Bombshells: Five Women Who Set the Fifties on Fire

by Shar Daws

Overview

Jean Harlow, the Godmother of Blondes, lit the torch for the blonde bombshell, creating an image and persona that would be passed on for generations to come. Jean’s life was cut tragically short at the age of 26, but the flame reignited in the 1950s with the most notorious blondes of all time: Ruth Ellis, Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Diana Dors. Each left a legacy that has ensured the fire will never be completely extinguished, affecting not only individual lives but society across a world stage.From Marilyn’s stardom and Diana’s unwavering integrity, to Ruth’s tragic status as the last woman hanged in Britain, all of these women experienced success and tragedy, love and heartbreak, and attention both positive and negative.Bombshells examines these five exceptional women in the context of the 1950s, the expectations and constrictions society had at the time and how they pushed through barriers and paved the way for the real sexual revolution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780750992183
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	05/01/2021
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

SHAR DAWS has a master's degree in English and Creative Writing, and has contributed research to multiple books about stars of the 1950s and written dozens of articles in magazines. Alongside writing, she has set up and runs Retro Daisy Vintage, an online clothing boutique. In 2007 and 2012 she helped organise events at the Marilyn Monroe Memorial in LA, which attracted fans from around the globe. She lives in Sussex.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Introduction 9

Part 1 Jean Harlow 13

1 The Godmother of Blondes 15

2 'Dearest Dear' 20

3 'Daddy, I Don't Feel Good' 25

Part 2 Ruth Ellis 33

4 Angel or Harlot 35

5 Yield to the Night 41

6 'My Love and Hate' 47

7 1955-A Bad Year 54

8 The Final Scenes 59

9 'A Life for a Life' 67

10 Last Gasp of a Dying Goddess 74

Part 3 Marilyn Monroe 85

11 The Beginning of the End 87

12 Marriages of Inconvenience 94

13 'I Guess I've Always Had Too Much Fantasy to be Only a Housewife' 101

14 The Reluctant Blonde 108

15 Under the Influence 114

16 The Monster Inside 121

17 When Your Virtue Is Less Important Than Your Hairdo 127

18 From Hollywood to Westwood 133

Part 4 Diana Dors 141

19 One and Only 143

20 Resolutely Blonde 165

21 A Scandalous Woman 172

22 Britain's Answer 178

23 Pitfalls of Having It All 184

24 Queen of the Castle 190

25 What is a Lake? 196

26 To Thine Own Self Be True 202

Part 5 Jayne Mansfield 209

27 Pink Lollipop World 211

28 Buckled Down Blonde 217

29 The Heart of It 223

30 And Baby Comes Too 230

31 Doing It for the Puff 237

32 'A Woman Should be Pink and Cuddly for a Man' 244

33 Not Quite So Divoon 250

34 Thirty-Four 256

Conclusion 263

Bibliography 268

Sources 271

Notes 272

Index 283