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Reeves himself was also severely under the influence, with a blood alcohol level of .27 and, because the actor had long enjoyed playing with unloaded weapons, it was thought possible he accidentally shot himself while doing so. This theory centres around the mysterious WIlliam Bliss, a stranger to both Reeves and Leonore Lemmon, whose presence in the house that night has never been adequately explained. 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. More adept with withering, foul mouthed put downs, violence was not really her style. 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. [1][2][3][4][5][6], Reeves was born January 5, 1914,[7][8] as George Keefer Brewer in Woolstock, Iowa, the son of Donald Carl Brewer and Helen Lescher. While he returned unscathed, he struggled from that point forward to get his career back on track. The house where actor George Reeves, TV's "Superman," was found dead of a gunshot wound on June 16, 1959. Many felt that Reeves was tired of being known as Superman, and that he killed himself out of anguish. George Reeves mother Helen Bessolo never accepted the official verdict and hired private investigators to to reopen the investigation into his death. In 1952, the struggling ABC Network purchased the show for national broadcast, which gave him greater visibility. Many, though, believed the investigation had been rushed and this may have been a case of homicide. Reeves's film career began in 1939 when he was cast as Stuart Tarleton (albeit incorrectly listed in the film's credits as Brent Tarleton), one of Vivien Leigh's suitors in Gone with the Wind. There were also fresh bruises on the body. The police arrived within the hour. Reeves was transferred to the Army Air Forces' First Motion Picture Unit, where he made training films. The issues wasnt just career frustration. Hollywood comic, Lou Lubin, is on right. He was working on creating a fulfilling career for himself. 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. Around 1, two friends came by for a visit. Death Of George Reeves Source: Biography. 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? (1956), in which Reeves wore a beard and mustache. Its a bird! 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. Coates was amongst many of Reeves friends and co-stars who did not believe he would have killed himself. Its Superman! The iconic intro blazed into American households on Sept. 19, 1952. So when George Reeves spurned his long term mistress for a younger model, she did not take it lying down. The long Broadway run was followed by a national tour and a movie version. The windows above the living room are the windows to George's bedroom. We have always known that house guest Robert Condon, Carol Van Ronkel and William Bliss were there. Character actor Ben Welden had acted with Reeves in the Warner Bros. days and frequently guest-starred on Superman. U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records 19381946, dated March24, 1943, Speeding Bullet, 2nd Ed, by Jan Alan Henderson, p. 151. Meanwhile, DC Comics was planning a television adaptation of its most famous character. Like so many men of his generation, the war derailed his life plans. After hearing a gunshot, they waited 45 minutes before calling the police. The Day Superman Died, George Reeves Death House 6,369 views Feb 16, 2019 159 Dislike Share Save Michael Thompson's Hidden In Plain Sight 688 subscribers In this video I visit the house where. Reeves was extremely intoxicated when he died, and also pumped full of painkillers to treat the injuries he received in his recent car accident. The Los Angeles county coroner said its was a suicide, but family & friends say it was a love triangle murder. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series Adventures of Superman (1952-1958). Had Reeves gotten cold feet about their supposed wedding, or been caught on the phone to Toni Mannix? Embattled New York Rep. George Santos said Thursday that he is "fully cooperating" with the House Ethics Committee, which is . 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? The Superman cast members had restrictive contracts preventing them from taking other work that might interfere with the series. George Reeves was born George Keefer Brewer in Iowa in 1914five months into his parents' marriage. I was depressed, and I accepted instantly that he had committed suicide, Larson told Unsolved Mysteries in 1995. Reeves worried he would be typecast as a childrens actor. Show more. If you are lucky enough, the homeowners may allow you to tour the home's grounds and possibly the interior as well. to put his budding acting career on hold and enlist in the U.S. Hes going upstairs to shoot himself, she allegedly said. 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. Following an investigation, officers of the Los Angeles Police Department ruled the death a suicide, likely prompted by Reeves' alleged depression over the fact that he was experiencing financial . [15] They married on September 22, 1940, in San Gabriel, California, at the Church of Our Savior. Was his role to distract the house guests and facilitate the entry of a hitman to do away with Reeves? A few minutes later a shot was heard and the foursome ran upstairs. The story told by those there that night is full of holes, the evidence perplexing and poorly handled. 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. 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. 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? 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 . However, Reeves mother, Helen Bessolo, was convinced that her son had been murdered. Reeves initially had no autopsy and his body was swifted embalmed. They got home around 11 p.m. A couple hours later, Carol Van Ronkel and William Bliss stopped by for a drink. Is her confession credible? Robert Condon, a writer interested in writing a biography on George, stayed in the house. The official cause of death for Reeves was ruled a suicide. CleverJourneys: American Crime Chronicles Two Los Angeles police officers arrived at 1579 Benedict Canyon at almost 3 a.m., June 16, 1959. 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. According to the autopsy report, Reeves had taken his .30 caliber German Luger pistol, placed it near his right temple and pulled the trigger. To the left in the photo is a den. A gentle man in real life, given to moods, he was despondent because "everyone thought of him as Superman, not as an actor" and now that the show was no longer shooting, he couldn't get a job. 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. Eddie was not happy when his wife wasnt happy. George Reeves (born George Keefer . It is located in a fairly modest area, even though the asking price in 1995 was $625,000. At 45 and craving more serious work, the prospect of yet again trudging around the country in tights and cape, as children threw stones at him and teenagers challenged him to fights, may have become too much bare. Is there any truth in the persistent rumours that Reeves was murdered? 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. But it wasnt just Reeves career that was going through a dramatic turn. If the Hollywood stories are to be believed, any death involving a girl and a gun is suspicious. Its not like my George to do a thing like that, his mother told the press. Reeves was drafted into the U.S. Army in early 1943. The story told by those there that night is full of holes, the evidence perplexing and poorly handled. While he and Lemmon were supposed to get married only a few days after his death, Lemmon allegedly had soured on him after she realized the older Superman wasnt quite the loaded Hollywood player she thought he was. 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). 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. 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. On June 15, George and Leonore had gone out to a rather boozy dinner, to celebrate the upcoming marriage. Inexplicably, the shell casing was found underneath Reeves body. However, rumors suspect that there was foul play involved in his passing. As portrayed in films such as Hollywoodland and Hail Ceasar, Eddie had an array of thugs, bent cops, private eyes and mobsters on the payroll. The official finding was suicide, but some believe that he was murdered or the victim of an accidental shooting. She died in 1989. Para obtener ms informacin sobre cmo utilizamos tus datos personales, consulta nuestra Poltica de privacidad y Poltica de cookies. Following the path so many women have taken throughout Hollywood history, Reeves turned to directing, producing, and writing when he couldnt get the roles he wanted. The Suspicious Death of George Reeves. 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. >> George Reeves's death, and there are very interesting questions >> supporting the various theories. . Reeves' friend Rory Calhoun told a reporter "No one in Hollywood believed the suicide story." I don't know what happened to George. According to Condon, Lemmon was in an combative mood that night, and had made somewhat of a scene in the restaurant. Flickr CommonsThe costume Reeves donned as Superman on TV. On 16 June 1959, George Reeves retired to his bed at 12, after going out for dinner with his fianc, Leonore. Reeves blood alcohol content that night was .27 percent. 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.