I’ve mentioned before what a big part of pop culture the Superman character is. But even those who play Superman seem to make the news, whether it is good or bad. Some actors who play the Man of Steel get typecast as Superman. Such was the plight of George Reeves, who played Superman on the television show during the 1950s. There was so much controversy around his death that almost 50 years later, there is a new movie coming about it called Hollywoodland, starring Ben Affleck as Reeves.
If you don’t know the story behind the man that will always be remembered by a generation as Superman, here’s the story: George Reeves had classic leading man good looks, but his path to super stardom was interrupted by military service during World War II. He had been in over 70 films and television episodes when the role of Superman was offered to him. It would be the last role he would ever play.
Reeves played Superman on television for six years. It might seem like a dream job to some, but he was typecast and had trouble finding other acting jobs. His lack of available acting roles caused him to fall into a depression. He had been dating Toni Lanier, the wife of an MGM executive for years. Right before his death, the two broke up and he had become engaged to socialite Lenore Lemmon.
In the early hours of June 16, 1959, Reeves retired to his room after a night with friends (who were still downstairs). The friends heard a shot and found George dead from a gunshot to the head. Police ruled it a suicide, but there were some problems with this theory. There were bullet holes found in the bedroom walls and floor. The casing was found under his body and the gun between his legs. There were also no fingerprints on the gun. The police were not called to the scene for at least 30 minutes. To this day, there are still people that believed George Reeves as murdered. Some people thought Toni killed him out of jealousy. Some speculated that her husband had him killed (oddly enough the theory was for making his wife unhappy rather than having an affair with her). And even still, some thought George and Lenore got in an argument over their upcoming wedding.
Will we ever know what happened to George Reeves? It is likely not. He will simply remain a footnote in the big book of Hollywood tragedies. However, I am anxious to see this new film, which in addition to Ben Affleck stars Adrien Brody and Diane Lane.