Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thank you all for caring about what happened to Natalie Wood, and for talking about it and sharing what you think and know about the case. I'll be posting a very important message about GNGS. I am sorry that the book has been unavailable. I will post a full explanation within days. Production will start soon.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Petition Signer Comment about Natalie's body bruises.
Reopen Investigation of Natalie Wood's death Petition
#429 Signer at the Petition to reopen Natalie's case left this comment:
I managed a shelter for battered women and Natalie Wood's death and its aftermath are a classic example of spousal abuse, compounded by extreme privilege. Marti Rulli's book presents more than enough evidence to reopen this case and to finally prosecute Robert Wagner. Ms. Wood's daughters are now adults, and while knowing the truth will hurt them, I believe that not knowing has hurt them more. Natalie Wood deserves the justice she has been denied for nearly 29 years.
I appreciate this comment because I could never understand why more thought and investigation did not go into determining what caused Natalie's numerous bruises. She had over 25 black and blue marks & superficial bruises in various parts of her legs and arms, scratches at her neck and ankles, and a large facial abrasion, and was found floating in her nightgown and coat. How could the idea of abuse never have crossed anyone's mind ... even the possibility of an outside intruder? The coroner let it go...the detectives let it go...and basically, the better media let it go. I grow only more angry and frustrated and soon someone will have to provide answers. This issue will never go away until it is reviewed officially. Answers are truly long overdue for Natalie.
#429 Signer at the Petition to reopen Natalie's case left this comment:
I managed a shelter for battered women and Natalie Wood's death and its aftermath are a classic example of spousal abuse, compounded by extreme privilege. Marti Rulli's book presents more than enough evidence to reopen this case and to finally prosecute Robert Wagner. Ms. Wood's daughters are now adults, and while knowing the truth will hurt them, I believe that not knowing has hurt them more. Natalie Wood deserves the justice she has been denied for nearly 29 years.
I appreciate this comment because I could never understand why more thought and investigation did not go into determining what caused Natalie's numerous bruises. She had over 25 black and blue marks & superficial bruises in various parts of her legs and arms, scratches at her neck and ankles, and a large facial abrasion, and was found floating in her nightgown and coat. How could the idea of abuse never have crossed anyone's mind ... even the possibility of an outside intruder? The coroner let it go...the detectives let it go...and basically, the better media let it go. I grow only more angry and frustrated and soon someone will have to provide answers. This issue will never go away until it is reviewed officially. Answers are truly long overdue for Natalie.
Did Wagner bed Liz or not?
In the August 25, 2008, edition of the National Enquirer, Wagner’s “torrid affair” with Elizabeth Taylor was announced. In 1986, when Wagner and Elizabeth Taylor were doing the television special feature There Must Be a Pony, they told People magazine they had never had an affair. Unless Wagner bedded Liz after Natalie died, and thus would have been unfaithful to Jill, whom he was dating at the time, Wagner either lied to People in 1986 or is lying in his autobiography in 2008. The lies are told to suit his agenda, always.
According to an article by David Wallace, which appeared in People (October 6, 1986 EXCERPT):
At the table, Wagner immediately attends to Taylor’s comfort. The large upholstered banquette won’t do for La Liz. “My back,” she explains, referring apologetically to a chronic ailment she’s suffered since she learned to jump horses for National Velvet in 1944. She seats herself regally in a straight chair, while Wagner scans the bar for a pillow, which he quickly finds and gently tucks behind her. “He’s such a gentleman,” says Taylor, “so considerate.” Never mind snitching to George Hamilton, Liz’s escort of the moment, or to Jill St. John, the actress-cookbook writer with whom Wagner shares his five-bedroom home on two of West Los Angeles’ priciest acres. Liz and R.J. are buddies, not bedmates, and that, both insist, has always been the case. Corroboration comes from an unlikely source: The Last Star, Kitty Kelley’s unauthorized 1981 biography of Taylor, doesn’t even grant Wagner a place in the copious index.
According to an article by David Wallace, which appeared in People (October 6, 1986 EXCERPT):
At the table, Wagner immediately attends to Taylor’s comfort. The large upholstered banquette won’t do for La Liz. “My back,” she explains, referring apologetically to a chronic ailment she’s suffered since she learned to jump horses for National Velvet in 1944. She seats herself regally in a straight chair, while Wagner scans the bar for a pillow, which he quickly finds and gently tucks behind her. “He’s such a gentleman,” says Taylor, “so considerate.” Never mind snitching to George Hamilton, Liz’s escort of the moment, or to Jill St. John, the actress-cookbook writer with whom Wagner shares his five-bedroom home on two of West Los Angeles’ priciest acres. Liz and R.J. are buddies, not bedmates, and that, both insist, has always been the case. Corroboration comes from an unlikely source: The Last Star, Kitty Kelley’s unauthorized 1981 biography of Taylor, doesn’t even grant Wagner a place in the copious index.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
An interesting blog I found
Tally Ho!
There are some interesting photographs taken on the set of "This Property Is Condemned" at this blog. I also appreciate that this blogger posted GNGS and my blog link. It's an interesting blog you might want to follow.
There are some interesting photographs taken on the set of "This Property Is Condemned" at this blog. I also appreciate that this blogger posted GNGS and my blog link. It's an interesting blog you might want to follow.
Friday, June 4, 2010
2002 Wagner Interview with Larry King
Robert Wagner was interviewed on Larry King Live July 16, 2002—here are some EXCERPTS
(this is not full interview) (when referring to "book" they are talking about Finstad's Natasha):
(VIDEO CLIP OF WAGNER RECEIVING STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME WITH SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT IT STARTED THE INTERVIEW)
WAGNER: There's a lot of people that are not with us today that were my mentors, and they meant a great deal to me and to all of us. And so I'd like to thank all of my friends who are here today, all of you, the fans who have made this possible, and all of those people who have left us but I know are here today and with me in spirit.
