Some even say George Reeves appears at the foot of the bed every now and then, dressed as Superman. But it wasnt just Reeves career that was going through a dramatic turn. The film suggests three possible scenarios: accidental shooting by Lemmon, murder by an unnamed hitman under orders from Eddie Mannix, and suicide. Between the start of production on Gone With the Wind and its release 12months later, several films on his Warner contract were made and released, making Gone With the Wind his first film role, but his fifth film release. George Reeves' death was ruled a suicide, . When his mother moved to California to be with her sister, it was said Reeves never saw his father again. He complained to friends, columnists, and his mother of his financial problems. The Superman cast members had restrictive contracts preventing them from taking other work that might interfere with the series. So when George Reeves spurned his long term mistress for a younger model, she did not take it lying down. He was 40 years old and wanted to quit and move on with his career. Their suspicions werent entirely fueled by grief and denialthe evidence was puzzling. Many studios were slowing down their production schedules, however, and some production units had shut down completely. The Afterlife of George Reeves Actor George Reeves died at 1:59 am on June 16, 1959. He died in June of 1959, not 1958. That night she received a disturbing phone call. After all these years, what happened that night at 1579 Benedict Canyon remains obscure and controversial. Bud Collyer had voiced the Man of Steel on the radio from 1940 to 1951, and Kirk Alyn played the role in two 15-part movie serials that ended in 1950. The windows above the living room are the windows to George's bedroom. George Bessolo Reeves lived in a modest house in Benedict Canyon in Los Angeles, California up until the time of his death on June 15, 1959. The world was shocked to learn that famed Superman actor, George Reeves, had been found dead in his home of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Reeves died at the age of 45, from a gunshot wound to the head. Reeves was dressed in one of his characters Clark Kent suits for the funeral, which took place two weeks later, on June 30th, 1959. In actual fact The Adventures of Superman was due to return in 1960, with a higher pay packet for Reeves and the promise that he would be able to direct more of the episodes, something he had enjoyed doing on the last three shows of the previous season. Hes going upstairs to shoot himself, she allegedly said. He kept his private life discreet, including a romantic relationship with Toni Mannix, wife of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer general manager Eddie Mannix. Los Angeles Police Department Death Report, June 26, 1959. As far as Reeves was concerned, one has to wonder if he had any regrets. A noise echoed: See, hes opening the drawer to get the gun. Then a shot: I told you, hes shot himself.. [26] He was reportedly making $5,000 (about $50,000 in today's dollars) per week, but only while the show was in production (about eight weeks each year). Reeves mother hired a high-powered lawyer to get the case reopened, but he quickly dropped his new client for reasons unknown. Perhaps he came a little too close to the truth. Reeves death was quickly ruled a suicide, but some facts of the case appear to be murky at best. During the dinner, they had argued. Wikimedia CommonsReeves played opposite Vivien Leigh as one of the Tarleton twins in Gone With the Wind. The year before Reeves death he abruptly ended his relationship with Mannix, leaving her for the younger New York socialite Leonore Lemmon. The police also found two gunshot holes in the carpet as well as the one in the ceiling that they traced to the wound in Reevess head, yet the witnesses claimed to have only heard one shot that night. To this day, there are three possible scenarios that explain the death of George Reeves. Many felt that Reeves was tired of being known as Superman, and that he killed himself out of anguish. Immediately after completing it, Reeves and the crew began production of the first season's episodes, all shot over 13 weeks in the summer of 1951. 'See thereI told you so! It was a minor role, but he and Fred Crane were in the film's opening scene. The following is taken from the official autopsy report: Exactly what happened that night was never fully resolved, due to varying drunken accounts. Reeves was apparently scheduled to marry Lemmon on June 19 and then spend their honeymoon in Tijuana. Reeves usually had an open door policy, but not after midnight. The police ruled his death a suicide, but rumors quickly surfaced that Reeves was. '"[29], Reeves, Noel Neill, Natividad Vaco, Gene LeBell, and a trio of musicians toured with a public-appearance show from 1957 onward. When he returned, his mother told him his stepfather had committed suicide. Superman was dead, and there were no heroes coming in to save the day. In the 1950s the actor, George Reeves was best known for his portrayal of Superman in the television series, Adventures of Superman. While Reeves was depressed at the time of his death, there were oddities at the crime scene. Si no quieres que nosotros ni nuestros socios utilicemos cookies y datos personales para estos propsitos adicionales, haz clic en Rechazar todo. Coates had become a mutual friend of both her Superman co-star and Tony Mannix. The death of the original Superman is one of those American mysteries that may never fully add up. But there were a few details that didnt quite make sense. 