Uncategorized – Pathological Bodies Project

Jayne Mansfield – the blonde bombshell often seen as Marilyn Monroe’s successor. Associated with the iconic photo of Sophia Loren gazing across at her very low-cut dress, famous for living in her ‘pink palace’, and for her appearance in old Hollywood movies. Like Marilyn, Jayne has often been just associated with her body and blonde hair. Also- like Marilyn- Jayne died in her thirties in tragic circumstances, although in a very different manner to Marilyn. But who exactly was Jayne Mansfield? How was she treated in death, and what is her legacy today? This blog post will continue my series in exploring how celebrities were treated in death and the consideration of postmortem bodily integrity.

Who was Jayne Mansfield?

Born Vera Jayne Palmer in Pennsylvania in 1933, Manfield shot to fame in the 1950s. As a child, she was inspired by Shirley Temple and wanted to be a star just like her (insert iconic ‘I’m a STAR!!’ quote from Pearl here). In 1950, she married her first husband Paul Mansfield before studying acting at UCLA and later at the University of Texas. Jayne also took up modelling – a real all-rounder. In fact, her breasts were commented upon as being ‘undesirable’ by some commercial advertisers, concerned about her sexuality. However, she became a centrefold for Playboy in 1955, boosting her public appeal and notoriety, and cementing her sex symbol status.

The hilarious side eye picture of Sophia Loren looking at Jayne Mansfield’s cleavage: Photo Source The Telegraph

Eventually, Jayne was signed by Warner Brothers, taking on some minor roles. She also began a stint on Broadway before being signed by 20^th Century Fox in 1956. Marilyn Monroe was the ‘resident bombshell’ at the time but left due to a continued straining relationship with the studio. Jayne was launched as their new sex symbol, referred to as the ‘king-size Marilyn’ or the ‘Working man’s Monroe.’ In fact, the two women were often pitted against each other as well as being compared to each other in appearance. Marilyn is believed to have said she was flattered to be ‘imitated’ by Jayne, but that it was an insult to Monroe and Mansfield alike. Jayne was rumoured to have hooked up with JFK, delighted at how missed Marilyn would be if the news got out – talk about a rivalry. Chillingly however, when Jayne heard of Marilyn’s untimely death she apparently said, ‘maybe I’ll be next’……

She starred in movies such as The Girl Can’t Help It, The Wayward Bus, Too Hot to Handle, and Promises! Promises! On the set of the latter movie, nude photos were snapped of Mansfield that were published in Playboy, leading to an obscenity charge being brought against Hugh Hefner. This incident is similar to Hefner’s actions against Marilyn, using her photos without her permission in the first series of Playboy. He now resides next to her in West wood Village Memorial Park – I’m sure she would have preferred different company. Jayne’s body was commented upon sexually but was also commented upon due to her numerous pregnancies that the studio deemed as affecting her contract. Jayne eventually became the mother to 5 children, including famous contemporary actress Mariska Hargitay of Law-and-Order SVU fame. Jayne was eventually married three times.

What happened to Jayne?

Jayne’s film career began to decline in the 1960s, and it was in 1967 that she died in an accident on the way to New Orleans, Louisianna after making a nightclub appearance nearby. She was only 34 years old. At 2am on the 29^th of June, Mansfield was travelling in a car that was also carrying her boyfriend Samuel Brody and her driver Robert Harrison – all three were in the front seat. Three of her children were in the backseat fast asleep. A nearby machine was pumping fog to kill mosquitos, obscuring the view of the driver. Their car (a 1966 Buick Electra) crashed into the back of a truck, sliding under the back of the trailer, resulting in the top of the car coming off. The three adults in the front along with Jayne’s dog were killed. Miraculously, her three children in the back survived the impact – including Mariska. A federal law arose from the accident, with the National Traffic Safety Administration ordered trailers to have a steel bar to stop cars rolling underneath – known as ‘Mansfield bars.’ These bars are the red and white strip you can see at the bottom half of vehicles, installed to prevent ‘underriding’ of a larger truck. It was later determined that Harrison and the man pumping the fog were somewhat negligent in relation to the incident, with the truck driver cleared of liability.

The aftermath of the accident

Unsurprisingly, the rumour mill went into overdrive after the accident. Jayne’s wig was thrown from the car, adding to the rumour that she had been decapitated after pictures of the scene were published. Jayne died instantly, with the death cert stating she suffered from a partial crushed skull and some cranium separation. She wasn’t beheaded but did suffer a partial scalping injury. The funeral director who cared for Jayne after the accident spoke to the New York Times in 1997 to put an end to rumours she was decapitated. A book by Kenneth Anger was released in 1975 perpetuated the beheading rumour when he published a picture from the crash which showed human hair on the side of the road after the fatal crash. The crash also featured in the 1996 movie Crash in which a character tries to recreate the accident whilst dressed as Mansfield – another sexually fuelled project associated with Mansfield. There was also a rumour that her death was due to her association with Anton LaVey – a major figure in the Church of Satan, and that LaVey had put a curse on them as her boyfriend had been jealous of the relationship.

The wrecked car was acquired by a private collector, turning it into a roadside attraction for tourists in the 1970s. It now resides at the Dearly Departed Tours and Artifact Museum in LA. However, since the Covid pandemic it has since gone into storage, where I hope it stays….

Jayne’s private funeral took place on July 3^rd in Pennsylvania. After the chapel service she was buried next to her father in Fairview Cemetery. A cenotaph in her honour was also erected in Hollywood Forever Cemetery……with the wrong birth date written on the stone. The stone reads, ‘We live to love you more each day’.

