7/24/06: Jayne Mansfield’s Wild, Wild World (1963)

It’s been another weekend of hearing about Israel’s "disproportionate response" at wartime. We’re thinking that, yeah, Israel’s response hasn’t been excessive enough. At least advancing into Lebanon is a start.

We don’t want to celebrate war, though. It’s also not the time for macho posturing. Okay, maybe it’s always time for macho posturing, but we’ve got a spiritual side. We want a sign that the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom—or at least the serenity of knowing some Shiite terrorist isn’t going to kill your family.

Our search for excess brings us to Jayne Mansfield’s Wild, Wild World.

The paperback's cover blurb announces the “world’s hottest sex symbol reveals secrets of her relentless drive to stardom.” That would be interesting enough. Mansfield was the savviest of the ’50s sex bombs, and her early death put an unfair end to what might’ve still been a fine career.

None of that, however, promises much in the way of political content. The chapters alternate between narration by Mansfield and her then-husband Micky Hargitay. Early on, Hargitay’s assuring us that Jayne “never mixes in politics.”

The book’s most conservative aspect seems to be Mansfield’s relative wholesomeness. Hargitay assures us that his wife believes in God and the Ten Commandments, while Jayne explains that her bouts of public nudity were mere wardrobe malfunctions. These pioneers of celebrity exhibitionism succeed in coming across as a modest pair of happy (and moral) hedonists.

But then Hargitay—“secretly a frustrated politician”—gets a chapter on bodybuilding, and the former Mr. Universe finds global insight:

In these days of international tensions there is much talk of scrapping military strength. I can only tell you as a big man with obvious muscular power, I am rarely challenged. No one wants to fight with me. The power is there for all to see. So I would think the best way of maintaining peace, individually or internationally, would be to show power.

Even in 1963, Mickey Hargitay understood the world better than anyone at the New York Times. He’s still with us, too—although now better known as Mariska’s father. Hopefully, Hargitay continues to appreciate a democracy’s show of strength. He probably also feels better about the actor who played him in that crappy 1980 biopic.

Make it your own: How is Madeleine Albright in print and Jayne Mansfield is not? You’re off to the collectible book sites to track down your copy of Jayne Mansfield’s Wild, Wild World—although ours didn’t cost more than $5.

 

What did you think of this article?

Liked
Disliked
No Opinion