Hollywood Kryptonite, The Bulldog, the Lady, and the Death of Superman

Hollywood Kryptonite, The Bulldog, the Lady, and the Death of Superman, by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger. George Reeves is not unique among Tinseltowners for dying in strange circumstances. What makes his death of greater lasting interest than other dubious Hollywood suicides is his fame, then and still, as star of the lovably low-tech 1950s syndicated TV series, Superman. And it must be admitted, the circumstances are tantalizing. His fiancee gave a nearly perfect account of his death as it occurred, even though they were on different floors of the house. There were three other people in the house when Reeves died, all apparently too drunk to make sense when questioned. And so forth. Kashner and Schoenberger dig deep to re-create Reeves' death and the events that led to it. Their detective work is convincing, and their solution to the mystery plausible. They tell their story entertainingly and bring its characters to life. In evoking the milieu of 1950s Hollywood and providing a provocative perspective on the Reeves suicide story, their effort is truly more powerful than a locomotive. -Mike Tribby, Booklist.

Nancy Schoenberger and Sam Kashner are a married writing team who have co-authored the biography of Oscar Levant (A TALENT FOR GENIUS, recently optioned for film by Ben Stiller and Dreamworks) as well as HOLLYWOOD KRYPTONITE (a source for Focus Features movie HOLLYWOODLAND, starring Ben Affleck and Adrien Brody). Schoenberger's 2001 biography of Lady Caroline Blackwood (DANGEROUS MUSE) was published by Nan A. Talese Books/Doubleday. The couple also contribute articles to Vanity Fair.