‘Superman’ died 50 years ago

McClatchy Newspapers

“TV’s ‘Superman’ Kills Self,” blared the tabloid headlines 50 years ago this week, after actor George Reeves was found shot to death in his Hollywood home in the early hours of June 16, 1959.

Reeves played the Man of Steel in “Adventures of Superman,” the classic series that ran from 1952 to 1958. By the time the show stopped production, Reeves had become so identified with his dual roles of Superman and Clark Kent that — according to popular belief — he couldn’t get work and committed suicide, which is the official cause of death.

But there has been speculation that Reeves either died accidentally or was murdered. The 2006 film “Hollywoodland” explores all three possibilities.

Unfortunately, Reeves’ death obscured many aspects of his life. Born George Keefer Brewer in Woolstock, Iowa, in 1914, Reeves’ first big movie role was as Stuart Tarleton in “Gone With the Wind” in 1939. His rise to film stardom was sidetracked by World War II, when he served in the Army Air Corps. Afterward, he appeared mostly in B-movies and early TV dramas.

The stage-trained Reeves, who was involved in charitable causes, reportedly had an impish sense of humor and a genuine affection for his young “Superman” fans.

The show’s unofficial Web site, “The Adventures Continue” (jimnolt.com), will carry tributes to the man those now-middle-aged fans still look up to as the epitome of truth, justice and the American way.