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Around 1, two friends came by for a visit. There she had met and married Frank Joseph Bessolo by 1927, according to that year's federal census. How do we create a person's profile? CleverJourneys: American Crime Chronicles Two Los Angeles police officers arrived at 1579 Benedict Canyon at almost 3 a.m., June 16, 1959. 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. The Mannixs relationship was unusual even by the standards of Hollywood. If they were fired earlier, then at the very least its evidence somebody in the house had a somewhat cavalier attitude to firearms. Had the actor been placed on the bed some time after he was shot? To unravel the murky fate of TVs first superhero we must return to the early hours of June 16, 1959. If this was the case, then clearly he had not fired the gun himself, and another party was involved. "An element of mystery" Reeves' death may have been ruled a suicide, but not everyone believed it. 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). Upon hearing of George's demise, he went to the house and the . A noise was heard upstairs. Two people who might have had strong motives were Toni and Eddie Mannix. But unable to find work, perhaps George felt he had little choice but to return to a part that clearly caused him much anguish. The home has not changed much since the mid-fifties. This theory goes that Lemmon was drunk and unhappy that night and shot her soon-to-be-husband. Its too late for this nonsense. Leonore asked, Is this a joke or a shoot? meaning was he kidding around, or what? Reeves knew the show could potentially be popular, but it was almost because of that that he was reticent to take it on. Many photos shown in various magazines in the past indicated that George's bedroom windows could be seen from the street. Jack Larson and Noel Neill both remembered Reeves as a noble Southern gentleman (even though he was from Iowa) with a sign on his dressing room door that said "Honest George, the people's friend". Lois & Clark - The New Adventures of Superman, Superman/Shazam! However, Superman producers offered him a salary increase, and he returned to the series. Reeves would later recall the impact Sandrich's death had on his career. 1579 Benedict Canyon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. 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? 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. Besides, the gun was not a revolver and it was quite evident whether it was chambered or not. Many, though, believed the investigation had been rushed and this may have been a case of homicide. She also hired private investigators to investigate his death. . The characters involved range from colorful to drunk to suspicious, having by now taken any secrets they may be hiding to their graves. Faster than a speeding bullet! After two seasons, Reeves was dissatisfied with his salary and the show's one-dimensional role. All too often it is those closest to someone who takes their own life who can least understand it. Reeves himself believed Mannix was behind the succession of sinister events that dogged Reeves in the run up to his death, including silent midnight phonecalls and the kidnapping of his beloved Schnauzer Sam. According to the autopsy report, Reeves had taken his .30 caliber German Luger pistol, placed it near his right temple and pulled the trigger. 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. Father George Thomas Reeves. Reeves' friend Rory Calhoun told a reporter "No one in Hollywood believed the suicide story." 1959: Los Angeles police arrive at the home of 45-year-old actor George Reeves, famous for his role as TV's Superman, and find him naked and dead of a gunshot wound to the head. In 1957, the producers considered a theatrical film Superman and the Secret Planet. 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. However, a number of suspicious details about the case have long piqued the interest of gossip mongers and armchair detective alike. (1956), in which Reeves wore a beard and mustache. Character: . George Reeves Facts. In the early hours of June 16, Mannix called Coates; she was hysterical and told her friend that Reeves had been murdered. He died in June of 1959, not 1958. Larson had suffered a similar career downturn to Reeves after series was cancelled, and like his Superman co-star had struggled to break free of the typecasting associated with such an iconic role. Location: California, United States Date Posted: 1/12/2010 6:55:33 PM The issue was that Reeves eventually broke Tonis heart when he called it off to begin a relationship with the woman who would become his fiancee, Lenore Lemmon. Death Of George Reeves Source: Biography. He died instantly and fell backwards, his feet still hungover the bed and his back on the mattress. 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. Attempting to showcase his versatility, Reeves sang on the Tony Bennett show in August 1956. Hollywood comic, Lou Lubin, is on right. 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. Reeves initially had no autopsy and his body was swifted embalmed. 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. After, they returned home and continued drinking. The death of the original Superman is one of those American mysteries that may never fully add up. These roles did little to advance Reeves's career, and his contract with Warners was dissolved by mutual consent. director Mark Sandrich. Further to this, a later search of the bedroom found two extra bullet holes. George was dressed in a gray Clark Kent Suit from the tv show and his body was taken to Gates/Kingsley/Gates on Sepulveda. Leonore Lemmon was, by all accounts, a bit of a hell-raiser. On June 16, 1959, actress Phyllis Coates was woken up around 4:30 a.m. by a very strange phone call. As far as Reeves was concerned, one has to wonder if he had any regrets. 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. [17], However, Reeves was inspired by So Proudly We Hail! At the beginning of his life, George Reeves was a Midwesterner by birth but, as he grew older, he made his way out to California with his mother. By mid 1959, contracts were signed, costumes refitted, and new teleplay writers assigned. In typical fashion, Reeves and Lemmon went out for a boozy night on the town. Sandrich felt that Reeves had the potential to become a major star, but unfortunately died while Reeves was still in uniform. 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. George Reeves, whose work as TV's Man of Steel would set the Superman screen standard for decades, died in his Benedict Canyon home from a gunshot to the head. It was a bullet to the head. (The punchline: Ricardo, do you mean to say that youve been married to her for 15 years? Hes going upstairs to shoot himself, she explained to the other guests, who then heard a sound from upstairs. 