Coates was amongst many of Reeves friends and co-stars who did not believe he would have killed himself. At this time, Reeves and his mother moved from Iowa to Ashland, Kentucky, to stay with relatives for a time[10] and then to her home of Galesburg, Illinois.[11]. The main reason Reeves was said to have committed suicide was depression over his declining fortunes as an actor. 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. 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! Another Superman stage show was scheduled for July[32] with a planned stage tour of Australia. He directed the final 13 episodes of the series, and told the Evening Star that he was enthused about doing more.. 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. TV legend George Reeves was killed by older lover he jilted for a sex kitten 2018-11-16 - . The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and gave Reeves the distinction of appearing in two "Best Picture" films. George Reeves from "Superman" had a mysterious death that saw him die from a single gunshot wound to the head. When his mother moved to California to be with her sister, it was said Reeves never saw his father again. George Reeves Real name: George Keefer Brewer, George Bessolo. Toni Mannix - Wikipedia 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. 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. [19][20][21], Discharged at the war's end, Reeves returned to Hollywood. It seems the dark secret haunted her for the rest of her life. Info Share. Reeves mother hired a high-powered lawyer to get the case reopened, but he quickly dropped his new client for reasons unknown. See real George Reeves photos, and pics of the real Eddie Mannix, Toni Mannix, Leonore Lemmon and others. Like so many men of his generation, the war derailed his life plans. Bessolo actually died March 4, 1944, at age 51, when his adopted son was well into his movie career. Reeves had also hoped to direct a low-budget science-fiction film written by a friend from his Pasadena Playhouse days, and he had discussed the project with his first Lois Lane, Phyllis Coates, the previous year. This part directly led to his being contracted to Warner Brothers. Its a bird! George Reeves (born George Keefer . Nosotros, Yahoo, somos parte de la familia de marcas de Yahoo. Lemmon and writer Robert Condon, who was staying at the house, were more than happy to entertain the group, but Reeves was already in bed and was not pleased by the ruckus downstairs. Warners loaned him to producer Alexander Korda to co-star with Merle Oberon in Lydia, a box-office failure. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series Adventures of Superman (1952-1958). Tell them I was down here!. He was able to play against type and starred as a villainous gold hunter in a Johnny Weissmuller Jungle Jim film. Others suggested that Eddie Mannix, rumored to have Mafia ties, ordered Reeves killed.[43]. Its too late for this nonsense. Leonore asked, Is this a joke or a shoot? meaning was he kidding around, or what? After the war, Reeves returned to Hollywood. He was 40 years old and wanted to quit and move on with his career. 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 . When he returned, his mother told him his stepfather had committed suicide. On June 15, George and Leonore had gone out to a rather boozy dinner, to celebrate the upcoming marriage. Hollywoodland (2006) - IMDb Other evidence that casts doubt on this scenario is the lack of burn marks on Reeves back. Reeves began acting and singing in high school and continued performing on stage as a student at Pasadena Junior College. It was purchased for the actor at a cost of $12,000 by his longtime lover, MGM Vice-President E.J. At around 1.20am, a bad tempered Reeves had admonished the trio for their noise, before returning upstairs. But this had no official status and could not overrule the coroner's verdict of suicide. 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. But it was Reeves who brought the flying Man of Steel to widespread popularity, at least on the screen. Forty-five minutes later, the police were called. Besides, she was married to the most dangerous man in Hollywood, who had a formidable reputation for been able to make problems disappear. [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. As Reeves returned to his room, Lemmon bizarrely began providing some morbid commentary. The events surrounding his death have been the subject of much conjecture ever since. Up in the sky! 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. A shot was heard. Reeves was apparently scheduled to marry Lemmon on June 19 and then spend their honeymoon in Tijuana. Hes going upstairs to shoot himself, she explained to the other guests, who then heard a sound from upstairs. Two neighbors stopped by, hoping to join the party. If the Hollywood stories are to be believed, any death involving a girl and a gun is suspicious. The show was a smashing success, drawing huge audiences each episode. The Suspicious Death of George Reeves: Who Killed Superman? - Anomalien.com At around1 am, William Bliss and Carol Van Ronkel came by for an impromptu meeting. Reeves was transferred to the Army Air Forces' First Motion Picture Unit, where he made training films. 