In the early morning hours of June 16, 1959, George Reeves, who was the first to make the superhero an icon when he played the titular role in the inaugural TV series, was found dead in his bedroom, naked with a bullet through his head. The show was a smashing success, drawing huge audiences each episode. Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty ImagesPhyllis Coates and George Reeves in The Adventures of Superman. After the war, Reeves returned to Hollywood. Two neighbors stopped by, hoping to join the party. After breaking up with his wife, Reeves had engaged in a three-year affair with actress Toni Mannix, who was married to a notorious fixer for MGM Studios. While he returned unscathed, he struggled from that point forward to get his career back on track. Para obtener ms informacin sobre cmo utilizamos tus datos personales, consulta nuestra Poltica de privacidad y Poltica de cookies. The recent feature film, "Hollywoodland" is about this questionable death of a popular celebrity. Three shots were fired in the room: two on the floor and one in Reeves' head. On the night of his death, George had several friends over. If he had really fallen backwards onto a freshly ejected shell case it should have been hot enough to have burnt his skin, yet no such marks were evident at the autopsy. Robert (Bobby) was writing a book about boxer Archie Moore. He had a string of B-list movies after that, and was slowly working his way up to leading man status when bombs dropped on Pearl Harbor.
George Reeves3 Theories About The Death of Superman. Reeves himself was also severely under the influence, with a blood alcohol level of .27 and, because the actor had long enjoyed playing with unloaded weapons, it was thought possible he accidentally shot himself while doing so. The producers looked elsewhere for a new star.[25]. Its not like my George to do a thing like that, his mother told the press. He performed on live television anthology programs, as well as on radio, and then returned to Hollywood in 1951 for a role in a Fritz Lang film, Rancho Notorious.[22]. According to legend, the house at 1579 Benedict Canyon Drive in Los Angeles where actor George Reeves died of a gunshot wound to the head early in the morning of June 16, 1959 is haunted.
The Ghost of George Reeves - Medium The house was bought in the early 1950's for $12,000. September6, 1892 was the daughter of George Christian Lescher and Eliza Jane McKenzie, she died in a Pasadena hospital on June 18, 1964. Faster than a speeding bullet! Lemmon moved into his house, and they were to be married on June 18. Since a 9mm Luger generally ejects its shells to the right, it's hard to conceive what position the actor must have been in when he fired for it to have ended up underneath him. Had Reeves gotten cold feet about their supposed wedding, or been caught on the phone to Toni Mannix? This includes accusations of murder directed at his fiance and ex-girlfriend. The home has not changed much since the mid-fifties. The gun fell to his feet and the shell was found underneath him. George Reeves Facts. [27], His good friend Bill Walsh, a producer at Disney Studios, gave Reeves a prominent role in Westward Ho the Wagons! George Reeves was dead. But the scandalous and suspicious way he met his death in 1959 could not have been further removed from his role as the Man of Steel. However, it was obvious that many parts of the investigation were not performed as they should have been.
The accident was rendered in a more sinister light when Reeves mechanic discovered the brake fluid in the car had been drained. He was able to play against type and starred as a villainous gold hunter in a Johnny Weissmuller Jungle Jim film. Puedes cambiar tus opciones en cualquier momento haciendo clic en el enlace Panel de control de privacidad de nuestros sitios y aplicaciones. [13] His Gone with the Wind screen credit reflects the change. Leonore Lemmon became an alcoholic, got fat, suffered from Dementia and died in 1990. Perhaps fueled by a disbelief that the Man of Steel could ever take his own life, speculation and theories have abounded for more than 50 years that Lemmon, Mannix, her husband or even a hitman were responsible for the death of Superman. Reeves mother refused to believe her son had killed himself and hired famous Hollywood lawyer Jerry Giesler to investigate further. On June 16, 1959, Reeves was found dead in his bedroom from a gunshot wound to the head. Is there any truth in the persistent rumours that Reeves was murdered?
