My favorite GNGS Book Photo

"Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour" Book Photos

GNGS Book Photos

GNGS Book Photos

GNGS Book Photos

GNGS Book Photos

GNGS Book Photos

Book Photos, Two at a time

Thank you to New Readers

Thank you for the many Emails and Direct Messages. When there are delays with the paperback edition at Amazon it is only because Amazon must re-stock their supply. Although Amazon will post a notice that they will let you know when available, it actually takes only a few days to re-stock. The first supply Amazon stored sold out. I look forward to more people learning and caring about this travesty of justice bestowed upon the late, great Natalie Wood. Please be sure to sign the petition with your comment about why you believe the case should be re-opened. And if you leave a review at Amazon, please be sure to use your own account or your review is in jeopardy of being removed. Thank you for caring about this important case.

Many of you are concerned about why you haven't heard more about this high-profile story in the news. There are many reasons for that, some already discussed at this blog if you care to browse. It seems many are timid with this story. There was never an arrest, and barely an investigation into Natalie's death. Because there was a rush to close the case (no death of this magnitude would be closed within days in current times), there has been so much speculation and innuendo that the truth continues to be ignored by the law. The entire case was based upon lies, withheld information, and animosity between the Police Force and the Medical Examiner's Office.  When we've called out the authorities, publicly and privately, they've become defensive each time. The head coroner, Thomas Noguchi, has pledged to never speak of the Wood case again. He was fired from his position when he had spoken about it. How bizarre is that? The lead Detective, Duane Rasure, fabricated stories when he was recently asked to explain some details about the case. Needless to say, but I will: it's very frustrating. A thorough investigation is what this case needs and deserves.

If you have any questions, I'll be happy to respond as soon as convenient, but I've been very busy and will remain busy in the near future. In January, I will post at this blog more regularly. Again, thank you, and Happy Holidays to you and yours.  

Tonight - West Side Story - Natalie Wood 's own voice

I always wondered how Natalie sounded in West Side Story that they
would dub her singing. Now I know. Can't believe I had never viewed
this before. Maybe I'm biased, but I think she sounds great. What a
precious woman she was. So talented, so beautiful, and so adored.

Wishing you all a Happy Holiday Season and the Best New Year Possible!

I can't believe we have only what's left of this weekend and two more before Christmas. I was on the phone last night with a friend (someone who had a small part in Splendor in the Grass with Natalie way back when and who thought she was "everything") and after close to an hour of chatting about baseball (he also played professional ball and TV just did a special on him), I realized as we were hanging up that Hanukkah had already started and I quickly wished him a Happy Hanukkah. He wished me a Merry Christmas, which I realized may not be so merry if I don't get busy with all my holiday traditions.

Like Natalie Wood's home once did, my home fills with guests on Christmas Eve, too. I always know it's a minimum of a dozen people, but often the count goes as high as fifty. So, I've made fish for 50 for the past 20 years with my annual "Feast of the Seven Fishes" Christmas Eve. It's an Italian belief that if you eat all of the seven fishes, you have a better New Year. I always taste all seven, and thus far, I'm very grateful for "my years." My Italian aunts who weren't born in American usually made the traditional soup or casserole with a specific seven fishes called Chippino. I always include the mussels in the selections, and serve buffet style, as many do in modern days. There are several beliefs about this tradition over the centuries, some believe it represents the seven days of a week, the seven pilgrimage churches in Rome, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, but most go with the seven sacraments. It's always a night we all enjoy and I always look forward to surprising everyone with at least one new fish dish each year. Then, around 10 PM we all open one present, the kids fall asleep and we break it up around midnight. I'm usually up until about 3 AM, arranging the presents under the tree, and preparing for Christmas morning breakfast for about 12 or more, then, Christmas is all about the kids and a family dinner. 

The holiday season is always a time I get sentimental, and I do "say hello to friends I know and everyone I meet" and I hope for a better new year. I get to share this holiday again with friends and family and there is nothing I am more grateful for than that. After a recent health scare that turned out fine, I am especially grateful this year.

This is my blog. Blogs are personal journals we can choose to make public or restrict. I have boxes in my huge attic filled with personal journal notebooks I've written since I learned to put a sentence together. I don't claim to be any kind of writer I'm not. I do my best, as any writer does. I'm sure my little post here will be considered "smoke and mirrors" by some and that some will accuse me of "diverting" because I'm talking about my buffet instead of Natalie's. This blog is titled Marti Rulli. Its purpose is to discuss the information in my published book. Sometimes, I may go a little off topic, as I am a person, too. I am free to do and say what I want, just as all of you are. It's difficult for me to sometimes deal with all of the personality types interested in this tragic tale. All of our instincts are based on our own experiences. I value every individual's input, even though I'm accused of not being able to take the heat, but I basically go with what I've VERIFIED. Believe me, I can take the heat. I'm never out of the kitchen. I'm cooking fish for fifty, not for one. Hope that metaphor is okay, too. 

