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George Reeves died of a gunshot wound to his head in the upstairs bedroom at his home in Benedict Canyon. According to Larson, Reeves said that if Mark Sandrich had not died, he would not be there in "this monkey suit". It is located in a fairly modest area, even though the asking price in 1995 was $625,000. But even more importantly, The Adventures of Superman was marketed mostly towards a younger audience. But from another, the death of George Reeves looks a lot like murder. 'See thereI told you so! The half-hour films were shot on tight schedules; at least two shows were made every six days. 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 . No gunpowder residue was found on Reeves' hands. Perhaps the toxic mixture of alcohol and painkillers had led to a fatal misjudgment? They had no children and divorced 10 years later.[16]. 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. According to biographer Jim Beaver, Reeves did not know for several years that Bessolo was still alive. 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. Televisions beloved Superman was dead at the tender age of 45. The official verdict was that Reeves had committed suicide, the weight of his troubles having become too much for him to bear. Death Of George Reeves Source: Biography. He was lucky to escape with head injuries that required him to take powerful painkillers right up until the night he died. 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. Authorities ruled it a suicide, but was it? [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. 1. Superman had been cancelled and Reeves had struggled to find the serious work he craved. George Reeves' Home. 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? Lemmon stayed awake and about thirty minutes later three friends dropped by for a visit. The subsequent police report seem to accept the whole story at face value. Tell them I was down here!. And so, almost forty years later, we are left wondering. The police ruled his death a suicide, but rumors quickly surfaced that Reeves was. George went to bed at 12:30 AM. [39] Despite the unanswered questions, Reeves' death was officially ruled a suicide, based on witness statements, physical evidence at the scene, and the autopsy report. 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. Superman actor George Reeves is beloved for his portrayal of the character, and this is an in-depth look back at his life and tragic death. The planned revival of Superman was apparently a small lifeline. 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 was not happy when his wife wasnt happy. 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. 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. Leonore Lemmon fled to New York right after Reeves died--but first emptied his house of liquor bottles and $4,000 in traveler's checks. And George Reeves was not unable to find work, he was not broke, he was not a suicidal depressed person. His personal life was not all red carpets and champagne. Three shots were fired in the room: two on the floor and one in Reeves' head. 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. Three bullet holes were found in the bedroom, all caused by the Luger that was found resting between the victim's legs. On June 16, 1959, Reeves was found dead in his bedroom from a gunshot wound to the head. 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. On June 16, 1959, Reeves died from a single gunshot wound in the bedroom of his Benedict Canyon home. Reeves established his own production company and conceived a TV adventure series called Port of Entry, which would be shot on location in Hawaii and Mexico. 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. Due to their advanced state of inebriation the party guests were not entirely coherent, but they all seemed to agree on the suicide story. Advertisement. Conspiracy theories abound and Reeves death has remained the stuff of Hollywood legend for over five decades since. Separated from his wife (their divorce became final in 1950), Reeves moved to New York City in 1949. U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records 19381946, dated March24, 1943, Speeding Bullet, 2nd Ed, by Jan Alan Henderson, p. 151. Is her confession credible? The house was bought in the early 1950's for $12,000. 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. He was working on creating a fulfilling career for himself. The death of the original Superman is one of those American mysteries that may never fully add up. But unable to find work, perhaps George felt he had little choice but to return to a part that clearly caused him much anguish. Warners loaned him to producer Alexander Korda to co-star with Merle Oberon in Lydia, a box-office failure. Dubious witness statements and the examination of the crime scene by the Los Angeles Police led to the official inquiry conclusion that the death of Reeves's was suicide. By midnight on the night of June 16, 1959, only Lenore and writer Robert Condon were still at his house with him. The Suspicious Death of George Reeves. In June 1951, Reeves was offered the role of Superman in a new television series[23] titled Adventures of Superman. All three bullets had been fired from the weapon found at Reeves' feet, though all witnesses agreed they heard only one gunshot, and there was no sign of forced entry or other physical evidence that a second person was in the room. Mother Victoria Alice Mason. September6, 1892 was the daughter of George Christian Lescher and Eliza Jane McKenzie, she died in a Pasadena hospital on June 18, 1964. 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. A long Broadway run followed, before a national tour and a movie version. 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. 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. Upstairs, they found the homeowner naked and sprawled across his bed. Entering the house from the street side, you walk into the living room. [26] He was reportedly making $5,000 (about $50,000 in today's dollars) per week, but only while the show was in production (about eight weeks each year). 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. Para obtener ms informacin sobre cmo utilizamos tus datos personales, consulta nuestra Poltica de privacidad y Poltica de cookies. 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 George Reeves mother Helen Bessolo never accepted the official verdict and hired private investigators to to reopen the investigation into his death. 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. Just over a year after the war started, Reeves was called up. 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. 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. 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. If he had really fallen backwards onto a freshly ejected shell case it should have been hot enough to have burnt his skin, yet no such marks were evident at the autopsy. [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. . (Reeves and Crane both dyed their hair red to portray the Tarleton twins.) He performed on live television anthology programs, as well as on radio. 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. The accident was rendered in a more sinister light when Reeves mechanic discovered the brake fluid in the car had been drained. I was depressed, and I accepted instantly that he had committed suicide, Larson told Unsolved Mysteries in 1995. 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.