50th Anniversary of George "Superman" Reeves Death

[RicoGregg]

This should settle the George Reeves/From Here to Eternity question once and for all:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045793/trivia

I stand corrected on my earlier post.

 

[bpatrick]

I question Jack Larson's creditability. During interviews he gave in the 1970s, he said that he believed Reeves was murdered. Now he is claiming it was a suicide.

As for Reeves' role in "From Here to Eternity" I read that there was no prior public screening where people shouted "There's Superman!" Reeves' appearance in that movie was just what you saw. His role was never that major in the picture to begin with.

When it comes to my own theory about his death, for years I also thought he was murdered. However a few years ago a personal friend of mine, who never displayed any emotional problems, killed himself. So I wondered if Reeves was capable of doing the same thing? So I can't honestly say that Reeves might have had a moment of reflection on his career and just decided to end it all. After all Reeves may have signed up to play Superman again in 1960, but that doesn't mean he didn't feel he was typecast.

"So Proudly They Hail" was perhaps the only movie he made that was considered good. Before Superman, he appeared in a series of low budget "B" flicks and he made no bones about feeling his career had come to an end by appearing on television.

Also remember that when Reeves took the role of Superman, he was 37 years old, in great shape, and with a full head of hair. In the 1957 color versions, one could see that his hair was thinning, he had gained weight, and he was approaching his mid-forties.

Maybe Reeves underwent a mid-life crisis on June 16, 1959 and decided to end it all.

We will never know for sure.

Mark Sandrich (father of Jay Sandrich, who, IIRC, produced "The
Mary Tyler Moore Show") produced "So Proudly We Hail," and apparently
had big plans for Reeves. But while Reeves was in the service during
World War II, Mark Sandrich passed away. Years later, during a break
on the "Superman" set, he told Jack Larson (according to Larson's account)
that "if Mark Sandrich had lived, I wouldn't be wearing this monkey suit"
(referring, of course, to the Superman costume). Larson also said that
anyone who thought Reeves was happy about making new "Superman"
episodes didn't know George Reeves.

Just as there's confusion about Larson's age, there's also confusion
about Reeves' birthplace. Some sources say Ashland, KY; others say
Woodstock, IA. Ashland is the one I believe was on his death certificate.

Reeves is not the only actor who was a victim of typecasting; Adam West
comes to mind (I think he's had one short-lived show since "Batman");
another is Marvin Miller (Michael Anthony of "The Millionaire"), who spent
most of his later years doing voiceovers. But if you assume Reeves committed
suicide because he was depressed about his career, neither West nor Miller
did anything that extreme. West took advantage of the Batman role and
spent years making public appearances in character, and is still with us;
Miller died of natural causes in 1985 at age 71.

 

[radioman148]

If I had to guess I've always leaned toward the suicide conclusion.
However, some of the other evidence is somewhat compelling.

 

[kirkiefan]

My belief was that Reeves was typecast as Superman for many years and could not move on in his carreer. Wish he could have though. My parents were ones that also believed that rumour that he was drunk,leaped out of the window thinking he was Superman and that was his end.

I still ask myself the question...what studio was it that this series was filmed...and by what production company?..... since the series was originally copyrighted by "National Comics Publications"..the present day DC Comincs Inc.

Whenever I see reruns of the show..it has the campy elements of ZIV's "The Cisco Kid" and McGowan Productions' TV adaptation of "Sky King."

Aside from the non-related Christopher Reeve (God also rest his soul) George Reeves was the best Superman.

 

[Mark Giardina]

I still ask myself the question...what studio was it that this series was filmed...and by what production company

Adventures of Superman began filming at the RKO-Pathe Studios (later, Desilu Studios) in Culver City, California in August-September 1951. Episodes cost roughly $15,000 a piece, a low-budget program by any standards then or now. In 1953-54, the show was filmed at California Studios, and, in 1955, at Chaplin Studios. In 1956-57, the show was filmed at ZIV Studios.

 

[radioman148]

>>My parents were ones that also believed that rumour that he was drunk,leaped out of the window thinking he was Superman and that was his end.>>

Another story that circulated at the time was that he fired the gun to see if the bullets would really bounce off of him. Hey I was only a kid at the time so we believed anything.