KING: It was an honor to be part of that presentation along with Mike Myers. Who were you referring to?
ROBERT WAGNER, ACTOR: You were wonderful. Thank you for today.
KING: Who were you referring to? Who are those mentors?
WAGNER: Well, there's so many. You know, so many of my heroes are gone, Larry, you know. Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck.
KING: Knew them all? Worked with them.
WAGNER: Oh, yes. Knew them all.
KING: Spencer was your mentor, right?
WAGNER: Yes, he was. But, you know, I have a lot of loved ones that have left me, and we all have. You don't get a tribute like that, receive an honor like that without having a lot of people touch that and be a part of it and make it possible.
. . .
WAGNER: And I've been so lucky in my career.
KING: You've always worked, right?
WAGNER: Yes, I have.
KING: And 50 years in it, right?
WAGNER: Yes.
KING: You're 72.
WAGNER: I am 72.
KING: That's hard to believe. I mean, you don't look 72.
WAGNER: It's great, isn't it? I love it.
KING: You like being older.
WAGNER: Well, it's such a privilege.
KING: Meaning?
WAGNER: Well, fortunately I'm healthy. I've met so many people. I've been blessed in my career, and I've had a chance to really, you know, it's better. It gets better all the time, you know. Really.
KING: You're a happy guy.
WAGNER: I'm doing all right, right now.
KING: Marriage is good with Jill St. John?
WAGNER: Very good with...
KING: How long has that been now?
WAGNER: That's been 12 years. That's amazing, isn't it? Twelve years.
KING: As Hollywood goes, that is amazing.
WAGNER: Yes, and then I have three wonderful daughters.
KING: All were there today. No, two -- one's away.
WAGNER: Yes, one's away. My middle one is working in London. I said thank God somebody in the family is working. It helps, you know. But she's very successful, Natasha. And Katie is on the -- she's a journalist, and she works for the TV Guide Channel. And my youngest daughter, Courtney, she's an artist and she's designing jewelry and she's doing great.
KING: Did your looks, did you ever think that they got in the way, in a sense? That you were -- I mean, let's be obvious, you were a very handsome guy. Do you think that sometimes when someone is really handsome, it curtails people looking at how well they act?
WAGNER: Well, you know, Larry, I was dealt a great card, I was really dealt a great card with my looks. And, you know, when I was young I had a lot of hair and I was a good looking kid, but there was a dozen guys like us. There was a dozen guys...
KING: Look at that, though. Yes, there were a lot out there like you, right?
WAGNER: Oh, yes. And what really kind of took me out of that, you know I just had a lot of hair on my head and was trying to get as many girls as I could, you know. And when I met Spencer Tracy, you know, Spence put his arm around me and he said, you know, you really got it. You could really go someplace in this business. That's when I did "Broken Lance" with him. And then he asked for me. There I am in "The Mountain." He asked for me to co-star with him in "The Mountain" and he gave me co-star billing above the title, which...
KING: Unheard of.
WAGNER: Unheard of. Which elevated me into a whole different kind of position. And there I was, you know? I was in the movies and I was with Spencer Tracy and it was terrific.
KING: What was he like?
WAGNER: He was a marvelous man. He was a marvelous...
KING: Would he have come on this show?
WAGNER: Oh, yes. He would have liked you.
KING: Thank you. But he would have come?
WAGNER: Yes, he would have, definitely. Yes, he would have. But, you know, when he was doing movies, there wasn't a show like this.
KING: Yes. He drank a lot, though, right?
WAGNER: He didn't -- I don't know whether he drank a lot, but when he drank, it ... was a different person.
KING: Oh, yeah?
WAGNER: He became a different -- he was one of those what they refer to as shanty Irish.
KING: Was he a kind guy?
WAGNER: Yes, he was. He was a very kind man and he was very generous to me, very much so.
KING: Robert Wagner in the...
WAGNER: Blake Edwards. Half a scene, what a wonderful girl. Did you ever meet her?
KING: No.
WAGNER: Oh, she was a wonderful lady. She suffered terribly from depression, you know.
KING: Really?
WAGNER: Oh, yes. She took her life.
KING: Really?
WAGNER: Yes. At a young age, too. And all of us who knew her, she was...
KING: Speaking of lost life, the Natalie Wood episode. I can't talk to you without asking about it. What did you make of that book that came out and the story in "Vanity Fair?" And I know the police -- the chief investigator said it was all distorted. Did you read it?
WAGNER: You know, Larry, I didn't read it. I didn't read the book. The woman had approached me on doing the book. I'm sorry, she did not approach me on doing the book or my representatives. And the problem with this today is, as you know, they can write anything they want about anyone and you don't really have any recourse, particularly about somebody who's gone. They can write anything about anyone that's said, that's gone. Isn't that extraordinary?
KING: How long is she gone now?
WAGNER: She died 21 years ago. Yes, 21 years ago.
KING: Do memories recur?
WAGNER: Oh, always. Oh, of course. You know, we were young together and I took her out the first time when she was 18 years old. As a matter of fact, I took her to see The Mountain, the clips that you saw there. Spence loved her. You know, people...
KING: What a talent she was.
WAGNER: She was a major -- she was such a gifted woman. She was so gifted, you know. And she did so many wonderful, wonderful pictures. And she was a marvelous...
KING: How did you emotionally deal with that tragedy that night, the drowning?
