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| Reeves as Superman |
In the 1950s the actor,
George Reeves was best known for his portrayal of Superman in the television
series, Adventures of Superman.
Reeves died at the age of 45,
from a gunshot wound to the head. He was found dead in his bedroom at 1:59 a.m.
on June 16, 1959, in his home in Los Angeles’ Benedict Canyon. It was
just three days before his marriage to a young socialite.
The cops ruled his death a suicide
but others felt it was an accident or even murder.
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| Home on Benedict Drive |
Reeves was a personable and
charming actor that was liked by most people who knew him. But it appears he
had a darker side.
Those who support the theory
he committed suicide point to the fact that by the late 1950s Reeves was having
trouble finding work as an actor after his popular series ended. It appeared he
was to be forever stereotyped as the caped crusader.
But this belief left out two important aspects of Reeves's life at the time of his death. He had just
begun a career as a Hollywood television director, and he had recently put his
personal life in turmoil when he left his lover of several years—a woman eight years his senior.
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| George Reeves with Toni Mannix |
His mistress, Toni Mannix, had
bought the Benedict Canyon home for him. She became extremely jealous when
Reeves dumped her for a younger woman-- Lenore Lemmon who he intended to marry.
Mannix, a one time showgirl,
was married to Eddie Mannix, a former MGM vice president who was in good with
the cops and had connections to organized crime. Hence, the speculations that
Reeves’s death may have been a murder, that the police conveniently covered up.
Some point out that Toni Mannix had Reeves murdered because she was a scorned lover. But others feel it might have been her husband who did not like being shown up by "an actor."
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| Lenore Lemmon |
To add to the confusion,
Reeves's state of mind at the time of his death was muddled. Lemmon told the cops
one story—while other’s who attended the party she threw at the home—the night
Reeves died-- conflicted with her account of what happened.
George Reeves’s death today
still remains an unsolved mystery. But what happened after his death has been
well documented over the years.
For over a decade, Toni Mannix
had trouble selling the home on Benedict Drive. It quickly gained a reputation
for being haunted by George Reeves.
People who believe the murder
theory point to this reason as to why his spirit lingers.
One young couple who rented
the home was entertaining guests one evening in the living room when everyone heard noises coming from upstairs.
They followed these sounds to
Reeve’s ex-bedroom, where his body was found. This room that was kept
neat, was now in complete disarray. The bed linens had been torn off the bed, and
clothes were strewn across the floor.
When this group returned to
the living room they discovered that all the drinks that they had left on the coffee table, were now in the kitchen.
Later, this couple discovered their
German shepherd barking furiously at the door to Reeve's old bedroom. They watched as
he cowered and slinked away with his tail between his legs. When they opened
the door, they found the bed had been moved across the room.
Early one summer morning,
around 3:00 a.m., they both saw Reeves ghost in his ex-bedroom. He was wearing
his Superman costume. They moved out of the home that same morning.
After this, other renters
claimed to hear a single gunshot in the middle of the night, as well as smelling
gunpowder in the Reeve’s bedroom.
The young couple was not the
only witnesses to encounter Reeve’s apparition. A film crew and actors making a
documentary about Reeves also saw him standing in his full Superman
attire in his old bedroom.
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| Reeves bedroom window. |
At one point two sheriffs
were called out to watch the Benedict Canyon home because there were so many
complaints from neighbors. These reports included people hearing screaming,
gunshots, and seeing the lights go on and off in the house in the middle of
the night. The home was empty at the time.
These neighbors also reported
seeing Reeves apparition standing on his front lawn.
Here is a brief video, about George Reeve’s death.