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. One variation on this theory is that Reeves accidentally shot himself playing a game of Russian Roulette. The events surrounding his death have been the subject of much conjecture ever since. Rather than being seen as the hunky superhero who had proven himself as a leading man, Reeves was worried that the role would forever make him the kids beloved Superman in the eyes of the world and of casting directors. According to Larson, Reeves said that if Mark Sandrich had not died, he would not be there in "this monkey suit". But all was not well behind the scenes in Metropolis. Was Lemmon with Reeves when he shot himself? For whatever reason, though, in my ten-plus years of living in Los Angeles, I had yet to stalk the former Supermans home. 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. According to Kashner and Schoenberger (A Talent for Genius), however, unanswered details about Reeves's demise shroud what in truth was foul play. George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 June 16, 1959) was an American actor. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN (1951-1957) - unknown actor (left) with George Reeves as "Superman." When Officers Johnson and Korby entered the . The official finding was suicide, but some believe that he was murdered or the victim of an accidental shooting. But she was also suffering from alzheimer's at the time of her death, and may have confused fact with the many fictions that had long circulated about the death of her former lover. Coates had become a mutual friend of both her Superman co-star and Tony Mannix. The Los Angeles county coroner said its was a suicide, but family & friends say it was a love triangle murder. [17] Warner changed his professional name to George Reeves. But this had no official status and could not overrule the coroner's verdict of suicide. Lemmon says George Reeves committed suicide. In reality, George Reeves life was a far cry from that of his heroic television counterpart. He appeared in a pair of outdoor thrillers with Ralph Byrd and in a Sam Katzman-produced serial, The Adventures of Sir Galahad. Mannix was devastated by the rejection, made all the more humiliating for the fact Reeves had moved Lemmon into a house in Los Angeles she owned. 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. Its not like my George to do a thing like that, his mother told the press. 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. [17] Reeves fit the rugged requirements of the roles, and, with his retentive memory for dialogue, he did well under rushed production conditions. He kept his private life discreet, including a romantic relationship with Toni Mannix, wife of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer general manager Eddie Mannix. The story told by those there that night is full of holes, the evidence perplexing and poorly handled. Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty ImagesPhyllis Coates and George Reeves in The Adventures of Superman. Was the star of 50s TV show The Adventures of Superman murdered? 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. This is however not the case as it it the guest bedroom that faces the street. And was Eddie, a man suspected of killing his first wife Bernice Fitzmaurice, behind the bullet to the head that ended the actors life? 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. Leonore Lemmons behaviour after Reeves death did little to allay suspicions she may have had more involvement than she was letting on. Had Reeves really shot himself three times? Its impossible to ever know whats truly going on in someones head, especially on a night of heavy drinking, but it did seem that Reeves was taking steps to fix his situation. 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. "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 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). The year before Reeves death he abruptly ended his relationship with Mannix, leaving her for the younger New York socialite Leonore Lemmon. The night of Reevess death, the actor was at home with his fiance Lenore Lemmon, along with the writer Robert Condon, who had been staying with them. . No charges were ever brought against anyone in connection to the case. They decided that he was fooling around, not realizing the gun was loaded. Reeves was transferred to the Army Air Forces' First Motion Picture Unit, where he made training films. He had a string of B-list movies after that, and was slowly working his way up to leading man status when bombs dropped on Pearl Harbor. The story told by those there that night is full of holes, the evidence perplexing and poorly handled. Multiple gunshot suicides are rare, so if these shots were contemporary to Reeves death, it seems unlikely he was the shooter. 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. 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.. Finally, a single shot rang out. The costume Reeves donned as Superman on TV. 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, many of his friends and colleagues believe the actor was murdered, his death the stormy culmination of a tangled love life. Released from his Warners contract, he signed a contract at Twentieth Century-Fox but was released after only a handful of films. The findings of a second autopsy, conducted at Giesler's request, were the same as the first, except for a series of bruises of unknown origin about the head and body. 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. (1942), a war drama for Paramount Pictures, which signed Reeves up for two films a year. 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. Reeves and Leonore Lemmon. Vacio and Neill accompanied him in duets.[30]. The Superman cast members had restrictive contracts preventing them from taking other work that might interfere with the series. 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. 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. [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. As Reeves returned to his room, Lemmon bizarrely began providing some morbid commentary. The official cause of death for Reeves was ruled a suicide. The report made by the Los Angeles Police states, "[Reeves was] depressed because he couldn't get the sort of parts he wanted." He directed the final 13 episodes of the series, and told the Evening Star that he was enthused about doing more.. 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 . It was a minor role, but he and Fred Crane, both in brightly dyed red hair as "the Tarleton Twins," were in the film's opening scenes. Twentieth Century-Fox loaned him to producer Alexander Korda to co-star with Merle Oberon in Lydia,[17] a box-office failure, after which he freelanced, looking to find work in westerns.