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. : The Return of Black Adam. Despite these suspicions, the Los Angeles Police Department officially ruled the death a suicide, on little more than a cursory investigation. The woman on the other end of the line was a woman named Toni Mannix. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series Adventures of Superman (19521958). He was contracted to Warner Brothers at the time, and the actor's professional name became "George Reeves" and his GWTW screen credit reflects the change. Fellow actors Gig Young and Alan Ladd publicly doubted that Reeves took his own life. Nosotros, Yahoo, somos parte de la familia de marcas de Yahoo. Why had Lemmon waited for so long - 45 minutes or so, to call the police? For some reason Reeves had contorted his head so it was tilted upwards at the point of firing, as the bullet was found embedded in the ceiling. See real George Reeves photos, and pics of the real Eddie Mannix, Toni Mannix, Leonore Lemmon and others. 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. Army. George was dressed in a gray Clark Kent Suit from the tv show and his body was taken to Gates/Kingsley/Gates on Sepulveda. She had talked to him days before, and, according to her, he was in a splendid state of mind. She had the body exhumed, and a second autopsy was performed. According to publicist Edward Lozzi, who had befriended Toni during her last years as a widow in Beverly Hills, what she had done weighed heavily on the now elderly Mannix. In the early hours of June 16, Mannix called Coates; she was hysterical and told her friend that Reeves had been murdered. The show was a smashing success, drawing huge audiences each episode. After hearing a gunshot, they waited 45 minutes before calling the police. The series went on the air the following year, and Reeves was amazed at becoming a national celebrity. They married on September 22, 1940 in San Marino, California, at the Church of Our Savior. After his death, it was revealed that he left everything to Toni, which could have been an oversight given he and Lemmon had only been together six months, or it could have been a big middle finger. Reeves was born five months into their marriage (the reason Reeves's mother subsequently claimed a false April birth date for her son, something he was unaware of until . Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point. Was the coroner's verdict right after all? The sinister true story behind the death of George Reeves By Gaby Wood 13 March 2016 12:18pm Reeves, star of the Fifties TV show The Adventures of Superman, was shot in 1959. More powerful than a locomotive! At 45 and craving more serious work, the prospect of yet again trudging around the country in tights and cape, as children threw stones at him and teenagers challenged him to fights, may have become too much bare. Other evidence that casts doubt on this scenario is the lack of burn marks on Reeves back. What happened next is mired in controversy, but according to the police interviews with the witnesses, a short moment later a shot was heard and the man who had become famous for been impervious to gunfire had, ironically, ended his life with a bullet to the head. But unable to find work, perhaps George felt he had little choice but to return to a part that clearly caused him much anguish. She died in 1989. Mannix died in 1983 at the age of 77--her husband Eddie had died in 1963. Mother Victoria Alice Mason. Reeves wrote the pilot script himself. Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results George Azer Reeves (1914 - 1945) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days. Jack Larson and Noel Neill both remembered Reeves as a noble Southern gentleman (even though he was from Iowa) with a sign on his dressing room door that said "Honest George, the people's friend". George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 - June 16, 1959) was an American actor. I know he enjoyed the role, but he used to say, 'Here I am, wasting my life. George Reeves, 45, TV's indestructible "Man of Steel," Superman, was dead by his own hand and the flowing cloak would flow no more. This theory centres around the mysterious WIlliam Bliss, a stranger to both Reeves and Leonore Lemmon, whose presence in the house that night has never been adequately explained. and im so curious to know,is it true or not?cause if it is true..wow it is the scariest thing ive ever heard. Upon hearing of George's demise, he went to the house and the . The official verdict was that Reeves had committed suicide, the weight of his troubles having become too much for him to bear. Alcohol, narcotics and depression are a red light warning sign for suicide, and with little other evidence available to them to suggest otherwise, its not hard to see why the Police came to this conclusion. Superman actor George Reeves is beloved for his portrayal of the