Two people who might have had strong motives were Toni and Eddie Mannix. Following the path so many women have taken throughout Hollywood history, Reeves turned to directing, producing, and writing when he couldnt get the roles he wanted. Many believe that the ghostly appearances by the actor lend credence to the idea that he was murdered. Reeves began acting and singing in high school and continued performing on stage as a student at Pasadena Junior College. 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. Si quieres personalizar tus opciones, haz clic en Gestionar configuracin de privacidad. Many studios were slowing down their production schedules, however, and some production units had shut down completely. The actors were poorly paid, and even after Reeves received a raise after trying and failing to leave the show after three seasons, he found himself struggling for money, unable to get the roles he really wanted, and taxed for time given the all-consuming nature of his Superman commitments. Finally, a single shot rang out. 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 won critical acclaim for the role and garnered considerable publicity. A funeral was held on Wednesday, June 30. 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. Lemmon says George Reeves committed suicide. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series Adventures of Superman (1952-1958). And how had the fatal bullet ended up in the ceiling whilst the shell rested underneath his body? Leonore Lemmon fled to New York right after Reeves died--but first emptied his house of liquor bottles and $4,000 in traveler's checks. Everyone involved decided that it had been a suicide. The producers looked elsewhere for a new star.[25]. Would the actor, generally described as an ordinary, straightforward kind of guy, really have killed himself in a house full of guests, especially choosing to do so naked - highly unusual in suicides? "According to Lemmon, the only people in the house that night, in addition to George and herself, were Carol Von Ronkle, William Bliss, and writer Robert Condon. He was able to play against type and starred as a villainous gold hunter in a Johnny Weissmuller Jungle Jim film. Warners loaned him to producer Alexander Korda to co-star with Merle Oberon in Lydia, a box-office failure. Cancel OK Your account The characters involved range from colorful to drunk to suspicious, having by now taken any secrets they may be hiding to their graves. Was the star of 50s TV show The Adventures of Superman murdered? 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]. George Reeves may not be the first actor that springs to mind when you think of Superman, but the star's untimely death put him at the centre of a conspiracy theory malestrom.. Reeves was actually . . The windows above the living room are the windows to George's bedroom. The same cast was very quickly taken on for a television series, The Adventures of Superman, sponsored by Kellogg's cereal, which began airing late in 1952. Death Of George Reeves Source: Biography. 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. The report made by the Los Angeles Police states, "[Reeves was] depressed because he couldn't get the sort of parts he wanted." Reeves had been having an affair with his wife Toni Mannix. Toni, a former showgirl and starlet in the early talkies, married MGM studios enforcer Eddie Mannix in 1951. Had she even pulled the trigger herself? Was Lemmon with Reeves when he shot himself? Inexplicably, the shell casing was found underneath Reeves body. But his business manager and mother, among others, said that while it was true he was disappointed in the way things were going, his feelings werent strong enough to explain a suicide. Conspiracy theories abound and Reeves death has remained the stuff of Hollywood legend for over five decades since. While the tragedy was unfolding, his fiance and three guests were carousing downstairs, his soon-to-be wife allegedly narrating the action going on above. 'See thereI told you so! 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. This includes accusations of murder directed at his fiance and ex-girlfriend. Tall and chisel jawed, Reeves was the perfect choice to play the all American hero in the syndicated television show the Adventures of Superman. Despite the questions that remain to this day, no real investigation was ever mounted. His relatives believed he was murdered, and disputed the official ruling of suicide. Advertisement. 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 . The death of the original Superman is one of those American mysteries that may never fully add up. The story told by those there that night is full of holes, the evidence perplexing and poorly handled. 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. [40], Reeves' mother thought the ruling premature and peremptory, and retained attorney Jerry Giesler to petition for a reinvestigation of the case as a possible homicide. Like so many men of his generation, the war derailed his life plans. He complained to friends, columnists, and his mother of his financial problems. Reeves also enjoyed playing with an unloaded gun. George Reeves' Home. As far as Reeves was concerned, one has to wonder if he had any regrets. There were also bruises on Reeves head and body. Reeves death was quickly ruled a suicide, but some facts of the case appear to be murky at best. Three shots were fired in the room: two on the floor and one in Reeves' head. It was to be his final feature film appearance. The actor had no burn marks on his hands or face - how had he shot himself in the head with a pistol without leaving powder burns? Reeves was apparently scheduled to marry Lemmon on June 19 and then spend their honeymoon in Tijuana. The roles just werent coming his way. The police arrived within the hour. Eddies exploits in covering up the sleazy underbelly of Hollywood were legendary. Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images Phyllis Coates and George Reeves in The Adventures of Superman. In June 1951, Reeves was offered the role of Superman in a new television series[23] titled Adventures of 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. Reeves mother hired a high-powered lawyer to get the case reopened, but he quickly dropped his new client for reasons unknown. The events surrounding his death have been the subject of much conjecture ever since. Had the usually diligent actor neglected to maintain his prized Jaguar properly or was this, as some have suspected, a murder attempt by Toni Mannix? According to the autopsy report, Reeves had taken his .30 caliber German Luger pistol, placed it near his right temple and pulled the trigger. The Afterlife of George Reeves Actor George Reeves died at 1:59 am on June 16, 1959. I don't know what happened to George. To the left in the photo is a den. [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. This is however not the case as it it the guest bedroom that faces the street. Another rumor was that a car was heard speeding away from the house as well. The stairs turn and continue upward to the bedroom where George slept. George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 June 16, 1959) was an American actor. All of the conspiracy theories surrounding Reevess death would eventually be played out on the big screen in 2006s Hollywoodland, but they boil down to three scenarios. Faster than a speeding bullet! [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. The Iowa-born actor got his big break when he was hired to play one of Scarlett OHaras suitors in 1939s Gone with the Wind. Catalog; For You; Globe. Hard drinking and hard partying, she gave as good as she got, and had the dubious distinction of been the first woman to be thrown out of New Yorks famous Stork club for fist fighting. If the Hollywood stories are to be believed, any death involving a girl and a gun is suspicious. All was not well behind the scenes in Metropolis. A SHOT rang out. In June of 1959, things started to look up for George. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and gave Reeves the distinction of appearing in two "Best Picture" films. According to the Argus observer, "George Reeves, 45, was found dead in his upstairs bedroom of this house . Even outside of the world of comic books, bullets sometimes do funny things, and that was certainly the case in the death of George Reeves. Learn about George Reeves death and the true story behind the Hollywoodland movie starring Ben Affleck as TV's Superman. '"[29], Reeves, Noel Neill, Natividad Vaco, Gene LeBell, and a trio of musicians toured with a public-appearance show from 1957 onward. When the police did arrive, they found no sign . Besides, she was married to the most dangerous man in Hollywood, who had a formidable reputation for been able to make problems disappear. Superman was dead, and there were no heroes coming in to save the day. [38] The bullet that killed Reeves was recovered from the bedroom ceiling, and the spent shell casing was found under his body. George Reeves hit the television jackpot when he landed the dual role of Clark Kent/Superman in the television series The Adventures of Superman. There's a general belief that Toni Mannix bought the house, but his name 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]. He starred in a number of two-reel short subjects and appeared in several B-pictures, including two with Ronald Reagan and three with James Cagney (Torrid Zone, The Fighting 69th, and The Strawberry Blonde). 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. That position was taken over by Frank . The woman on the other end of the line was a woman named Toni Mannix. Ruled as a. Reeves was transferred to the Army Air Forces' First Motion Picture Unit, where he made training films.