As Ricky Nelson wrote in his lyrics in Garden Party, after being literally attacked for just showing up to sing, I will heed his words: "You can't please every one, so you've got to please yourself." I do my best.

Right now I've got some technical problems going on with listings of GNGS at websites. Some aren't up and running yet, (NOOK) some are mixing instructions on how to present taglines and where to place reviews, and some are requesting verified purchases for Kindle to list a review in that section, and some postings have been lost in the mix. We're trying to straighten out some technical details, we're trying to get the paperback cover up before an official release,  I've been receiving emails from readers whose reviews were rejected,  so I'm trying to see if I can create a review page with Blogger. I've got a publicist waiting for an okay to hit the streets, so to speak. I've got a producer wanting a detailed outline for a possible script. And I was given a graph from Amazon that shows exactly how well GNGS did out of 8 MILLION BOOKS!! (Not bad at all!!) I'm trying to copy the graph to post here. GNGS did reach as high as #2 in True Crime and as high as #2 in Entertainment Biographies. If you place a review at Amazon, please make sure it is under the VERIFIED sales of the version you purchased with your OWN account, or you may encounter a problem. Amazon is experiencing problems with book clubs ordering under one account, yet members writing their reviews under their own accounts, and Amazon will be checking for unverified purchases. If it isn't one thing, it's another! I'm trying not to stress. One goal at a time. Yes, there is a play about Natalie Wood coming next year, and I'll be sure to be very careful with details when I announce it. And, no, I do not hold anything against anyone who holds to their opinions of the four people who were aboard the Splendour the Thanksgiving weekend of November 1981. Natalie's case remains a travesty of justice.

You can say anything you want here about how you feel as long as you post your sentiments civilly. All I can honestly tell you is that I strived for complete truth and honesty when I wrote GNGS. In all honesty, if you knew Dennis Davern, you'd understand every word I say about him, and you would be quite surprised by him. Dennis has his own voice, but he does not have a blog. I do. I appreciate all of you who are here. I try to be an accurate voice for Natalie, and a true voice for Dennis. When Dennis tells me to shut up, I will, but I won't retreat for anyone else because there's still a lot of work to accomplish for Natalie. Also, I've started a new book. So, on that note, I'll be busy in the kitchen and at the keyboard for a while, and I wish I could send you all a plate of my traditional Christmas cookies "like Grandma used to make." The secret, my grandmother told me is CREAM CHEESE in place of butter (but I use both). I wish I could post parts of the new manuscript now, but that will have to wait. I won't take another 20 years. I've got the "meat" this time.

At this "most wonderful time of the year"  I wish you ALL the warmest of everything the season has to offer. Bless us, Everyone. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Special Holidays to ALL of you. May your New Year be as merry and bright as possible. Sincerely, Marti Rulli    

Dinghy Bumpers

Floating here in the water are the dinghy bumpers Dennis described to me. They would flush against the swim step to prevent a "banging dinghy." They were used when being down for the night when it was windy or the water was choppy. Although there was a persistent drizzling the night of Natalie Wood's death, the ocean was rather calm. The currents were strong as the currents usually become at night when they turn, but the surface of the ocean in the cove areas was smooth. Dennis did not use the dinghy bumpers the night of Nov. 28, 1981 when the group returned from dinner at Doug's Harbor Reef.  The dinghy was secured, flush horizontally at the rear of the Splendour with two lines about 12 ft. apart AT CLEATS AT THE TOP OF THE BOAT'S BACK WALL. The lame theory that Natalie was out on a wet deck in her socks securing a banging dinghy disturbing her sleep is a flat out fabrication.

1) She wouldn't have gone out to a wet deck wearing only socks.

2) The dinghy couldn't have floated away on its own because she would've been able to work only one line at a time.

3) She had never gone to sleep that fateful night. She was angry because her husband had just smashed a wine bottle in every one's face in the main salon and she was arguing with her husband over it.

4) The dinghy rarely banged against the Splendour. This is something both Dennis Davern and Robert Wagner both know.

5) Natalie would've called upon Dennis to secure the dinghy if there had been a problem.

6) Natalie never did boat chores of this nature.
7) THERE WAS NO NEED TO USE THE SWIM STEP TO RE-TIE DINGHY LINES -- SOMETHING NATALIE WOULD NEVER HAVE DONE IN THE DARK OF A WET NIGHT!

Hairdresser To The Stars

Amazon.com: Hairdresser to the Stars: A Hollywood Memoir (9780741408990): Ginger Sugar Blymyer: Books

Click on link above for Amazon info. 

Hairdresser to the Stars: A Hollywood Memoir [Paperback]

By Author Ginger Sugar Blymyer

Amazon Product Description


Hollywood film hairstylist, Ginger "Sugar" Blymyer has lived and worked with some of the most fascinating people in the world. She has also heard their innermost thoughts.

