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. 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's career as Superman had begun with Superman and the Mole Men, a film intended both as a B-picture and as the pilot for the TV series. It was also widely believed that Toni, to whom Reeves bequeathed his entire estate, may have shot him in a jealous rage after hearing news of his engagement, or that her husband, E.J. Had Reeves really shot himself three times? On June 16, 1959, Reeves died from a single gunshot wound in the bedroom of his Benedict Canyon home. Look! Besides, she was married to the most dangerous man in Hollywood, who had a formidable reputation for been able to make problems disappear. However, rumors suspect that there was foul play involved in his passing. 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 also enjoyed playing with an unloaded gun. But from another, the death of George Reeves looks a lot like murder. George Reeves former residence is rather small, especially by Hollywood standards. [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. Another rumor was that a car was heard speeding away from the house as well. He was able to play against type and starred as a villainous gold hunter in a Johnny Weismuller Jungle Jim film. Perhaps the toxic mixture of alcohol and painkillers had led to a fatal misjudgment? to put his budding acting career on hold and enlist in the U.S. Hes been murdered. This kind of phone call would not have been out of the ordinary for Lois Lane, the character Coates famously played on TV. And did that scandal involve one of the most powerful men in the movie business, Toni Maddoxs husband Eddie? Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty ImagesPhyllis Coates and George Reeves in The Adventures of Superman.
The Death of George Reeves - the Original Superman - Reel Reviews Born George Keefer Brewer in 1914 in Woolstock, Iowa to Helen Lescher and Don C. Brewer, young George would grow up in Ashland, Kentucky and later in Pasadena California where his sister also lived. Reportedly, the police had not been called until at least a half an hour after his death. Multiple gunshot suicides are rare, so if these shots were contemporary to Reeves death, it seems unlikely he was the shooter. If anything, it seemed like Reeves career was on the up. Later, Reeves's mother,[12] who was of German descent, moved to California to stay with her sister. . 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. 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. 1. The official ruling was suicide.
Inside the Mysterious Death of George Reeves, the Original Superman George Reeves died of a gunshot wound to his head in the upstairs bedroom at his home in Benedict Canyon. Both would later commit suicide . Was Lemmon with Reeves when he shot himself?
11 Homes That Are Haunted By Dead Celebrities - Business Insider His fears were not unfounded, as he had been out of work for two years by the time of his death in 1959. Loved the commercial..how cool!
George Reeves death home- Beverly Hills, CA - Waymarking On the night of his death the pair had gone for dinner with writer Richard Condon, who was staying with the couple whilst he worked on a biography of Archie Moore, the prizefighter Reeves had been due to fight in a celebrity boxing match later that year. Lemmon and Reeves had a stormy relationship but, at least according to her, were engaged to be married. ", Death of Superman may not have been a suicide, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Reeves&oldid=1139854102, Credited erroneously onscreen as playing Brent Tarleton (see above), This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 06:25. The film suggests three possible scenarios: accidental shooting by Lemmon, murder by an unnamed hitman under orders from Eddie Mannix, and suicide. After, they returned home and continued drinking. Other evidence that casts doubt on this scenario is the lack of burn marks on Reeves back. Hes going upstairs to shoot himself, she allegedly said. For whatever reason, though, in my ten-plus years of living in Los Angeles, I had yet to stalk the former Supermans home. Amazingly, George Reeves shot part of a Kelloggs Corn Flakes commercial (the cereal company was the sponsor of Adventures of Superman) inside of his actual Benedict Canyon home.
Hollywoodland (2006) - IMDb '"'[35], The official story given by Lemmon to the police placed her in the living room with party guests at the time of the shooting, but hearsay statements from Fred Crane, Reeves' friend and colleague from Gone With The Wind, put Lemmon either inside or in direct proximity to Reeves' bedroom. Mannix died in 1983 at the age of 77--her husband Eddie had died in 1963. His relatives believed he was murdered, and disputed the official ruling of suicide. The people in the house were quite intoxicated and weren't much help to the investigation even waiting over 30 minutes before calling the police. He was cremated in Ohio, and ashes given to his mother, who then died in 1964. The stairs turn and continue upward to the bedroom where George slept. Your definitive source to filming locations and all things Hollywood! Embattled New York Rep. George Santos said Thursday that he is "fully cooperating" with the House Ethics Committee, which is . The costume Reeves donned as Superman on TV. 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. 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. George Reeves was born George Keefer Brewer in Woolstock, Iowa, the son of Don Brewer and Helen Lescher (his death certificate erroneously lists his birthplace as Kentucky). Had Reeves, drunk, unhappy and smarting at another argument with his new girlfriend Leonore Lemmon, pulled the trigger on his Luger whilst plumbing some dark trough of self pity? Or perhaps Toni took matters into her own hands and simply had her husband cover it up. 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.
(Some sources contend that it may not have been looked for, as gunshot residue testing was not routinely performed in 1959). She continued, 'He's opening a drawer to get 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. 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. He had also lined up a science fiction script called Return to Earth, by screenwriter Sidney Fields that he had hoped to direct, possibly with his Superman co-star Phyllis Coates in one of the lead roles. Her devastation at been rejected by her boy had pushed her to the ultimate reprisal.