I told you, hes shot himself., When the cops arrived on the scene, Lemmon told them she had been only kidding when she made her strange remarks. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series Adventures of Superman (1952-1958). Clearly she had the motive, and through her ruthless and well connected husband she certainly had the means. The windows above the living room are the windows to George's bedroom. It was a minor role, but he and Fred Crane were in the film's opening scene. Reeves's film career began in 1939 when he was cast as Stuart Tarleton (albeit incorrectly listed in the film's credits as Brent Tarleton), one of Vivien Leigh's suitors in Gone with the Wind. Conversely, not everyone who is depressed about their career takes their own life.
George Reeves - RUSC Old Time Radio however to this day there is an air of mystery surrounding Reeves' death. Multiple gunshot suicides are rare, so if these shots were contemporary to Reeves death, it seems unlikely he was the shooter. But there were a few details that didnt quite make sense. Had the actor been placed on the bed some time after he was shot? According to Larson, Reeves also said he would feel better about the role if he knew he had any adult fans but never learned that Adventures of Superman had adult fans even during its original broadcast run.[17]. Like so many men of his generation, the war derailed his life plans. [17] Reeves appeared in five Hopalong Cassidy westerns before being cast as Lieutenant John Summers opposite Claudette Colbert in So Proudly We Hail! [33] Reeves had been made a "Kentucky Colonel" during a publicity trip in the South, and the sign on his dressing room door was replaced with a new one that read "Honest George, also known as Col. Reeves", created by the show's prop department. Reeves established his own production company and conceived a TV adventure series called Port of Entry, which would be shot on location in Hawaii and Mexico. [24] As for Port of Entry, Reeves was never able to gain financing for the project, and the show was never made.
George Reeves - Biography - IMDb Its impossible to ever know whats truly going on in someones head, especially on a night of heavy drinking, but it did seem that Reeves was taking steps to fix his situation. According to commentaries on the Adventures of Superman DVD sets, multiple scripts were filmed simultaneously to take advantage of the standing sets; for example, all the "Perry White's office" scenes for three or four episodes would be shot the same day and the various "apartment" scenes would be done consecutively. Not the comic book character, of course, but the man who personified the "real" Superman for an entire generation of television fans. Dubious witness statements and the examination of the crime scene by the Los Angeles Police led to the official inquiry conclusion that the death of Reeves's was suicide. Eddie Mannix wasnt just a heavy in Hollywood, he was also rumored to have mob connections. However, many of his friends and colleagues believe the actor was murdered, his death the stormy culmination of a tangled love life. Released from his Warners contract, he signed a contract at Twentieth Century-Fox but was released after only a handful of films. In the home of actor George Reeves, people frantically handed somebody else their martini glass and then tried to wake the naked couple in bed, though the police wouldn't be called for nearly an hour.Earlier that evening, Reeves and his fiance had gotten into an argument at a restaurant or two and, despite planning to wed in only four days' time, Reeves reportedly wanted . The Los Angeles county coroner said its was a suicide, but family & friends say it was a love triangle murder. .
[42] In 1985, he was posthumously named one of the honorees by DC Comics in the company's 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great. A photo of a smiling Reeves and the sign appears in Gary Grossman's book about the show. They married on September 22, 1940 in San Marino, California, at the Church of Our Savior. If anything, it seemed like Reeves career was on the up. Then check out 48 photos that capture vintage Hollywood. He was 45 years old. Reeves would later recall the impact Sandrich's death had on his career. Stalk It: George Reeves former home is located at 1579 Benedict Canyon Drive in Beverly Hills. Years later, William Bliss, one of the party guests who had originally told police Leonore Lemmon was downstairs with them when the shot was heard, changed his story. Finally, a single shot rang out. Over six years and 104 episodes, the actor smiled broadly in pictures, fists planted on hips in the famous Superman power pose, and made appearances to promote the hit television show, including a guest spot in costume on I Love Lucy. Everyone involved decided that it had been a suicide. Reeves's film career began in 1939 when he was cast as Stuart Tarleton (incorrectly listed in the film's credits as Brent Tarleton), one of Scarlett O'Hara's suitors in Gone with the Wind. It was then that Lemmons actions became truly strange. Robert Condon, a writer interested in writing a biography on George, stayed in the house. Si no quieres que nosotros ni nuestros socios utilicemos cookies y datos personales para estos propsitos adicionales, haz clic en Rechazar todo. No charges were ever brought against anyone in connection to the case. George Reeves mother Helen Bessolo never accepted the official verdict and hired private investigators to to reopen the investigation into his death.
