s Trivia pages. Imagine that but supersized. You also get a great summary of the film which is helpful for those harder to find films or films that Jayne made in Germany.
I wish that some of the pictures were in color but that is a really petty complaint when you look at this book as a whole. There are pictures on nearly every page. I also love his contemporaries section so you see what Jayne was up against. Do not rule out this book because it is not a traditional biography. So much has been written on Jayne and Koper has worked hard to find the facts. You will return over and over again to find a quote, a date, a fact, etc..
Like Koper’s other books, it is FULL of pictures, which I know every fan appreciates. Koper also includes reviews from Europe which I find helpful. Americans tend to forget that while Jayne may have faded after “Promises, Promises,” she was still huge in Europe and had a strong following. Koper shows that but still includes negative reviews which is refreshing. Personally, I get tired of overly-gushing books on celebrities. Koper shows all sides of Jayne and I think she would have appreciated that. Please, please, please, rush out and buy your copy right now!
Koper traces Jayne’s life through her film, television, and stage work. You see the meteoric rise of Jayne’s star as well as her unfortunate downfall through reviews and behind-the-scenes facts. I don’t know about you guys but I love reading IMDB’s Trivia pages. Imagine that but supersized. You also get a great summary of the film which is helpful for those harder to find films or films that Jayne made in Germany.
I wish that some of the pictures were in color but that is a really petty complaint when you look at this book as a whole. There are pictures on nearly every page. I also love his contemporaries section so you see what Jayne was up against. Do not rule out this book because it is not a traditional biography. So much has been written on Jayne and Koper has worked hard to find the facts. You will return over and over again to find a quote, a date, a fact, etc..
Like Koper’s other books, it is FULL of pictures, which I know every fan appreciates. Koper also includes reviews from Europe which I find helpful. Americans tend to forget that while Jayne may have faded after “Promises, Promises,” she was still huge in Europe and had a strong following. Koper shows that but still includes negative reviews which is refreshing. Personally, I get tired of overly-gushing books on celebrities. Koper shows all sides of Jayne and I think she would have appreciated that. Please, please, please, rush out and buy your copy right now!
October 30, 2016
I did enjoy this book - but it was more of a taster of Jayne than really indepth detail - definitely worth reading if you're on a Jayne learning curve - very easy read!
February 11, 2017
I really enjoyed the photos throughout the book. The author shows how little equality there was for women in the 50's and 60's. Jayne was a ground breaker in many ways.
November 8, 2013
I was happy to find out more about Jayne, but I really wasn't enthusiastic about how the book was arranged. Also, I am generally doubtful of biographies, but I guess the basic info is correct. However, I found some of the passages concerning or regarding Marilyn Monroe or how they related to each other... confusing at best, and plain wrong at worst.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews