Adventures of George Reeves, TV's Superman

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George Reeves. 1914-1959.

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Blog Created: 9-27-2024

Last Updated: 9-29-2024

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George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 – June 16, 1959) was an American actor. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series Adventures of Superman (1952–1958).

His death by gunshot at age 45 remains controversial. The official finding was suicide, but some believe that he was murdered or the victim of an accidental shooting.

Early life ~

Reeves was born January 5, 1914, as George Keefer Brewer in Woolstock, Iowa, the son of Donald Carl Brewer and Helen Lescher. Reeves was born five months into their marriage. When the couple separated, soon after Reeves's birth, Reeves and his mother moved from Iowa to Ashland, Kentucky, to stay with relatives for a time and then to her home in Galesburg, Illinois.

Donald Brewer and wife, Helen. George Reeves' parents.

Step-father Frank Joseph Bessolo and young George Reeves.

Later, Reeves's mother, who was of German descent, moved to California to stay with her sister. There, by 1920, she had met and married Frank Joseph Bessolo (according to that year's federal census). Reeves's father married Helen Schultz in 1925. Reeves reportedly never saw his father again. In 1927, when Reeves was 13, Frank Bessolo adopted him, and the boy took his stepfather's last name, becoming George Bessolo. The Bessolos’ marriage lasted 15 years, ending in divorce, with the couple separating while Reeves was away visiting relatives. When he returned, his mother told him his stepfather had died by suicide. According to biographer Jim Beaver, Reeves did not know for several years that Bessolo was still alive. Bessolo actually died March 4, 1944, at age 51, when his adopted son was well into his movie career.

Reeves began acting and singing in high school and continued performing on stage as a student at Pasadena Junior College.

Acting career ~

While studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, Reeves met his future wife, Ellanora Needles, great-great-granddaughter of John Robinson, who had been a circus magnate and founder of the John Robinson Circus. They married on September 22, 1940, in San Gabriel, California, at the Church of Our Savior. They had no children and divorced 10 years later.

Reeves's film career began in 1939 when he was cast as Stuart Tarleton (incorrectly listed in the film's credits as Brent Tarleton), one of Scarlett O'Hara's suitors in Gone with the Wind. It was a minor role, but he and Fred Crane were in the film's opening scene. (Reeves and Crane both dyed their hair red to portray the Tarleton twins.) After Gone with the Wind was filmed, Reeves returned to the Pasadena Playhouse and was given the lead role in the play Pancho. This part directly led to his being contracted to Warner Brothers. Warner had him change his professional name to George Reeves. His Gone with the Wind screen credit reflects the change. Between the start of production on Gone With the Wind and its release 12 months 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.

Fred Crane, Vivien Leigh and George Reeves in Gone With the Wind.

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). These roles did little to advance Reeves's career, and his contract with Warners was dissolved by mutual consent.

Ronald Reagan and James Cagney.

Released from his Warner contract, he signed a contract with Twentieth Century-Fox but was released after only a handful of films, one of which was the Charlie Chan movie Dead Men Tell. Twentieth Century-Fox loaned him to producer Alexander Korda to co-star with Merle Oberon in Lydia, a box-office failure, after which he freelanced, looking to find work in westerns. 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 Sherman impressed the casting director by performing seven pages of script in a single take without pause. Reeves appeared in five Hopalong Cassidy westerns before being cast as Lieutenant John Summers opposite Claudette Colbert in So Proudly We Hail! (1942), a war drama for Paramount Pictures, which signed Reeves up for two films a year.

Claudette Colbert.

William Boyd (Hopalong Cassidy), Andy Clyde and George Reeves in a scene from the Hopalong Cassidy movies.

However, Reeves was inspired by So Proudly We Hail! to put his budding acting career on hold and enlist in the U.S. Army. He was drafted in early 1943. He was assigned to the U.S. Army Air Forces and performed in the USAAF's Broadway show Winged Victory. The long Broadway run was followed by a national tour and a movie version. Reeves was then transferred to the Army Air Force’s First Motion Picture Unit, where he made training films.

George while serving in the military.

Discharged at the war's end, Reeves returned to Hollywood. Many studios were slowing down their production schedules, however, and some production units had shut down completely. He appeared in a pair of outdoor thrillers with Ralph Byrd. As more and more time passed between acting jobs that paid less and less, Reeves was reduced to appearing in a low-budget serial produced by Sam Katzman, The Adventures of Sir Galahad, and taking a second job digging cesspools. Reeves fit the rugged requirements of the roles, and, with his excellent memory for dialogue, he did well under rushed production conditions. He was able to play against type, starring as a villainous gold hunter in a Johnny Weissmuller Jungle Jim film. After separating from his wife, Reeves moved to New York City in 1949 (their divorce became final in 1950). 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.

Ralph Byrd and Sam Katzman.

In 1953, Reeves played a minor character, Sergeant Maylon Stark, in From Here to Eternity. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and gave Reeves the distinction of having appeared in two "Best Picture" films.

George with Burt Lancaster.

Superman ~

In June 1951, Reeves was offered the role of Superman in a new television series titled Adventures of Superman. 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. The half-hour films were shot on tight schedules; at least two shows were made every six days. 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 also be done consecutively.

Adventures of Superman (TV series).

George takes to the sky in Superman.

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. 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. The series went on the air the following year, and Reeves was amazed at becoming a national celebrity. In 1952, the struggling ABC Network purchased the show for national broadcast, which gave him greater visibility.

Superman with the Mole People.

The Superman cast members had restrictive contracts preventing them from taking other work that might interfere with the series. Except for the second season, the Superman schedule was brief (13 shows shot two per week, a total of seven weeks out of a year), but all had a "30-day clause", which meant that the producers could demand their exclusive services for a new season on four weeks' notice. 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.

Main cast of the Superman TV series.

Reeves, however, was able to leverage his new role and earn additional income by making numerous personal appearances. He had affection for his young fans and took his role-model status seriously. He avoided smoking cigarettes where children could see him and eventually quit smoking. He kept his private life discreet, including a romantic relationship with Toni Mannix, wife of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer general manager Eddie Mannix.

Eddie Mannix and wife Toni Mannix.

In the documentary Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman, Jack Larson said that, when he first met Reeves, he told him that he enjoyed his performance in So Proudly We Hail! According to Larson, Reeves said that if Mark Sandrich had not died, he would not be there in "this monkey suit". According to Larson, Reeves also said he would feel better about the role if he knew he had any adult fans; he never learned that Adventures of Superman had adult fans even during its original broadcast run.

Jack Larson.

Between the first and second seasons of Superman, Reeves got sporadic acting assignments in one-shot TV anthology programs and in two feature films, Forever Female (1953) and Fritz Lang's The Blue Gardenia (1953), but by the time the series was airing nationwide, Reeves found himself so closely associated with the characters of Superman and Clark Kent that it was difficult for him to book other roles.

During the show's run, Reeves worked tirelessly with Toni Mannix to raise money for fighting myasthenia gravis; his efforts resulted in his being appointed as national chairman for the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation in 1955. During the second season, Reeves returned to working with the government when he 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.

George Reeves in stamp day film..

After two seasons, Reeves decided not to renew his contract and left the show. He was frustrated with his low salary, the one-dimensional nature of his character, and how associating himself with Superman had ruined his credibility as a dramatic actor. At 40 years old, he also felt uncomfortable playing such an intensely physical role.

Eager to jump-start his failing career, Reeves established his own production company and conceived a TV adventure series called Port of Entry, which was to be shot on location in Hawaii and Mexico. Reeves wrote the pilot script himself. However, the producers of Superman, unable to find a suitable replacement, lured him back to the show with a major salary increase. He was reportedly making $5,000 (about $57,000 in today's dollars) per week, but only while the show was in production (about eight weeks each year). Reeves was never able to gain financing for his Port of Entry project, and the show was never made.

In 1957, the producers considered making a theatrical film: Superman and the Secret Planet. A script was commissioned from David Chantler, who had written many of the TV scripts. In 1959, however, negotiations began for a renewal of the series, with 26 episodes scheduled to go into production. By mid-1959, contracts were signed, costumes refitted, and new teleplay writers assigned. Noel Neill was quoted as saying that the cast of Superman was ready to do a new series of the still-popular show.

Noel Neill.

His good friend Bill Walsh, a producer at Disney Studios, gave Reeves a prominent role in Westward Ho the Wagons! (1956), in which Reeves wore a beard and mustache; it would be his final film appearance. Attempting to showcase his versatility, Reeves performed a song on the Tony Bennett show in August 1956. He appeared as Superman on I Love Lucy (Episode #165, "Lucy and Superman") in 1957. Character actor Ben Welden had acted with Reeves in the Warner Bros. days and frequently guest-starred on Superman. He said, "After the I Love Lucy show, Superman was no longer a challenge to him... I know he enjoyed the role, but he used to say, 'Here I am, wasting my life.'"

Lucille Ball, Tony Bennett and Ben Welden.

Reeves, Noel Neill, Natividad Vacío, Gene LeBell, and a trio of musicians toured with a public-appearance show from 1957 onward. The first half of the show was a Superman sketch in which Reeves and Neill performed with LeBell as a villain called "Mr. Kryptonite" who captured Lois Lane. Kent then rushed offstage to return as Superman, who came to the rescue and fought with the bad guy. The second half of the show was Reeves out of costume as himself, singing and accompanying himself on the guitar. Vacio and Neill accompanied him in duets.

Natividad Vacío.

Reeves and Toni Mannix split in 1958 and Reeves announced his engagement to society playgirl Leonore Lemmon. Reeves was apparently scheduled to marry Lemmon on June 19 and then spend their honeymoon in Tijuana. He complained to friends, columnists, and his mother about his financial problems. The planned revival of Superman was apparently a small lifeline. 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. However, Reeves and his partner failed to find financing, and the film was never made. Another Superman stage show was scheduled for July with a planned stage tour of Australia. Reeves had options for making a living, but those options apparently all involved playing Superman again—a role that he was not eager to reprise at age 45.

George with his mother when she visited the Superman set.

Phyllis Coates in the first-season episode, 'Night of Terror'.

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". Reeves had been made a "Kentucky Colonel" during a publicity trip in the South, and the sign on his dressing room door was replaced with a new one that read "Honest George, also known as Col. Reeves", created by the show's prop department. A photo of a smiling Reeves and the sign appears in Gary Grossman's book about the show.

Dressing room door sign.

Death ~

Reeves died of a gunshot wound to the head, in the upstairs bedroom of his home at 1579 Benedict Canyon Drive in Benedict Canyon between 1:30 and 2:00 a.m. on June 16, 1959, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) report.

George Reeves’ Former Home where he died in an upstairs bedroom.

Leonore Lemmon and other party guests were in the home at the time. Lemmon told the police that she was in the living room with the guests at the time of the shooting, but hearsay statements from Fred Crane, Reeves's friend and colleague from Gone With The Wind, put Lemmon either inside or in direct proximity to Reeves's bedroom. 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!"

A number of questionable physical findings were reported by investigators and others. No fingerprints were recovered from the gun. No gunpowder residue was found on Reeves's hands. (Some sources contend that it may not have been looked for, as gunshot residue testing was not routinely performed in 1959.) The bullet that killed Reeves was recovered from the bedroom ceiling, and the spent shell casing was found under his body. Two additional bullets were discovered embedded in the bedroom floor. All three bullets had been fired from the weapon found at Reeves's 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. Despite the unanswered questions, Reeves's death was officially ruled a suicide, based on witness statements, physical evidence at the scene, and the autopsy report.