The Mysterious Circumstances Surrounding George Reeves' Death By Reeves also enjoyed playing with an unloaded gun. 1579 Benedict Canyon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Perhaps he came a little too close to the truth.
George Reeves' Former Home - IAMNOTASTALKER When George Reeves died in 1959, the death was quickly considered to be one that was self-inflicted. By mid 1959, contracts were signed, costumes refitted, and new teleplay writers assigned.
June 16, 1959: George Reeves, Superman, Felled by Speeding Bullet Shortly after, she began her affair with Reeves, who at 10 years her junior, she referred to as the boy. The home is currently a private residence but photos can be easily taken from the street. Superman had been cancelled and Reeves had struggled to find the serious work he craved. Reeves was 38 when he first cloaked his rugged all-American looks that were more Clark Kent than strange visitor from another planet in a caped costume. Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point. Reeves returned to Hollywood in 1951 for a role in a Fritz Lang film, Rancho Notorious. All three bullets had been fired from the weapon found at Reeves' feet, though all witnesses agreed they heard only one gunshot, and there was no sign of forced entry or other physical evidence that a second person was in the room. George Reeves had a reasonably successful film career (including a small part in Gone with the Wind) when he took the role of Superman in Superman and the Mole Men, a feature film. Hollywood was recovering from the war, but slowly, and Reeves wasnt the only actor trying to make up for lost time with renewed dedication to dreams that were still very much alive but suddenly even further out of reach. Mannix was devastated by the rejection, made all the more humiliating for the fact Reeves had moved Lemmon into a house in Los Angeles she owned. Lemmon had called them after she and her party guests had found Reeves dead in his bedroom. Death Of George Reeves Source: Biography. A gentle man in real life, given to moods, he was despondent because "everyone thought of him as Superman, not as an actor" and now that the show was no longer shooting, he couldn't get a job. After Gone with the Wind was filmed, Reeves returned to the Pasadena Playhouse and was given the lead role in the play Pancho. Some even say George Reeves appears at the foot of the bed every now and then, dressed as Superman. In the early hours of June 16, Mannix called Coates; she was hysterical and told her friend that Reeves had been murdered. [38] The bullet that killed Reeves was recovered from the bedroom ceiling, and the spent shell casing was found under his body. However, friends and relatives think Reeves career troubles were exaggerated. Father George Thomas Reeves. According to the autopsy report, Reeves had taken his .30 caliber German Luger pistol, placed it near his right temple and pulled the trigger. George Reeves died of a gunshot wound to his head in the upstairs bedroom at his home in Benedict Canyon. Those windows overlook the backyard and there is a garage under the guest bedroom. Those guests were neighbour Carol Van Ronkel, her lover Robert Condon, and another neighbour, William Bliss. George's fiancee Lenore Lemmon claims that in . Reeves blood alcohol content that night was .27 percent. Leonore Lemmon was, by all accounts, a bit of a hell-raiser. Many, though, believed the investigation had been rushed and this may have been a case of homicide.
The Ghost of George Reeves | Paul Kupperberg Was he responsible, on behalf of his wronged wife, for the misfortunes that had befallen Reeves in the run up to his death? [17], However, Reeves was inspired by So Proudly We Hail! For instance, Lemmon and her friends pulled a Conrad Murray by failing to call the police until about thirty minutes after discovering the body, and each seemed to have a differing account of the evening due to their inebriated states. Following an investigation, officers of the Los Angeles Police Department ruled the death a suicide, likely prompted by Reeves' alleged depression over the fact that he was experiencing financial . Had the jilted older woman taken things one step too far and shot Reeves in a jealous rage? More adept with withering, foul mouthed put downs, violence was not really her style. Inside the Mysterious Death of George Reeves, the Original Superman GREAT AMERICAN SCANDALS On June 16, 1959, George Reeves, who was the first to make the superhero an icon when he played. The home has not changed much since the mid-fifties.