The Two Princesses of Hollywood

Joe Shere moving to Hollywood after World War II

At the beginning of Joe Shere’s career, he worked as a darkroom printer and apprentice worker until he enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps to become the Chief of the Photo Division. Following the end of World War II, he moved to Hollywood to hone in on his craft of photography. As a result, he worked for many publication companies and spent the remainder of his career photographing numerous iconic stars. Before capturing his most famous image of Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield in 1957, he took photos of other stars such as Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Annette Funicello, etc. Many of his subjects were predominantly movie stars, singers, and other influential figures during that time.

Furthermore, most of his work featured these stars at award shows and or notable events, but he also managed to capture their personal lives, with photographs taken in some of their homes. In a way, Shere demonstrated a sense of duality by illustrating that these stars are also human beings and that their lives are not always glitz and glam. By the late 1960s, he worked as a freelance photographer and produced the annual history of the academy awards for the Motion Picture Academy for several years. In general, his career was jump-started due to his move to Hollywood after the war; this allowed him to get exposure for his pieces and work with some of the most influential figures of the decade. 

The Release of “The Gold of Naples”

The second event I selected was the release of the film "The Gold of Naples" in 1954, starring Sophia Loren. Sophia Loren is an Italian actress most prominent in the movie industry during the 1950s. In comparison to Jayne's Mansfield, she was also a recognizable sex symbol during the 50s. However, unlike Jayne Mansfield, Sophia became more of an international superstar. In fact, this film allowed Sophia to establish a long-lasting relationship with the Italian director Vittorio De Sica who helped her make a name for herself in the industry. This film and her relationship with De Sica propelled her career beyond the Italian film realm and jump-started her career in America. Shortly after arriving in America, she hired an interpreter to learn English and starred in an American film titled "Pride and Passion" with Frank Sinatra and Cary Grant. Unlike Jayne Mansfield, Sophia Loren is known as a sex symbol internationally. In addition, she was in a position of power in some of the roles she played, such as a courageous mother in the film "La ciociara". Although Sophia Loren is a sexual icon like Mansfield, all of her roles did not portray women solely as sexual beings, but they also exuded how they can be influential figures. 

The Release of the Movie “The Girl Can’t Help It”

The last event I found helpful in molding this image was the release of the movie "The Girl Can't Help It" in 1956, co-starring Jayne Mansfield. The film is about a gangster who hires an agent to make his "airhead girlfriend" into a singer, which Jayne Mansfield plays. This movie, along with many others, was how Jayne made a name for herself in the movie industry. Like Marilyn Monroe, Jayne was an iconic sex symbol in the 1950s and was mainly assigned roles for her great looks and body. She constantly starred in films and other forms of media meant for the male gaze. In particular, this movie further solidified the idea that pretty women are always ditzy and have nothing else to offer but their looks.

Furthermore, this movie was one of the breakout roles for Jayne Mansfield as it slowly began to portray the perceptions of women in the 1950s. In a sense, this movie instilled the idea that women are seen as objects and do not have "a mind of their own". In addition, Jayne was given multiple nicknames throughout her career, such as the blonde bombshell, Broadway's smartest-dumbest blonde, etc., which only further strengthens the case. Her role in this movie, along with many other films and starring in Playboy magazines, molded her into this hypersexualized, pin-up girl that she is known as today.

 Interpertation: 

The reason that I offered that background concerning those three events is because it helps me to explain what Photograph of Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren was doing socially/culturally and/or politically when Joe Shere created it. As mentioned before, the original picture was taken in 1957 by Joe Shere at Romanoff's, a restaurant in Beverly Hills. By that time, Sophia Loren was receiving an immense amount of attention from the American public due to the release of her film The Gold of Naples. In general, she expected all eyes to be on her that night until Jayne Mansfield came and stole the spotlight by sitting at her table in front of all the cameras. In the photo, Jayne is seen wearing a provocative dress, and Sophia Loren is seen giving her a side eye and staring at her boobs. In a 2014 interview, Sophia Loren mentioned that she thought Jayne's nipples would fall out of her dress and land on the table. Considering the timing of the release of both of their films, these two films are what helped shape their characters. As mentioned, her role in the film "A Girl Can't Help It" molded Jayne Mansfield into a sexualized, charming American beauty. This movie, in particular, allowed her to attain such roles where she is continuously portrayed as a hypersexualized, clueless woman. She is regarded as America's sweetheart and has truly captured the hearts of many Americans, as evidenced by her smiling into the camera, which allows her to radiate her innocence. Unlike Jayne Mansfield, Sophia Loren is an international actress, and it was not until the film "The Gold Naples" that she slowly gained attention worldwide. This film's release is why Sophia was expecting all eyes to be on her at the dinner party and why she gives Mansfield the side eye. In a sense, this information gives us context behind the relationship between Jayne Mansfield and Sophia Loren; you can sense there is some competition between them because they are both female movie stars fighting for the camera's attention. There is also a sense of inferiority being expressed by Loren because of the side eye she is giving Mansfield. In terms of the photographer, Joe Shere was a famous photographer in the 1950s known to take pictures of significant/influential figures in Hollywood. As mentioned before, after moving to Hollywood following World War II, he worked for various publishing companies. As a result, he attended all types of events that stars flocked to, such as dinners, award shows, etc., and photographed multiple stars from these events. Shere's attendance at these events is what gave these stars the exposure they needed by the world and allowed Joe to capture some of the most iconic figures of the time. 

MLA Citations: 

Desantis, Marissa. “Sophia Loren Style File: From Unconventional Beauty to Screen Icon.” Evening Standard, Evening Standard, 24 Sept. 2020, https://www.standard.co.uk/insider/style/sophia-lorens-most-iconic-look….

“The Gold of Naples.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 11 Feb. 1957, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047313/.

“Jayne Mansfield.” IMDb, IMDb.com, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0543790/bio. 

“Joe Shere: 1917 - 2008.” Monroe Gallery, https://www.monroegallery.com/news/press/joe-shere-1917-2008.

Photographie, L'Œil de la. “Marilyn Monroe Captured by Joe Shere.” The Eye of Photography Magazine, 31 Jan. 2018, https://loeildelaphotographie.com/en/marilyn-monroe-captured-by-joe-sho….

Shere, Joe. “Joe Shere Photographs.” MPTV Images , https://www.mptvimages.com/images?photographers=Joe+Shere. Accessed 3 Apr. 2023.

“Sophia Loren.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sophia-Loren.

“The Girl Can't Help It.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 1 Dec. 1956, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049263/.