Loni Anderson Once Played Jayne Mansfield in This Forgotten TV Movie—Costarring Arnold Schwarzenegger
See how the late 'WKRP in Cincinnati' star and a then-unknown Arnold Schwarzenegger brought the blonde bombshell and her husband to life
Every generation has its blonde bombshells, and in the ’70s and ’80s, sitcom star Loni Anderson was the ultimate golden-haired It Girl. The actress, who recently passed away at 79, was beloved for her role as Jennifer Marlowe, the gorgeous and witty radio station receptionist in WKRP in Cincinnati, and along with Three’s Company’s Suzanne Somers and Charlie’s Angels’ Farrah Fawcett, she was considered one of the most iconic TV blondes of the era.
Jennifer’s seductive yet savvy persona was inspired by ’50s blondes like Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, and while Anderson will forever be best known for her sitcom role, it might surprise you to learn that she actually played Mansfield in a long-forgotten 1980 TV movie. Read on to learn all about The Jayne Mansfield Story and see rare photos of Anderson and her costar, a then-unknown Arnold Schwarzenegger, in character as Mansfield and her husband.
How Loni Anderson became Jayne Mansfield in a 1980 TV movie
After starring on WKRP in Cincinnati from 1978 to 1982, Loni Anderson appeared in movies, including Stroker Ace (1983), opposite her husband-to-be Burt Reynolds, but she didn’t make it as a movie star, and instead became a fixture of TV movies throughout the ’80s and ’90s, racking up over a dozen made-for-TV movie credits.
Given the fact that Anderson and her signature character were often compared to Mansfield, she was a natural fit to play the ’50s actress, who starred in movies like The Girl Can’t Help It (1956), Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957) and Kiss Them for Me (1957) before her untimely death at 34 in a tragic 1967 car accident.
Anderson was a lifelong fan of classic Hollywood, and in a 2021 interview with the podcast Ticklish Business, she recalled, “I [was familiar] with Jayne because, of course, she was from an era that my dad talked about, with Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe. That was in our lives. I think I was 10 or . . . 12, a young enough and old enough girl to remember Marilyn Monroe, and they were both so young when they died, so they’re always in your mind as those blonde bombshells.”
In the interview, Anderson also shared that she didn’t have to audition to play Mansfield, as the part was offered to her directly, and she spoke about the deep connection she developed with the star, saying, “I realized that there were so many similarities in our background. She’d been a teenage mom, and she was a brunette and she had a high IQ and she created this persona. So I completely related to that.”
Anderson found Mansfield a fascinating figure to study, and to prepare for the role, she spoke with actors who had worked with her, including Cary Grant, and met Mansfield’s daughter, future Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay, with whom she later starred in the 1994 TV movie Gambler V: Playing for Keeps.
Anderson also worked hard to nail Mansfield’s “breathy, higher squealy little girl kind of voice,” and when she happened to be a guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson at the same time as singer Engelbert Humperdinck, who owned Mansfield’s famed mansion, known as the Pink Palace, after she died, she convinced him to let the filmmakers shoot scenes at the kitschy home’s heart-shaped pool. When Anderson was in Mansfield’s home, she said she could feel the late actress’ spirit.
Loni Anderson and Arnold Schwarzenegger: An unlikely but dynamic duo
Anderson also pushed for Arnold Schwarzenegger to play Mickey Hargitay, Mansfield’s second husband. At the time, Schwarzenegger wasn’t known as an actor, but he started as a bodybuilder who was crowned Mr. Universe, a title Hargitay had earned decades earlier, making him an ideal fit for the role. Two years after The Jayne Mansfield Story, Schwarzenegger became a household name with his breakthrough role in Conan the Barbarian (1982), but the filmmakers were initially reluctant to cast him as Hargitay, as his acting abilities hadn’t been proven.
In her podcast interview, Anderson said that she wouldn’t play Mansfield without having Schwarzenegger play her husband because she knew the real-life Mr. Universe connection was essential, and she remembered, “He was so game. He wanted to be good. He wanted to be an actor, and he’s so smart, and he has a sense of humor in two languages, and he’s just a special guy. He was perfect. He was just perfect for Mickey.”
How ‘The Jayne Mansfield Story’ was received
The Jayne Mansfield Story aired on CBS in 1980, and while it wasn’t particularly well-received by critics (a contemporary Washington Post review was headlined “Limp Cheesecake”), the TV movie was nominated for Emmy Awards in the costume design, hair and makeup categories thanks to its delightfully over-the-top aesthetic. It was later included as one of the 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made in The Official Razzie Movie Guide.
Like many ’80s TV movies, The Jayne Mansfield Story is all but lost to time, and isn’t officially available on any streaming platforms, but it was released on DVD, and over the years, the film has been rediscovered by classic Hollywood buffs and fans of campy cinema alike. Following Loni Anderson’s passing, we’ll remember her by watching this underrated film and enjoying her spot-on performance.
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