Sometimes, the best mysteries that come out of Hollywood
aren’t in the films themselves. To this day, there are old Hollywood deaths that remain
unsolved. And some of these deaths seem to have sinister theories that hover over them…
While you may have known about George Reeves from his role as Superman. His death by gunshot was
ruled a suicide, though opinions on what happened that harrowing night still lingers in the air…
What about Virginia Rappe? She was a rising starlet who died tragically young. In the
wake of her death, the public and the media were eager to take down a huge star. There’s
also the bizarre death of actor Albert Dekker – which was declared accidental, but was it?
And even Marilyn Monroe’s death seems to have many untold mysteries behind it…
Let’s delve into a few old Hollywood deaths that remain unsolved to this day…
GEORGE REEVES
George Keefer Brewer was born on the fifth of January, 1914, in Woolstock, Iowa. He began his
acting career during his teenage years, acting in high school productions of popular plays.
When he decided to pursue acting as a full-time career, he adopted the stage name George Reeves.
While the name George Reeves may sound ordinary,
he became famous for playing one of the most extraordinary characters of all time.
George Reeves worked in film and television throughout his career.
But he became best-known for his role as Clark Kent aka Superman on
Adventures of Superman. The show ran from 1952 to 1958 and lasted for 104 episodes.
This was the role that would define George Reeves and his short, but remarkable career. He became
so associated with his portrayal of Superman, that it almost seemed that he was invincible!
But sadly, this wasn’t the case…
On June 16th, 1959, George Reeves went out to dinner with his fiancée Lenore Lemmon
and their friend Robert Condon. After dinner,
the three of them went back to the home where George Reeves and Lenore Lemmon lived together.
It seemed that George felt too tired from the dinner and decided to go to bed,
leaving Lenore and Robert in the living room. Lenore then planned a spontaneous party – inviting
more guests over. This awoke George and he seemed annoyed by the constant ruckus.
He stormed into the living room to complain about the commotion.
However, he soon calmed down and decided to join the guests for a drink.
That’s all that seems to be clear for now. A gunshot was heard and
one of George’s neighbors, William Bliss stormed downstairs to see what was up.
George Reeves was lying dead, with a gun near his body.
His death was ruled a suicide. But there were conflicting testaments about
what actually happened that night. The witnesses were all drunk and couldn’t give accurate
statements of what happened. In fact, most of them could barely recollect anything that had happened.
There’s a mystery of whether George Reeves killed himself or was shot.
There doesn’t seem to be a reason as to why he’d kill himself.
But there also doesn’t seem to be much information on why someone else would want to kill him…
Strangely enough, there were no fingerprints found on the pistol that killed George Reeves…
Are you enjoying this video so far? What do you think about George
Reeves’ death? Before we tell you more about a few mysterious old Hollywood deaths that remain
unsolved to this day, why not “like” this video and subscribe to FactsVerse for more
current news and interesting stories. Now, let’s learn about the curious case of Virginia Rappe…
VIRGINIA RAPPE
Imagine being a beautiful rising starlet during the Silent Era. Imagine coming
across one of the biggest stars at the time. What could possibly go wrong?
Unfortunately, the legacy of Virginia Rappe and Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle is one of the most tragic
events in old Hollywood history. While we’ve become used to scandals and lurid headlines in
tabloids, this was one of the first scandals in tinsel town that everyone was gossiping about.
Virginia Rappe was a rising starlet who made her name in modeling and acting
in silent films. Her natural beauty helped her achieve fame at an early
age. It seemed that she was destined to become one of Hollywood’s most famous leading ladies.
But this wasn’t meant to be. Her growing celebrity lead her to become one of the guests at a party
hosted by the silent film comedian Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. Fatty Arbuckle was arguably
one of the biggest stars of the silent film era – only Charlie Chaplin earned more than
he did. While few of his films exist today, his celebrity status was the envy of others.
If circumstances had been different,
his name would be as well-known as any other iconic Old Hollywood star.