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 long Broadway run was followed by a national tour and a movie version. And that was the scene that was set on June 15, 1959. He Grew Up Thinking He Was Italian. All was not well behind the scenes in Metropolis. But from another, the death of George Reeves looks a lot like murder. On June 16, 1959, Reeves was found dead in his bedroom from a gunshot wound to the head. 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. Three shots were fired in the room: two on the floor and one in Reeves' head. After all these years, what happened that night at 1579 Benedict Canyon remains obscure and controversial. Lemmon stayed awake and about thirty minutes later three friends dropped by for a visit. ", 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. And how had the fatal bullet ended up in the ceiling whilst the shell rested underneath his body? Perhaps the toxic mixture of alcohol and painkillers had led to a fatal misjudgment? Everyone involved is now dead, and little or no evidence from the crime scene remains. No charges were ever brought against anyone in connection to the case. The areas which appeared in the commercial include the den; the master bedroom (where the actor died); and the backyard. Father George Thomas Reeves. Clearly she had the motive, and through her ruthless and well connected husband she certainly had the means. 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. The Day Superman Died, George Reeves Death House - YouTube 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. 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. 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. Its Superman! The iconic intro blazed into American households on Sept. 19, 1952. Is her confession credible? 'Superman' Actor George Reeves' Angry Ex Tormented Him and His Seeing the neighbors, he told them, Get out. Reeves initially had no autopsy and his body was swifted embalmed. By mid 1959, contracts were signed, costumes refitted, and new teleplay writers assigned. But unable to find work, perhaps George felt he had little choice but to return to a part that clearly caused him much anguish. In 1957, the producers considered a theatrical film Superman and the Secret Planet. Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty ImagesPhyllis Coates and George Reeves in The Adventures of Superman. 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. Larson also thought the prospective return of the Adventures of Superman had filled the actor with dread, Anyone who thinks another season of Superman wouldn't depress George didn't know George, he said. George Reeves (TV's "Superman") at - The Hollywood Garage - Facebook (The punchline: Ricardo, do you mean to say that youve been married to her for 15 years? 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. His fears were not unfounded, as he had been out of work for two years by the time of his death in 1959. She was absolutely terrified of going to hell", Lozzi told the LA Times. U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records 19381946, dated March24, 1943, Speeding Bullet, 2nd Ed, by Jan Alan Henderson, p. 151. 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. Robert Condon, a writer interested in writing a biography on George, stayed in the house. Lois & Clark - The New Adventures of Superman, Superman/Shazam! George Reeves, 45, TV's indestructible "Man of Steel," Superman, was dead by his own hand and the flowing cloak would flow no more. If you are lucky enough, the homeowners may allow you to tour the home's grounds and possibly the interior as well. Walker's property became known as "Houdini's House." Shortly after Houdini died on Halloween . According to biographer Jim Beaver, Reeves did not know for several years that Bessolo was still alive. If Mannix was trying to extinguish the Man of Steel, its unlikely she pulled the trigger that night at 1579 Benedict Canyon. How do we create a person's profile? His work on the show would earn him fame as the Original Superman, even though that wasnt technically true. You can watch George Reeves Kelloggs Corn Flakes commercial by clicking above. George Reeves' Cause Of Death: These Are The Myths Surrounding - MSN He was cremated in Ohio, and ashes given to his mother, who then died in 1964. Was the coroner's verdict right after all? 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? gruesome and unsolved murder of the Black Dahlia. He had affection for his young fans, and took his role-model status seriously. Nevertheless, the end of his iconic role reportedly hit him hard and at 45, typecast, unemployed and overweight, he found himself reduced to appearing in commercials and celebrity boxing matches. She died in 1989. He was able to play against type and starred as a villainous gold hunter in a Johnny Weismuller Jungle Jim film. 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. The death of the original Superman is one of those American mysteries that may never fully add up. 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! After Gone with the Wind was filmed, Reeves returned to the Pasadena Playhouse and was given the lead role in the play Pancho. Released from his Warners contract, he signed a contract at Twentieth Century-Fox but was released after only a handful of films. On June 16, 1959, Reeves died from a single gunshot wound in the bedroom of his Benedict Canyon home. Reeves was 38 when he first cloaked his rugged all-American looks that were more Clark Kent than strange visitor from another planet in a caped costume. For decades friends, family and strangers alike have speculated on his mental state and whether he was the type of person to commit suicide or not, but the truth is only George Reeves himself knew what was truly going on in his mind. (Reeves and Crane both dyed their hair red to portray the Tarleton twins.) 