Book Reviewed: Mean...Moody...Magnificent! Jane Russell and the Marketing of a Hollywood Legend by Christina Rice

Grit and glamor Jane Russell was given a huge break in Hollywood by the eccentric multimillionaire Howard Hughes to co-star in his big-screen production, The Outlaw, a retelling of the legend of outlaw Billy the Kid. The movie was a huge flop, but her career did not end there. Hughes tried to manipulate her career, took advantage of her physical beauty, and forced it upon her. She fought him off and still managed to become a successful brunette in Hollywood. One unique feature of Jane Russell is that in direct contrast to her many smoldering on-screen portrayals, she was a woman of deep religious faith. she proudly and publicly heralded her devotion to the Bible. But she had no trouble managing that contradiction because a successful career in Hollywood enabled her to advocate for something she cared deeply about, the faith and the welfare of orphaned kids. She endured the harrowing pain after her abortion which left deep wounds in her mind and heart. She opened up about this trauma that haunted her entire life. Jane Russel had demons in her life. Her first marriage to professional football player Bob Waterfield was a disaster. It was a pairing rooted largely in animal magnetism, it was fraught with friction, frustration, and physical abuse. She was forthcoming about domestic violence as it happened. Despite many setbacks, she continued to make television appearances, including some on the Trinity Broadcasting Network of TBN Ministries. She identified herself as a Republican, and her beliefs moved further to the right as she got older. In 2003 she did an interview in which she said, “These days I’m a teetotaling, mean-spirited, Rightwing, narrow-minded, conservative, Christian bigot but not a racist.” This book is read effortlessly, it is interesting to note that her life was contrasting to that of Marilyn Monroe, her friend, co-star, and confidante. Incidentally, Howard Hughes played the same tricks with both of them in his sexual exploitation of women who were casted in his movies. If Hughes was alive today, he would have faced numerous lawsuits and possibly criminal charges from women he harassed.