Jayne Mansfield’s “signature film, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? is a vividly realized satire of popular fan culture, Hollywood hype, and the advertising industry, which was profiting from commercials on the relatively new medium of TV.
Co-starring Tony Randall, with Betsy Drake, Joan Blondell, John Williams, Henry Jones, Lili Gentle, and Mickey Hargitay, and cameo by Groucho Marx.
The colorful, self-referential comedy was produced and directed by Frank Tashlin, who also wrote the original script, loosely based on George Axelrod’s successful Broadway play, which had also starred Mansfield.
The Premise
Well cast, Tony Randall plays struggling writer Rockwell P. Hunter, a low-level exec at the La Salle ad agency. When his agency is about to lose its biggest account–Stay-Put Lipstick–he comes up wth an interesting idea.
Why not get famous actress Rita Marlowe (Mansfield), the perfect model and spokeswoman for the new line of lipstick. Fortunately, his teenage niece April, a huge fan of Rita, knows where the star is staying in New York.
For Rita to endorse the lipstick, however, Rock has to act as her boyfriend to make jealous her real boyfriend, TV actor Bobo Branigansky. Indeed, Bobo leaks the news of Rita’s new romance in TV interview and Rock becomes famous as her “Lover Doll.”
Success Spoil Rock Hunter? received a nomination for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actor – Musical/Comedy (Tony Randall) and a nomination for the Writers Guild of America, East WGA Award (Screen) for Best Written American Comedy (Frank Tashlin). Initially, Tashlin envisioned Ed Sullivan for the role of Rockwell P. Hunter. Sullivan turned it down, so Tony Randall was awarded the part.[10]
The film is playlul, containing joking references to several of Mansfield’s other roles, including the 1956 The Girl Can’t Help It (also directed by Tashlin), Kiss Them for Me (1957), and The Wayward Bus (1957).
The book Rita Marlowe reads in the bathtub scene is Grace Metalious’ “Peyton Place,” which became hit film 1956, and later popular TV series.
The book’s buxom characters have been inspired by Mansfield’;s lush figure. Joan Blondell, who was herself a major sex symbol during the Depression, swas cast as Mansfield’s frumpy, middle-aged secretary.
Randall is featured at the beginning playing the drums, trumpet, and cello during the 20th Century-Fox logo and fanfare sequence. At the end, he remarks, “Oh, the fine print they put in an actor’s contract these days!” also performs a comedic intermission midway through the film, which he says is for the audience used to television break.
In lieu of a theme song, Tashlin laid traditional opening credits over faux TV commercials for products that failed to deliver what they promised.
Tashlin was reportedly “most satisfied with this movie, as “there was no compromise on that one, Buddy Adler let me do it my own way.”
The movie was very popular at the box-office.
Cast
Jayne Mansfield Rita Marlowe
Tony Randall Rockwell P. Hunter
Betsy Drake Jenny Wells
Joan Blondell Violet
John Williams Irving La Salle Jr.
Henry Jones Henry Rufus
Lili Gentle April Hunter
Mickey Hargitay Bobo Branigansky
Groucho Marx George Schmidlap
Ann McCrea Gladys
Barbara Eden Miss Carstairs
