By MICHAEL GINGOLD
Was there a curse on legendary screen sex kitten Jayne Mansfield? That mystery is explored in an exclusive excerpt from the new documentary MANSFIELD 66/67 that you can check out past the jump.
Directed by Todd Hughes and P. David Ebersole (executive producers of Rodney Ascher’s THE SHINING deconstruction ROOM 237), MANSFIELD 66/67 has its theatrical opening at LA’s Laemmle Fine Arts theater this Friday, October 27, programmed alongside a number of Mansfield classics; a special premiere takes place tonight with talent in attendance. The movie features Mansfield, Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey, underground filmmaking legend Kenneth Anger (featured in the clip) and such cult figures as John Waters, Mary Woronov, Tippi Hedren, Mamie Van Doren and others.
The synopsis: “Who could resist cheering for Jayne Mansfield—the punk Marilyn Monroe and the ultimate atomic-era sex-positive kitten-gone-berserk—as she navigates the cultural and spiritual landscape of a quickly changing world? Welcome to MANSFIELD 66/67, a true story based on rumor and hearsay, where classic documentary interviews and archival materials are blended with dance numbers, performance art, and animation, elevating a tabloid tale of a fallen Hollywood idol into a celebration of the mythical proportions of a true original we can’t help but live to love more each day.”