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Mean...Moody...Magnificent!: Jane Russell and the Marketing of a Hollywood Legend by Christina Rice
jakewritesbooks's review
3.0
When reading Karina Longworth’s Howard Hughes book, I came away wanting to learn more about Jane Russell. She seemed like a fish-out-of-water person from the era: a sexpot who rejected the label, a right-wing Christian who stuck to her views, a living contradiction who leaned into her personality. Researching when I was done, I was surprised to find that the only book on Russell was her autobiography, published in the 1980s.
Months later, I was at the library and remembered, at last, to pick it up. Only when I did, I saw another book about her, a biography published this past June. Eagerly, I snatched it up. While I have all the respect for folks willing to put their life story on paper for consumption, I always prefer an objective look when learning about someone’s life.
This one is good enough, I suppose. As far as the “marketing of a Hollywood legend” aspect, Christina Rice gets that down well. She talks about how Russell’s body and image were packaged and sold to play off the male gaze, anger censor boards in order to goose sales, and gave her plenty of attention, mostly unwanted. I learned most of this in Longworth’s book but it’s still an important read for how Hollywood chews women up and spits them out.
Unfortunately, when she examines Russell’s life, it doesn’t go nearly deep enough. Russell seemed like a really sweet person. But Rice does little in examining her relationships. What was she like as a mom? What was she like with her brothers? How did her relationship with her mom evolve over the years? There’s not nearly enough. Russell wasn’t a star on the lines of Marilyn Monroe or Ava Gardner so there are probably fewer things to document. But she still lived a fascinating life off the screen. I’d have loved to learn more about it.
Still, if you’re curious about Jane Russell, this is an essential read.
Months later, I was at the library and remembered, at last, to pick it up. Only when I did, I saw another book about her, a biography published this past June. Eagerly, I snatched it up. While I have all the respect for folks willing to put their life story on paper for consumption, I always prefer an objective look when learning about someone’s life.
This one is good enough, I suppose. As far as the “marketing of a Hollywood legend” aspect, Christina Rice gets that down well. She talks about how Russell’s body and image were packaged and sold to play off the male gaze, anger censor boards in order to goose sales, and gave her plenty of attention, mostly unwanted. I learned most of this in Longworth’s book but it’s still an important read for how Hollywood chews women up and spits them out.
Unfortunately, when she examines Russell’s life, it doesn’t go nearly deep enough. Russell seemed like a really sweet person. But Rice does little in examining her relationships. What was she like as a mom? What was she like with her brothers? How did her relationship with her mom evolve over the years? There’s not nearly enough. Russell wasn’t a star on the lines of Marilyn Monroe or Ava Gardner so there are probably fewer things to document. But she still lived a fascinating life off the screen. I’d have loved to learn more about it.
Still, if you’re curious about Jane Russell, this is an essential read.
booksuperpower's review
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
raquelstecher's review
5.0
Fantastic biography on Jane Russell from librarian and researcher Christina Rice (I highly recommend reading her Ann Dvorak bio!).
There is lots to garner from this biography including how Hollywood packaged and promoted their movie stars for public consumption, how sometimes movie stars were made from being in the right place at the right time, and how networking and close working relationships were key to survival in this cutthroat industry. This biography is laid out chronologically with each chapter focusing on a particular theme. This made the book flow very well. Rice's research shines through and her storytelling skills make this for an engrossing read. There's lots of great behind-the-scenes information, especially as it relates to how Russell was styled for her movies. Even if you're not particularly interested in Jane Russell as a person, this is still a must read for anyone who loves stories from old Hollywood.
Full review:
https://www.outofthepastblog.com/2021/06/jane-russell-christina-rice.html
There is lots to garner from this biography including how Hollywood packaged and promoted their movie stars for public consumption, how sometimes movie stars were made from being in the right place at the right time, and how networking and close working relationships were key to survival in this cutthroat industry. This biography is laid out chronologically with each chapter focusing on a particular theme. This made the book flow very well. Rice's research shines through and her storytelling skills make this for an engrossing read. There's lots of great behind-the-scenes information, especially as it relates to how Russell was styled for her movies. Even if you're not particularly interested in Jane Russell as a person, this is still a must read for anyone who loves stories from old Hollywood.
Full review:
https://www.outofthepastblog.com/2021/06/jane-russell-christina-rice.html
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