WAGNER: Oh, my God, Larry. I mean, I was in shock, you know, total shock. What really, really saved me were my children, you know? I went to a doctor, an analyst that I know, that I'd been with and I said, “What do I do?” You know, tell me what I do. And he said don't minimize it. Don't minimize it. Don't do anything like that, just it's what it is. And together, we stuck with each other. I think if I'd had been alone and didn't have that responsibility to my daughters and my family, I don't think I would have made it, you know. And then Jill came into my life, which was a very fortunate thing.
KING: You've had some great women.
WAGNER: Yes, I've been involved with some wonderful ladies in my lifetime, yes.
KING: Wasn't it doubly tough that not only had you lost her, but then the tabloids are making hay of how did you lose her, what happened, was there murder involved? How did you deal with all -- it's one thing to have a loss, and then it's a loss that's a public loss, and then it's a loss with rumors.
WAGNER: You know what happened for me, Larry, I was involved and had a very, very dear friend that was very close to both Natalie and myself whose name was Paul Zifferin (ph). And he was our adviser and our lawyer. He came to my house and he sat there, and he said, I'm not going to leave here until you promise me one thing. I said, what is that? He said, that you will not read these things and that you will not answer them and I'm not leaving until you give me that promise.
And I said, Paul -- he said, believe me, I want that -- that's what I want you to do, and I want you to promise me. And I loved Paul and I respected him so very, very much. And he was so meaningful in my life. And so I said, all right. And I think it saved me.
KING: You had to gut it out. Once you make that decision, no comment is what?
WAGNER: Yes. So I just -- I never, you know, I mean -- you know, it's all conjecture. And, you know, the thing is, Larry, it's not what if, it's what is. You know, she was gone like that. In an instant, our lives changed. Amazing.
KING: Why did he give you that advice, by the way?
WAGNER: I think that he felt that it was just a futile thing to try to answer those things.
KING: No win?
WAGNER: It's an absolutely no-win situation. It's an absolutely no-win situation because you're explaining, you know, what these people are -- and they can take and do whatever they want to with it, you know. And they have.
KING: What do you make that they still write -- that a book would come out 20 years later.
WAGNER: Well, this is another situation. This book is -- you know, this woman has fabricated, you know, those things that are all these things that she talks to these different people and she says she knows this and that. You know, it's -- there have been other books written besides that one, you know. And there's absolutely nothing you can do about it.
KING: How well does Jill deal with the fact of how much you loved Natalie?
WAGNER: Well, you know, Jill and Natalie knew each other. Their mothers knew each other. They were all kids together. You know, there's a famous, famous picture of Stephanie Powers and Jill and Natalie all taking ballet class.
KING: I didn't know that.
WAGNER: Yes. And they all knew each other. All the mothers were sitting there, you know, clicking the needles and watching the kids do their stuff, you know. And Jill, by being in our work and knowing was very sensitive to my situation. She had been married before to Lance Reventlow. And Lance Reventlow was...
KING: A football player.
WAGNER: No, no, the race car driver, the son of Barbara Hutton. And he was lost in an airplane accident. So Jill had, you know...
KING: Death around both of you.
WAGNER: ... felt a lot of the pain that (UNINTELLIGIBLE). But she's been absolutely wonderful to me. And it was a great break that she came into my life, believe me.
KING: Finality is hard to deal with, isn't it? And, therefore, death, the ultimate finality.
WAGNER: Yes, it's -- I think when all of our friends, which you and I have had many together, they leave you, it definitely takes something away. I mean, it's gone. You know, but they're in your heart. They're in your soul and I know that they're around somewhere.
KING: You hope or you know.
WAGNER: I got a great feeling that they're around.
KING: Yes? I hope Lou Wasserman (ph) is around.
(VIEWER CALLS ARE TAKEN)
KING: From Augusta, Georgia, hello.
CALLER: The question is: What role did you do that most reflects the person you?
KING: Was there ever a role you played that most reflected you, or that you felt the closest to in character?
WAGNER: You know, that's a very interesting question. I think that when you do a television series like I did with "Hart to Hart" and with "It Takes a Thief," you see a lot of yourself. Because I never felt, for instance, with the character Jonathan Hart or Alexander Mundy, that I would ever be playing a part that long in my life. You know, I played Jonathan Hart for five years. So a lot of my behavior and a lot of my personality came -- I used in that. And I think that that -- in that case I would say it would be Jonathan Hart, yes.
KING: So it wasn't Prince Valiant?
WAGNER: Larry, it wasn't Prince Valiant.
KING: Next, a call from Eldorado Springs, Missouri, hello.
CALLER: I was wanting to -- it's such a thrill -- I just love Robert Wagner. I'd stop everything for him.
WAGNER: Oh, thank you.
CALLER: I want to ask him, first of all, what is his most prized winning achievement, or pride of his life. And also, does he have any advice for young people growing up in a world that's so different from what he grew up in?
WAGNER: Well, the first part about what do I have that I have such great pride in, obviously, are my three daughters. That's my family. I have great pride in that.
What advice would I give to young people growing up? I think that anything you can do to help your self-esteem and create an inner life for yourself and create a confidence within yourself, that is the most important thing. And maybe it's also a good idea to look around and you'll find that you'll have a mentor in your life. And if you pick the right one, it can help a great deal.
KING: What would you say to a young kid walking down Hollywood Boulevard today, walking past your getting your star, he's 17, wants to be a movie star? He's a young RJ
WAGNER: Well, I would tell him to get up there and do it, and try it out, and try...
KING: Knock on all the doors?
WAGNER: Absolutely. Just get up there and stand up there and do it, and keep trying and keep trying and keep trying, because somewhere along the way something's going to happen. I mean, you know, we were talking about this before. Look what happened in my career with me now. Mike Myers writes this character for me, Number Two, and I'm talking to this 6-year-old kid on the phone -- huh?
You never know what's going to happen. You just never know what's going to happen in this work.