character, and this is an in-depth look back at his life and tragic death. Great article tho. Reeves also enjoyed playing with an unloaded gun. Except for the second season, the Superman schedule was brief (13 shows shot two per week, a total of seven weeks out of a year), but all had a "30-day clause", which meant that the producers could demand their exclusive services for a new season on four weeks' notice. The coroner had ruled the forty-five year old actor's death a suicide, brought about by despondency over a failing career and too much alcohol. How do we create a person's profile? Eddies exploits in covering up the sleazy underbelly of Hollywood were legendary. The characters involved range from colorful to drunk to suspicious, having by now taken any secrets . So I figured this was the perfect time to do so and dragged the Grim Cheaper right on out there last weekend. He freelanced, appearing in five Hopalong Cassidy westerns before director Mark Sandrich cast Reeves as Lieutenant John Summers opposite Claudette Colbert in So Proudly We Hail! This is however not the case as it it the guest bedroom that faces the street. The Great Mystery Of George Reeves' Death On June 16, 1959, the actor died in his own bedroom when he was only 45 years old from a shot to the head. Reeves blood alcohol content that night was .27 percent. All was not well behind the scenes in Metropolis. 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. In 1957, the producers considered a theatrical film Superman and the Secret Planet. According to partygoers, one of the guests raced upstairs to find Reeves lying across his bed, the life snuffed out of him by a bullet in the head. Advertisement. The gun fell to his feet and the shell was found underneath him. Separated from his wife (their divorce became final in 1950), Reeves moved to New York City in 1949. The Mannixs relationship was unusual even by the standards of Hollywood. As portrayed in films such as Hollywoodland and Hail Ceasar, Eddie had an array of thugs, bent cops, private eyes and mobsters on the payroll. As more and more time passed between acting jobs paying less and less, Reeves was reduced to appearing in a low-budget serial produced by Sam Katzman, The Adventures of Sir Galahad, and taking a second job digging cesspools. Copyright (c) 2023 Groundspeak, Inc. All Rights Reserved. But even more importantly, The Adventures of Superman was marketed mostly towards a younger audience. 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. Listen to 022 - The Suspicious Death of George Reeves . Others suggested that Eddie Mannix, rumored to have Mafia ties, ordered Reeves killed.[43]. They found George Reeves upstairs on his bed, with a Luger between his feet and a bullet hole in his head. George Reeves hit the television jackpot when he landed the dual role of Clark Kent/Superman in the television series The Adventures of Superman. Just over a year after the war started, Reeves was called up. Leonore Lemmon was, by all accounts, a bit of a hell-raiser. If anyone could put the heat on Superman it was Eddie. Is her confession credible? A SHOT rang out. Character: . Finally, theres the fiancee. A month later, having uncovered no evidence contradicting the official finding, Giesler announced that he was satisfied that the gunshot wound had been self-inflicted and withdrew.[41][39]. [17] His friend Teddi Sherman introduced him to her father, producer Harry Sherman, who asked Reeves to do a screen test with Teddi for the Hopalong Cassidy films. Toni, a former showgirl and starlet in the early talkies, married MGM studios enforcer Eddie Mannix in 1951. Later, Reeves's mother,[12] who was of German descent, moved to California to stay with her sister. On the night of June 16, 1959, George Reeves was found dead in his bedroom from a gunshot wound to the head in his Benedict Canyon home, while his fiance Lemmon was downstairs hosting a party. The ballistics looked all wrong too. If anything, it seemed like Reeves career was on the up. (1942), a war drama for Paramount Pictures. Considering her temperament, it does not seem out of the question she may have started waving Reeves pistol about whilst having a drunken argument with her prospective husband. Climbing Back Up Almost immediately after the case was closed, questions about the truth began to arise. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series Adventures of Superman (1952-1958). They decided that he had not committed suicide. Shortly after they arrived, Reeves came downstairs to find out what the commotion was. The police arrived within the hour. He was getting work as a director, and he had agreed to do another season of Superman, in which he would also direct quite a few episodes of. 1579 Benedict Canyon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. While Reeves may have been famous for being Superman, the role wasnt making him a whole lot of money. However, rumors suspect that there was foul play involved in his passing. The story told by those there that night is full of holes, the evidence perplexing and poorly handled. "Actress to Wed." Philadelphia Inquirer, September 18, 1940. The stairs turn and continue upward to the bedroom where George slept. Tell them I was down here!. He