A detective examines the mysterious death of George Reeves, the star of the television series Adventures of Superman (1952).A detective examines the mysterious death of George Reeves, the star of the television series Adventures of Superman (1952).A detective examines the mysterious death of George Reeves, the star of the television series Adventures of Superman (1952).
- Awards
- 3 wins & 8 nominations
- Barbell Man
- (as Eric Kolder)
- Morgue Attendant
- (as Jon Vladimir Cubrt)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film's producers were forced to shoot a new version of the opening credits of Adventures of Superman (1952) when Warner Brothers refused permission for the actual opening credits to be used within the film.
- GoofsIt is 1959, well into the golden age of broadcast television, yet there are virtually no television antennas visible on the roofs of any of the houses in the shots of the "period" neighborhoods.
- Quotes
Kenneth Giles: [after defeating villains in a live show] Hey, Superman! Hey, Superman!
George Reeves: Well, hello there, young man, what's your name?
Kenneth Giles: [brandishing a gun] Kenneth Giles. Can I shoot you?
George Reeves: [he sees that it's a real gun and is suddenly very serious] Kenneth, why would you want to do something like that?
Kenneth Giles: So the bullet bounces off. Can I?
George Reeves: Well, if you did shoot me and the bullet bounced off, it might accidentally hit someone else. We don't want that to happen, do we?
Kenneth Giles: No...
George Reeves: Why don't you just, you and I... Here we go, partner. Why don't you just give me that? Just hand me that...
- SoundtracksSuperman M E
Written by Leon Klatzkin (as Leon Klazkin)
Reeves started out in small roles such as one of the Tarlton twins in "Gone with the Wind," and before going into the service himself, nabbed some good parts while the big stars were fighting the war. Like many young actors back then, after the war, his career had lost momentum. He ultimately landed the role of Superman and during that time appeared in "From Here to Eternity." The film shows people recognizing him as Superman during the Hollywood premiere of "From Here to Eternity," and as a result of the audience laughter, his role was severely cut. However, many people state that Reeves' role in the final product was no smaller than it was originally.
Unfortunately, in the '50s, once you were associated with a television role, it was a death knell. When Jack Larson (Jimmy Olson in Superman) went into an audition after the series, the director said to the others in the room: "Please don't embarrass this man. He knows I can't cast him," or words to that effect. The actors today are more fortunate as the business has changed. It would be a steep upward climb if Reeves was to shake that Superman image. At the time of his death, he was forming his own production company and planned to go to New York. He also wanted to direct.
"Hollywoodland" stars Ben Affleck, Diane Lane, Adrien Brody, Robin Tunney, Bob Hoskins and Lois Smith. It's the story of slimy detective Louis Simo (Brody) - a man who sells info to Confidential magazine and takes low-rent clients - and his investigation of George Reeves' death, considered a suicide. During a small gathering in his home, Reeves went upstairs to his bedroom and allegedly shot himself. But many people believe he was murdered. Simo plays out different scenarios in his head with different suspects as he searches for evidence and motives. There were several people in Reeves' life who had motives: Reeves' long-time girlfriend Toni Mannix, wife of studio exec Eddie Mannix, a man with an unsavory past known by MGM as "The Fixer"; Mannix himself, who was suspected of being involved in the death of Jean Harlow's husband Paul Bern and later on of faking a car accident in which Toni was killed; and Leonore Lemmon, George's young girlfriend toward the end of his life, who expected to marry George. In the midst of his investigation, Simo has problems with a seedy client as well as difficulties relating with his young son.
This is a beautifully produced film with some marvelous performances, particularly from Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins, and Ben Affleck. Affleck's resemblance to Reeves in some scenes is scary - particularly as Clark Kent! Affleck even had Reeves' vocal rhythm. An excellent performance, and hopefully one that will lead to some better films and roles for him. As Toni, Lane is superb - sexy, tough, and completely possessive of George; Bob Hoskins is great as the bombastic, thug-like Eddie Mannix. Robin Tunney makes a gorgeous Leonore, a cheap low-life. Adrien Brody's Louis Simo is probably more cerebral than most detectives of this type, but he's still good. The problem is not so much in his performance as it is that his storyline is intrusive.
The scenes filming "The Adventures of Superman" are fantastic, and I for one wanted to see more. "Hollywoodland" captures the reality of making a television show back then and evokes the atmosphere of Hollywood in the '50s beautifully. However, it moved slowly, and there was too much of Brody's problems and too little of George's relationships. While it was an interesting film and very worthwhile, it just didn't hang together as one would have hoped.
Reeves' friend, Jack Larson (portrayed in the film by Joseph Adam), who was an adviser on the film, read several versions of the script, and met with the actors. His biggest concern was that the film not put Toni Mannix, with whom he was very close, in a bad light. Larson was very, very impressed by Ben Affleck's intelligence and personality and thought all of the acting was top-notch. One thing he was sure of - Reeves never had any intention of marrying Leonore Lemmon. "George lived big," Larson said, "but it was Toni's money." He adds, "No one wants to listen to me...He committed suicide."
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Details
- Release date
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- Also known as
- Truth, Justice, and the American Way
- Filming locations
- Production companies
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Box office
- Budget
- $28,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $14,426,251
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $6,008,000
- Sep 10, 2006
- Gross worldwide
- $16,800,438
- Runtime2 hours 6 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1