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. In 1953, Reeves played a minor character, Sergeant Maylon Stark, in From Here to Eternity. After hearing a gunshot, they waited 45 minutes before calling the police. This prevented long-term work on major films with long schedules, stage plays that might lead to a lengthy run, or any other series work.[24]. director Mark Sandrich. Those guests were neighbour Carol Van Ronkel, her lover Robert Condon, and another neighbour, William Bliss. 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. There were 104 episodes of The Adventures of Superman before the cancellation ax fell in 1958. Many believe that the ghostly appearances by the actor lend credence to the idea that he was murdered. Theyd take one look at me and say it was impossible.. Kent then rushed offstage to return as Superman, who came to the rescue and fought with the bad guy. Then check out 48 photos that capture vintage Hollywood. Witnesses in the house who behaved a little oddly but heard the whole thing. 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. Had the actor been placed on the bed some time after he was shot? George Reeves Home - Beverly Hills, CA - Superman Super Site 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. Stalk It: George Reeves former home is located at 1579 Benedict Canyon Drive in Beverly Hills. however to this day there is an air of mystery surrounding Reeves' death. NOT FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET American Hauntings They had no children and divorced 10 years later.[16]. Further to this, a later search of the bedroom found two extra bullet holes. George's fiancee Lenore Lemmon claims that in . See, hes opening the drawer to get the gun. Lemmon claimed. 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. Another rumor was that a car was heard speeding away from the house as well. It was an open secret in the business that Reeves had been conducting a long term affair with Toni Mannix, the wife of notorious Hollywood fixer and MGM vice president Eddie Mannix. . Reeves had options for making a living, but those options apparently all involved playing Superman againa role that he was not eager to reprise at age 45. Had she even pulled the trigger herself? Reeves worked tirelessly with Toni Mannix to raise money to fight myasthenia gravis. Not the comic book character, of course, but the man who personified the "real" Superman for an entire generation of television fans. Those windows overlook the backyard and there is a garage under the guest bedroom. 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. "An element of mystery" Reeves' death may have been ruled a suicide, but not everyone believed it. Or was the culprit his new girlfriend, the volatile and temperamental Lemmon, who had argued with Reeves the night of his death about the late night party she was having whilst he tried to sleep off his own night of heavy drinking? Coates had become a mutual friend of both her Superman co-star and Tony Mannix. Lemmon moved into his house, and they were to be married on June 18. He died in June of 1959, not 1958. Were Hollywood's police force keeping a lid on the truth to protect Tinseltown from another scandal? There were also fresh bruises on the body. 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. A long Broadway run followed, before a national tour and a movie version. Since a 9mm Luger generally ejects its shells to the right, it's hard to conceive what position the actor must have been in when he fired for it to have ended up underneath him. She continued, 'He's opening a drawer to get the gun.' The Mysterious Death of Superman George Reeves - Clever Journeys For instance, Lemmon and her friends pulled a Conrad Murray by failing to call the police until about thirty minutes after discovering the body, and each seemed to have a differing account of the evening due to their inebriated states. 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. George Reeves - RUSC Old Time Radio Reeves was extremely intoxicated when he died, and also pumped full of painkillers to treat the injuries he received in his recent car accident. Inside the Mysterious Death of George Reeves, the Original Superman In contemporary news articles, Lemmon attributed Reeves' alleged suicide to depression caused by his "failed career" and inability to find more work. Death Of George Reeves Source: Biography. George lived at 1579 Benedict Canyon Drive, in the Beverly Hills area. The ballistics looked all wrong too. Mannix, who had ties to the mob, had him whacked due to the affair. No gunpowder residue was found on Reeves' hands. 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. A photo of a smiling Reeves and the sign appears in Gary Grossman's book about the show. George Reeves death home- Beverly Hills, CA - Infamous Crime Scenes on Waymarking.com. Their relationship was full of booze and bickering. SUPERMAN MURDER SOLVED! - PressReader The following is taken from the official autopsy report: Exactly what happened that night was never fully resolved, due to varying drunken accounts. In June of 1959, things started to look up for George. 