KING: Another call from Cincinnati, Ohio for Robert Wagner, RJ, hello.
CALLER: Robert, I love you. I love everything you do.
WAGNER: Oh, thank you. How sweet.
CALLER: The question I have for you is, if you could go back to any point in your life and relive it again, what would it be?
WAGNER: Go back at any point of my life and relive it again? I don't know. If I'd -- I don't know. I don't know what it would be, if I could relive...
KING: Well, one obvious is you wouldn't go out on the boat that night.
WAGNER: Well, yes, but...
KING: But that's obvious. But is there a career thing?
WAGNER: Yes, and I think that's what you're referring to, is it a career situation?
You know, I think that if I had listened a little bit more to a few people at different times in my life, I may not have made some of the mistakes that I made that seemed to cause me to stop living my life -- you know, that got in the way of me. And, you know, that can happen very easily. You know, sometimes you can speak to someone and they can kind of get you straightened out. And at other times can you get completely -- you can take too much time on something that isn't that important. And does that answer your question at all?
Next a clip from Hart to Hart.
KING: A lot of people thought you were married to Stefanie, right?
WAGNER: Yes, the relationship worked great, didn't it?
KING: It did.
WAGNER: You know, I'd worked with her before. She worked with me on a series I did, "Switch."
KING: I remember "Switch."
WAGNER: Yes, I was crazy about her.
And when this came around to the casting, you know, I said -- and the man who really, you know, directed the first one and kind of created "Hart to Hart" was Tom Mankiewicz. And Tom and I both said, got to have her. She's the one.
KING: Why did that show work?
WAGNER: I think because of the relationship and the chemistry between Stefanie and myself and Lionel Stander, who was absolutely wonderful. Oh, he was wonderful. He polished our luster and made us look great.
KING: But -- I mean, it's hard to associate with two rich people with their own airplane chasing criminals.
WAGNER: You know one of the things about this show, Larry, that always fascinates me? We never played kitchen-sink drama. We never got involved with another -- I never looked at another woman, she never looked at another man.
There was never any sense of jealousy. We were in love with each other. And we went to all of these different places, and we took the audience with us.
Another caller from San Antonio, Texas, says:
CALLER: Hi. Mr. Wagner, first, I've got two things for you. First, I think you're very sexy and have a great voice.
WAGNER: Thank you. I like you right off the bat. You're terrific.
CALLER: Thanks. I wondered if you have any hobbies, and I wonder what it was like to work with Fred Astaire on "It Takes a Thief," which you were very sexy in that as well.
WAGNER: Thanks.
KING: Hobbies are horses. I'll talk about that in a second, because we have some
pictures I want to show. But tell me about Astaire.
WAGNER: He was the best. Fred Astaire -- first of all, I knew Fred Astaire from the time I was a little boy because I went to school with his son.
And I always looked up to Fred. I never knew that Fred Astaire was Fred Astaire. I never knew he was a dancer; I never knew anything about him. I just loved him.
KING: As the father of your friend?
WAGNER: Yes. I mean, and he was always great to me. He was always terrific to me. When it came up for the time for someone to play my father, I said, the only man in the world that can do that is Fred. So I went to him and asked him, and he said, I'd love to do that, I'd love to be in that with you. And we had a great time. And I spent a lot of time with him, you know, personally. I went to the racetrack with him a lot.
KING: Bet a lot?
WAGNER: Yes. And then he, you know, he played a lot of pool. You know, we played a lot of pool together, we played a lot of golf together. So I had a chance to be with him on a one-to-one basis in areas that were very, you know, personal and...
KING: He was class.
WAGNER: Oh, believe me.
KING: Did he walk like he danced? Did he sort of float?
WAGNER: Yes, he moved along great. He moved along great. I had the privilege of dancing with him. I'm one of his dancing partners. In "It Takes a Thief." We did a number. We were dressed up as clowns. And I'm telling...
KING: Tell me about the horses.
WAGNER: The horses. Well, like a lot of horse people, I've gone through many manifestations with horses.
KING: You love them.
WAGNER: I do. I got away from them at one time, and then I got back into it because of my daughter Natasha and now my wife Jill. She rides all the time. She really rides a lot now.
KING: My daughter rides and owns horses. Can't get them away -- girls and horses. How many do you have?
WAGNER: I now have four. I used to have about 40. But you know, they eat when you're asleep, Larry.
KING: It's costly.
WAGNER: Yes, but I really loved it. I got into it and I was breeding. I had a good mare band (ph) and I was really going pretty good. And I loved it a lot.
And then I just -- I was in the thoroughbred racing business, too, for a while.
KING: Owned horses...
WAGNER: Yes, that was fun. That was fun.
And one last quick caller from Baltimore…FROM NATALIE.
CALLER: Mr. Wagner, my name is actually Natalie (ph) and I've been a huge fan of your late wife's for many years, and I just wanted to say, first of all, congratulations on getting your star today.
WAGNER: Thank you very much.
CALLER: And on a personal note, could you just share with me maybe one of your favorite memories of being married to Natalie and raising your three daughters together?
WAGNER: Well, you know, Natalie, she was a wonderful mother, I can tell you that. I mean, she was just an absolutely marvelous mother to our girls. And do you know, I could share so many moments with you but, as I was saying to Larry before, you know, I took her out -- I was very much involved with her in her younger life, when she was like 18, and to see her evolve into this wonderful woman and this wonderful actress and this -- such a wonderful, kind-spirited person, that was, you can imagine, a big joy.
KING: Are you, at 72 and all of the things you have gone through and gone up and at, are you a happy guy today?
WAGNER: I am, Larry. I'm very happy. And, you know, today was -- I never -- I never expected that.
KING: We only got less than a minute.
