Travis Simpkins

The Girl Can't Help It (1956): Jayne Mansfield, Little Richard and Rock & Roll

Directed by Frank Tashlin, The Girl Can't Help It (1956) was a major star-making vehicle for Jayne Mansfield and unintentionally became one of the most prominent showcases of early real-life Rock & Roll talent. The story concerns a mobster who hires an agent to turn his sexy girlfriend into a star. Proving that she was more than just "The Poor Man's Marilyn Monroe", Jayne Mansfield proved that she had legitimate talents of her own... she was sexy, witty, beautiful, graceful and gifted in song and dance. The music soundtrack became a character in it's own right, with future legends Fats Domino, Eddie Cochran, Julie London, Ray Anthony, The Platters and Little Richard (who also sings the title song) all performing in person and playing themselves. The supporting cast is great too, including Tom Ewell and Edmond O'Brien.

The Girl Can't Help It. 1956: Jayne Mansfield

The Girl Can't Help It. 1956: Little Richard

The Girl Can't Help It. 1956: Jayne Mansfield

The Girl Can't Help It. 1956: Fats Domino

The Girl Can't Help It. 1956: Jayne Mansfield

"The Girl Can't Help It"- movie trailer

Contempt. Le Mépris (1963): Jean-Luc Godard and Brigitte Bardot

With vibrant hues, breathtaking vistas and visionary direction, Jean-Luc Godard's Contempt or Le Mépris (1963) is a moving work of cinematic art. The concept of a film within a film was innovative and intriguing, with the main characters making a film about Homer's Odyssey... while simultaneously personifying Odysseus, Penelope and Poseidon themselves. The casting of Brigitte Bardot was a conscious and insisted decision on the part of the producers, who felt she would boost ticket sales at the box office. Both as a tongue-in-cheek joke, and to appease the execs, Godard featured Brigitte Bardot in a series of intentionally gratuitous scenes. The entire cast is wonderful, including Jack Palance, Michel Piccoli, Giorgia Moll... and iconic German director Fritz Lang, who plays himself.

The lives of writer Paul Javal (Michel Piccoli) and his wife Camille (Brigitte Bardot) are complacent...