george reeves' death house

Reeves would later recall the impact Sandrich's death had on his career. Hes going upstairs to shoot himself, she explained to the other guests, who then heard a sound from upstairs. Reeves returned to Hollywood in 1951 for a role in a Fritz Lang film, Rancho Notorious. Finally, theres the fiancee. 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. CleverJourneys: American Crime Chronicles Two Los Angeles police officers arrived at 1579 Benedict Canyon at almost 3 a.m., June 16, 1959. (Some sources contend that it may not have been looked for, as gunshot residue testing was not routinely performed in 1959). Its too late for this nonsense. Leonore asked, Is this a joke or a shoot? meaning was he kidding around, or what? Separated from his wife (their divorce became final in 1950), Reeves moved to New York City in 1949. 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. When Officers Johnson and Korby entered the . Its a bird! Two people who might have had strong motives were Toni and Eddie Mannix. Conspiracy theories abound and Reeves death has remained the stuff of Hollywood legend for over five decades since. 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. She died in 1989. He won critical acclaim for the role and garnered considerable publicity. 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 . He was initially reluctant to take the role because, like many actors of his time, he considered television unimportant and believed few would see his work. Effectively living an open marriage, Eddie tolerated, even liked Reeves, and himself maintained a younger mistress. The Afterlife of George Reeves Actor George Reeves died at 1:59 am on June 16, 1959. 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. He Grew Up Thinking He Was Italian. Faster than a speeding bullet! . Eddies exploits in covering up the sleazy underbelly of Hollywood were legendary. Toni, a former showgirl and starlet in the early talkies, married MGM studios enforcer Eddie Mannix in 1951. He was born in Woolstock, Iowa but eventually moved to Galesburg, Illinois after his parents separated. He was getting work as a director, and he had agreed to do another season of Superman, in which he would also direct quite a few episodes of. Vacio and Neill accompanied him in duets.[30]. His fears were not unfounded, as he had been out of work for two years by the time of his death in 1959. Perhaps he came a little too close to the truth. The home is currently a private residence but photos can be easily taken from the street. Sandrich felt that Reeves had the potential to become a major star, but unfortunately died while Reeves was still in uniform. Multiple gunshot suicides are rare, so if these shots were contemporary to Reeves death, it seems unlikely he was the shooter. The death of the original Superman is one of those American mysteries that may never fully add up. 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. Even after almost a half-century, the mystery surrounding the untimely death of actor George Reeves remained such a potent and fascinating piece of Hollywood legend - it had been the subject of countless articles, books, and one film, the neo-noir "Hollywoodland" (2006) - that one could easily forget that the man himself as well as his long time acting career prior to his demise. Henderson, Jan Alan, Speeding Bullet, M. Bifulco, 1999; Helen Roberta Lescher Brewer Bessolo (18921964) - Born in Galesburg, Knox County, Illinois, US. That position was taken over by Frank . It was during this fallow period that he was approached about playing the role that would come to define his life. Was he responsible, on behalf of his wronged wife, for the misfortunes that had befallen Reeves in the run up to his death? A script was commissioned from David Chantler, who had written many of the TV scripts. His work on the show would earn him fame as the Original Superman, even though that wasnt technically true. His dad left the family shortly after and his mother moved with her infant son to California. In 1953, Reeves played a minor character, Sergeant Maylon Stark, in From Here to Eternity. Catalog; For You; Globe. The Mysterious Death of Superman. Newspapers and wire-service reports quoted LAPD Sergeant V.A. George Reeves (born George Keefer . 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! Eddie Mannix wasnt just a heavy in Hollywood, he was also rumored to have mob connections. This is the house, and home, that Superman actor George Reeves lived and died in. In June 1951, Reeves was offered the role of Superman in a new television series[23] titled Adventures of Superman. Had Reeves gotten cold feet about their supposed wedding, or been caught on the phone to Toni Mannix? Reeves began acting and singing in high school and continued performing on stage as a student at Pasadena Junior College. 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. Cuando utilizas nuestros sitios y aplicaciones, usamos. The subsequent police report seem to accept the whole story at face value. 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. In the 1950s the actor, George Reeves was best known for his portrayal of Superman in the television series, Adventures of Superman. 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. And then there were the bruising and other marks on Reevess body. However, Reeves mother, Helen Bessolo, was convinced that her son had been murdered. 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? Listen to 022 - The Suspicious Death of George Reeves . He was also engaged to Leonore Lemmon, a New York showgirl. According to the autopsy report, Reeves had taken his .30 caliber German Luger pistol, placed it near his right temple and pulled the trigger. Those guests were neighbour Carol Van Ronkel, her lover Robert Condon, and another neighbour, William Bliss. In 1960, Reeves was awarded a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard for his contributions to the TV industry. Kent then rushed offstage to return as Superman, who came to the rescue and fought with the bad guy. 