Henderson, Jan Alan, Speeding Bullet, M. Bifulco, 1999; Helen Roberta Lescher Brewer Bessolo (18921964) - Born in Galesburg, Knox County, Illinois, US. George Reeves former residence is rather small, especially by Hollywood standards. But his business manager and mother, among others, said that while it was true he was disappointed in the way things were going, his feelings werent strong enough to explain a suicide. CleverJourneys: American Crime Chronicles Two Los Angeles police officers arrived at 1579 Benedict Canyon at almost 3 a.m., June 16, 1959. 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? 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. George Reeves was dead. Advertisement. Talking to friend Millicent Trent, Bliss said Lemmon had actually rushed down the stairs after the gunshot and urged them to Tell them I was down here! The official cause of death for Reeves was ruled a suicide. The story told by those there that night is full of holes, the evidence perplexing and poorly handled. They found George Reeves upstairs on his bed, with a Luger between his feet and a bullet hole in his head. George Reeves had a reasonably successful film career (including a small part in Gone with the Wind) when he took the role of Superman in Superman and the Mole Men, a feature film. Mother Victoria Alice Mason. To the left in the photo is a den. The official verdict was that Reeves had committed suicide, the weight of his troubles having become too much for him to bear. A shot was heard. There was a real man behind the superhero, whose tragic early death will likely forever be a mystery. 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. . Had the actor been placed on the bed some time after he was shot? Everyone involved is now dead, and little or no evidence from the crime scene remains. 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. Hes going upstairs to shoot himself, she explained to the other guests, who then heard a sound from upstairs. 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. This was before news of Reeves death had gotten out, and it always remained a mystery to Coates how Mannix could have known Reeves was murdered unless she was party to it. George Reeves Real name: George Keefer Brewer, George Bessolo. While studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, Reeves met his future wife, Ellanora Needles. 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. 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! The characters involved range from colorful to drunk to suspicious, having by now taken any secrets they may be hiding to their graves. Their relationship was full of booze and bickering. By midnight on the night of June 16, 1959, only Lenore and writer Robert Condon were still at his house with him. Eddies exploits in covering up the sleazy underbelly of Hollywood were legendary. Like so many men of his generation, the war derailed his life plans. Para obtener ms informacin sobre cmo utilizamos tus datos personales, consulta nuestra Poltica de privacidad y Poltica de cookies. 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 . 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. George went to bed at 12:30 AM. [19][20][21], Discharged at the war's end, Reeves returned to Hollywood. George was dressed in a gray Clark Kent Suit from the tv show and his body was taken to Gates/Kingsley/Gates on Sepulveda. [1][2], His death at age 45 from a gunshot remains controversial. 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. Many felt that Reeves was tired of being known as Superman, and that he killed himself out of anguish. 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. I know he enjoyed the role, but he used to say, 'Here I am, wasting my life. His fears were not unfounded, as he had been out of work for two years by the time of his death in 1959. He died instantly and fell backwards, his feet still hungover the bed and his back on the mattress. Reportedly, the police had not been called until at least a half an hour after his death. Due to their advanced state of inebriation the party guests were not entirely coherent, but they all seemed to agree on the suicide story. It was during this fallow period that he was approached about playing the role that would come to define his life. 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. 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. The home has not changed much since the mid-fifties. Leonore Lemmon was, by all accounts, a bit of a hell-raiser. 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? The official verdict was that Reeves had committed suicide, the weight of his troubles having become too much for him to bear. As TVs original Superman, George Reeves was the ultimate hero to millions of children. It all seemed so simple. Besides, the gun was not a revolver and it was quite evident whether it was chambered or not. According to Jim Nolts fabulous Superman-themed The Adventures Continue website, the house has remained largely unchanged since the time Reeves lived there over fifty years ago. September6, 1892 was the daughter of George Christian Lescher and Eliza Jane McKenzie, she died in a Pasadena hospital on June 18, 1964. (Reeves and Crane both dyed their hair red to portray the Tarleton twins.) 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. Carol lived in the neighborhood. 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. 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. Stalk It: George Reeves former home is located at 1579 Benedict Canyon Drive in Beverly Hills. Reeves was then transferred to the Army Air Forces' First Motion Picture Unit, where he made training films. After the war, Reeves returned to Hollywood. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and gave Reeves the distinction of appearing in two "Best Picture" films. The recent feature film, "Hollywoodland" is about this questionable death of a popular celebrity. A SHOT rang out. Three shots were fired in the room: two on the floor and one in Reeves' head. He Grew Up Thinking He Was Italian. Reeves was transferred to the Army Air Forces' First Motion Picture Unit, where he made training films. In reality, George Reeves life was a far cry from that of his heroic television counterpart. They had even planned to marry if Eddie were to die. Worst of all occurred on April 8th, when Reeves lost control of his Jaguar and careered into a cement pillar near his home in Benedict Canyon. Everyone involved decided that it had been a suicide. [27], His good friend Bill Walsh, a producer at Disney Studios, gave Reeves a prominent role in Westward Ho the Wagons! The costume Reeves donned as Superman on TV. As far as Reeves was concerned, one has to wonder if he had any regrets. The subsequent police report seem to accept the whole story at face value. Reeves' will, dated 1956, bequeathed his entire estate to Toni Mannix, much to Lemmon's surprise and devastation. Puedes cambiar tus opciones en cualquier momento haciendo clic en el enlace Panel de control de privacidad de nuestros sitios y aplicaciones. Shortly after they arrived, Reeves came downstairs to find out what the commotion was. The death of the original Superman is one of those American mysteries that may never fully add up. No gunpowder residue was found on Reeves' hands. Jim Beaver is just as convinced that George's death was a suicide, as was reported in the newspapers of the day. 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. 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. Two additional bullets were discovered embedded in the bedroom floor. Great article tho. 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. 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. 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. 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). Forty-five minutes later, the police were called. 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.