Were Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe Rivals?
Mansfield Claims She Was ‘Completely Different' From Fellow Blonde Bombshell
Jayne Mansfield, the iconic Hollywood actress, is the subject of an upcoming biography titled “Jayne Mansfield: The Girl Couldn't Help It.”
The book delves into the frequent comparisons made between Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe.
Mansfield herself once asserted that she was “completely different” from Monroe, although she expressed sympathy upon Monroe's tragic death.
Conversely, Monroe was said to have been displeased with Mansfield's imitation of her appearance.
While Marilyn Monroe garnered fame as Hollywood's original blonde bombshell, she was not the sole platinum-haired starlet to grace the silver screen.
Following Monroe's rise to stardom in the early 1950s, a wave of starlets with a similar look emerged, including Mamie Van Doren, Anita Ekberg, and Kim Novak.
Among them was Jayne Mansfield, who made a splash in Hollywood when she signed a contract with 20th Century Fox in 1956.
The studio saw Mansfield as a potential replacement for the increasingly unpredictable Monroe.
However, Mansfield, born in Pennsylvania, did not view herself merely as a Marilyn clone, as revealed by Eve Golden in her forthcoming biography, “Jayne Mansfield: The Girl Couldn't Help It.”
The book offers a comprehensive exploration of Mansfield's life and career, shedding light on the constant comparisons drawn between her and Monroe.
Jayne Mansfield vehemently denied any significant similarities between herself and Marilyn Monroe.
Mansfield dedicated years to building her career in Hollywood, taking on roles in smaller films and even posing for Playboy.
However, her breakthrough came in 1955 when she was cast as a character resembling Monroe in the Broadway play “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?”
Critics were quick to draw parallels between Monroe and Mansfield's character, Rita Marlowe.
Nevertheless, Mansfield insisted that Rita was a composite of various glamorous women and emphasized that she was not impersonating Marilyn Monroe.
“Marilyn and I are completely different,” Mansfield declared, as quoted by Golden.
In addition to her portrayal in “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?”
Mansfield went on to star in movies such as “The Wayward Bus” and “The Girl Can't Help It.”
Notably, she also made a less-than-subtle comment about her supposed rival.
“I've always believed, since I was a young girl, that she was the most beautiful woman in the world,” Mansfield acknowledged.
“But you know, I don't really resemble her at all.
You can take almost any reasonably attractive girl, bleach her hair, moisten her lips, dress her tightly, and make her sway a little when she walks, and well, we would all appear somewhat alike.”
Nonetheless, upon Monroe's untimely death in 1962, Mansfield expressed her deep sympathy.
“I simply cannot believe it.
I am so sorry.
Truly, so sorry,” she lamented.
Subsequently, she referred to Monroe's passing as “one of the greatest tragedies in the world.”
While Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe never crossed paths, according to Golden, Monroe was aware of Mansfield's existence and held a less-than-favorable opinion of her.
Lawrence Quirk, another author, claimed in his book “The Kennedys in Hollywood” that Monroe dismissed Mansfield as a cheap imitation and expressed her desire for legal recourse against her.
“All she does is imitate me, but her imitations are an insult to both her and myself,” Monroe stated.
“I understand that being imitated is meant to be flattering, but her rendition is so crude, so vulgar—I wish I had legal grounds to sue her.”
Monroe seemingly did not appreciate Mansfield borrowing from her appearance.
(It is worth noting that, according to Quirk, Mansfield also allegedly had an affair with JFK, just like Monroe.)
However, for many others, Mansfield's exaggerated portrayal of the blonde bombshell persona was a significant part of her allure.
“In my world, Jayne Mansfield is the ultimate movie star,” acclaimed film director John Waters remarked, as quoted by Golden.
“She was a parody of Marilyn Monroe—she went beyond parody; she was an insane Marilyn Monroe…
I never
