Dissing George Reeves – Unjustified
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johncarnevale — 18 years ago(September 16, 2007 07:40 AM)
I agree George Reeves if he liked the role or not made you believe he was Superman. This is due to his acting abilities. I grew up in the 60's/70's long after George was gone and the effects are the same kids used to run home to watch Superman that kind of staying power is due to him and the way he performed. I am one who tends to believe he was murdered, someone wanted him out of the way maybe over a broken heart or something. I think the police did him a wrong by not at least looking into the evidence. Seems to me someone powerful hushed it all up.
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maxbrand — 19 years ago(September 24, 2006 10:00 PM)
I wrote a caustic e-mail to the slandering and surprisingly ignorant NY Times reviewer. Most critics these days seem to think it's all about destructive opinions to display their lame wit, rather than informed criticism. This guy knew nothing about what a great guy Reeves was supposed to be and had no feel for the warmth he brought to the role. He seemed to just go by what he saw in the movie.
Let's hope that many other e-mails followed suit. -
paulgraygras72 — 18 years ago(April 15, 2007 01:38 AM)
I agree with the last post, George Reeves was indeed a great screen presence and whilst other actors may have winged their way through a role like Superman, doing just enough to make it believeable George seemed to live the role and take great joy in making him human and the essence of American values. What always struck me about George was the energy and the smile, the joy he was having performing a role simply shone through and the audience loved him for it, we imagined what it would be like to be Superman, Bill Cody etc and how much fun it would be and there was George confirming it was fun through every pore, he enjoyed himself and we did to!
As for the paper reviewers who diss him and snidely make comments to up their readership, well, when they die Id be suprised if they had a fraction of the emotion that poured out when George went, critics are just talentless individuals bitter because they cant do what the guy their talking about can. -
Smile_U_SOB — 18 years ago(June 19, 2007 11:20 PM)
if Jack Nicholson died in 1968 after doing a decade of low budget Roger Corman films before EASY RIDER propelled him to getting good roles, he would have died a B movie actor.
Same with Robert Deniro (who did a string of low budget Z movies directed by Brian DePalma).
also:
if Hillary Swank died right before BOYS DONT CRY she would have been known as a B actress (karate kid 4, "steamy" HBO movies).
case closed.
if you're the salt of the earth, then the earth is a slug -
inoldhollywood — 18 years ago(September 05, 2007 01:17 AM)
I also agree that George Reeves was the most authentic to the original comic book Superman.. yet he skillfully added a sense of humor and compassion to the character. He really had fun with the role. As a kid, most of us kids were huge Superman fans. For myself, I was a Lone Ranger fan with Clayton Moore.. but I never missed an episode of Superman. George was a fine actor.
"Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown!" -
KenyaJaide — 18 years ago(November 10, 2007 10:44 PM)
I think a lot of it was because he couldn't expand from the "Superman" character, not because of his acting, but because that's what he was most famous for and most people think of that when they hear his name. Which was 'theatrecized' in hollywoodland when at the premier someone shouted stronger than a speeding locomotive
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pacinofan58 — 18 years ago(January 19, 2008 11:27 AM)
Taking a role like Superman, which (as Toni Mannix observes in the film) had bad scrpts, and cheap looking sets, and making the character, and the show as good as it was, instead of the cheesy show it could have been, was the true testament to the talent George Reeves possessed! I'm sorry that Reeves couldn't grasp just how memorable a character he created. I look back at all the shows of my youth, I watch them now, and I roll my eyes and wonder how, even as a child, I could have ever liked watching them. I don't have that reaction to "The adventures Of Superman"! It is truly remarkable, how well Reeves acting, and the series as a whole. holds up 50 years later! You look at Reeves' talent, and his failure to reach superstardom, and then you look at James Dean being on his way to major stardom, with his marginal talent, and one can't help but ask themselves "what the hell was wrong with that picture"? Unlike the natural talent Reeves brought to roles, and how effortlessly believable he made them all, Dean's acting was wooden, and by todays standards, even amateurish! If Reeves died from a mistaken belief, that his career had somehow been a failure, it's a shame he didn't have the right people around him, to tell him how wrong he was! If only Reeves had had Deans representation, he would have been as big as Brando!!
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w22nuschler — 16 years ago(May 03, 2009 10:48 PM)
I think Superman was the best Superhero show ever. There were a lot of other good ones, but the Superman cast and stories were great. There were no politics involved like we got with the Hulk. Geroge Reeves did play both Clark Kent and Superman the beb68st of all of the actors. Christopher Reeve did play Superman as well as George, but George beats him out with the Kent portrayal. I did enjoy the nerdy Kent that Reeve played, just not as much as the George version. I also really am happy that his two co-stars Jack Larson & Noel Neill have stuck by him all these years and kept his memory positive. I read where Noel dissed the Hollywoodland movie as a false portrayal of Geroge. That made me happy. Hollywood loves to tear down heroes of the past.
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Alfriend — 15 years ago(October 16, 2010 11:30 PM)
Anyone who calls George Reeves a mediocre actor, can't have seen much of his film work. George just did not have the good fortune to have had that one break-through film role prior to Superman. But he did most often give excellent performances. Even in some of the lesser films he played in Reeves stood out as a very natural, honest actor with a great presence. The so-called critics who called Reeves mediocre are mixing the fact that he hadn't had the breaks that lead to stardom. There is a big difference there. It just shows that these bozo's do not know how hard it is to make it big in film, let alone make a living.
There is a story that Jack Lemon tells of having just returned to NYC to visit a an older friend/mentor/fellow actor shortly after the film "Mr. Roberts" made Lemon a popular actor. Lemon recalls how he regaled his friend with all of his exploits on "Mr. Roberts" and was going on about how good he was, etc. At a certain point, his friend stopped him and said something to the effect, "You know I'm really proud of what you've done and glad for you. But since we've been walking you've done nothing but brag about yourself. And in that time you've walked right by without knowing it, a number of fine young actors I know personally who could have done your part just as well if not better. Please remember that hard work and talent count for a great deal in this business, but luck is often what makes the difference."
Lemon never forgot that. I think Reeves was one of those actors who was a talented actor who never got the break that would have made him the major star that he might have been. There are a good number of talented actors and actresses in the same boat to this day. And many more who never even make a living as Reeves did in his last years. Alot of actors then and now would have sold their souls to have as good a career and as much talent as Reeves had.
RIP George. -
carrie45 — 11 years ago(January 10, 2015 06:04 AM)
I love George Reeves and he was the best looking Superman. I hated the I Love Lucy episode because they never mentioned his name, he was referred to only as Superman. Guess that was some kind of contractual thing and also because they thought the children would be disappointed to hear he was just an actor. George was wonderful, though, in that Lucy episode and I was thrilled as a child to see it. Now, I'm loving the re-runs on MeTV and George is still good looking.
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ultratvfan — 11 years ago(January 15, 2015 12:09 AM)
George Reeves was the best Clark Kent and Superman of all the actors that ever played him. The show's special effects of him flying were really good and were ahead of its time. This show lasted 7 seasons, longer than anyone superman show since and still stands the test of time.
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w22nuschler — 9 years ago(April 21, 2016 05:27 PM)
The original Superman TV show was so well done. I would say it's the best superhero show ever made. Batman from the 60's was excellent, but it ran out of gas and Superman never did. I still enjoy watching the entire series a couple times a year.