Yet another Jayne Mansfield at Disneyland photo has found its way into my collection. This one shows her with then husband, 1955 Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay. The two married in 1958, so I am guessing this was from around that time. How did these two beautiful people meet?
Thanks to none other than Mae West! Hargitay used to perform with West in her live act, as one of the beefy bodybuilders that surrounded her. Jayne caught one of Mae’s shows at the Latin Quarter in New York and supposedly told her dinner companion, “I'll have a steak and that tall man on the left.”
At a 1956 press conference, Hargitay stated that West was not happy with the Hargitay/Mansfield romance and that she removed all of his speaking lines from the show as a result. Chuck Krauser, another bodybuilder in the show, punched Hargitay and gave him the black eye visible in the photo below from the Getty collection:
From the original caption:
Mae and Her "Muscle Man" at Court. Washington, D.C.: Mae West, Chuck Krauser (center) and Mickey "Mr. Universe" Hargitay (sporting a "shiner") are leaving U.S. District Court in Washington after Hargitay demanded prosecution of Krauser, a former pro wrestler, as an outgrowth of a brawl in Miss West's dressing room during a Press Conference. Krauser contends he socked "Mr. Universe" in self defense. Trial was set for June 28 and Krauser was released in $300 bond. Mae said that "Mr. Universe" is fired from her act.
It’s not surprising that Krauser came to West’s defense, as he worshipped the blonde-haired entertainer. He even changed his name to Paul Novak at her suggestion after this little scandal hit the tabloids. Although the two never married, they were partners until her death in 1980.
You might recognize one of Mickey and Jayne’s kids, actress Mariska Hargitay:
See more Jayne Mansfield photos at my main website.
