The night Superman died and an enduring mystery was born. 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. . Despite these suspicions, the Los Angeles Police Department officially ruled the death a suicide, on little more than a cursory investigation. So I figured this was the perfect time to do so and dragged the Grim Cheaper right on out there last weekend. Reeves spoke out about these difficulties in a 1958 Evening Star article frankly titled No Work for Superman. When asked why he took the role, he said simply, I was hungry. But after six years, he was having a hard time pushing his career forward. And that was the scene that was set on June 15, 1959. 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. Giesler had been paid a hefty sum, so why did he suddenly drop the case? Lemmon stayed awake and about thirty minutes later three friends dropped by for a visit. It was purchased for the actor at a cost of $12,000 by his longtime lover, MGM Vice-President E.J. She and Eddie had used his underworld connections to have Reeves killed. She also hired private investigators to investigate his death. Entering the house from the street side, you walk into the living room. Contraversy continues. They decided that he had not committed suicide. At his funeral, he was laid to rest in the same suit that he wore on the TV show as "Clark Kent." Despite the questions that remain to this day, no real investigation was ever mounted. 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. Reeves worried he would be typecast as a childrens actor. Climbing Back Up Almost immediately after the case was closed, questions about the truth began to arise. But unable to find work, perhaps George felt he had little choice but to return to a part that clearly caused him much anguish. [39] Despite the unanswered questions, Reeves' death was officially ruled a suicide, based on witness statements, physical evidence at the scene, and the autopsy report. Getting tapped to play a famous superhero may be considered the pinnacle of an acting career today, but Reeves agreed to the role out of desperation. Over the years, occupants of the house have been plagued by not only the sound of a single gunshot that echoes in the darkness, but strange lights, and even the apparition of George Reeves 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. The first photo above looks into the living room from the backyard. It was then that Lemmons actions became truly strange. 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. And so, almost forty years later, we are left wondering. 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. Reeves fit the rugged requirements of the roles and, with his retentive memory for dialogue, he did well under rushed production conditions. Due to their advanced state of inebriation the party guests were not entirely coherent, but they all seemed to agree on the suicide story. The brown-shingled bungalow, which was built in 1947, boasts 2 bedrooms, 3 baths, and 1,717 square feet. While many of Reeves friends doubted the suicide verdict, Jack Larson, who played cub reporter Jimmy Olsen in the show, always accepted that his friend took his own life. The gun fell to his feet and the shell was found underneath him. 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. Includes the ability to log visits, view logs, save and filter offline Waymarks and use beautiful offline maps! He was cremated in Ohio, and ashes given to his mother, who then died in 1964. Reeves, who took his acting career seriously and had parts in Gone with the Wind and From here to Eternity, always had mixed feelings about his fame as Superman. [1][2], His death at age 45 from a gunshot remains controversial. The police ruled his death a suicide, but rumors quickly surfaced that Reeves was. As far as Reeves was concerned, one has to wonder if he had any regrets. Reeves and Toni Mannix split in 1958 and Reeves announced his engagement to society playgirl Leonore Lemmon. Reeves mother hired a high-powered lawyer to get the case reopened, but he quickly dropped his new client for reasons unknown. The official verdict was that Reeves had committed suicide, the weight of his troubles having become too much for him to bear. He left the bulk of his estate to Toni Mannix. And George Reeves was not unable to find work, he was not broke, he was not a suicidal depressed person. Further to this, a later search of the bedroom found two extra bullet holes. Tell them I was down here!. 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. If they were fired earlier, then at the very least its evidence somebody in the house had a somewhat cavalier attitude to firearms. Reeves then apologized, and the group sat around talking. The long Broadway run was followed by a national tour and a movie version. According to Condon, Lemmon was in an combative mood that night, and had made somewhat of a scene in the restaurant. Quick Description: The actor George Reeves house where TV's "Superman," was found dead of a head gunshot wound on June 16, 1959. In 1957, the producers considered a theatrical film Superman and the Secret Planet. The characters involved range from colorful to drunk to suspicious, having by now taken any secrets . Reeves blood alcohol content that night was .27 percent. According to the Argus observer, "George Reeves, 45, was found dead in his upstairs bedroom of this house . 