The promotional stunts for Superman were not George Reeves' favorite part of being the Man of Steel
"The costume stays home!" George Reeves once told his agent, according to the book Hollywood Kryptonite: The Bulldog, The Lady and The Death of Superman by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger.
He wasn't trying to be the "hard to work with" actor who found an issue with the role paying his bills; Reeves was simply tired of the emotional, physical, and mental toll of wearing the suit in public. Chapter four, "Superman Agonistes," details some promotional stunts that turned George from human to object.
In one appearance, a child fan pointed a gun at the actor, who was in full Superman mode, because he wanted to see a bullet bounce off of the superhero's chest. "Reeves managed to talk the youngster into handing over the weapon by explaining that someone else might get hurt when the bullet bounced off Superman."
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Another promotional stunt had Reeves take over the job of every Hess Department Store employee, 1,600 in total. "George found himself running elevators, driving store trucks, wrapping gifts, and selling appliances — all in costume. He ended his day in the toy department, where he skinned his knee in a collision with a tricycle."
There were also stunts where Reeves, Noel Neill, and Gene La Belle appeared as a trio and performed an act where Superman throws Gene onto a mat. That act obviously got stale, and once someone in the audience called Reeves a bum, yelling for him to fly. He left the stage and didn't come to work the next day.
"He had been kicked in the shins, slugged in the back and subjected to other such tricks by his admirers to test his endurance."