I have always called the Natalie Wood tragedy the "Natalie Wood Case." The official investigation into Natalie's death has been closed since approximately one week after her death, but I long ago started asking the question you've seen in some media: Natalie Wood's death: is it a closed case or a cold case?
Again, officially it's a CLOSED CASE. But, it should be considered a COLD CASE. A thorough investigation never transpired for Natalie. Regardless, Natalie's death remains "a case." We still talk about it, we still examine it. It's a case.
Building on the hope to have the case reopened, I've been thinking hard about the details of the Natalie Wood Case, trying to reach the top ten most important elements that should be prominent and useful to get the case reopened. In other words: what top ten elements can help us to convince the media and authorities that the Natalie case should be re-examined? Some of the key points are obvious, but before I compose this important list, I want to be sure I've missed nothing. After I read suggestions, I will compose a final list to be used in the media. Thank you to all who will contribute.
I will greatly appreciate your help. This is something we can work on together. Two heads are better than one, and in this case, many heads are better than two. These key points can include "red flags" overlooked and anything relating to the investigation. Basically, it's a top ten list of
WHY THE NATALIE WOOD CASE SHOULD BE REOPENED.
Here are some of my key points (not in any particular order of importance). I will edit and shorten these... I am simply just listing the key points in more detail for this blog as it may trigger other points.
1) Key witnesses were ignored and./or not pursued and questioned properly (Dennis Davern, Christopher Walken, Marilyn Wayne, Roger Smith, and Robert Wagner). Had all of these witnesses been questioned and/or interrogated separately, inconsistencies that later surfaced may have been detected immediately.
2) The three survivors of the fateful cruise all told different stories in the media, and each of those stories differ from what each survivor told the authorities at the scene.
3) There was never an effort to pursue how Natalie Wood received over 25 body wounds and bruises.
Nor was there an effort to determine WHY Natalie left the yacht.
4) The lead coroner in the case was fired for offering too much information to the public and has since remained silent after offering the public a theory that does not mesh with new and current information.
Noguchi made terrible mistakes in his theories. He claimed Natalie's down jacket helped to drown her immediately by pulling her under and sapping her strength whereas her down jacket is obviously what served as a life preserver.
5) There was a drastic delay in calling for help from aboard the Splendour after Natalie was no longer aboard the yacht. The delay is completely the opposite of what maritime rules call for.
6) There now exists a certified polygraph test passed by the last person to witness the circumstances surrounding Natalie "disappearance" and in that test is a question passed: Robert Wagner was with Natalie Wood on the back deck of the yacht when she went missing. Wagner told the police he had no clue what happened to his wife. It took him over two decades to admit there was a main salon argument where he broke a wine bottle in anger (something he never told the authorities) but he lied about the details of the argument, claiming Natalie was not in the room. Natalie was in the room when he smashed the wine bottle, something also passed by Davern on a polygraph test. Christopher Walken is a living witness to the bottle smashing who could be questioned to settle the issue.
7) The person, Marilyn Wayne, to last hear Natalie Wood crying out for help was totally ignored by the detectives. They claim to have interviewed her but she insists they completely ignored her even though she volunteered her input. Marilyn Wayne is willing to take a polygraph test.
8) Roger Smith, the Coast Guard Lieutenant who retrieved Natalie's body from the ocean tried to offer startling information but was completely ignored by authorities, then later transferred and demoted in what he believes was an effort to silence him.
9) The "banging dinghy theory" has since been proven virtually impossible. The dinghy was tied securely AFT, not PORT, with two lines.
10) A crime scene was compromised. Detectives left the yacht under the supervision of a restaurant owner. The restaurant owner slept aboard the yacht and allowed one of his waitresses to sleep aboard what should have been considered a sealed-off crime scene area.
11) The master stateroom aboard the Splendour was a mess, indicative of trouble aboard the yacht.
12) Wagner's demeanor since the tragedy includes proven lies and different versions of what happened the night of Nov. 28, 1981.
I look forward to your comments, suggestions, and input...I will post the top list soon.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wagner called out on Chelsea Handler show "Chelsea Lately"
Chelsea Lately - Starring Chelsea Handler | E! Online
Several people have emailed me to let me know that Natalie Wood was part of a discussion on Chelsea's show. I didn't see it and am trying to look it up online. Apparently, Natalie's name came up and several comedians were talking about how much they love and admire Natalie. One of the comedians addressed the camera and yelled out, "RJ, you know what you did!!"
Chelsea added that when she read Wagner's book "Pieces of My Heart" she felt that his version of the night Natalie died was BS.
It's about time some celebrities speak up. Last fall, Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" made a few suggestive statements about the night Natalie died in one of their scenes. It was PLANNED for "Curb Your Enthusiasm" because I was notified more than a week prior to the show by our publicist that the reference related to "Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour." Now, another comedian called-out RJ on Chelsea's show and hopefully people in the celebrity world will stop feeling too intimidated to talk about the atrocity of Natalie's death.
