One of the biggest urban legends going around in the early 1960's had to do with the death of actor George Reeves, who portrayed Superman in the 1950's TV series.

Reeves, thinking he was the character he played (or despondent over type-casting), put a gun to his head and shot himself or jumped off a building to see if he could fly, depending on which version you heard. The coroner's report stated that the star was killed by a single gunshot to the head in the early morning hours of June 16, 1959 --officially ruling the death a suicide.

Over the years, though, many people have questioned the official story.

George Reeves, born in 1914, was a successful film actor with 74 credits, including Gone with the Wind (1939); The Man Who Talked Too Much (1940); Knute Rockne, All American (1940); Tombstone, the Town Too Tough To Die (1942); Samson and Delilah (1949); and The Good Humor Man (1950).

In 1951, he accepted the role of Superman in the feature film Superman and the Mole Men. A television series (underwritten by Kelloggs' cereal) was put into production with the same cast a few days after filming on the feature ended.

When the series debuted in late 1952, it was a big hit with the kids, running for six seasons in first-run syndication.

The producers of 'The Adventures of Superman' decided to film another season's worth of shows in 1960, and Reeves agreed to return to the series. He was tentatively scheduled to shoot a film in Spain, and was set to be married to his fiancee Lenore Lemmon on June 19, 1959 - three days after his supposed suicide.

Reeves had a seven year affair with Toni Mannix, the wife of Eddie Mannix, an MGM executive with reported mob ties. Mannix was in poor health at the time, and knew about their relationship. In fact, people who knew the couple assumed that George and Toni would marry after Eddie was no longer around.

Thus, Toni Mannix was very unhappy when the relationship ended in 1958. Lenore Lemmon stated that the jilted lover was calling Reeves repeatedly at all hours of the day and night, harassing the actor for months before his death.

On the night of June 15, 1959, Lemmon, Reeves, and two guests were drinking and partying at the actor's home until about 1:15 the next morning. At that point, George went upstairs to bed. He had been drinking heavily and was under the influence of pain killers prescribed for injuries he sustained in a car accident. A shot rang out upstairs moments later, and the actor was found dead, sprawled out on his bed, naked with a bullet hole in his right temple.

The death was ruled a suicide, since all of the house guests indicated to the police that there could be no other explanation. There was no sign of forced entry. The high alcohol content in the actor's blood, in combination with the narcotics, also made suicide a strong possibility.

There was a report that Lemmon joked as Reeves was going upstairs that he "was going to shoot himself."

But was there another explanation? Police wondered about two bullet holes that were found in the bedroom walls. Lemmon explained that she had accidentally fired the gun earlier when she was fooling around with it. There were no powder marks from the gun's discharge on the actor's wound, so the gun would have to have been held several inches from the head before firing, unusual in a suicide. There were reportedly no fingerprints on the weapon, and the actor's hands were not tested for gunpowder residue.

Many who knew Reeves at the time agreed that the actor was happier around the time of his demise that he had been in years, looking forward to his marriage in a few days, and looking forward to beginning another season of his still popular television series. Money wasn't a problem either, the actor got paid residuals every time the show was rerun in major markets.

Lenore Lemmon suffered another indignity when the will was read a few days after her fiancee's death: Reeves' entire estate was willed to Toni Mannix, who said the actor must have meant for the money (and the house on Benedict Canyon) to help the charities that they both worked with in previous years. "Toni got a house for charity, and I got a broken heart" was Lemmon's dramatic statement at the time.

Perhaps someone entered the house--with a gun and a ruthless reputation--and murdered the television star. The perp then warned everyone to keep quiet about what happened. 'Superman' producer Tommy Carr thought so, and said so for years in interviews.

Another theory is that Reeves and Lemmon argued that night and Lemmon shot her lover in the heat of the moment. Lemmon DID leave LA soon after the incident...

So, what do you think? Was it a Mafia hit or a jealous lover? All we can do now is speculate. But for Reeves, the end came way too soon.