Tussle with Russell

Year of Jane Russell: Day 40

Despite being premiered in San Francisco in 1943, The Outlaw wasn’t released until 1946 through United Artists. Even then, the release was limited. For the ‘46 campaign, the imagery of Jane reclining on hay with a gun received a refresh via noted pin-up artist and fellow San Fernando Valley resident Zoë Mozert. Jane posed for Mozert in person and the result was a stunning oil painting that was used for a full page magazine ad with the notorious tag line “How would you like to tussle with Russell?” The ad only ran in American Weekly, a supplement to Hearst newspapers as other publications deemed a tussle with Russell too scandalous.

Mozert’s original painting was massive and a piece Howard Hughes maintained in his personal collection. Last year, it came up for auction, and sold for $130,000!