Revisiting "Hollywoodland"

Above, Hollywoodland screenwriter Paul Bernbaum and yours truly
 at the bar at the Beverly Garland Hotel in North Hollywood in 2014.

Last night, I decided to revisit the 2006 movie, Hollywoodland, a fictionalized account of the death of Adventures of Superman star George Reeves on June 16, 1959 in Benedict Canyon.

I haven't watched the movie since before I moved out of California to New Mexico. 

Above, the George Reeves home in Benedict Canyon. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Some in Superman/George Reeves fandom don't like the movie, but it has grown in favor (at least to me) over the years. It was written by Paul Bernbaum and directed by Allen Coulter. It stars Adrien Brody as (fictional) detective Louis Simo, Ben Affleck as Reeves, Robin Tunney as Leonore Lemmon, Bob Hoskins as Eddie Mannix and Diane Lane as Toni Mannix.

Above, the Hollywoodland poster.

It covers quite nicely the three "theories" of the death of George Reeves: hit man, accident (by Leonore Lemmon) and suicide. 

One of the locations used for Hollywoodland was Chips Restaurant in Hawthorne, California. I used to dine there on occasion when I lived in Hawthorne. 

Above, George Reeves and his rifle collection during a
photo shoot that took place about 72 hours before his death.

Hollywoodland as a movie holds up quite well. It did a great job in recreating the Hollywood of the 1950s. The approach was subtle, rather than going overboard as some movies do when trying to recreate a bygone era.

If one is interested in murder mysteries, Hollywood history or George Reeves, Hollywoodland is worth a look. It is still available on DVD.