was 45 years old. The Los Angeles county coroner said its was a suicide, but family & friends say it was a love triangle murder. The argument had carried over back to the house, Lemmon apparently upset by the suspicion that Reeves had been talking to previous girlfriend Toni Mannix. Effectively living an open marriage, Eddie tolerated, even liked Reeves, and himself maintained a younger mistress. . His work on the show would earn him fame as the Original Superman, even though that wasnt technically true. (1956), in which Reeves wore a beard and mustache. In June 1951, Reeves was offered the role of Superman in a new television series[23] titled Adventures of Superman. It is sometimes easy to get caught up in the mystery of George Reeves demise, the different theories and suspects. Rather than being seen as the hunky superhero who had proven himself as a leading man, Reeves was worried that the role would forever make him the kids beloved Superman in the eyes of the world and of casting directors. 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. This includes accusations of murder directed at his fiance and ex-girlfriend. He had recently been involved in a serious affair with a married woman, Toni Mannix, before dumping her for his high-society fiancee, leaving Mannix devastated. We have always known that house guest Robert Condon, Carol Van Ronkel and William Bliss were there. Its Superman! The iconic intro blazed into American households on Sept. 19, 1952. Forty-five minutes later, the police were called. A script was commissioned from David Chantler, who had written many of the TV scripts. . Quick Description: The actor George Reeves house where TV's "Superman," was found dead of a head gunshot wound on June 16, 1959. According to the Argus observer, "George Reeves, 45, was found dead in his upstairs bedroom of this house . Your definitive source to filming locations and all things Hollywood! Lemmon had called them after she and her party guests had found Reeves dead in his bedroom. On 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. George Reeves from "Superman" had a mysterious death that saw him die from a single gunshot wound to the head. He was also engaged to Leonore Lemmon, a New York showgirl. Robert Condon, a writer interested in writing a biography on George, stayed in the house. He was born in Woolstock, Iowa but eventually moved to Galesburg, Illinois after his parents separated. It was then that Lemmons actions became truly strange. Robert (Bobby) was writing a book about boxer Archie Moore. The . Cuando utilizas nuestros sitios y aplicaciones, usamos. [17], Released from his Warner contract, he signed a contract at Twentieth Century-Fox but was released after only a handful of films, one of which was the Charlie Chan movie Dead Men Tell. In 1959, however, negotiations began for a renewal of the series, with 26episodes scheduled to go into production. Bessolo actually died March 4, 1944, at age 51, when his adopted son was well into his movie career. More sinister still, did Eddie Mannix, a man whose job it was to make Hollywood scandals go away, pull some of his underworld strings and hire a hitman to erase the man who had so grievously upset his wife? Besides, she was married to the most dangerous man in Hollywood, who had a formidable reputation for been able to make problems disappear. 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. Authorities ruled it a suicide, but was it? Reeves died of a gunshot wound to the head in the upstairs bedroom of his home at 1579 Benedict Canyon Drive[34] in Benedict Canyon between 1:30 and 2:00a.m. on June 16, 1959, according to the Los Angeles Police Department report. EXPLOSIVE new forensic evidence reveals Superman actor George Reeves didn't commit suicide he was murdered and a GLOBE investigation has uncovered the sordid truth behind the "perfect crime" and sinister cover-up of nearly 60 years! I remember watching Superman on tv, George Reeves Kelloggs Corn Flakes CommercialFilmed in his Home, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), I blogged about during my Haunted Hollywood theme last year, 1579 Benedict Canyon Drive in Beverly Hills. The Mysterious Death of Superman George Reeves It wasn't Kryptonite that killed Superman. If his death was suicide Reeves must have held the gun with his right hand, although this in itself is suspicious as the actor had injured his right hand in an automobile accident a few weeks prior to his death. George Reeves mother Helen Bessolo never accepted the official verdict and hired private investigators to to reopen the investigation into his death. At the beginning of his life, George Reeves was a Midwesterner by birth but, as he grew older, he made his way out to California with his mother. According to Kashner and Schoenberger (A Talent for Genius), however, unanswered details about Reeves's demise shroud what in truth was foul play. Had the jilted older woman taken things one step too far and shot Reeves in a jealous rage? The roles just werent coming his way. He was initially reluctant to take the role because, like many actors of his time, he considered television unimportant and believed few would see his work.
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