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]. Despite the questions that remain to this day, no real investigation was ever mounted. Is her confession credible? However, many studios were slowing down their production schedules, and some production units had shut down completely. Forty-five minutes later, the police were called. In a wild turn of events, the alleged problem with this situation was not the affair itselfjilted husband Eddie had his own liaisons outside of the marriage and allegedly had no problem with his wifes relationship with Reeves. 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. No charges were ever brought against anyone in connection to the case. Reeves returned to Hollywood in 1951 for a role in a Fritz Lang film, Rancho Notorious. To this day, there are three possible scenarios that explain the death of George Reeves. He complained to friends, columnists, and his mother of his financial problems. Coates was amongst many of Reeves friends and co-stars who did not believe he would have killed himself. While this may have been the final act for George Reeves Superman, it was the first act in what would become one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the role. If anyone could put the heat on Superman it was Eddie. Perhaps the toxic mixture of alcohol and painkillers had led to a fatal misjudgment? U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records 19381946, dated March24, 1943, Speeding Bullet, 2nd Ed, by Jan Alan Henderson, p. 151. The Suspicious Death of George Reeves. 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? Was Lemmon with Reeves when he shot himself? George Reeves - Wikipedia Haunted Salem George Reeves' Ghost In the 1950s the actor, (1942), a war drama for Paramount Pictures, which signed Reeves up for two films a year. 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]. On June 16, 1959, Reeves was found dead in his bedroom from a gunshot wound to the head. The Dark Side Of George Reeves' Superman - Grunge.com George Reeves was depressed and whilst entertaining guests at his home he he inexplicably left the room, placed a pistol to his right temple and pulled the trigger. 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. He kept his private life discreet, including a romantic relationship with Toni Mannix, wife of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer general manager Eddie Mannix. Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point. The roles just werent coming his way. 2 min read. Reeves and Leonore Lemmon. Faster than a speeding bullet! They found George Reeves upstairs on his bed, with a Luger between his feet and a bullet hole in his head. TV legend George Reeves was killed by older lover he jilted for a sex kitten 2018-11-16 - . However, it was obvious that many parts of the investigation were not performed as they should have been. 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. The Ghost of George Reeves - Medium However, friends and relatives think Reeves career troubles were exaggerated. 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. The Mysterious Death of Superman George Reeves It wasn't Kryptonite that killed Superman. Multiple gunshot suicides are rare, so if these shots were contemporary to Reeves death, it seems unlikely he was the shooter. Gay History: Jack Larson, Gay Actor Tormented by Jimmy - timalderman 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! There she had met and married Frank Joseph Bessolo by 1927, according to that year's federal census. Reeves was drafted into the U.S. Army in early 1943. A noise was heard upstairs. He was able to play against type and starred as a villainous gold hunter in a Johnny Weismuller Jungle Jim film. 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. 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). 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. mostrar anuncios y contenido personalizados basados en perfiles de inters; medir la efectividad de los anuncios y el contenido personalizados, y. desarrollar y mejorar nuestros productos y servicios. But all was not well behind the scenes in Metropolis. As TVs original Superman, George Reeves was the ultimate hero to millions of children. No one is entirely certain who was even at the house that night. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series Adventures of Superman (1952-1958). However, Superman producers offered him a salary increase, and he returned to the series. Many, though, believed the investigation had been rushed and this may have been a case of homicide. But there were a few details that didnt quite make sense. 