On September 5, 1921, the 26-year-old Virginia Rappe attended a party hosted by
Fatty Arbuckle in his hotel room – room 1219 at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco.
Legend has it, that it was a wild party and a few gossip
queens and hack journalists would describe the party as an ‘orgy.’
No one knows exactly what happened between Fatty Arbuckle and Virginia Rappe. What we do know
is that the day after the party, Virginia Rappe was lying on a bed in Room 1219 and was suffering
from a ruptured bladder as well as an inflamed peritoneum. Many of her close friends
stated that she suffered from cystitis and that her pain was due to excessive alcohol consumption.
There were also rumors that her illness was caused due to a slew of abortions she’d had in the past.
Many of these proclamations were made to slander Virginia Rappe’s public image.
But it wasn’t just her image that would get slandered. Fatty Arbuckle was accused of raping
Virginia Rappe. There were rumors that he tried to use his stardom to take advantage of her.
Virginia Rappe died on September 9, 1921, from her illnesses. But the troubles continued for
Fatty Arbuckle. The rumors of him raping Virginia Rappe led to a trial. While he
was eventually found not guilty, the scandal was enough to destroy his reputation. He managed to
revamp his acting career, but he never attained the same amount of stardom he previously had.
His reputation had been destroyed due to lies and he had to face trial when there
was no strong evidence against him. Virginia Rappe’s deserved stardom never came to fruition
and Fatty Arbuckle never managed to rise from his fall.
What happened in Room 1219 remains a mystery to this day…
ALBERT DEKKER
While we might be used to bizarre deaths today, imagine the scandal it would have
caused back in 1968 when an actor’s cause of death was accidental autoerotic asphyxiation!
Albert Dekker was renowned for his roles in films and on the stage,
being one of Broadway’s most prolific actors. He had a few bit parts on television as well
during TV’s Golden Age. He even had a brief career as a state assemblyman.
Perhaps it’s the latter role that got him in trouble. He was an outspoken critic of Senator
Joseph McCarthy, who was adamant about ridding Hollywood of far-left influences.
Albert Dekker received harsh criticism for his derision of the notorious Senator.
He continued to work regularly in films, though he clearly made a few enemies. He was briefly placed
on a blacklist and had to spend time working on Broadway when film offers had dried up.
However, it seemed that these setbacks were temporary, and the show certainly
went on for Albert Dekker. That is until he was found dead on May 5th, 1968.
His fiancée, Jeraldine Saunders found him naked in the bathtub, kneeling,
with a noose tied around his neck. He had been blindfolded and his wrists had been slashed.
Vulgar language had been written all over his body with red lipstick. There were no
signs of foul play, and his death was ruled an accidental suicide due to autoerotic asphyxiation.
But there remains a belief that he was murdered. His friends couldn’t
believe that he’d commit suicide or indulge in such bizarre sexual
behavior. The horrific circumstances of his death smeared his reputation.
The question remains, was there someone trying to destroy Albert Dekker’s public image?....
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MARILYN MONROE
There are few old Hollywood icons that are still discussed to this day. Marilyn
Monroe left us 60 years ago, but her life and career are still of interest to fans today.
But what’s also of interest are the circumstances surrounding Marilyn Monroe’s death.
She died on August 4, 1962, at the age of 36. The official cause of death was
barbiturate overdose. Her death is thought of as a probable suicide.
But there are several theories that believe there’s more to this story.
There’s a strong belief that Marilyn Monroe was murdered in order to prevent her from
speaking about her affairs. There were always rumors that she had been linked with powerful
men such as President John F. Kennedy and his brother Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
There remains a belief that she had classified information about the Kennedy’s
that they wouldn’t want to be leaked to the public. As such, they had to get rid of her.
It could be that she was indeed feeling unhappy and decided to overdose on drugs. Or, it could
be that she needed to be silenced forever…
Are you a fan of any of these Old Hollywood stars? What do you think about their mysterious deaths?
Now, we’d like to know your opinion:
Do you think that any of these stars were killed by
lone murderers? Or do you think their murders had indeed been planned by a sinister group?
Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.
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