WAGNER: Oh, trying to live in the moment, Larry. Just trying to live in the moment, and I've met so many great people and I've had so much -- such a ride in this -- in my life, it's been great. And I want to thank you.
KING: You deserve it.
WAGNER: Wait a minute, I want to thank you very much for today, because you made that so special for me, and I really do appreciate it.
KING: Oh, my honor.
WAGNER: Thanks.
KING: R.J., Robert Wagner.
(this is not full interview) (when referring to "book" they are talking about Finstad's Natasha):
(VIDEO CLIP OF WAGNER RECEIVING STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME WITH SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT IT STARTED THE INTERVIEW)
WAGNER: There's a lot of people that are not with us today that were my mentors, and they meant a great deal to me and to all of us. And so I'd like to thank all of my friends who are here today, all of you, the fans who have made this possible, and all of those people who have left us but I know are here today and with me in spirit.
KING: It was an honor to be part of that presentation along with Mike Myers. Who were you referring to?
ROBERT WAGNER, ACTOR: You were wonderful. Thank you for today.
KING: Who were you referring to? Who are those mentors?
WAGNER: Well, there's so many. You know, so many of my heroes are gone, Larry, you know. Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck.
KING: Knew them all? Worked with them.
WAGNER: Oh, yes. Knew them all.
KING: Spencer was your mentor, right?
WAGNER: Yes, he was. But, you know, I have a lot of loved ones that have left me, and we all have. You don't get a tribute like that, receive an honor like that without having a lot of people touch that and be a part of it and make it possible.
. . .
WAGNER: And I've been so lucky in my career.
KING: You've always worked, right?
WAGNER: Yes, I have.
KING: And 50 years in it, right?
WAGNER: Yes.
KING: You're 72.
WAGNER: I am 72.
KING: That's hard to believe. I mean, you don't look 72.
WAGNER: It's great, isn't it? I love it.
KING: You like being older.
WAGNER: Well, it's such a privilege.
KING: Meaning?
WAGNER: Well, fortunately I'm healthy. I've met so many people. I've been blessed in my career, and I've had a chance to really, you know, it's better. It gets better all the time, you know. Really.
KING: You're a happy guy.
WAGNER: I'm doing all right, right now.
KING: Marriage is good with Jill St. John?
WAGNER: Very good with...
KING: How long has that been now?
WAGNER: That's been 12 years. That's amazing, isn't it? Twelve years.
KING: As Hollywood goes, that is amazing.
WAGNER: Yes, and then I have three wonderful daughters.
KING: All were there today. No, two -- one's away.
WAGNER: Yes, one's away. My middle one is working in London. I said thank God somebody in the family is working. It helps, you know. But she's very successful, Natasha. And Katie is on the -- she's a journalist, and she works for the TV Guide Channel. And my youngest daughter, Courtney, she's an artist and she's designing jewelry and she's doing great.
KING: Did your looks, did you ever think that they got in the way, in a sense? That you were -- I mean, let's be obvious, you were a very handsome guy. Do you think that sometimes when someone is really handsome, it curtails people looking at how well they act?
WAGNER: Well, you know, Larry, I was dealt a great card, I was really dealt a great card with my looks. And, you know, when I was young I had a lot of hair and I was a good looking kid, but there was a dozen guys like us. There was a dozen guys...
KING: Look at that, though. Yes, there were a lot out there like you, right?
WAGNER: Oh, yes. And what really kind of took me out of that, you know I just had a lot of hair on my head and was trying to get as many girls as I could, you know. And when I met Spencer Tracy, you know, Spence put his arm around me and he said, you know, you really got it. You could really go someplace in this business. That's when I did "Broken Lance" with him. And then he asked for me. There I am in "The Mountain." He asked for me to co-star with him in "The Mountain" and he gave me co-star billing above the title, which...
KING: Unheard of.
WAGNER: Unheard of. Which elevated me into a whole different kind of position. And there I was, you know? I was in the movies and I was with Spencer Tracy and it was terrific.
KING: What was he like?
WAGNER: He was a marvelous man. He was a marvelous...
KING: Would he have come on this show?
WAGNER: Oh, yes. He would have liked you.
KING: Thank you. But he would have come?
WAGNER: Yes, he would have, definitely. Yes, he would have. But, you know, when he was doing movies, there wasn't a show like this.
KING: Yes. He drank a lot, though, right?
WAGNER: He didn't -- I don't know whether he drank a lot, but when he drank, it ... was a different person.
KING: Oh, yeah?
WAGNER: He became a different -- he was one of those what they refer to as shanty Irish.
KING: Was he a kind guy?
WAGNER: Yes, he was. He was a very kind man and he was very generous to me, very much so.
KING: Robert Wagner in the...
WAGNER: Blake Edwards. Half a scene, what a wonderful girl. Did you ever meet her?
KING: No.
WAGNER: Oh, she was a wonderful lady. She suffered terribly from depression, you know.
KING: Really?
WAGNER: Oh, yes. She took her life.
KING: Really?
WAGNER: Yes. At a young age, too. And all of us who knew her, she was...
KING: Speaking of lost life, the Natalie Wood episode. I can't talk to you without asking about it. What did you make of that book that came out and the story in "Vanity Fair?" And I know the police -- the chief investigator said it was all distorted. Did you read it?
WAGNER: You know, Larry, I didn't read it. I didn't read the book. The woman had approached me on doing the book. I'm sorry, she did not approach me on doing the book or my representatives. And the problem with this today is, as you know, they can write anything they want about anyone and you don't really have any recourse, particularly about somebody who's gone. They can write anything about anyone that's said, that's gone. Isn't that extraordinary?
KING: How long is she gone now?
WAGNER: She died 21 years ago. Yes, 21 years ago.
KING: Do memories recur?