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. Attempting to showcase his versatility, Reeves sang on the Tony Bennett show in August 1956. There's a general belief that Toni Mannix bought the house, but his name The issues wasnt just career frustration. He was lucky to escape with head injuries that required him to take powerful painkillers right up until the night he died. Hes going upstairs to shoot himself, she explained to the other guests, who then heard a sound from upstairs. Jack Larson, who died at 87 on Sunday, was a gifted writer and gay man whose talents and personal struggles were overshadowed by his role as . George Reeves as Superman CASE DETAILS The gun had no fingerprints on it Early one morning in June of 1959, Los Angeles police raced to a high priced Hollywood Hills home. The death of the original Superman is one of those American mysteries that may never fully add up. He was working on creating a fulfilling career for himself. [19][20][21], Discharged at the war's end, Reeves returned to Hollywood. A noise echoed: See, hes opening the drawer to get the gun. Then a shot: I told you, hes shot himself.. At approximately 1:20 AM, Reeves excused himself, and went upstairs to bed. Jim Beaver is just as convinced that George's death was a suicide, as was reported in the newspapers of the day. George Reeves (TV's "Superman") at - The Hollywood Garage - Facebook Gene LeBell was there at George's house the morning before George died, training George. Cuando utilizas nuestros sitios y aplicaciones, usamos. George Reeves3 Theories About The Death of Superman. On June 16, 1959, Reeves died from a single gunshot wound in the bedroom of his Benedict Canyon home. Reeves initially had no autopsy and his body was swifted embalmed. Another rumor was that a car was heard speeding away from the house as well. Si no quieres que nosotros ni nuestros socios utilicemos cookies y datos personales para estos propsitos adicionales, haz clic en Rechazar todo. Did the 45-year-old actor commit suicide (as was the official finding), was his death accidental, or was he murdered by his vengeful ex-lover or her jealous husband? How do we create a person's profile? After, they returned home and continued drinking. What raised eyebrows regarding Reeves' death is that he was found naked in his bedroom by his guests during a small gathering at 1:59 a.m.; his guests waited 45 minutes to call police; detectives found additional bullet holes in the floor of his bedroom; bruises were found on Reeves' body; shell casings were discovered in strange locations; and a During the dinner, they had argued. Newspapers and wire-service reports quoted LAPD Sergeant V.A. Inside the Mysterious Death of George Reeves, the Original Superman [14], While studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, Reeves met his future wife, Ellanora Needles, granddaughter of circus magnate John Robinson. The events surrounding his death have been the subject of much conjecture ever since. 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. Superman birth place and death house (George Reeves) - YouTube In 1927, Frank Bessolo adopted George at aged 13, as his own son, and the boy took on his stepfather's last name, becoming George Bessolo. 1579 Benedict Canyon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. 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. Shortly after they arrived, Reeves came downstairs to find out what the commotion was. According to Kashner and Schoenberger (A Talent for Genius), however, unanswered details about Reeves's demise shroud what in truth was foul play. To unravel the murky fate of TVs first superhero we must return to the early hours of June 16, 1959. She and Eddie had used his underworld connections to have Reeves killed. At around 1.20am, a bad tempered Reeves had admonished the trio for their noise, before returning upstairs. The half-hour films were shot on tight schedules; at least two shows were made every six days. George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer in 1914) began his Hollywood career in a variety of bit parts in the late 1930s, including a small role in the epic film Gone with the Wind, and worked . 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! And so, almost forty years later, we are left wondering. Although the power of the studios was waning by the 1950s, its possible Eddie Mannix still wielded enough influence to fix George Reeves at his wifes behest. George Reeves: The Death of Superman | The Unredacted George Reeves, 45, TV's indestructible "Man of Steel," Superman, was dead by his own hand and the flowing cloak would flow no more. Was it true she was heard to say He is going to shoot himself, after Reeves had left the party to go back to bed? Reeves blood alcohol content that night was .27 percent. Just over a year after the war started, Reeves was called up. Inexplicably, the shell casing was found underneath Reeves body. But the strange death of Superman is not a parlour game. [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). Its too late for this nonsense. Leonore asked, Is this a joke or a shoot? meaning was he kidding around, or what? The 45-minute delay in getting help, in this scenario, was the time it took for her and her house guests to cover up the murder. Her devastation at been rejected by her boy had pushed her to the ultimate reprisal. 