"Sugar" worked for seventeen years with Natalie Wood and many years with Elizabeth Montgomery. Her story includes rare experiences with her favorite actors and actresses; Sean Connery, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, William Hurt, Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, Sir Laurence Olivier, James Mason, Gregory Hines and many, many more.

This book is for those who are interested in the art of film, movie stars, life behind the scenes, people who want to work in the entertainment industry and anyone looking for inspiration. It is one woman's history of Hollywood.


Note from Marti: This was a really interesting read. Ginger shared some fascinating anecdotes, and I highly recommend Hairdresser To The Stars.

Natalie Tribute by Skyler

Skyler FB'd this tribute to me he created today. She truly was a star in every sense of the word.

Remembering Natalie Wood, July 20, 1938 - Nov. 29, 1981

Of all the Hollywood deaths we hear about, few affect us with the gut-pounding impact we experienced upon hearing of the senseless, tragic death Natalie Wood experienced. How could this woman have drowned? It’s the questioned everyone asked.

She was fun-loving, pretty, wise and wonderful. She was ambitious, meticulous, and professional. She carried herself with dignity and grace, yet knew how to let her hair down. She loved life and not only embraced personal aspirations and goals, she worked toward improving herself always. She was strong, kind, compassionate, and caring…a true friend to many.

Natalie loved learning. She was well-read, intelligent, and articulate. She was trendy beyond her own knowledge of how many people she actually did inspire. She was admired and adored.

Natalie’s eyes spoke volumes. Beyond their dark beauty, her eyes served as a window to the soul of a woman we couldn’t help but admire.

What Natalie wanted most was a peaceful home life, one filled with love and respect. Raising her daughters was her truest joy. Some people call her love of her work her personal demon, but nothing is further from the truth. Natalie sacrificed to continue her career, only to be sacrificed for it.

She was graceful, vibrant, playful, fun and funny. She was cute, pretty, and to this day, the most stunningly beautiful actress Hollywood and the world have ever seen. To this day, she is unmatchable.

She was busy. She lives on through the acclaimed work she accomplished in her too short life, and her classic films are infinite. She is a legend of unmatchable proportions.

Natalie Wood will be admired forever. There are very few people in all of history who acquire that level of accomplishment, but she is truly a vital part of Hollywood history. There is nothing more tragic than a loving mother being robbed of the opportunity to raise her children. Nothing. On this 29th anniversary of Natalie Wood’s tragic death, we know she will always be remembered. Natalie Wood.

E-Reads Post

The Enigma of Natalie Wood’s Death Solved in New Book | Publishing In the 21st Century

Publisher's official Internet announcement.

November 28, 1981

This is the date Natalie Wood ended up in the ocean at approximately 11:06 PM. She did not drown immediately. She cried out for help but was deliberately left to fend for herself. Her down jacket helped her to stay afloat, thus alive, but hypothermia and fear made for a very torturous night for Natalie, an ordeal impossible to survive. The nearby boaters, Marilyn Wayne and John Payne heard Natalie's cries for help, and tried to get assistance but they didn't pursue it when all went quiet.
It all boils down to a call for help that should have been made by the person who knew how she got into the water, but he not only refused to call for professional help, he refused to allow the only person who wanted to help to touch the radio or search light switch. Instead, he poured booze for that person and encouraged him to drink. 

New Lies

I've been corresponding with former Coast Guard Lieutenant, Roger Smith, over the past few days (he is not the person I talked with about case reopening, although Roger hopes for that as we do).

Roger recently made a visit to Avalon on Catalina Island for a dedication ceremony of a new Life Guard Fire Station and he wrote a note to the Isthmus crew afterwards. Many responded to him and said they are relieved to have finally learned the truth about what happened the night Natalie Wood died. But, they told him that Doug Bombard is doing the same thing Detective Rasure did when contacted by CNN producer last March: he's making up his own stories about that fateful night. Bombard is retired and apparently, as an Islander described, still tries to act like someone in charge, and like a jock. Seems he isn't buying the fact that Natalie wasn't untying the dinghy and is telling all sorts of wild scenarios.

Seems that the men who made the gravest mistakes in this case want to spare their reputations for vanity, and will continue distorting the truth. I take consolation in the fact that most of the Isthmus people say they believe the truth has been told through Dennis, but it is utterly frustrating that those who could contribute to the truth (i.e., Bombard, Rasure, Noguchi, Walken, Wagner ...) remain silent, fabricate, or continue to tell outright lies. Roger Smith always suspected what was told in GNGS.

Her Last: Brainstorm - Movie Trailer - 1983

HER FIRST: HAPPY LAND (1943) NATALIE WOOD DON AMECHE

She drops an Ice Cream Cone.