38. Her Legendary Feud Was Caught On Film
One of the most notorious pictures of Mansfield features a young Sophia Loren giving the actress some serious side-eye while Mansfield grins and poses for a picture in a (naturally) very low cut dress. People have wondered about the true meaning behind Loren's look for years, and the Italian actress finally revealed the whole story. Delightfully, it's exactly what you think. The party that evening was supposed to be Loren's official welcoming into Hollywood, but Mansfield apparently sauntered in late, sat down beside her, and tried to steal the spotlight with her, er, assets. As Loren explains it, "[In the photo] I’m so frightened that everything in her dress is going to blow—BOOM!—and spill all over the table."
39. Her Rival Respected Her
Despite any dislike that Loren might have had toward Mansfield for hijacking her big debut, she maintains there was never any long-lasting grudge between them. Indeed, for many years after Mansfield’s death, people repeatedly came up to Loren with the infamous photo and asked her to sign it. Out of respect, she refused every single time.
40. She Had A Trademark Look
When Mansfield was with Mickey Hargitay, they toured together as a celebrity couple and became famous for their iconic, matching leopard print bathing suits and their “Tarzan and Jane” act. The press even called Mansfield "the girl in the leopard-print bikini," and she made sure to stir up scandal. Ever the show-woman, she took shopping trips, went to parties, and even strolled down Hollywood Boulevard in the barely-there getup.
41. She Owned Strange Animals
Mansfield was perfectly turned out at all times, but she didn’t mind getting down and dirty, either. The actress had an obsession with animals of all kinds, and owned a virtual menagerie of pets. Although Chihuahuas were her favorite and she always owned several, at one point she also had a Great Dane, three cats, a rabbit, and a poodle.
42. She Had A Little-Known Talent
In case you haven’t noticed, Mansfield was no air-headed blonde, despite her reputation. Her IQ was notably high, she was fluent in no fewer than five different languages, and many called her "the smartest dumb blonde." However, she often complained that the public didn't care about her intellect, saying, "They're more interested in 40–21–35"—her chest, waist, and hip measurements.
43. She Was A Satanist
Mansfield may have looked like an angel, but her private tastes were demonic. In 1966, Mansfield met with the infamous Anton LaVey, the head of the Church of Satan. The rendez-vous caused a media sensation, and soon outlets claimed that Mansfield was a practicing Satanist. LaVey even awarded Mansfield the title “High Priestess of San Francisco’s Church of Satan.” And still, this story gets weirder...
44. She Slept With The Devil
Although many people wondered at the time if Mansfield’s interest in LaVey and his church was just another publicity stunt, his daughter made a much more scandalous claim. Karla LaVey not only asserted that Mansfield was indeed a true-blue, practicing Satanist, she also confessed—and this one’s confirmed, folks—that Anton LaVey and Mansfield had a bedroom relationship to boot. Dang, our girl was freaky.
45. She Got Into A Devastating Crash
In the early morning hours of June 29, 1967, the last tragedy of Mansfield's short life occurred. She was on her way to New Orleans with her driver, her attorney, and her children Miklos, Zoltan, and little Mariska. At 2:25 am, their Buick slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer that had been covered in a thick fog of insecticide. When the mist cleared, the truth was unbearable.
46. She Met A Tragic End
When the Buick hit the trailer, all three adults in the front seat perished instantly; Mansfield herself was tragically only 34 years old at the time. The wreckage was so devastating, it took officers and first responders an excruciatingly long time to understand what had really happened, and what Mansfield’s final moments were like. Unfortunately, the answer to that is: Horrific.
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47. People Thought She Was Decapitated
When news broke of Mansfield's violent death, wild rumors started flying. In particular, many people began to whisper that the force of the crash had decapitated the starlet. One of the biggest confirmations for this came from a real photograph of the scene, which seemed to show her signature blonde hair pressed into the windshield of the wreckage. The truth, however, was much different.
48. Her Autopsy Revealed A Sad Truth
When Mansfield’s official autopsy came out, it announced that she had perished from a “crushed skull” instead of decapitation. So what was that blonde hair doing on the windshield of the sheared-off car? Gruesomely enough, it was actually part of Mansfield’s wig, which got ejected out in the chaos of the collision. Nonetheless, the urban legend about her decapitation still persists—as if her end wasn’t tragic enough.
49. Her Children Barely Survived
Perhaps the only glimmer of light in all this darkness was that all of Mansfield's children miraculously survived the horrific crash. Still, they didn't escape unscathed. Mariska Hargitay, who now plays the popular character Olivia Benson on Law and Order: SVU, carries a zig-zag scar on the side of her head to this day. Nonetheless, she has no memory of her mother’s last minutes on earth, or the crash itself.
50. Traces Of Her Final Moments Still Exist
After her death, Mansfield's Buick became an object of macabre fascination. One of her superfans bought the car and kept it perfectly preserved in his garage for years; reportedly, the vehicle even still had bloodstains on the seats from that fateful night. While it's doubtful that even our glitzy, attention-seeking Jayne would enjoy this tribute, it seems like some people are into that. The car sold for $8,000 at a 1999 auction.
51. Her Chest Was Infamous
Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe's hourglass figures almost single-handedly started the "breast fetish" in America; tastes before them leant toward slimmer and straighter women. In fact, Mansfield's chest was so popular in the public consciousness, talk show host Jack Parr once introduced her onto The Tonight Show by saying, "Here they are, Jayne Mansfield."
