The cruel prank John Lennon played on Jayne Mansfield
Many words can be used to describe the legacy of John Lennon. Iconic, trailblazing, legendary, and pioneering — to name a few. However, trickster? Not so much. Nonetheless, when it came to touring with “Hollywood’s sexiest woman”, Jayne Mansfield, he benched any remaining dignity in favour of a more crude approach.
The exact details of Lennon and Mansfield’s relationship remain a mystery, but some elements make for an interesting story. In 1964, The Beatles allegedly met Mansfield at the Whiskey a Go Go club in West Hollywood. Although the exact first meeting remains hazy, Lennon reportedly appeared miffed when Mansfield turned up with her husband: “I just wanted to be alone with Jayne,” he allegedly said. “I’ve dreamed about it.”
Although some say the entire band was there, other reports state that Lennon was the only group member present during her visit. At the time, Mansfield apparently playfully tugged at his hair and exclaimed, “Is this real?” to which the singer responded by casting a glance at her well-known features and quipping, “Well, are those real?” Mansfield then retorted, “There’s one way to find out.”
However, their meet-cute wouldn’t always be unicorns and rainbows. In fact, according to the book The Beatles: Messages From John, Paul, George And Ringo, Mansfield’s intent on seducing Lennon led to him urinating in her cocktail, which she unknowingly drank, and declared it was a “real humdinger”. Later, in a nightclub, Lennon told her the drink’s contents, which he allegedly dubbed a “Beatle Special”.
He was then forced to make a quick exit from the club after the actor attempted to attack him. Chris Hutchins, the author of the book, wrote: “As much as he loved women, he hated the way The Beatles were treated as novelties, rather than real people, and he couldn’t bear to be touched uninvited by strangers.”
Hutchins continued: “This prompted him to take a horrible revenge upon Mansfield, secretly peeing into the cocktail which she had asked me to mix her and watching with delight as she drank it and pronounced it ‘a real humdinger’.”
Lennon’s other pranks on famous figures seem relatively innocent compared to this particular endeavour. For instance, he once pulled up behind Brian Jones in his Rolls Royce and pretended to arrest him. As Paul McCartney recalled: “We were in John’s Rolls, and we’d just come from his house in Weybridge. Suddenly, we pulled up behind Brian Jones, sitting quietly in the back of his Austin Princess. John was a very funny guy, and he shouted through the microphone: ‘Brian Jones, do not move! You have been under surveillance — you are under arrest.'”
However, before the incident, Jones had gained notoriety due to his former bandmates’ drug-related arrests, presenting a contrast to the image of the Fab Four. Subsequently, Lennon faced legal trouble himself, being charged with marijuana possession in 1968, marking the only instance he was ever charged with a crime.
