Noel Neill on Hollywoodland

[Great Rao]

Was there a perception at that time that being a television actor was somehow a second-rate position, much as early film actors were looked down upon by stage actors?

I don't remember exactly who it was - it may have been Jack Larson - who accepted the Adventures of Superman gig because their agent told them it would be a quick buck and wouldn't matter, because no one would ever see it.

I agree that the story about From Here to Eternity is questionable - and my reading of the interview is that Steve Younis was making that very point when he referred to it.

[jamespup]

My wife and I had a similar reaction watching Inherit The Wind the other night, and seeing Dick York

 I had put more faith in the accuracy of what's presented on The Biography Channel that anything appearing in Hollywoodland, but I suppose Biography does its share of repeating hearsay stories

[davidelliott]

Was there a perception at that time that being a television actor was somehow a second-rate position, much as early film actors were looked down upon by stage actors?

I guess the modern day equivilent would be actors who do direct to DVD movies or low budget sitcoms for a certain kids TV channel (or 3).  Not serious actors... I'm sure that must be what the perception of TV actors was back then... not like today when TV actors and movie stars could cross over into the other medium without a hitch (and even THAT is a relatively recent thing, too)

[jamespup]

Thanks davidelliot, good comparison.

I think perhaps the truth is, he wasn't day-to-day miserable, certainly enjoyed his work, took pride in doing a great job, but deep down felt that with all his abilities,  he should have achieved a higher level of success

[Great Rao]

I don't think there's any way that we can accurately know how he felt deep down.

People who know him state that he was optimistic, helpful, and considerate.  I trust his friends and peers much more than I trust the media.  Noel and Jack and everyone else on the cast and crew who knew him seem like really good people.  On the other hand, the media's sole purpose seems to be to make money by spinning things in such a way as to maximize getting people upset and depressed so that they will then buy more news - trying to perpetuate an addictive cycle in order to continue receiving profits. (Much like the current trend of soft-porn and ultra-violence in comics.  The stories themselves; or in the case of news, the facts; become irrelevant.)

I haven't seen Hollywoodland.  But if I had to hazzard a guess, I would say that they left out mentioning some pertinent facts about George Reeves' state of mind - like the fact that he had quite a few upcoming projects, including directing, that he was looking forward to and was very enthusiastic about.

[Superman of America]

I haven't seen Hollywoodland.  But if I had to hazzard a guess, I would say that they left out mentioning some pertinent facts about George Reeves' state of mind - like the fact that he had quite a few upcoming projects, including directing, that he was looking forward to and was very enthusiastic about.

[/quote]
That was in the movie; George's projects were callcelled because of his relationship with Laura(?) Lemon. The Mannixes were blacklisting George from any future work.

[King Krypton]

I haven't seen Hollywoodland.  But if I had to hazzard a guess, I would say that they left out mentioning some pertinent facts about George Reeves' state of mind - like the fact that he had quite a few upcoming projects, including directing, that he was looking forward to and was very enthusiastic about.

That was in the movie; George's projects were callcelled because of his relationship with Laura(?) Lemon. The Mannixes were blacklisting George from any future work.
[/quote]

But according to the available biographical material, there was no such blacklist. A deal to direct a supernatural movie came through the day he died, and the studio in question called him the following morning. Had he lived, he would have gotten a start on a directing career.

I had a number of problems with the movie beginning with the fact that (a) the narrative had no closure to it and (b) after building up all the possible ways it could have happened, they copped out with, "Oh, it was really suicide after all." Basically, it was just a waste of two hours that amounted to nothing.