Hatter moll Jean Hale passes away

General goings on in the 1966 Batman World

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High C
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Re: Hatter moll Jean Hale passes away

Post by High C »

Sad news. Writer Tom Lisanti, who has penned numerous books about femme fatale/henchmoll type actresses of the 1960s, interviewed Hale and she indicated her star at Twentieth Century Fox apparently fell when she refused to do Valley of the Dolls because her role would have some 'semi-nudity, something she didn't feel comfortable with, given her Mormon background.' She also had failed to do European promotion for In Like Flint, in which she had a fairly meaty role, because she had just had a child with actor Dabney Coleman, her husband at the time.

Around the time of Batman, she also appeared in another Fox film, The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, as the, well, moll of gangster George Segal.

I liked her portrayal of Polly. I felt like Hale put more on the screen than was on the page. She certainly was the epitome of the stunning ice blonde, but she wasn't just trying to get by on her looks. She met Coleman in an acting workshop.

The fact that the news didn't come out until almost two months after she died makes me wonder if there are some molls and bit player types whom we won't hear about at all when they're gone. But that is a separate issue.

Rest easy, Jean.
'I thought Siren was perfect for Joan.'--Stanley Ralph Ross, writer of 'The Wail of the Siren'

My hobbies include gazing at the Siren and doing her bidding, evil or otherwise.

'She had a devastating, hypnotic effect on all the men.'--A schoolmate describing Joan Collins at age 17
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Ben Bentley
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Re: Hatter moll Jean Hale passes away

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The Contaminated Cowl/Mad Hatter Runs Afoul were two of the handful of episodes I that I had on VHS having taped off of an early 90's broadcast. I wore those tapes out over the years, they were how I fell in love with the show. I must have seen Jean's performance hundreds of times at this point. Rest in peace Jean!
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zippgun
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Re: Hatter moll Jean Hale passes away

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Compared to Diane McBain's Lisa, I think Jean Hale's Polly was disappointingly written. Polly was not particularly involved in the Hatter's fiendish machinations, and didn't seem really evil, unlike Lisa.

One of my favourite Jean Hale roles is in an episode of The Smothers Brothers 1965/6 sitcom (where she throws a girl in a swimming pool). And I love her part in "The St Valentine's day massacre."
RIP, Jean.
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Dan E Kool
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Re: Hatter moll Jean Hale passes away

Post by Dan E Kool »

Ben Bentley wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 4:08 am The Contaminated Cowl/Mad Hatter Runs Afoul were two of the handful of episodes I that I had on VHS having taped off of an early 90's broadcast. I wore those tapes out over the years, they were how I fell in love with the show. I must have seen Jean's performance hundreds of times at this point. Rest in peace Jean!
What a wonderful memory. Thanks for sharing, BB
- Boy Genius
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