The Death of George Reeves

It’s an indelible memory. My mother coming into the room at 330 Zida Street, Fort Atkinson, WI, where I was watching The Adventures of Superman on TV. She snapped off the set and said she didn’t want me watching the show. I didn’t understand why. My brother Jeff said, “He jumped out a window and killed himself!”

Jeff was referring, of course, to George Reeves, who shot himself in 1959. If this event from my childhood occurred close to the time of Reeves’ suicide, I was not yet four years old.

I loved the show, and I still do. I own the entire series on DVD. In the movie Hollywoodland, just out on DVD, a fictional private detective investigating the death of Reeves learns that his son is seriously disturbed by the suicide.

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/FEB07/Hollywoodland.flv 425 240]

I have a pretty good recollection of my feelings upon learning that Reeves had killed himself. First, I didn’t believe my brother’s assertion that Reeves had jumped out of a window. Second, I wasn’t filled with dark thoughts. I merely accepted it. I did exactly what Adrien Brody’s character tells his son to do, as seen in the video clip. I continued to watch the show on TV.

My mother made a Superman sweatshirt for me. I don’t remember if that was before or after Reeve’s suicide. The “S” was inside of a circle instead of a diamond, but I didn’t mind. I treasured that sweatshirt. For a cape, I would fasten a bath towel around my neck with a safety pin. And, yes, I would look for things to jump off of — chairs, rocks, etc. It was lots of fun. But it was always play.

Hollywoodland perpetuates the notion that somehow the show was a bad influence. And that bothers me. I haven’t heard that opinion expressed anywhere else, but other than that omission I agree with NPR movie critic Kevin Turan’s assessment.

6 thoughts on “The Death of George Reeves”

  1. The car is in the driveway, in front of the T-bird. Look quick and remember you can click anywhere in the picture to pause and continue.

  2. Is it driving by? This clip is good; I may rent the movie. Poor George Reeves had to wear fake muscles under his costume!

  4. Wow! I hadn’t thought of that costume Mom made for you in, like, well, over 40 years! She really did do a lot of the normal Mom things. However, snapping off the TV was the wrong thing to do. I also remember she was afraid we’d copy the “Three Stooges,” a fear which probably had more merit! HA! Jeff always seemed to know “the scoop.” He had a sort of Eddie Haskell sensibility about him that was acerbic and funny!

  5. Yes, when was the Etch-A-Sketch available? A check of Wikipedia says “close – but no cigar”!

    “The Etch A Sketch is a toy invented in 1959 by Frenchman Arthur Granjean and introduced commercially by the Ohio Art Company in the 1960’s. Granjean originally called it “The phsycadelic Screen”.”

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etch_A_Sketch

    Hmmm, a check of the Etch A Sketch website gives no easy info on the origin, but does include the notice below – meaning that we may be in violation of the Trade Mark if we refer to it as Etch-A-Sketch and not Etch A Sketch!!! But, they will put your name on a virtual Etch A Sketch if you enter their website!

    “The Etch A Sketch® product name and the configuration of the Etch A Sketch® product are registered trademarks owned by The Ohio Art Company. With that ownership comes the responsibility of managing our trademarks to the best of our ability – under the law. If we do not manage these rights, they will be taken away from us. ”

    So, beware of Not Brand Etch A Sketch!

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