A review by booksuperpower
Mean...Moody...Magnificent!: Jane Russell and the Marketing of a Hollywood Legend by Christina Rice
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Mean, Moody, and Magnificent! Jane Russell and the Marketing of a Hollywood Legend by Christina Rice is a 2021 University Press of Kentucky publication.
As a small child, I remember- believe it or not- seeing Jane Russell's television ads for Playtex ‘Cross my Heart’ bras. Of course, I didn’t really know who she was, and it wasn’t until I was older, and saw a few of her films, that I made the connection- and understood why she made such an ironic spokesperson for Playtex.
This book, if you really pay attention to the title, is focused on how Russell became famous- which was through the marketing of her breasts… by Howard Hughes.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a biography, and it covers all of Jane’s life from childhood to her death. But a great deal of time is spent talking about her entrapment by Hughes and his obsession with Russell’s chest.
Russell’s first movie was ‘The Outlaw’ which due to one thing or another was not released for some years, making it necessary to keep Jane in the spotlight until it finally reached theatres- which required a lot of ‘marketing.’
Jane went on to make many more movies, but with a few exceptions, the roles were mediocre.
Jane’s personal life was also tumultuous, and she was notorious for her constant contradictions. Jane said one thing- but did another. She was vocally ‘conservative’ and deeply religious- but didn’t really walk the walk.
She struck me as being a tough woman most of the time. She never shied away from controversy- and I found the story of how she adopted her children to be stunning.
I did like how she often shrugged off critics and continued to do things just because she liked doing them- even if the reviews were less than stellar.
I didn’t know anything at all about Jane Russell when I started this book, so this was very interesting reading for me. I’m not sure, at the end of the day, how I feel about Jane Russell- but the title of this book is apt, I think.
The author did a good job with the material, stayed neutral, most of the time, but did point out Jane’s inconsistencies- just in case we didn’t make that connection for ourselves.
Overall, though, this is a solid biography, which also includes some nice photos.
4 stars
As a small child, I remember- believe it or not- seeing Jane Russell's television ads for Playtex ‘Cross my Heart’ bras. Of course, I didn’t really know who she was, and it wasn’t until I was older, and saw a few of her films, that I made the connection- and understood why she made such an ironic spokesperson for Playtex.
This book, if you really pay attention to the title, is focused on how Russell became famous- which was through the marketing of her breasts… by Howard Hughes.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a biography, and it covers all of Jane’s life from childhood to her death. But a great deal of time is spent talking about her entrapment by Hughes and his obsession with Russell’s chest.
Russell’s first movie was ‘The Outlaw’ which due to one thing or another was not released for some years, making it necessary to keep Jane in the spotlight until it finally reached theatres- which required a lot of ‘marketing.’
Jane went on to make many more movies, but with a few exceptions, the roles were mediocre.
Jane’s personal life was also tumultuous, and she was notorious for her constant contradictions. Jane said one thing- but did another. She was vocally ‘conservative’ and deeply religious- but didn’t really walk the walk.
She struck me as being a tough woman most of the time. She never shied away from controversy- and I found the story of how she adopted her children to be stunning.
I did like how she often shrugged off critics and continued to do things just because she liked doing them- even if the reviews were less than stellar.
I didn’t know anything at all about Jane Russell when I started this book, so this was very interesting reading for me. I’m not sure, at the end of the day, how I feel about Jane Russell- but the title of this book is apt, I think.
The author did a good job with the material, stayed neutral, most of the time, but did point out Jane’s inconsistencies- just in case we didn’t make that connection for ourselves.
Overall, though, this is a solid biography, which also includes some nice photos.
4 stars