WAGNER: Oh, always. Oh, of course. You know, we were young together and I took her out the first time when she was 18 years old. As a matter of fact, I took her to see The Mountain, the clips that you saw there. Spence loved her. You know, people...
KING: What a talent she was.
WAGNER: She was a major -- she was such a gifted woman. She was so gifted, you know. And she did so many wonderful, wonderful pictures. And she was a marvelous...
KING: How did you emotionally deal with that tragedy that night, the drowning?
WAGNER: Oh, my God, Larry. I mean, I was in shock, you know, total shock. What really, really saved me were my children, you know? I went to a doctor, an analyst that I know, that I'd been with and I said, “What do I do?” You know, tell me what I do. And he said don't minimize it. Don't minimize it. Don't do anything like that, just it's what it is. And together, we stuck with each other. I think if I'd had been alone and didn't have that responsibility to my daughters and my family, I don't think I would have made it, you know. And then Jill came into my life, which was a very fortunate thing.
KING: You've had some great women.
WAGNER: Yes, I've been involved with some wonderful ladies in my lifetime, yes.
KING: Wasn't it doubly tough that not only had you lost her, but then the tabloids are making hay of how did you lose her, what happened, was there murder involved? How did you deal with all -- it's one thing to have a loss, and then it's a loss that's a public loss, and then it's a loss with rumors.
WAGNER: You know what happened for me, Larry, I was involved and had a very, very dear friend that was very close to both Natalie and myself whose name was Paul Zifferin (ph). And he was our adviser and our lawyer. He came to my house and he sat there, and he said, I'm not going to leave here until you promise me one thing. I said, what is that? He said, that you will not read these things and that you will not answer them and I'm not leaving until you give me that promise.
And I said, Paul -- he said, believe me, I want that -- that's what I want you to do, and I want you to promise me. And I loved Paul and I respected him so very, very much. And he was so meaningful in my life. And so I said, all right. And I think it saved me.
KING: You had to gut it out. Once you make that decision, no comment is what?
WAGNER: Yes. So I just -- I never, you know, I mean -- you know, it's all conjecture. And, you know, the thing is, Larry, it's not what if, it's what is. You know, she was gone like that. In an instant, our lives changed. Amazing.
KING: Why did he give you that advice, by the way?
WAGNER: I think that he felt that it was just a futile thing to try to answer those things.
KING: No win?
WAGNER: It's an absolutely no-win situation. It's an absolutely no-win situation because you're explaining, you know, what these people are -- and they can take and do whatever they want to with it, you know. And they have.
KING: What do you make that they still write -- that a book would come out 20 years later.
WAGNER: Well, this is another situation. This book is -- you know, this woman has fabricated, you know, those things that are all these things that she talks to these different people and she says she knows this and that. You know, it's -- there have been other books written besides that one, you know. And there's absolutely nothing you can do about it.
KING: How well does Jill deal with the fact of how much you loved Natalie?
WAGNER: Well, you know, Jill and Natalie knew each other. Their mothers knew each other. They were all kids together. You know, there's a famous, famous picture of Stephanie Powers and Jill and Natalie all taking ballet class.
KING: I didn't know that.
WAGNER: Yes. And they all knew each other. All the mothers were sitting there, you know, clicking the needles and watching the kids do their stuff, you know. And Jill, by being in our work and knowing was very sensitive to my situation. She had been married before to Lance Reventlow. And Lance Reventlow was...
KING: A football player.
WAGNER: No, no, the race car driver, the son of Barbara Hutton. And he was lost in an airplane accident. So Jill had, you know...
KING: Death around both of you.
WAGNER: ... felt a lot of the pain that (UNINTELLIGIBLE). But she's been absolutely wonderful to me. And it was a great break that she came into my life, believe me.
KING: Finality is hard to deal with, isn't it? And, therefore, death, the ultimate finality.
WAGNER: Yes, it's -- I think when all of our friends, which you and I have had many together, they leave you, it definitely takes something away. I mean, it's gone. You know, but they're in your heart. They're in your soul and I know that they're around somewhere.
KING: You hope or you know.
WAGNER: I got a great feeling that they're around.
KING: Yes? I hope Lou Wasserman (ph) is around.
(VIEWER CALLS ARE TAKEN)
KING: From Augusta, Georgia, hello.
CALLER: The question is: What role did you do that most reflects the person you?
KING: Was there ever a role you played that most reflected you, or that you felt the closest to in character?
WAGNER: You know, that's a very interesting question. I think that when you do a television series like I did with "Hart to Hart" and with "It Takes a Thief," you see a lot of yourself. Because I never felt, for instance, with the character Jonathan Hart or Alexander Mundy, that I would ever be playing a part that long in my life. You know, I played Jonathan Hart for five years. So a lot of my behavior and a lot of my personality came -- I used in that. And I think that that -- in that case I would say it would be Jonathan Hart, yes.
KING: So it wasn't Prince Valiant?
WAGNER: Larry, it wasn't Prince Valiant.
KING: Next, a call from Eldorado Springs, Missouri, hello.
CALLER: I was wanting to -- it's such a thrill -- I just love Robert Wagner. I'd stop everything for him.
WAGNER: Oh, thank you.
CALLER: I want to ask him, first of all, what is his most prized winning achievement, or pride of his life. And also, does he have any advice for young people growing up in a world that's so different from what he grew up in?
WAGNER: Well, the first part about what do I have that I have such great pride in, obviously, are my three daughters. That's my family. I have great pride in that.
What advice would I give to young people growing up? I think that anything you can do to help your self-esteem and create an inner life for yourself and create a confidence within yourself, that is the most important thing. And maybe it's also a good idea to look around and you'll find that you'll have a mentor in your life. And if you pick the right one, it can help a great deal.
