On this day in 1971 (19 August), Jill St. John was marking her 31st birthday, and was winding down production of what proved to be her most celebrated film, the James Bond adventure Diamonds Are Forever. That was in production from 5 April to 7 September. During the production of that movie, the 1966 Batman movie made its television debut on ABC, and it would be rerun on 5 September (Labor Day weekend).
This may be a weird post to mention that Ms. St. John has a birthday today, but the two items seem a little more linked together than one might think. Reportedly, she considered her role as Molly the Mole in the Batman series as just another job, but in the Batman comic book scheme of things, her role has carried considerable weight:
- One year later, in August and September 1972, the character of Molly Post, a champion skier, made her way into Batman #244 and #245. Neil Adams has indicated her appearance was indeed inspired by Jill St. John, and the actress was also known to be skiing in Colorado, where she began spending more time in the 1970s. Molly Post also appeared in Detective Comics #451 in September 1975. That inspired us to produce the fan film The Conquest of Batman in 2018.
- Her character of Molly was also an influence in the creation of the Carrie Kelley Robin in 1986, beginning with The Dark Knight Returns.
Sadly, her appearances have been pretty much been nonexistent over the past two years or so. Questions have been raised about her health, but we cannot comment on that. But for us, she has cast a long and interesting shadow over the past 55 years, and the idea of a female, red-haired Robin is something that is as irresistible as the idea of Catwoman herself.
And we absolutely wish Jill St. John a Happy Birthday!!!