George Reeves - Biography 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. The following is taken from the official autopsy report: Exactly what happened that night was never fully resolved, due to varying drunken accounts. In 1953, Reeves played a minor character, Sergeant Maylon Stark, in From Here to Eternity. In 1957, the producers considered a theatrical film Superman and the Secret Planet. Two neighbors stopped by, hoping to join the party. Later in life, she become a somewhat tragic figure, bloated and consumed by alcoholism, Leonore would give many different accounts of the events of that night, often contradicting herself and denying things she was commonly reported to have said and done. 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? He kept his private life discreet, including a romantic relationship with Toni Mannix, wife of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer general manager Eddie Mannix.
Piecing Together The Circumstances Of George Reeves - TheFashionBall His work on the show would earn him fame as the Original Superman, even though that wasnt technically true. At around 2am that morning, two police officers arrived at 1579 Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, the house Reeves had been living at with his new fiance Leonore Lemmon during the previous few months. The death of the original Superman is one of those American mysteries that may never fully add up.
Gay History: Jack Larson, Gay Actor Tormented by Jimmy - timalderman Seeing the neighbors, he told them, Get out. U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records 19381946, dated March24, 1943, Speeding Bullet, 2nd Ed, by Jan Alan Henderson, p. 151. The police ruled his death a suicide, but rumors quickly surfaced that Reeves was. I was depressed, and I accepted instantly that he had committed suicide, Larson told Unsolved Mysteries in 1995. But the strange death of Superman is not a parlour game.
George Reeves Home - Beverly Hills, CA - Superman Super Site But this wasn't the conclusion of the police officers who arrived at 1579 Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, in the early hours of June 16, 1959. She had prepared the meal for Reeves and guest Robert Condon, a writer who was there to do an article on Reeves and his upcoming bout with Archie Moore. Everyone involved decided that it had been a suicide. Regardless of the plausibility of these theories, its likely that the identity of whoever fired the bullet that killed the Man of Steel will remain a mystery. [1] [2] His death at age 45 from a gunshot remains controversial. There were 104 episodes of The Adventures of Superman before the cancellation ax fell in 1958. (1942), a war drama for Paramount Pictures. SUPERMAN MURDER SOLVED!
Hollywood Kryptonite: The Bulldog, the Lady, and the Death of Superman According to Kashner and Schoenberger (A Talent for Genius), however, unanswered details about Reeves's demise shroud what in truth was foul play.
That position was taken over by Frank . Was he responsible, on behalf of his wronged wife, for the misfortunes that had befallen Reeves in the run up to his death? Carol lived in the neighborhood. 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. Had the jilted older woman taken things one step too far and shot Reeves in a jealous rage? The ex-girlfriend who couldn't let go Beginning in 1948, Reeves had a 10-year. Were Hollywood's police force keeping a lid on the truth to protect Tinseltown from another scandal? Vacio and Neill accompanied him in duets.[30]. [13] The Bessolo marriage lasted 15 years, ending in divorce, with the couple separating while Reeves was away visiting relatives. The house was bought in the early 1950's for $12,000. In reality, George Reeves life was a far cry from that of his heroic television counterpart. Location: California, United States Date Posted: 1/12/2010 6:55:33 PM George Reeves' Former Home Another location that has long been woven into the fabric of Hollywood lore is George Reeves' former Benedict Canyon bungalow, where in the early morning hours of June 16th, 1958 the Adventures of Superman star was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the head. The woman on the other end of the line was a woman named Toni Mannix. Superman had been cancelled and Reeves had struggled to find the serious work he craved. He was inundated with menacing silent phone calls at all hours of the morning and someone even abducted his beloved dog Sam. Reeves usually had an open door policy, but not after midnight.
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The Suspicious Death of George Reeves Trace Evidence Mannixs wife Toni Lanier, whom the actor had broken up with shorty before his death. George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 - June 16, 1959) was an American actor. In 1959, however, negotiations began for a renewal of the series, with 26episodes scheduled to go into production. 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. She sounded very disturbed and was hyperventilating as she rasped, The boy is dead. 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 All too often it is those closest to someone who takes their own life who can least understand it. Its a bird!
George Reeves - Biography - IMDb Reeves mother refused to believe her son had killed himself and hired famous Hollywood lawyer Jerry Giesler to investigate further. This includes accusations of murder directed at his fiance and ex-girlfriend. 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. It all seemed so simple. 1579 Benedict Canyon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Mannix, who had ties to the mob, had him whacked due to the affair. September6, 1892 was the daughter of George Christian Lescher and Eliza Jane McKenzie, she died in a Pasadena hospital on June 18, 1964. 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. It was during this fallow period that he was approached about playing the role that would come to define his life. According to Condon, Lemmon was in an combative mood that night, and had made somewhat of a scene in the restaurant. 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.
George Reeves - Wikipedia I know he enjoyed the role, but he used to say, 'Here I am, wasting my life. 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]. The main reason Reeves was said to have committed suicide was depression over his declining fortunes as an actor. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
Tragic Facts About George Reeves, The Reluctant Superhero - Factinate When his mother moved to California to be with her sister, it was said Reeves never saw his father again. One, Reeves committed suicide. Eddie was not happy when his wife wasnt happy. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series Adventures of Superman (19521958). The brown-shingled bungalow, which was built in 1947, boasts 2 bedrooms, 3 baths, and 1,717 square feet.
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