The Dark Side Of George Reeves' Superman

May 2024 · 2 minute read

That was when Reeves (perhaps reluctantly) signed on as the title character for the TV series The Adventures of Superman. The series debuted in syndication in 1952 and Reeves found fame, if not fortune. Perhaps even infamy. As shooting began, writes Closer Weekly, he said to co-star Phyllis Coates (Lois Lane), "Welcome to the bottom of the barrel." Later, however, he was able to at least occasionally look on the bright side; he told one interviewer, "We even try, in our scripts, to give gentle messages of tolerance and to stress that a man's color and race and religious beliefs should be respected."

Some actors are delighted at an opportunity for the steady paycheck a TV series offers. Others want to stretch and expand and fear being type-cast. And while typecasting can work to an actor's advantage — no matter the role, John Wayne played John Wayne, and quite effectively, too — others see it as the death of a career. Apparently that's how Reeves felt, too. Not without good reason. He had a part in the major film From Here to Eternity, but preview audiences would shout "Superman!" when he appeared on screen, and the film was re-cut, eliminating almost all of his part, as well as his screen credit. It was the end of his film career.

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