In contemporaneous news articles, Lemmon attributed Reeves's alleged suicide to depression caused by his "failed career" and inability to find more work. The report made by the LAPD states, "[Reeves was]... depressed because he couldn't get the sort of parts he wanted." Newspapers and wire-service reports quoted LAPD Sergeant V. A. Peterson as saying: "Miss Lemmon blurted, 'He's probably going to go shoot himself.' A noise was heard upstairs. She continued, 'He's opening a drawer to get the gun.' A shot was heard. 'See there—I told you so!'"

Reeves is interred at Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena, California. In 1960, Reeves was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard for his contributions to the TV industry. In 1985, he was posthumously named one of the honorees by DC Comics in the company's 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great.

Fifty Who Made DC Great.

George Reeves' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Mausoleum where George Reeves' ashes are interred.

Controversy ~

Reeves's mother thought it was premature and peremptory to rule the death a suicide, and retained attorney Jerry Giesler to petition for a reinvestigation of the case as a possible homicide. 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. A month later, having uncovered no evidence contradicting the official finding, Giesler announced that he was satisfied that the gunshot wound had been self-inflicted and withdrew.

Actor George Reeves, seen here with his mother Helen Bessolo.

Actors Alan Ladd and Gig Young were reportedly skeptical of the official determination. Reeves's friend Rory Calhoun told a reporter "No one in Hollywood believed the suicide story." In their book Hollywood Kryptonite, Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger make a case for the involvement of MGM vice president and fixer Eddie Mannix. Reeves had been having an affair with his wife Toni Mannix. Others suggested that Eddie Mannix, rumored to have Mafia ties, ordered Reeves killed.

Alam Ladd, Gig Young and Rory Calhoun.

In popular culture ~

The 2006 film Hollywoodland, starring Ben Affleck as Reeves and Adrien Brody as a fictional investigator loosely based on actual detective Milo Speriglio, dramatizes the investigation of Reeves's death. The film suggests three possible scenarios: accidental shooting by Lemmon, murder by an unnamed hitman under orders from Eddie Mannix, and suicide.

A CG version of Reeves as Superman appears in the DC Extended Universe film The Flash (2023). The use of the CG render led to backlash from fans.

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Filmography ~

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1948.

As Superman.

Frank Joseph Bessolo. Step-father.

George with mother, Helen and his fiancée Lenore Lemmon.

George as Superman with his real-life mother on the Superman set.

George and Lenore.

Lonore Lemmon shortly before her death in 1989.

George's mother right after his death.

George's mother, Helen in the 1960s.

Mary Casheen Brewer Martin. George Reeves' half-sister.

Alexander Korda.

Ellanora Robinson Needles Rose.

Fritz Lang. 1969.

Joan Crawford with Sonja Henie and George Reeves.

Johnny Weissmuller.

Mark Sandrich.

Merle Oberon.

Phillips Tead as Professor Pepperwinkle on the Superman series.

Christopher Reeve would later play Superman in several feature films. He was no relation to George Reeves. Christopher died as a result of a horse riding accident.

Teddi Sherman.

Toni Mannix and George Reeves.

The home where George Reeves would die in 1959.

Gone with the Wind.

Fred Crane, Vivien Leigh and George Reeves in Gone With the Wind.

George Reeves and Fred Crane.

Argentine Nights, 1940.

George with Pat O'Brien.

Lucy and Superman.

Pasadena Playhouse.

Interior of the Pasadena Playhouse, as seen from the mezzanine.

Hollywood First National Bank served as one of the Metropolis backdrops.

1953 TV Guide listed on eBay for $389.

1966 Television schedule listing the show's re-runs.

Brotherhood week comic strip.

George Reeves original 1950's Superman costumes. The right one was used during the black and white episodes and the left was used when it went to color.

Stacey Roman leads the auction of sci–fi memorabilia at Profiles in History in Beverly Hills.

George Reeves Superman costume from the 1950s - Smithsonian Museum of American History.

Rare George Reeves Superman costume with moth holes sells for $350,000.

Moth holes.

John Robinson Circus. George worked here in his earlier life.

