Any recommended books on Jayne's life?
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Jayne Mansfield
sugarkane1992 — 11 years ago(May 22, 2014 02:56 PM)
Can anyone recommend which Jayne books/biographies to start with to learn more about her? Would Raymond Strait's book be a good place to start? He seems to talk very fondly of her in documentaries I've seen on Jayne. I've been a fan of hers for 111cyears but now is the time for me to read what people have written about her. Last thing I want to do is read a book about her life that is full of written inconsistencies. Ok, lies on behalf of the author!
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hilljayne — 11 years ago(June 05, 2014 11:18 AM)
I would recommend PINK GODDESS by Michael Feeney Callahan. It's excellent with some great photos. I wouldn't start with Ray Strait's. Ray has gone on record saying he embellished a few things to make the book more scandalous. They're good funbut probably about 60% accurate.
http://www.amazon.com/Pink-Goddess-Jayne-Mansfield-Story/dp/0863791646
Dammit Carol Sue, where is the vodka?! -
BoyWiththeGreenHair — 11 years ago(July 04, 2014 02:29 PM)
While there are probably more thorough studies of Mansfield's life that have come since, Martha Saxton's
Jayne Mansfield and the American Fifties
(1975), is definitely an interesting read, particularly as an overview and study of her status as a pop culture icon. Again, if your looking for a literal biography, this may not be the book for you, but Saxton comes to some very interesting conclusions. Its just a great evaluation of her career as a "blonde bombshell" and her ultimate demise. At one point she assesses her relevance within the context of the public lives of Emma Goldman and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, which isn't something you read every day, lol. -
BoyWiththeGreenHair — 11 years ago(July 07, 2014 07:06 PM)
The writing itself is beautiful, at times almost poetic. But, it does come off as somewhat lacking in terms of the details of Jayne's life. At times it seems less about her than it is about what she represented. Its a fun read, but I don't doubt that there are more substantive pieces that have come since; although I appreciated how Saxton repositioned her as an empowered figure as opposed to an outright victim who couldn't think for herself.