Art Is Anything You Can Get Away With: March 2010

Mansfield starred in several popular Hollywood films that emphasized her platinum-blonde hair, hourglass figure and cleavage revealing costumes. In April 1957, her bosom was the feature of a notorious publicity stunt intended to deflect attention from Sophia Lauren during a dinner party in the Italian star's honor. Photographs of the encounter were published around the world. The most famous image showed Loren raising an eyebrow at the American actress who, sitting between Loren and her dinner companion,Clifton Webb, had leaned over the table, allowing her breasts to spill over her low neckline and exposing one nipple. A similar incident, resulting in the full exposure of both breasts, occurred during a film festival in Berlin, when Mansfield was wearing a low-cut dress and her second husband, Mickey Hargitay, picked her up so she could bite a bunch of grapes hanging overhead at a party; the movement caused her breasts to erupt out of the dress. The photograph of that episode was a sensation, appearing in newspapers and magazines with the word "censored" hiding the actress's exposed bosom.

She had three children With Mickey Hargitay, who won the Mr. Universe title in 1955— Miklós Jeffrey Palmer Hargitay, Zoltán Anthony Hargitay, and Mariska Magdolina Hagitay. After this marrige ended Mansfield had a brief affair with Hollywood lawyer Sam Brody, who helped to introduce her to Anton LaVey

Following an introduction to LaVey's Church of Satan, Mansfield insisted on meeting him. Upon their meeting, Mansfield came to embrace all of the Satanic doctrines, as well as pledged membership to the Church of Satan. Mansfield had a custom pink and black Baphomet medallion made for her, and as an avid promoter of Satanism even wore it to the 1966 San Francisco Film Festival. Mansfield's perseverance and determination within the Church soon escalated her to the position of High Priestess. This honor came with a certificate that she had framed and proudly hung in her bedroom. To compliment her occult studies, she also enveloped herself in witchcraft and black magic. According to LaVey, Mansfield would plead with him for Satanic blessings and curses, calling him several times a day for blessings on her work. When Jayne's son was seriously wounded, Lavey was sought after and responded by saying “I give you my word, I will do everything in my power.” LaVey said that he called on Satan to save the boy. Jayne again vowed “eternal gratitude” when further complications arose and LaVey was requested to summon Satan for assistance. A ritual was promptly conducted for Satan's blessing. Jayne was very proud of the fact that if she liked something enough, she would commit it to memory. At the time, The Satanic Bible was still in monograph form, and Jayne had poured over those pages until she knew most of it by heart .

In the early morning hours of June 29, 1967 on a narrow country road in Louisiana, a grey 1966 Buick Electra was racing through the dark on its way to New Orleans. There was a white haze all around and on the road ahead made by a distant mosquito fogger which prevented the car's driver from seeing a slow moving tractor-trailer ahead. At approximately 2:15 a.m., the Electra slammed into the back of that truck, then slid under it. All three adults sitting in the car's front seat were killed instantly, but surprisingly, there were three children sleeping in the back seat and they were not hurt. Dead at the scene were the driver, Ronnie Harrison, Jayne Mansfield, Mansfield's boyfriend, Sam Brody, and Mansfield's small dog. Ironically, LaVey reported that 15 minutes before he heard of the accident that he had cut Jayne Mansfield's head off of a picture with a pair of scissors.