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 Reeves was extremely intoxicated when he died, and also pumped full of painkillers to treat the injuries he received in his recent car accident. If the Hollywood stories are to be believed, any death involving a girl and a gun is suspicious. U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records 19381946, dated March24, 1943, Speeding Bullet, 2nd Ed, by Jan Alan Henderson, p. 151. SUPERMAN MURDER SOLVED! She sounded very disturbed and was hyperventilating as she rasped, The boy is dead. Two, Eddie Mannix killed the actor in revenge for upsetting his wife. The death of the original Superman is one of those American mysteries that may never fully add up. Michael Hayde firmly believes that George Reeves was murdered. Clearly she had the motive, and through her ruthless and well connected husband she certainly had the means. 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. 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). He referred to the show that had made him famous as scraping the bottom of the barrel, and would burn the costume he called a monkey suit at the wrap of each season. Leonore Lemmon became an alcoholic, got fat, suffered from Dementia and died in 1990. The year before Reeves death he abruptly ended his relationship with Mannix, leaving her for the younger New York socialite Leonore Lemmon. Both would later commit suicide . And that was the scene that was set on June 15, 1959. 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. To unravel the murky fate of TVs first superhero we must return to the early hours of June 16, 1959. Reeves' will, dated 1956, bequeathed his entire estate to Toni Mannix, much to Lemmon's surprise and devastation. Up in the sky! 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. He performed on live television anthology programs, as well as on radio, and then returned to Hollywood in 1951 for a role in a Fritz Lang film, Rancho Notorious.[22]. George Reeves' death was ruled a suicide, . Was the coroner's verdict right after all? On 16 June 1959, George Reeves retired to his bed at 12, after going out for dinner with his fianc, Leonore. 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. That night she received a disturbing phone call. [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. [17] He was drafted in early 1943. We have always known that house guest Robert Condon, Carol Van Ronkel and William Bliss were there. However, a number of suspicious details about the case have long piqued the interest of gossip mongers and armchair detective alike. Reeves and Toni Mannix split in 1958 and Reeves announced his engagement to society playgirl Leonore Lemmon. Mannix, who had ties to the mob, had him whacked due to the affair. There were also fresh bruises on the body. Or perhaps Toni took matters into her own hands and simply had her husband cover it up. Many studios were slowing down their production schedules, however, and some production units had shut down completely. There she had met and married Frank Joseph Bessolo by 1927, according to that year's federal census. 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. A few minutes later a shot was heard and the foursome ran upstairs. However, it was obvious that many parts of the investigation were not performed as they should have been. So I figured this was the perfect time to do so and dragged the Grim Cheaper right on out there last weekend. Shortly after they arrived, Reeves came downstairs to find out what the commotion was. Many photos shown in various magazines in the past indicated that George's bedroom windows could be seen from the street. His body was later cremated and interred at the Mountain View Cemetery in Altadena, which I blogged about during my Haunted Hollywood theme last year. One, Reeves committed suicide. On June 16, 1959, Reeves died from a single gunshot wound in the bedroom of his Benedict Canyon home. Just over a year after the war started, Reeves was called up. 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. Leonore Lemmons behaviour after Reeves death did little to allay suspicions she may have had more involvement than she was letting on. Her devastation at been rejected by her boy had pushed her to the ultimate reprisal. Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/GettyThe death of the original Superman is one of those American mysteries that may never fully add up. Authorities ruled it a suicide, but was it? 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. The actor was discovered laying face up on his bed, naked, with a single gunshot wound to his right temple and a .30 caliber Luger on the floor in between his lifeless feet. In 1957, the producers considered a theatrical film Superman and the Secret Planet. 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. [27], His good friend Bill Walsh, a producer at Disney Studios, gave Reeves a prominent role in Westward Ho the Wagons! In 1927, Frank Bessolo adopted George at aged 13, as his own son, and the boy took on his stepfather's last name, becoming George Bessolo. Reeves fit the rugged requirements of the roles and, with his retentive memory for dialogue, he did well under rushed production conditions. After hearing a gunshot, they waited 45 minutes before calling the police. Superman had been cancelled and Reeves had struggled to find the serious work he craved. George was dressed in a gray Clark Kent Suit from the tv show and his body was taken to Gates/Kingsley/Gates on Sepulveda. 