'Look ... up in the sky!' as part of the flying illusion.

George clowning with Lucille Ball.

George as Clark Kent. Mild mannered reporter for the Metropolis newspaper who turned into Superman when the need arose.

George Reeves at the Patio Restaurant. Hess Brothers Allentown. Having fun with the hostesses.

George Reeves, John Hamilton, and Robert Shayne.

Shooting a scene for the show.

George Reeves, (Superman), stands at the door of his dressing room.

The sign on his dressing room door. Made for him by the studio's prop department.

Ready for lift off.

Superman saved a ton of money on airfare.

Different styles of the Superman logo over the course of the show's run.

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Christopher Reeve ~

Christopher Reeve (no relation to George Reeves), would go on to play Superman in feature films until his horse riding accident.

Lenore Lemmon (left), the fiancée of TV Superman George Reeves, leaves Reeves' home following the actor's suicide.

George Reeves after death.

George Reeves' death certificate.

George in his casket.

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Did George Reeves really almost get shot by a young boy while speaking to a group of children?

This is likely untrue. Reeves often spoke to groups of children to help promote the Superman TV series. As the story goes, once when he appeared to speak at a department store wearing the Superman costume, a boy who had taken his father's gun almost shot Reeves. The boy explained that he wanted to watch the bullets bounce off Superman. Luckily, the situation was apparently averted, and thereafter Reeves continued to speak to groups of children, only without the Superman costume. This is believed to have been a story made up by Reeves, so that he wouldn't have to wear the costume at public appearances. In costume, children would often kick him and throw rocks at him to test his Superman abilities.

I heard this story beginning back in the early 1970s. As the story goes, George told the boy that if he shot him, the bullets would bounce off of him but would probably hit others in the room. So the boy decided not to shoot. I don't know if this story was true or not.

Ever wonder how Superman shaved?

People even dress their dogs like Superman.

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CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINKS FOR THESE MERCHANDISE OFFERS ~

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Browse eBay and other internet sites ~

You can find countless merchandise, books and DVDs of Superman and other George Reeves films all over the internet. Plus, many of his works are on YouTube.

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My Personal Experience With Superman ~

In the summer of 1958, myself and many of my classmates were treated to a personal appearance by George Reeves at Harris Elementary School in Akron, Ohio. I was seven years old. I remember that day very well. We were not told what was about to take place but were ushered into the auditorium at around 1:00 pm. We all took our seats and at 1:30 the principal came onto the stage to announce that we had a surprise guest in the house today. The curtains opened and Superman walked out. We were all frozen in our seats. What was this? Was it some guy pretending to be the man of steal? We all watched the TV show and knew just what the "real" Superman looked like. That was him! As it turned out, George Reeves had come to Akron I believe, to attend the Soap Box Derby or other event and our school had managed to get him to stop by for a few minutes.

His real name, George Reeves was never mentioned. He was Superman or, Clark Kent. Reeves was around 6 foot 2 inches tall and to a seven year old, he was huge. He gave a speech and talked about Hollywood, Superman and instructed us all on crossing the street safely and how to live properly. He also said something about savings bonds as I remember.

He came down into the audience and talked to many of us and also I got to shake his hand. One of the kids asked him to fly around the huge room but he explained that if he hit any of the overhead lights, we could be injured. Plus the wind created by his "taking off" could also injure some of us. We didn't think about those on the TV show that were present when he jumped into the sky.

It was a great day at Harris School that day. I remember us kids talking about it for months afterward. In the next year or so, we would be graced with the presence of other Film and TV personalities such as Richard Boone from the show, Have Gun, Will Travel and the great Lone Ranger, Clayton Moore. But, perhaps Superman was the best to meet at that time. After all, Superman was geared to us kids and we were really excited to see him in person. I will have to say, the officials at Harris School always were on top of things and wanting to give us kids a thrill. They always managed to go all out trying to get celebrities to come by when they were in town. So, thanks to them. They really made our day on many occasions.

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