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. The story told by those there that night is full of holes, the evidence perplexing and poorly handled. George Reeves - Turner Classic Movies Inside the Mysterious Death of George Reeves, the Original Superman She also kept his shaving utensils and lotions, and even built an altar in the house with a crucifix, candles and an 11-by-14 photograph of Reeves. 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. A detective examines the mysterious death of George Reeves, the star of the television series Adventures of Superman (1952). While the authorities officially declared Reeves' death to be a suicide, not everyone was willing to accept that conclusion. For whatever reason, though, in my ten-plus years of living in Los Angeles, I had yet to stalk the former Supermans home. [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. Henderson, Jan Alan, Speeding Bullet, M. Bifulco, 1999; Helen Roberta Lescher Brewer Bessolo (18921964) - Born in Galesburg, Knox County, Illinois, US. George went to bed at 12:30 AM. On June 15, George and Leonore had gone out to a rather boozy dinner, to celebrate the upcoming marriage. Reeves fit the rugged requirements of the roles and, with his retentive memory for dialogue, he did well under rushed production conditions. Reeves was dressed in one of his characters Clark Kent suits for the funeral, which took place two weeks later, on June 30th, 1959. Another Superman stage show was scheduled for July[32] with a planned stage tour of Australia. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series Adventures of Superman (19521958). When George Reeves died in 1959, the death was quickly considered to be one that was self-inflicted. Firstly, TV had just become ubiquitous in households across the country, but television as a medium was still seen as the lowbrow younger sibling to films high art. The planned revival of Superman was apparently a small lifeline. If anything, it seemed like Reeves career was on the up. 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. In the documentary Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman, Jack Larson said that when he first met Reeves, he told him that he enjoyed his performance in So Proudly We Hail! He died instantly and fell backwards, his feet still hungover the bed and his back on the mattress. If it was Reeves that pulled the trigger then in all likelihood it was because he had had enough of his life, for whatever reason. Reeves began acting and singing in high school and continued performing on stage as a student at Pasadena Junior College. George Reeves - Biography 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. Everyone involved decided that it had been a suicide. November 5, 2022. in Arts, Culture, News. And then there were the bruising and other marks on Reevess body. 'See thereI told you so! Like so many men of his generation, the war derailed his life plans. [15] They married on September 22, 1940, in San Gabriel, California, at the Church of Our Savior. Noel Neill was quoted as saying that the cast of Superman was ready to do a new series of the still-popular show. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! Reeves death was the first in what would come to be a string of tragedies surrounding the role, in what would come to be known as the Superman curse. Released from his Warners contract, he signed a contract at Twentieth Century-Fox but was released after only a handful of films. gruesome and unsolved murder of the Black Dahlia. George Reeves mother Helen Bessolo never accepted the official verdict and hired private investigators to to reopen the investigation into his death. 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. George Reeves' Former Home - IAMNOTASTALKER When his mother moved to California to be with her sister, it was said Reeves never saw his father again. [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. . 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. It may have seemed like an open and shut case: Man found upstairs, gun on the floor, a single bullet wound in his head. Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty ImagesPhyllis Coates and George Reeves in The Adventures of Superman. Learn about George Reeves death and the true story behind the Hollywoodland movie starring Ben Affleck as TV's Superman. George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 June 16, 1959) was an American actor. This part directly led to his being contracted to Warner Brothers. The official ruling was suicide. However, a number of suspicious details about the case have long piqued the interest of gossip mongers and armchair detective alike. On June 16, 1959, actress Phyllis Coates was woken up around 4:30 a.m. by a very strange phone call. Had the actor been placed on the bed some time after he was shot? 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. She also had a reputation as a gold digger, having married twice before for money. Many felt that Reeves was tired of being known as Superman, and that he killed himself out of anguish. His personal life took a turn for the worse a long-term affair with another man's common-law wife ended badly; he finally filed a restraining order against her.
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