George Reeves and the Superman TV series
The 26 new episodes
What is it about the George Reeves story?
Filled with contradictions and false stories,
it's impossible to determine how certain events actually played out.
It's not just his final night that has question marks,
it's also the mystery of the 26 new episodes.
There are a lot of question marks concerning the proposed 26 new episodes, to be filmed in 1959.
We do not know if plans were really afoot to do more filming,
or if it was just a fantasy that got started somewhere.
Let's take a look at what is truly, a quagmire.
This is the main cast of the series.
John Hamilton, George Reeves, Noel Neill, Jack Larson and Robert Shayne.
As far as we know, none of the supporting actors received a phone call or letter from National.
The Superman series was doing very well. It all made sense that National would want more color episodes.
I believe that George was indeed contacted by National Comics.
They had the idea of filming 26 new episodes. This would give them 78 color episodes and 52 black and white episodes.
Superman was one of the first TV series to be filmed in color. Everyone knew that color television sets were coming.
Eventually millions of Americans would be looking for programs that were in color.
The Superman series, as inexpensively filmed as possible, was ahead of its time.
The people at National Comics knew full well that George hated his character and the series.
They knew that if they could talk him into more filming, it was going to cost them more.
They had to approach George first. No one else in the cast was approached.
George told Noel Neill and Bob Shayne, and also Henry Gris and others.
Perhaps George didn't respond the way National was hoping. They knew that he was not working
and perhaps National decided to 'just let Reeves get tired of waiting for the phone to ring.'
Nothing happened. To this day, it remains a mystery.
Was there ever a plan to film more episodes?
When Jack Larson returned to Los Angeles, he probably called Noel to say hello
and she told him all about the new filming. Years later in interviews, Jack embellished things
a little and said that yes, it was all true.
He said that when he was in Europe, he had received an urgent cablegram from National
telling him they were exercising his option for more filming.
In more recent years we have found that his final contract and option had long since expired.
Jim Nolt points out that Jack saved his contracts. You can read them at JimNolt.com.
But he did not have a 1959 contract which indicates that things hadn't progressed to that point .
Author and researcher Michael Hayde has gathered together some circumstantial evidence.
The newspaper report "Superman Loses His Dog" includes the address at ZIV studios.
Frankly, I think George didn't want to use his Benedict Canyon street address.
I have seen the address in news articles from that time and I have wondered if there were times
that fans would ring his doorbell. But it is intriguing why George would pick ZIV's address.
In May, 1959, George Reeves told UPI reporter Henry Gris that he had been approached about doing 26 new episodes.
In June, 1959, Art Weissman told the press (after George's death) that he (Reeves) had planned to do another season.
A lot of people liked Art, but late in his life he was apparently hurting for money.
He did an article in National Enquirer in which he says that he had negotiated a good contract for George for the 26 new episodes.
He also talked of George playing a joke with people, in which he would pretend to shoot himself.
He speculates that someone may have put a real bullet into the gun.
In July, 1959, Mort Weisinger of National, approached Jack Larson with the idea of
doing thirteen episodes of 'Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen' because, in Larson's words,
"Kellogg's had already put up the money to do these shows."
This was a month after George's death.
Jack said he flew to New York and met with National. When they told him
they wanted to film more episodes, he was aghast and immediately refused.
Here is the problem that I have with that.
Jack has always told the story about being in Europe and receiving an urgent cablegram.
As I wrote earlier, we now question if that was true.
I also question the need for Jack to fly to New York just to learn about the proposed Jimmy Olsen series.
And surely, the producers would want Noel Neill to play Lois Lane, and yet,
she was never contacted about additional filming after George's death.
I want to add that I don't think Jack was in the financial position that he could just
blowoff a project. I'm sure his salary and Noel's would have been doubled,
and his director partner, James Bridges, could have made some money directing the episodes.
What I'm saying is that I just don't know what to think about
Jack's story of being approached for a new series.
But there was indeed, a Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen.
Here's issue number one.
It ran from 1954 to 1974 with 163 issues.
Another comic debuting in 1958 and running through 1974 was
Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane.
It had 137 issues plus two 80 page annuals.
Noel Neill and Bob Shayne both reported that another season was planned.
Noel even wrote that a character actor had been hired to play the part of
Perry White's brother while Perry was on an extended vacation.
John Hamilton had passed away in October, 1958.
It has been reported by a number of people that actor Pierre Watkin was hired to replace Hamilton
as 'Perry White's brother'. Watkin had already portrayed Perry White in both of the Superman serials
in the 1940's which starred Kirk Alyn as the title character and Noel Neill as Lois Lane.
Watkin himself died six months later.
On Saturday, June 13, 1959, Noel Neill dropped by ZIV studios.
This was just three days before George's death.
She found George there, playing cards with a crewman.
George told Noel he was looking forward to the new filming.
Robert Shayne also reported that he encountered George at ZIV in June.
Bob filmed an episode of 'Tombstone Territory' in that same time period at ZIV.
I have to question if anyone ever picked up their phone and called National Comics in New York.
Did George tell the group that he had control of the situation?
It just seems like something is missing here.
Were scripts ever written? It really doesn't look like it.
And Lenore Lemmon?
She told me in our 1989 interview that no new filming was being discussed.
Jim Nolt had lunch with Whit Ellsworth in 1980 and was told that there were no plans to film any more episodes.
And yet, Whit's daughter, Pat, told Jim that when she called her dad
on the day that George died, he said something to the effect of
'We had just signed a contract to do more episodes'.
Here's a scenario: Is it possible that George and Whitney were indeed negotiating, and Whit was doing his job?
"No George, we're not going to pay you that much money."
Then, George kills himself. Whitney realizes this could look bad for his legacy so he says that there
were no negotiations and no plans for new filming.
Later, Whitney's daughter called Jack Liebowitz of National.
He told her no new filming had been planned.
This could have been National deciding that it looks better to deny that more filming had been planned.
George's perceived suicide can't be blamed on them.
Is it possible that George made up the entire thing?
Here's George, putting on his pretty smile and pretending that everything is fine.
He even told Gene Lebell how he could teach him not to let anything bother him, but secretly,
I believe, George was stewing about a lot of things. I believe that George was angry and perhaps bored.
Maybe he decides to have a joke with everyone. He tells a story
about National contacting him, and everyone ran with it.
What was Art Weissman doing during this time? Why wasn't he on top of everything?
I just don't understand the thinking that was taking place between George and Art.
What was Art doing to collect his 15 percent of George's income?
Researcher and author Chuck Harter was well liked by Art's family.
When Art passed, Chuck was given Art's notebook with its extensive notes.
When researching this webpage, I contacted Chuck and asked if Art had ever
mentioned the 26 episodes in his notes.
The answer was disappointing. "No, Art never mentioned the proposed 26 episodes."
Thanks Chuck
Art was just part of this mystery; his name isn't anywhere.
All he could do is tell a BS story to a national rag magazine.
Perhaps their friendship got in the way of business and good thinking.
George and Art built this steambath in George's back yard.
That's Toni, George, Art and his wife.
Thanks to Jim Nolt for the great photo.
In closing, I do not understand how everyone seemed to know about the new filming,
and yet... it appears that no one knew anything at all.
The entire thing is strange.
The fact is, the mystery of the 26 new episodes is a quagmire...
She was the original girlfriend experience.
Lenore Lemmon, a Hollywood story...
Wild Woman