KING: What would you say to a young kid walking down Hollywood Boulevard today, walking past your getting your star, he's 17, wants to be a movie star? He's a young RJ
WAGNER: Well, I would tell him to get up there and do it, and try it out, and try...
KING: Knock on all the doors?
WAGNER: Absolutely. Just get up there and stand up there and do it, and keep trying and keep trying and keep trying, because somewhere along the way something's going to happen. I mean, you know, we were talking about this before. Look what happened in my career with me now. Mike Myers writes this character for me, Number Two, and I'm talking to this 6-year-old kid on the phone -- huh?
You never know what's going to happen. You just never know what's going to happen in this work.
KING: Another call from Cincinnati, Ohio for Robert Wagner, RJ, hello.
CALLER: Robert, I love you. I love everything you do.
WAGNER: Oh, thank you. How sweet.
CALLER: The question I have for you is, if you could go back to any point in your life and relive it again, what would it be?
WAGNER: Go back at any point of my life and relive it again? I don't know. If I'd -- I don't know. I don't know what it would be, if I could relive...
KING: Well, one obvious is you wouldn't go out on the boat that night.
WAGNER: Well, yes, but...
KING: But that's obvious. But is there a career thing?
WAGNER: Yes, and I think that's what you're referring to, is it a career situation?
You know, I think that if I had listened a little bit more to a few people at different times in my life, I may not have made some of the mistakes that I made that seemed to cause me to stop living my life -- you know, that got in the way of me. And, you know, that can happen very easily. You know, sometimes you can speak to someone and they can kind of get you straightened out. And at other times can you get completely -- you can take too much time on something that isn't that important. And does that answer your question at all?
Next a clip from Hart to Hart.
KING: A lot of people thought you were married to Stefanie, right?
WAGNER: Yes, the relationship worked great, didn't it?
KING: It did.
WAGNER: You know, I'd worked with her before. She worked with me on a series I did, "Switch."
KING: I remember "Switch."
WAGNER: Yes, I was crazy about her.
And when this came around to the casting, you know, I said -- and the man who really, you know, directed the first one and kind of created "Hart to Hart" was Tom Mankiewicz. And Tom and I both said, got to have her. She's the one.
KING: Why did that show work?
WAGNER: I think because of the relationship and the chemistry between Stefanie and myself and Lionel Stander, who was absolutely wonderful. Oh, he was wonderful. He polished our luster and made us look great.
KING: But -- I mean, it's hard to associate with two rich people with their own airplane chasing criminals.
WAGNER: You know one of the things about this show, Larry, that always fascinates me? We never played kitchen-sink drama. We never got involved with another -- I never looked at another woman, she never looked at another man.
There was never any sense of jealousy. We were in love with each other. And we went to all of these different places, and we took the audience with us.
Another caller from San Antonio, Texas, says:
CALLER: Hi. Mr. Wagner, first, I've got two things for you. First, I think you're very sexy and have a great voice.
WAGNER: Thank you. I like you right off the bat. You're terrific.
CALLER: Thanks. I wondered if you have any hobbies, and I wonder what it was like to work with Fred Astaire on "It Takes a Thief," which you were very sexy in that as well.
WAGNER: Thanks.
KING: Hobbies are horses. I'll talk about that in a second, because we have some
pictures I want to show. But tell me about Astaire.
WAGNER: He was the best. Fred Astaire -- first of all, I knew Fred Astaire from the time I was a little boy because I went to school with his son.
And I always looked up to Fred. I never knew that Fred Astaire was Fred Astaire. I never knew he was a dancer; I never knew anything about him. I just loved him.
KING: As the father of your friend?
WAGNER: Yes. I mean, and he was always great to me. He was always terrific to me. When it came up for the time for someone to play my father, I said, the only man in the world that can do that is Fred. So I went to him and asked him, and he said, I'd love to do that, I'd love to be in that with you. And we had a great time. And I spent a lot of time with him, you know, personally. I went to the racetrack with him a lot.
KING: Bet a lot?
WAGNER: Yes. And then he, you know, he played a lot of pool. You know, we played a lot of pool together, we played a lot of golf together. So I had a chance to be with him on a one-to-one basis in areas that were very, you know, personal and...
KING: He was class.
WAGNER: Oh, believe me.
KING: Did he walk like he danced? Did he sort of float?
WAGNER: Yes, he moved along great. He moved along great. I had the privilege of dancing with him. I'm one of his dancing partners. In "It Takes a Thief." We did a number. We were dressed up as clowns. And I'm telling...
KING: Tell me about the horses.
WAGNER: The horses. Well, like a lot of horse people, I've gone through many manifestations with horses.
KING: You love them.
WAGNER: I do. I got away from them at one time, and then I got back into it because of my daughter Natasha and now my wife Jill. She rides all the time. She really rides a lot now.
KING: My daughter rides and owns horses. Can't get them away -- girls and horses. How many do you have?
WAGNER: I now have four. I used to have about 40. But you know, they eat when you're asleep, Larry.
KING: It's costly.
WAGNER: Yes, but I really loved it. I got into it and I was breeding. I had a good mare band (ph) and I was really going pretty good. And I loved it a lot.
And then I just -- I was in the thoroughbred racing business, too, for a while.
KING: Owned horses...
WAGNER: Yes, that was fun. That was fun.
And one last quick caller from Baltimore…FROM NATALIE.
CALLER: Mr. Wagner, my name is actually Natalie (ph) and I've been a huge fan of your late wife's for many years, and I just wanted to say, first of all, congratulations on getting your star today.
WAGNER: Thank you very much.
CALLER: And on a personal note, could you just share with me maybe one of your favorite memories of being married to Natalie and raising your three daughters together?