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 . A detective examines the mysterious death of George Reeves, the star of the television series Adventures of Superman (1952). The police ruled the death a suicide, but by the time Reevesobituary was published in the Los Angeles Times, the newspaper already noted there was an element of mystery.. 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. [1] [2] His death at age 45 from a gunshot remains controversial. The first half of the show was a Superman sketch in which Reeves and Neill performed with LeBell as a villain called "Mr. Kryptonite" who captured Lois Lane. The coroner ruled it suicide. When he returned, his mother told him his stepfather had committed suicide. 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. [17] Warner changed his professional name to George Reeves. Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty ImagesPhyllis Coates and George Reeves in The Adventures of Superman. A noise echoed: See, hes opening the drawer to get the gun. Then a shot: I told you, hes shot himself.. His work on the show would earn him fame as the Original Superman, even though that wasnt technically true. 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. The official ruling was suicide. The areas which appeared in the commercial include the den; the master bedroom (where the actor died); and the backyard. How he came to meet this grisly end is a story as disputed and controversial today as it was when the scandal rocked Hollywood at the height of the actor's fame. A classically trained actor who already had some impressive credits to his name, including the 1939 classic Gone With the Wind, Reeves was reluctant to take on the role because in televisions early days, it was considered to be a rather undignified medium that was far inferior to film. Info Share. Tall and chisel jawed, Reeves was the perfect choice to play the all American hero in the syndicated television show the Adventures of Superman. (1942), a war drama for Paramount Pictures. 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. Last edited on 17 February 2023, at 06:25, Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "The Death of George Reeves The Original Superman", "The Life and Tragic Death of 'Superman' Star George Reeves Plus the Actor in his Own Words", "7 super things you might not know about George Reeves", "11 Homes That Are Haunted by Dead Celebrities", "Was Superman star George Reeves a suicide or murder victim? however to this day there is an air of mystery surrounding Reeves' death. The book was published as 'The Archie Moore Story, as told to Bob Condon'. (1942), a war drama for Paramount Pictures, which signed Reeves up for two films a year. But there were a few details that didnt quite make sense. 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 . The issues wasnt just career frustration. 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. proporcionarte nuestros sitios y aplicaciones; autenticar usuarios, aplicar medidas de seguridad y evitar el spam y los abusos, y. medir el uso que haces de nuestros sitios y aplicaciones. This theory goes that Lemmon was drunk and unhappy that night and shot her soon-to-be-husband. Toni, a former showgirl and starlet in the early talkies, married MGM studios enforcer Eddie Mannix in 1951. The suicidal can become very adept at hiding their inner turmoil from their loved ones. 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. He was 40 years old and wanted to quit and move on with his career. The film suggests three possible scenarios: accidental shooting by Lemmon, murder by an unnamed hitman under orders from Eddie Mannix, and suicide. The house where actor George Reeves, TV's "Superman," was found dead of a gunshot wound on June 16, 1959. And was Eddie, a man suspected of killing his first wife Bernice Fitzmaurice, behind the bullet to the head that ended the actors life? When his mother moved to California to be with her sister, it was said Reeves never saw his father again. [36] According to Crane (who was not present), Bill Bliss had told Millicent Trent after the shot rang out, while Bliss was having a drink, that Leonore Lemmon came downstairs and said, Tell them I was down here, tell them I was down here![37], A number of questionable physical findings were reported by investigators and others: No fingerprints were recovered from the gun. George Reeves' home in Benedict Canyon On June 16, 1959, Lenore Lemmon served dinner at around 6:30 p.m. at Reeves' Benedict Canyon home. Miss Lemmon then made the statement, He is going to shoot himself. Shortly, they heard a dresser drawer being opened upstairs, and Miss Lemmon commented, He is getting the gun out now, and he is going to shoot himself. Moments later, a shot was heard, and they ran upstairs to see what happened. He complained to friends, columnists, and his mother of his financial problems. The series went on the air the following year, and Reeves was amazed at becoming a national celebrity. She continued, 'He's opening a drawer to get the gun.' 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. She died in 1989. Whilst its true the actor had a habit of playing dangerous games with his gun, naked in bed at 1am does not seem a very likely time for macabre party tricks. The death of the original Superman is one of those American mysteries that may never fully add up. 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.
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