Centoph at Hollywood Forever Cemetery: Photo Source Find a Grave

The Legacy of Jayne Mansfield

Although Jayne’s death was completely unavoidable, the incident led to a rethinking of road safety measures and has likely saved countless lives. Mariska spoke of her mother’s legacy, stating that although she was an iconic sex symbol, she also had an IQ over 160, spoke multiple languages, played the violin and was a wonderful mother. Jayne has made an impact on popular culture, featuring in songs, movies etc. and she has gone down in history as one of Hollywood’s most iconic blondes along with Marilyn Monroe, Jean Harlow, and Veronica Lake. Not a ‘dumb blonde’ after all.

Jayne Mansfield: Photo Source The Advocate

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayne_Mansfield

https://allthatsinteresting.com/jayne-mansfield-death

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/actress-jayne-mansfield-dies-in-car-crash

https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/jayne-mansfield-death.htm

https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/jayne-mansfields-death-horror-car-22276873

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2028/jayne-mansfield

Today marks 111 years since the sinking of the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic on her maiden voyage. The luxury liner left Southampton on the 10th of April 1912 before picking up additional passengers in Cherbourg and Queenstown (now modern-day Cobh). You can visit the Titanic centre in Cobh today, well worth a visit if you are ever in County Cork – a lesser-known centre then the Titanic Experience in Belfast, the city where White Star Line produced the vessel.

With the anniversary of the disaster, I wanted to write this blog post on the aftermath of the sinking, drawing attention to the recovery of the dead and where many were put to rest. The lesser-known vessel, The Mackay Bennett, was instrumental in recovery of bodies for loved ones.

It took the ship over 2 and a half hours to sink, finally submerging in the early hours of the morning of the 15^th of April. About 1500 people are thought to have died as a result of the sinking.

The Mackay Bennett

The Mackay Bennett was a cable ship built in the 1880s. The iron ship was chartered by White Star Line once the news of the sinking had broken. The crew opted to stay on board the ship, despite being told they were under no obligation to carry out the task of recovering bodies. The ship went to the Titanic’s last known location from the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, equipped with ice (100 tonnes), coffins 100 wooden), and undertakers who worked for John Snow and Co. Once the crew arrived at the sinking site, they were greeted with a harrowing site. Many of the dead were mutilated, and the Mackay Bennett called to warn other ships to avoid the area. The ship arrived to begin recovery on the 19^th of April.

Recovery and Care of the Dead

Captain Larnder of the Mackay Bennett stated that far more bodies then expected were seen in the sea upon arriving, with boats manned by 5 or 6 crew members launched for recovery with room for 8 bodies per small boat. Over 50 bodies were recovered on the first day, fewer were recovered on the second day and 119 were recovered on the third day. Embalming fluid was also brought on the ship so chief embalmer – John R. Snow Jr. – could care for the dead. Once a body was brought aboard, it was given a number that matched a bag with their personal items. Physical characteristics, identifying features and clothing were also noted. Once all the coffins were filled and embalming fluid ran out, the bodies were wrapped in a canvas and placed on ice in the hold. Only embalmed bodies could be brought ashore, so the difficult decision was made to bury some of the bodies at sea – they were weighed down with iron bars and dropped overboard as a minister delivered a service. It was noted that the many of the bodies buried at sea were identified from their clothing as third-class passengers or crew members, with some scholars stating that the bodies ‘worth less’ were returned to the water. Many of the wealthier passengers were chosen for preservation rather than a sea burial as so insurance policies could be paid. Another ship, the Minia, eventually arrived on scene with more embalming fluid so the process of preservation could begin again. 306 bodies were recovered by the Mackay Bennett after 7 days of searching, with 116 buried at sea. The remaining victims were brought back to Halifax. 3 additional ships recovered a further 22 bodies over the following month. It is estimated that around 23% of the dead were recovered.

https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~capstick/titanic.html

Reaching the Shore

A temporary morgue was set up at the Halifax curling rink. The same rink was used as a temporary morgue 5 years later when a moored ammunition ship exploded and killed around 2000 people in Halifax. The ship arrived back on the 30^th of April to tolling bells and family members looking for their loved ones. Black draped hearses were set up along the dock to retrieve the bodies from the recovery vessel. Around 200 bodies were brought ashore (sources differ on exact numbers), with an area set up for identification in the temporary morgue. To assist with grieving relatives, a nurse was on hand to comfort loved ones. One undertaker collapsed from shock when he unexpectedly came across the body of his uncle amongst the victims.

https://funeraldirectordaily.com/the-story-of-the-cs-mackay-bennett-the-titanic-morgue-ship/

Around 150 people recovered from the Titanic were buried in Halifax, Nova Scotia – over 50 victims were claimed by relatives and shipped elsewhere for internment. 3 cemeteries are the final resting place for victims in Halifax – Fairview Lawn, Mount Olivet, and Baron de Hirsch. These 3 cemeteries are non-denominational (FL), Catholic (MO) and Jewish (BH). An unidentified baby recovered from the water was exhumed and DNA tested in 2007 – the 19-month-old was finally identified as Sidney Godwin. His whole family perished in the disaster – they were third class passengers.

Eventually the Mackay Bennett resumed its duties as a cable carrier – retiring in 1922. The ship now lives on in the history books at the mortuary vessel for the victims of the Titanic.

Sources