WAGNER: Well, you know, Natalie, she was a wonderful mother, I can tell you that. I mean, she was just an absolutely marvelous mother to our girls. And do you know, I could share so many moments with you but, as I was saying to Larry before, you know, I took her out -- I was very much involved with her in her younger life, when she was like 18, and to see her evolve into this wonderful woman and this wonderful actress and this -- such a wonderful, kind-spirited person, that was, you can imagine, a big joy.
KING: Are you, at 72 and all of the things you have gone through and gone up and at, are you a happy guy today?
WAGNER: I am, Larry. I'm very happy. And, you know, today was -- I never -- I never expected that.
KING: We only got less than a minute.
WAGNER: Oh, trying to live in the moment, Larry. Just trying to live in the moment, and I've met so many great people and I've had so much -- such a ride in this -- in my life, it's been great. And I want to thank you.
KING: You deserve it.
WAGNER: Wait a minute, I want to thank you very much for today, because you made that so special for me, and I really do appreciate it.
KING: Oh, my honor.
WAGNER: Thanks.
KING: R.J., Robert Wagner.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Libelous Laws
We have become the subjects of vicious lies by several individuals in regards to our book. A few people have not known where to draw the line and there is definitely a difference between not liking or not believing a book and being called the terrible, untrue things that Dennis and I have been subject to, names such as drunken bum, druggie, low-life, lazy, jobless, profiteer, liar, pig, scum, and also having our motives questioned, as far as causing us to appear selfish opportunists if we do not donate our incomes to charities when these people have no clue about our donations or expenditures. We made every effort to prove the validity of our work, down to a certified polygraph.
We have families and friends, too, not to mention the people who might've been willing to believe us if not for the damaging, false statements written about us. Damaging, FALSE statements can cost the people who make them. Damaging TRUE statements are another matter, and because the information in our book is true, we are not breaking libel laws for its contents.
Hate my book all you want for whatever reason you want but when you cross the line and want to get personal in writing, we will draw the line for you. I'm not a "pig" for posting a photograph Dennis Davern took. I haven't written lies so that I can "get a book published for profit." There is no "back-story" to my brief association with a TV reporter.
The area of law most implicated by this type of conduct is "defamation of character," a cause of action which is generally defined to include "libel" and slander" and defamation is defined as the (public) issuance of a false statement about another person, which causes that person to suffer harm, mentally, reputation-wise, or financially. Libel involves the making of defamatory statements in a printed or fixed medium, such as a magazine or newspaper, and now the Internet, even though content is removable, can be considered a means to damage. If you think you can get around these laws with "tricky wording," you can't. What you say about another must be true or you can be held accountable for it. It's why I painstakingly stuck to facts with GNGS. What we have written in our book is NOT libelous because the information is based on the experience of Dennis Davern and presents documented information and every effort to support the information presented. We have told nothing but truth, therefore our information cannot be considered "vicious lies" within the system, and no Internet commentator has the right to accuse us otherwise. If TRUTH causes harm to a person's reputation that is one thing, but if LIES cause damage to a person, that is LIBELOUS.
It's why the person some of you defend is not defending himself against our book and if that isn't an eye-opener to those relentless few of you who won't let up on us.
We told a solid, supported story that we experienced and we followed rules, regulations, and LAWS. Our publisher required it. Apparently, some publishers don't require it.
Typically, the elements of a cause of action for defamation include: A false and defamatory statement concerning another (none of which WE are guilty of). If certain people refuse to follow laws, we guarantee we will no longer tolerate the defamatory statements being written about us.
"Truth is its own defense."
We have families and friends, too, not to mention the people who might've been willing to believe us if not for the damaging, false statements written about us. Damaging, FALSE statements can cost the people who make them. Damaging TRUE statements are another matter, and because the information in our book is true, we are not breaking libel laws for its contents.
Hate my book all you want for whatever reason you want but when you cross the line and want to get personal in writing, we will draw the line for you. I'm not a "pig" for posting a photograph Dennis Davern took. I haven't written lies so that I can "get a book published for profit." There is no "back-story" to my brief association with a TV reporter.
The area of law most implicated by this type of conduct is "defamation of character," a cause of action which is generally defined to include "libel" and slander" and defamation is defined as the (public) issuance of a false statement about another person, which causes that person to suffer harm, mentally, reputation-wise, or financially. Libel involves the making of defamatory statements in a printed or fixed medium, such as a magazine or newspaper, and now the Internet, even though content is removable, can be considered a means to damage. If you think you can get around these laws with "tricky wording," you can't. What you say about another must be true or you can be held accountable for it. It's why I painstakingly stuck to facts with GNGS. What we have written in our book is NOT libelous because the information is based on the experience of Dennis Davern and presents documented information and every effort to support the information presented. We have told nothing but truth, therefore our information cannot be considered "vicious lies" within the system, and no Internet commentator has the right to accuse us otherwise. If TRUTH causes harm to a person's reputation that is one thing, but if LIES cause damage to a person, that is LIBELOUS.
It's why the person some of you defend is not defending himself against our book and if that isn't an eye-opener to those relentless few of you who won't let up on us.
We told a solid, supported story that we experienced and we followed rules, regulations, and LAWS. Our publisher required it. Apparently, some publishers don't require it.
Typically, the elements of a cause of action for defamation include: A false and defamatory statement concerning another (none of which WE are guilty of). If certain people refuse to follow laws, we guarantee we will no longer tolerate the defamatory statements being written about us.
"Truth is its own defense."
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
TCM (Turner Classic Movies): Natalie Wood is featured for June 2010
MONDAYS IN JUNE: Enjoy Natalie Wood films and features on TCM
Natalie Wood - Star of the Month
Click on above link for more information.
Natalie Wood - Star of the Month
Click on above link for more information.
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