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. I have been researching a full-scale The ballistics looked all wrong too. The house where George lived is fairly modest for the area, but the asking price in 1995 was $625,000. Those windows overlook the backyard and there is a garage under the guest bedroom. Besides, she was married to the most dangerous man in Hollywood, who had a formidable reputation for been able to make problems disappear. He served as national chairman for the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation in 1955. The characters involved range from colorful to drunk to suspicious, having by now taken any secrets . Loved the commercial..how cool! 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. And how had the fatal bullet ended up in the ceiling whilst the shell rested underneath his body? George Reeves, 45, TV's indestructible "Man of Steel," Superman, was dead by his own hand and the flowing cloak would flow no more. The official finding was suicide, but some believe that he was murdered or the victim of an accidental shooting. [17] His friend Teddi Sherman introduced him to her father, producer Harry Sherman, who asked Reeves to do a screen test with Teddi for the Hopalong Cassidy films. The main reason Reeves was said to have committed suicide was depression over his declining fortunes as an actor. While he returned unscathed, he struggled from that point forward to get his career back on track. They decided that he was fooling around, not realizing the gun was loaded. Shortly after their arrival, Reeves came downstairs to hang out with the group and then once again retired to his room at around 1:20. The coroner ruled it suicide. The planned revival of Superman was apparently a small lifeline. But in a franchise that's seen its share of tragedy George Reeves's reported suicide, Christopher Reeve's spinal injury the woes of the actor who played Jimmy in the 1950s went underreported. [28] He appeared as Superman on I Love Lucy (Episode #165, "Lucy and Superman") in 1957. Walker's property became known as "Houdini's House." Shortly after Houdini died on Halloween . For some reason Reeves had contorted his head so it was tilted upwards at the point of firing, as the bullet was found embedded in the ceiling. And was Eddie, a man suspected of killing his first wife Bernice Fitzmaurice, behind the bullet to the head that ended the actors life? Contraversy continues. Cancel OK Your account Flickr CommonsThe costume Reeves donned as Superman on TV. Inexplicably, the shell casing was found underneath Reeves body. According to biographer Jim Beaver, Reeves did not know for several years that Bessolo was still alive. The Mannixs relationship was unusual even by the standards of Hollywood. George Reeves' Home. After the war, Reeves returned to Hollywood. Lemmon had called them after she and her party guests had found Reeves dead in his bedroom. The issues wasnt just career frustration. No scandals were too big to be neutralised by Eddie, from covering-up Clark Gable accidently killing actress Tosca Roulien, to tracking down and buying up every copy of a porn film starring Joan Crawford. He was found dead in his bedroom at 1:59 a.m. on June 16, 1959 in his modest home in Los Angeles' Benedict Canyon. The first photo above looks into the living room from the backyard. 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.. He complained to friends, columnists, and his mother of his financial problems. More powerful than a locomotive! On June 16, 1959, actress Phyllis Coates was woken up around 4:30 a.m. by a very strange phone call. I know he enjoyed the role, but he used to say, 'Here I am, wasting my life. The official ruling was suicide. Its a plane! Giesler called for a second autopsy. He was able to play against type and starred as a villainous gold hunter in a Johnny Weismuller Jungle Jim film. 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. He died instantly and fell backwards, his feet still hungover the bed and his back on the mattress. However, Superman producers offered him a salary increase, and he returned to the series. Everyone involved decided that it had been a suicide. If Mannix was trying to extinguish the Man of Steel, its unlikely she pulled the trigger that night at 1579 Benedict Canyon. A SHOT rang out. Reeves death was quickly ruled a suicide, but some facts of the case appear to be murky at best. She continued, 'He's opening a drawer to get the gun.' She also had a reputation as a gold digger, having married twice before for money. Director Allen Coulter Writer Paul Bernbaum Stars Adrien Brody Ben Affleck Diane Lane See production, box office & company info Watch on STARZ with Prime Video Channels More watch options Add to Watchlist Added by 25.7K users Reeves worked tirelessly with Toni Mannix to raise money to fight myasthenia gravis. Reeves himself was convinced it was Mannix behind a string of strange incidents that had befallen him in the aftermath of their breakup. Reeves was transferred to the Army Air Forces' First Motion Picture Unit, where he made training films. By midnight on the night of June 16, 1959, only Lenore and writer Robert Condon were still at his house with him. But even more importantly, The Adventures of Superman was marketed mostly towards a younger audience. George Reeves Real name: George Keefer Brewer, George Bessolo. Waymarkly is the premiere Waymarking app for iOS. Tall and chisel jawed, Reeves was the perfect choice to play the all American hero in the syndicated television show the Adventures of Superman. In the early morning of June 16, 1959, George was found dead . Embattled New York Rep. George Santos said Thursday that he is "fully cooperating" with the House Ethics Committee, which is . It was purchased for the actor at a cost of $12,000 by his longtime lover, MGM Vice-President E.J. 