This is a direct passage from Wikipedia on the death of George Reeves:
"In contemporary news articles, Lemmon attributed Reeve's apparent suicide to depression caused by his "failed career" and inability to find more work. The police report states, "[Reeves was]... depressed because he couldn't get the sort of parts he wanted." Newspapers and wire-service reports frequently misquoted LAPD Sergeant V.A. Peterson, as quoting Lemmon: "Miss Lemmon blurted, 'He's probably going to go shoot himself.' A noise was heard upstairs. She continued, 'He's opening a drawer to get the gun.' A shot was heard. 'See, I told you so.'"' However, this statement may have been embellished by journalists. Lemmon and her friends were downstairs at the time of the shot with music playing. It would be nearly impossible to hear a drawer opening in the upstairs bedroom. Lemmon later claimed that she'd never said anything so specific, but rather had made an offhand remark along the lines of "Oh, he'll probably go shoot himself now.""

Two additional bullet holes were found in the floor. Ms Lemmon claimed that they were made several days before the actual event while playing around with the Ruger.
Some have said throughout the years that Reeves was despondent over the cancellation of Superman and his bleak outlook for new prospects due to the typecast. Yet Superman had been revived and Reeves accepted the role after being offered a salary increase and more creative control over the series.

Phyllis Coates who would play Lois Lane from the second season to the last remarked that she'd seen Reeves two days prior to his death and seemed very happy. She did not think that Reeves had any reason to kill himself. Jack Larson also was not a believer in the suicide theory. Both without any other investigative knowledge and due to the rapid closing of the case had to accept the version that all America accepted. Superman was not, "faster than a speeding bullet."

Now I would like to propose something entirely off the wall. Again this is not a proven, nor is it a given but certainly raised my curiosity!

Camille Antoinette Lanier (Toni) was first a mistress of and later on May 31, 1951 married M-G-M studio executive Edward J. (EJ) Mannix. Their marriage lasted until Eddie's death in 1963. Afterward Toni never remarried. Some say that she was devoted the rest of her life to the memory of George Reeves going to the extremes of having pictures of him all over her house.

Life in Hollywood was replete with deception and in some ways the deceit continues on different levels. The stars that graced the silver screen were never to be shown in a harsh or indifferent light to the American public. The movies were America's lifeline, a way for an ordinary citizen to escape for even a short time the problems of the country and brought into a world of imaginations creation. Scandal and impropriety could not and would not be tolerated. The studios made vested interests in their properties and for many years the top studio properties were the human flesh that graced the silver screens across the United States. The industry needed investigators and fixers, it needed problem solvers and publicists it needed to hide the indiscretions of its property from the public. Studios were a business and their business was selling the faces and bodies of those actors and actresses that made the movies that made the money thereby perpetuating the ultimate need to control those lives that promoted the profits of the studios.

Edward J. (EJ) Mannix was a studio head and also was one of the "fixers" for the Metro Goldwyn Mayer studios. Mannix became the Vice-President of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and allegedly had connections to gangs and the underworld. As this is not proven it remains in the realm of gossip and speculation even though it was probable. His first wife died under mysterious circumstances. She was killed in a "make-believe high speed car crash" in the year 1937. Mannix was implicated but never charged for his wife's death.

    Rumors also talked of his involvement or complicity in the "fixing" of the death of Ted Healy who as history will show was the first head of the Three Stooges before the Howard brothers and Larry Fine produced their own act. It is said that Pat DiCicco, Albert R. Broccoli and Wallace Beery beat the comedian to death in the parking lot of the Trocadero nightclub in 1937. The only verifiable happenstance is that Beery left for Europe for several months after Healy's death. Along with Mannix was Howard Strickling, another "fixer" of the M-G-M machine who assisted in the possible cover-up of Healy's demise. His death was credited to "college students" that Healy had somehow slighted that night in the parking lot. It was not a story that would be hard to sell given Healy's known love for the drink and his perchance to fits of violence.

These two "unsolved mysteries" bring me to the research of a death that interested me the most in the possible implication of Mannix and Strickland to the possible involvement in the death of George Reeves, a.k.a. Superman, a little known producer whose biggest claim to fame would be as the only spouse of one of the studios hottest properties, Jean Harlow. His name was Paul Bern.

     On July 2, 1932 Paul Bern married the Platinum Bombshell and now considered one of the great film legends Jean Harlow. Their union would be short-lived however when Bern was found dead, an apparent suicide on September 5, 1932 a little more than 2 months after their marriage. He was 42 years old, Harlow was just 22 years old at the time. She would die a sudden death at the young age of 26 from renal failure in June of 1937.

According to the studio Bern was impotent and took his life because of his inability to consummate his union with Harlow. This was the story given to the Police, the Grand Jury and to the American Public. A suicide note was found that said, "Dearest Dear, Unfortunately this is the only way to make good the frightful wrong I have done you and to wipe out my abject humiliation, I Love you. Paul   You understand that last night was only a comedy"

Now here is what is most interesting. First the suicide note was not in Bern's handwriting. Second, his spouse Harlow refused to talk about the death of her husband in anyway to anyone for the rest of her life. Third, Bern was found, naked in his home having shot himself in the head. EJ Mannix Metro-Goldwyn-Mayers studio executive and "fixer" was considered a "prime suspect." Paul Bern like George Reeves really had nothing to die for. At least much less to die for than they had to live for. Bern and Irving Thalberg had produced the film "Grand Hotel" for MGM which won the Oscar for "Best Picture" in 1931-1932. Twenty-seven years later George Reeves would also be found naked and dead by a "self-inflicted" gunshot wound? I find the parallels not as deceptive as the studio stories. Could it be that EJ Mannix ordered the death of Bern and then those 27 years later Reeves? It certainly makes sense considering the "emotive" reasoning of EJ. He adored Toni and despite their mutual indiscretions remained loyal to each other in the bond of marriage until Eddie's death in '63. Toni never remarried but remained loyal to Reeves for the rest of her life. Why would she, even in her jealousy want Reeves dead? EJ had a good reason for wanting Reeves dead, he had hurt and humiliated Toni which of course hurt and humiliated him. Both Mannix's were beloved in the film community. Once when Clark Gable was asked if he'd signed a new contract with MGM he replied, "I don't need a contract, I shook Eddie Mannix's hand!" We must however remember that all of us have a world of secrets inside us. All of us are capable of emotional distraught. The unusual death of George Reeves may never really be solved. Time has marched forward and the law enforcement units of Los Angeles have enough to do with the current caseload without adding the burden of innuendo and myth in opening a case that is now 50 years old. However it would not be a surprise if we were able to go back into time and correct the errors in that investigation which would show "someone" responsible for Reeves death other than himself. It would have been interesting to have interviewed that one final time before the onset of Alzheimer's Toni Mannix to see if she would have opened up her book of secrets in the possibility of making a wrong right again. History will never know. I miss you Superman . . . God's speed to whatever your destination and Thank-You from a boy now man who still believes in "Truth, Justice and the American Way."