Jill St. John, left, with Adam West as Batman
And why we include her in the website/blog
Jill St. John has another one of those birthdays again today. Born 19 August in Los Angeles, she turns 79. Her acting career has largely been nonexistent in recent years, save for a 2014 appearance in the Hallmark Christmas special Northpole, in which she played Mrs. Claus.
And if she has been in the news in recent years, it’s more to do with her being married to Robert Wagner, who has been named a “person of interest” in the investigation into the death of his late wife, Natalie Wood.
But if she has a special place here, it’s because of her contributions to the world of Batman, which spawned the character of Catwoman. Ms. St. John portrayed the character of Molly the Mole in the pilot episode of the 1966 series, which was filmed beginning on 11 October 1965, and which aired on 12-13 January 1966.
That character inspired DC Comics staffers Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams to create the character of Molly Post, a love interest for the Caped Crusader. Molly Post appeared in issues #244 and #245 of the Batman comic, in August and September 1972. Three years later, that character re-emerged in Detective Comics #451 (September 1975), in a story written by Mr. O’Neil, but drawn by another artist.
And in 1986, Frank Miller produced The Dark Knight Returns, which had a red-haired female Robin as its lead, along with an aging Batman. That character, Carrie Kelley, would re-emerge in 2001 and then in the mid-2010s.
From what we have heard, Jill St. John considers her work on the 1966 Batman series as simply another acting role. This is understandable. However, her influence on the world of Batman is considerable, and her performance on that January night in 1966 has left this blog writer and website owner with quite the impression.