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]. 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. According to the statements given to the police (statements that were no doubt slurred), Reeves came down to ask them to be quiet, they convinced him to stay for a drink, and then he stomped his way back upstairs. Two neighbors stopped by, hoping to join the party. Eddie was not happy when his wife wasnt happy. During the second season, Reeves appeared in a short film for the Treasury Department entitled Stamp Day for Superman, in which he caught the villains and told children why they should invest in government savings stamps. I was depressed, and I accepted instantly that he had committed suicide, Larson told Unsolved Mysteries in 1995. In the early hours of June 16, Mannix called Coates; she was hysterical and told her friend that Reeves had been murdered. 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. Your definitive source to filming locations and all things Hollywood! If they were fired earlier, then at the very least its evidence somebody in the house had a somewhat cavalier attitude to firearms. Even if the actor had not placed the gun to his head at point blank range, as is usual in suicides, it should have left some obvious marks on his forehead. 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. He appeared in a pair of outdoor thrillers with Ralph Byrd and in a Sam Katzman-produced serial, The Adventures of Sir Galahad. But all was not well behind the scenes in Metropolis. Mobster Mickey Cohen once described Toni Mannix as the only person in Hollywood who had any balls. 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. Reeves spoke out about these difficulties in a 1958 Evening Star article frankly titled No Work for Superman. When asked why he took the role, he said simply, I was hungry. But after six years, he was having a hard time pushing his career forward. [17] He avoided smoking cigarettes where children could see him and eventually quit smoking. In 1952, the struggling ABC Network purchased the show for national broadcast, which gave him greater visibility. On the night of his death, George had several friends over. 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. 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. Gina Dimuro is a New York-based writer and translator. George Reeves' Ghost. However, friends and relatives think Reeves career troubles were exaggerated. Despite the questions that remain to this day, no real investigation was ever mounted. 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. 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. 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. 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. Its not like my George to do a thing like that, his mother told the press. 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. Reeves mother refused to believe her son had killed himself and hired famous Hollywood lawyer Jerry Giesler to investigate further. Their suspicions werent entirely fueled by grief and denialthe evidence was puzzling. to put his budding acting career on hold and enlist in the U.S. Hes going upstairs to shoot himself, she allegedly said. (The punchline: Ricardo, do you mean to say that youve been married to her for 15 years? It all seemed so simple. 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. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series Adventures of Superman (1952-1958). Army. But it was Reeves who brought the flying Man of Steel to widespread popularity, at least on the screen. 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. The series went on the air the following year, and Reeves was amazed at becoming a national celebrity. 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. Did the 45-year-old actor commit suicide (as was the official finding), was his death accidental, or was he murdered by his vengeful ex-lover or her jealous husband? While studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, Reeves met his future wife, Ellanora Needles. 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. 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. [38] The bullet that killed Reeves was recovered from the bedroom ceiling, and the spent shell casing was found under his body. George Reeves former residence is rather small, especially by Hollywood standards. [17], However, Reeves was inspired by So Proudly We Hail! 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. She even commissioned a second autopsy, which concluded that Reeves was possibly murdered. Like an optical illusion, from one angle the details clearly show a man who, in a moment of distress, made a tragic decision. 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. This is however not the case as it it the guest bedroom that faces the street. Due to their advanced state of inebriation the party guests were not entirely coherent, but they all seemed to agree on the suicide story. 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. The stairs turn and continue upward to the bedroom where George slept. In their book Hollywood Kryptonite, Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger make a case for the involvement of MGM vice president and fixer Eddie Mannix. Conversely, not everyone who is depressed about their career takes their own life. Location: California, United States Date Posted: 1/12/2010 6:55:33 PM 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. The suicidal can become very adept at hiding their inner turmoil from their loved ones. Reeves, who took his acting career seriously and had parts in Gone with the Wind and From here to Eternity, always had mixed feelings about his fame as Superman.

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