Supermans Suicide

The original TV Superman killed himself, allegedly because he was depressed because children had been jumping off rooftops trying to imitate him. Does anyone know who this actor was, and the date that his suicide occurred? This isn't a teaser, it's something I'm trying to find out. If no one knows, could someone suggest where I might be able to find this information? Dave M

Try findagrave.com

He may have been depressed, but the jumping off rooftops thing is in the realm of urban myth.

George Reeves, June 16, 1959.

Vartox (who notes, with all due respect to Jim Beaver's recent postings here - which make a strong case for the suicide theory - there are differences of opinion as to the circumstances surrounding George's death)

George Reeves shot himself on June 16, 1959. It had nothing to do with kids jumping off roofs.

I myself am inclined to believe E!'s MYSTERIES AND SCANDALS and HOLLYWOOD KRYPTONITE as far as the Reeves case is concerned. No offense to Mr. Beaver.

Nearly everyone who was interviewed for Hollywood Kraptonite (as Jack Larson dubbed it) has complained bitterly that the authors twisted their comments to fit the authors' sensationalistic views, and not the true views of the participants.

cool site, check it out!

~K-mare

Vist my Boycot John Peters page at

mabey he was shot by the father of someone who's kid jumped off a roof!!!! sorry, i guess im getting carried away.

~K-mare

Vist my Boycot John Peters page at

HOLLYWOOD KRYPTONITE is beautifully written in spots (the authors are poets, I understand), and a lot of the chronological, factual stuff is interesting, but the book is clearly cast to favor the murder theory.

I also think some people would prefer to believe that Reeves was murdered because they don't want to deal with the fact that their hero (and he was mine, too) had such deep flaws

Poets? Debatable. But certainly not research experts - the book is really a work of fiction.

The problem is that HOLLYWOOD KRYPTONITE is *chock full* of factual errors - and whenever anyone points this out, they are accused of over-reacting to the book.

Sounds to me like you've been reading HOLLYWOOD KRYPTONITE I've posted this before, but it bears repeating. Most of the 'factual' content of HOLLYWOOD KRYPTONITE was lifted from a much more objective biography of George Reeves (SPEEDING BULLET) but then twisted to fit the final theory proposed in HOLLYWOOD KRYPTONITE. Many of the quotations attributed to Jack Larson, Noel Neill, and other friends of George Reeves were completely altered by the authors. Jack Larson in particular feels strongly that the book is a piece of crap and refers to it as 'Hollywood Craptonite.'

If anyone really wants to know the facts - which, as you point out, *are* important, they should really read SPEEDING BULLET. I think that it was recently solicited in Previews, but it's also currently available via mail-order: http://www.fortress-of-solitude.net/thescreen/tv1/ order.html

Right - that's why he had to fire five bullets into the wall, the ceiling, and the floor before he finally managed to get one through his head.

That's possible, but I've known one of the people interviewed (albeit by letter and e-mail, not in person) for about ten years now. This person is pretty well connected among those interviewed. If I'm recalling correctly, he may even have helped the authors get a few interviews.

These people have been interviewed time and again regarding George's death. Not all of them agree as to how it happened. A simple matter of an honestly-drawn conclusion that doesn't agree with their viewpoint doesn't rile these people up. I never heard anything negative about the presentations offered by Unsolved Mysteries, Entertainment Tonight, Geraldo Rivera, Hard Copy, etc.

But the authors of HK pissed them off nearly unanimously. A journalistic treatment would not have done so, regardless of how well the words were written.