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. 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. Reeves and Toni Mannix split in 1958 and Reeves announced his engagement to society playgirl Leonore Lemmon. Shortly after they arrived, Reeves came downstairs to find out what the commotion was. Your definitive source to filming locations and all things Hollywood! Loved the commercial..how cool! Eddie was not happy when his wife wasnt happy. On June 16, 1959, actress Phyllis Coates was woken up around 4:30 a.m. by a very strange phone call. 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. They decided that he was fooling around, not realizing the gun was loaded. While studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, Reeves met his future wife, Ellanora Needles. So when George Reeves spurned his long term mistress for a younger model, she did not take it lying down. His relatives believed he was murdered, and disputed the official ruling of suicide. There's a general belief that Toni Mannix bought the house, but his name The Ghost of George Reeves | Paul Kupperberg George Reeves3 Theories About The Death of Superman. Superman had been cancelled and Reeves had struggled to find the serious work he craved. They married on September 22, 1940 in San Marino, California, at the Church of Our Savior. Para obtener ms informacin sobre cmo utilizamos tus datos personales, consulta nuestra Poltica de privacidad y Poltica de cookies. He served as national chairman for the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation in 1955. Los Angeles Police Department Death Report, June 26, 1959. 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. They decided that he had not committed suicide. 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. She also hired private investigators to investigate his death. Two people who might have had strong motives were Toni and Eddie Mannix. When they returned home, they continued to kick back the alcohol until around 12:30 p.m., at which point Reeves retired to his bedroom. '"'[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. Was he responsible, on behalf of his wronged wife, for the misfortunes that had befallen Reeves in the run up to his death? wow..thats a great articleby the way, Ive read those article in other site about his deathit is written that a ghostly phenomena has been reported at the former Reeves house ever since his death? The Mysterious Death of Superman | What Lies Beyond His personal life was not all red carpets and champagne. According to the Argus observer, "George Reeves, 45, was found dead in his upstairs bedroom of this house . From 1952 to 1958 he starred in 104 episodes, but by the late 50s it had declined in popularity and it was put into hiatus after its sixth season. That night she received a disturbing phone call. George Reeves died of a gunshot wound to his head in the upstairs bedroom at his home in Benedict Canyon. I know he enjoyed the role, but he used to say, 'Here I am, wasting my life. Is there any truth in the persistent rumours that Reeves was murdered? Lemmon and Reeves had a stormy relationship but, at least according to her, were engaged to be married. After all, it was she who had made the early morning phone call to Coates, before anyone outside of Reeves home could have known about his death. While Reeves may have been famous for being Superman, the role wasnt making him a whole lot of money. George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 - June 16, 1959) was an American actor. Puedes cambiar tus opciones en cualquier momento haciendo clic en el enlace Panel de control de privacidad de nuestros sitios y aplicaciones. 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. When the police did arrive, they found no sign . Noel Neill was quoted as saying that the cast of Superman was ready to do a new series of the still-popular show. Reeves and Sherman impressed the casting director by performing seven pages of script in a single take without pause. This theory goes that Lemmon was drunk and unhappy that night and shot her soon-to-be-husband. Reeves death was quickly ruled a suicide, but some facts of the case appear to be murky at best. Piecing Together The Circumstances Of George Reeves - TheFashionBall The producers looked elsewhere for a new star.[25]. 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. 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. Gina Dimuro is a New York-based writer and translator. George Reeves' Former Home - IAMNOTASTALKER Mysterious death of Superman star George Reeves and long - mirror Character actor Ben Welden had acted with Reeves in the Warner Bros. days and frequently guest-starred on Superman. 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. Reeves would frequently bemoan the role he felt so trapped in, with particular disdain reserved for the crude and repetitive scripts that often required little more of him than to turn up at the end and have the villains bullets bounce off his chest. He starred in a number of two-reel short subjects and appeared in several B-pictures, including two with future president of the United States Ronald Reagan and three with James Cagney (Torrid Zone, The Fighting 69th, and The Strawberry Blonde).