Jayne Mansfield’s 1961 visit to Mansfield, Ohio
In the early 1960s, before the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., before the Beatles’ British Invasion and the arrival of “Free Love,” movie star Jayne Mansfield brought old-school Hollywood glamour to Mansfield, Ohio — and a new kind of celebrity was born.
In 1956, Jayne Mansfield was the most photographed woman in the world, ousting even her “blonde bombshell” contemporary, Marilyn Monroe.
Mansfield was as recognized for starring in films like “The Girl Can’t Help It” and “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” as she was for her outlandish publicity stunts (see a world-famous photo of Sophia Loren side-eyeing Mansfield’s décolleté at Romanoff’s in 1957). She’s the mother of beloved “Law and Order: SVU” star Mariska Hargitay and the namesake of the “Mansfield Bar,” a life-saving piece of equipment installed on trucks to prevent the kind of collisions that tragically took her life in 1967. But what few people know is that Mansfield was also the harbinger of the modern day social media “influencer” — and that her visits to Ohio 60 years ago portended the trend.
The Giant and Fame Stores opened in Mansfield in 1961, reflecting the growing trend toward one-stop shops echoed by Target and Walmart today. By then, Jayne Mansfield’s film popularity had waned — but her name value hadn’t. She created mass hysteria christening the opening of both venues, becoming what the Associated Press called “a new kind of star” — one whose offscreen appeal eclipsed her onscreen appearances.
In fact, bringing a touch of glamour to otherwise plaintive endeavors became Mansfield’s call-in-trade. She made thousands of such appearances over the remaining six years of her life — not to mention hundreds of “tie-in” deals, leveraging her cultural capital in exchange for cash, goods and services. Each time David Beckham touts Adidas, Beyonce models for Pepsi, and Lady Gaga vaunts Valentino, they have Mansfield to thank.
Beyond the monetary value gleaned from these quid pro quos, the star wielded another impact — one far greater than she would ever know. In Mansfield, Ohio, and thousands of other towns across the globe, she touched the lives of those who felt as from Hollywood as could be imagined. There is an entire generation, in fact, who met the mother of five when they themselves were children — and have never forgotten the moment.
Broadway and TV actor and author Erik Liberman is working on a new book and documentary about the late star. If you or someone you know met Mansfield during her visits to Ohio, please contact him through his website, erikliberman.org, or by leaving word at 213-375-8175.