Why Marilyn Monroe's main rival was never replaced: Jane Mansfield

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

She was one of the main blondes in Hollywood, and fans never ceased to be amazed at how different Jane Mansfield can be. She had a weakness for everything pink, was fond of the occult sciences, and at the same time her IQ level was 149 points. She knew five languages, and she herself created a cute image of a frivolous blonde who is only interested in men. Jane Mansfield simply had to take the place of Marilyn Monroe after the death of the latter.

Divorce as the beginning of a successful career

Vera Jane Palmer was born in 1933 and attracted attention from childhood. She not only studied well, but also studied languages, danced beautifully and played the violin, piano and viola. Growing up, she won almost every beauty pageant in Austin, where she lived, and set out to pursue a career in Hollywood.

At the age of 17, Jane first married Paul Mansfield, from whom she was already expecting a child at that time. After the birth of her daughter, Jane left the baby to be raised by her grandmothers, and she and her husband moved to California. There she began to try herself in theatrical performances, and then took part in the Miss California competition. Jane won the first round and was disqualified at the end of the first round for having a husband and a child.

The first experience of filming in advertising was unsuccessful due to excessive sexuality. Later, she starred in the film "Women's Jungle" and broke up with her husband. The reason for the divorce was the constant betrayal of both, and also the excessive love of a charming blonde for animals: eight four-legged friends lived with her in a rented apartment.

The divorce went to Jane Mansfield's benefit: she appeared on stage in Broadway productions, began acting in films, signed a contract with Warner Brothers and successfully realized herself as a model. Her photos in Playboy magazine have consistently enjoyed success.

Marriages and novels

Mickey Hargitay, winner of the Mr. Universe contest, became Jane's second husband. The spouses were like each other, like two kali waters: ambitious, selfish, dreaming of a brilliant career and adoring big gestures.

The lovers were married in the church, which was completely glass, so that journalists and photographers could capture the sacrament in all details. At the same time, only a few days passed from the moment Jane's official divorce from her first husband to her marriage to her second husband.

Mickey Hargitay and Jane Mansfield were the perfect family. Together they performed in their own very erotic show, acted in films and took part in television programs, became the founders of several companies and wrote a biographical book. And they had three children. True, Jane Mansfield also managed to start romances on the side, while each subsequent lover was richer and more famous than the previous one. Naturally, the reputation of the blonde was far from perfect, but this did not prevent the beauty from enjoying success with men.

In 1960, Jane became one of the most photographed celebrities, and her name was used in the press most of all. At the same time, the actress never refused interviews, advertising filming and photo shoots. She gladly provided the press with a variety of news feeds, enjoying the attention to her person. If nothing happened in her life, Mansfield skillfully manipulated her clothes, forcing them to unbutton, untie and fall off at the same time when there were many photographers around.

Jane's marriage to Mickey Hargate ended in divorce, after which she very quickly married director and producer Matt Simber. But the couple broke up without having lived a year together, although they officially filed for divorce after another 12 months due to another pregnancy of the actress. The actress did not succeed in becoming a faithful wife, she did not even try to hide her infidelities from her husband.

Jane Mansfield had plenty of romances. She had a short affair with John F. Kennedy even before Marilyn Monroe was next to him. Among the men conquered by the beauty at different times were the famous producer from Italy Enrico Bomba, the singer Nelson Sardelli from Brazil, the brother of the President of the United States Robert Kennedy, the Brazilian billionaire Jorge Guinle, the French restaurateur Claude Terrail and many other very famous and rich men. The list was completed by the lawyer Sam Brody, an affair with whom arose just a year before the tragic death of the actress.

Career decline and tragic death

The more often men changed next to her, the less often Jane acted in films. 20th Century Fox, signing a contract with Jane Mansfield, hoped that the blonde could replace Marilyn Monroe, who died in 1962, but hopes were not destined to come true. The company's management began willingly to lease the actress to European studios, but the low-budget films in which Jane starred did not bring her any fame or money, and some did not even appear on the screens.

But the picture “Promises! Promises!”, Where Jane Mansfield appeared completely naked in the frame. However, this is precisely what became the main advantage of the film. After the actress no longer acted in films, but more and more interrupted by performances in nightclubs and private events. In addition, at that time, a completely different image became more and more in demand on the screens, actresses similar to Audrey Hepburn came into fashion: thin, fragile, similar to adolescents. Jane Mansfield has ceased to be as popular as before. If Marilyn Monroe were alive, for sure, she would also have gone into the shadows.

The type of a silly blonde with curvaceous shapes and capricious lips was a thing of the past, but she continued to maintain her reputation as a silly blonde and shocked the audience with her inextinguishable love for everything pink. She dressed in pink, lived in a pink house, and rode a pink Cadillac.

And a year before her tragic death, Jane Mansfield suddenly shocked everyone by receiving the title of "High Priestess of the Church of Satan in San Francisco." This title was granted to her by the founder of the church, Anton LaVey, who also could not resist the charms of the blonde and entered into an affair with her. On June 29, 1967, she was in a car accident with her last lover, Sam Brody, and three children. The driver, Sam Brody and Jane Mansfield died instantly. Fortunately, the children received only minor injuries. The actress was only 34 years old at the time of her death.

Jane Mansfield's rival Marilyn Monroe was loved and disliked, envied and whispered behind her back, admired and imitated, and she continued to shine on TV screens, radiantly smiling at the world. But behind the scenes, the life of the legendary and charming Marilyn Monroe was far from rosy, as it seemed at first glance.