Clint and Jayne Mansfield

A lot of fans are probably very familiar of the Clint Eastwood photo (left) taken with Jayne Mansfield.  

It has appeared in numerous books over the decades and like me, there are probably plenty of collectors who have a 10x8 still of them, on what appears to be an aeroplane - it's a famous enough photo. But have you ever wondered where both Clint and Mansfield were? 

Was it just a coincidence that they were travelling on the same plane? Perhaps it was just a one off photo opportunity? Well actually no... 

The photo taken in 1962 was of them arriving at San Francisco’s Barbary Coast Fandango. Below is the original story as published in the San Francisco Chronicle – and features a couple of much rarer photos AND the original advertising poster featuring both Clint and Mansfield as the star guests.

Come one, come all, to the Barbary Coast Fandango

When long-entrenched Chronicle departments move from one part of 901 Mission St. to another, reporters, editors and photographers often discover old photos and newspapers. These treasures get sent to the librarians.

A recent file of photos caught my eye when I recognized a young Clint Eastwood, but the shot’s setting seemed odd and I didn’t recognize anyone else. No written information was included on the back of the photos, but one of the subjects turned out to be actress Jayne Mansfield, the Hollywood actress and performer who was one of the best-known blonde bombshells of the late 1950s and early 1960s.

She and Eastwood were going to appear at San Francisco’s Barbary Coast Fandango, an Old West-themed festival sponsored by The San Francisco Chronicle and California Historical Society.

Eastwood and Mansfield were to join San Francisco Supervisors Peter Tamaras and Charles Ertola and artist Lorrie Bunker to judge the costume contest. Attendees could ride a Wells Fargo stage coach that was robbed 15 times by Black Bart, pan for gold or try to win a new sewing machine by finding a needle in a haystack. On the final day of the Fandango, Mansfield would present a trophy to the winners of the fast draw competition, one of the highlights for the lucky few who attended the Fandango alongside the celebrities.

Photos taken by Bob Campbell, The San Francisco Chronicle

Below: The original 1962 poster