Welcome to Mansfield 66/67, a true story based on rumour and hearsay, where classic documentary interviews and archival materials are blended with experimental 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.
And Gunpowder & Sky have just acquired U.S. film rights for it!. The film is about the last two years of movie goddess Jayne Mansfield’s life and the speculation swirling around her untimely death being caused by a curse after her alleged romantic dalliance with Anton LaVey, head of the Church of Satan.
Her affair with LaVey, the handsome devil that started his “church” with a publicist and preached a “live and let live lifestyle”. Anton said,
“If you’re going to be a sinner, be the best sinner on the block.”
And that was Jayne. But, her then-boyfriend lawyer Sam Brody was sent into a jealous rage and desecrated sacred Satanic talismans in Anton’s lair, prompting a curse to be put on his head that he would die in a car accident within a year. In 1966 and 1967, Jayne and Sam proceeded to have seven fender benders and near-fatal smash-ups until the one that tragically took both of their lives in a bizarre crash where reporters said alternately Jayne was either beheaded on impact or wig-scalped (depending on who is telling it.)
I asked Mansfield filmmakers and friends of Wow, P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes (Hit So Hard, Room 237, Dear Mom Love Cher) why this Jayne story now…
“First off, we just adore Jayne Mansfield. On the 50th anniversary of her death she has never seemed more relevant. As perhaps the first reality star, and although their hunger for publicity basically looks the same on paper, her intelligence and values are such a sharp contrast to the likes of the Kardashians or Paris Hilton.
Combine that with the message she was getting from Anton LaVey, who was essentially a new age live and let live guru in wolf’s clothing, and it seems such a good time to be talking about Jayne being sex-positive, anti-shame, and, most importantly, talented and funny!
Plus, she was an anti-Vietnam activist! Who knew? And anyway, who doesn’t love a mystery about a sex goddess and a satanic curse!“
Who doesn’t indeed! I’m in! WOWlebrity and superstar in her own right, Ann Magnuson is the voice of Jayne and Anton LaVey is voiced by Richard Arquette –yes, brother of THOSE Arquettes.
And you can be a part of it too and get some fab swag in the process, funding is not completed yet and their IndieGoGo is go-go-going on right now. Click here to get on the team for as little as $25. And if you’re a Mansfield freak too, you can even get an executive producer credit, if you’ve got a spare $10K. In the meantime…
Watch.