The comedians on Chelsea's show prove that there are people out there--including those in the celebrity world--who have come to the conclusion that RJ knows more about Natalie's death than he has ever let on. People don't need the influence of GNGS to know that something sinister occurred the night of Natalie's death. It's the circumstances of Natalie's death coupled with RJ's actions that creates doubt and suspicion in people's minds. GNGS only fills in all the blanks and answers the questions of exactly what transpired just before and after Natalie was no longer aboard the Splendour. Dennis Davern's account is the proof and his account was passed on a polygraph test administered by an experienced, certified Polygraphist. Dennis's account makes perfect sense as truth usually does.
Chelsea's show is on E! Channel.
Several people have emailed me to let me know that Natalie Wood was part of a discussion on Chelsea's show. I didn't see it and am trying to look it up online. Apparently, Natalie's name came up and several comedians were talking about how much they love and admire Natalie. One of the comedians addressed the camera and yelled out, "RJ, you know what you did!!"
Chelsea added that when she read Wagner's book "Pieces of My Heart" she felt that his version of the night Natalie died was BS.
It's about time some celebrities speak up. Last fall, Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" made a few suggestive statements about the night Natalie died in one of their scenes. It was PLANNED for "Curb Your Enthusiasm" because I was notified more than a week prior to the show by our publicist that the reference related to "Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour." Now, another comedian called-out RJ on Chelsea's show and hopefully people in the celebrity world will stop feeling too intimidated to talk about the atrocity of Natalie's death.
The comedians on Chelsea's show prove that there are people out there--including those in the celebrity world--who have come to the conclusion that RJ knows more about Natalie's death than he has ever let on. People don't need the influence of GNGS to know that something sinister occurred the night of Natalie's death. It's the circumstances of Natalie's death coupled with RJ's actions that creates doubt and suspicion in people's minds. GNGS only fills in all the blanks and answers the questions of exactly what transpired just before and after Natalie was no longer aboard the Splendour. Dennis Davern's account is the proof and his account was passed on a polygraph test administered by an experienced, certified Polygraphist. Dennis's account makes perfect sense as truth usually does.
Chelsea's show is on E! Channel.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Natalie Wood
Born July 20, 1938, Natalie Wood would have turned 72 today had she survived a November 1981 cruise she took with her husband, actor Robert Wagner, her Brainstorm co-star, Christopher Walken, and her yacht captain, Dennis Davern. All three of the surviving men of that cruise lied to the police during an investigation into why Natalie Wood was found in her nightgown, socks, and red down jacket, floating in the Pacific with over 25 bruises to her body.
In current times we turn to the Internet for information about famous people. We Google names and usually read the Wikipedia info on people and things we research. Here's what it says at Wikipedia about Natalie Wood's death: (a summary filled with inaccuracies).
In September and October 1981, Wood and Wagner stayed in Raleigh, North Carolina, while Wood did location work for the science-fiction film Brainstorm. Wood then spent most of November in California shooting interior scenes with Christopher Walken and other cast members on the MGM lot in Culver City.
The day after Thanksgiving, Wood, Wagner and Walken went to Catalina Island for the weekend and on the night of November 28 their yacht (Splendour) was anchored in Isthmus Cove. Also on board was the boat's skipper, Dennis Davern, who had worked for the couple for many years. Wood apparently either tried to leave the yacht or secure a dinghy from banging against the hull when she accidentally slipped and fell overboard. A woman on a nearby yacht said she heard calls for help at around midnight. The cries lasted for about 15 minutes and were answered by someone else who said, "Take it easy. We'll be over to get you". "It was laid back," the witness recalled. "There was no urgency or immediacy in their shouts". An investigation by Los Angeles County coroner Thomas Noguchi resulted in an official verdict of accidental drowning. Noguchi concluded Wood had drunk "seven or eight" glasses of wine and was intoxicated when she died. There were marks and bruises on her body which Noguchi speculated could have been received as a result of her fall. Noguchi later wrote that had Wood not been intoxicated, she likely would have realized her heavy down-filled coat and wool sweater were pulling her underwater and would have removed them. Noguchi also wrote that he found Wood's fingernail scratches on the side of the rubber dinghy indicating she was trying to get in. Wood was 43 at the time of her death and is buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.
The only way to correct inaccuracies at Wikipedia is to keep trying, and sources must be cited for the new information you include. Anyone can try to update and correct info, and sometimes your corrections are maintained, and sometimes erased within a day. Many have tried to correct info at Natalie's Wiki page, only to see the info erased within 24 hours. Maybe we can all form a group and post the same facts at the same day. It's something to consider. In any case, maybe by Natalie's 75th birthday (hopefully sooner), the correct information about her death will be available at these Internet pages that should be accurate. Wouldn't it be nice to see a footnote stating that Noguchi had no idea it was the down jacket that kept Natalie afloat rather than the object he claims "dragged her under"? My down jacket test, indeed, is important!
We all wish Natalie had survived that fateful cruise. The world was robbed of one beautiful, decent woman that day in November 1981. She was robbed of the opportunity to have spent this day with her children, celebrating her legendary career and life.
Some people will never be forgotten. Natalie Wood is one of them.
In current times we turn to the Internet for information about famous people. We Google names and usually read the Wikipedia info on people and things we research. Here's what it says at Wikipedia about Natalie Wood's death: (a summary filled with inaccuracies).
In September and October 1981, Wood and Wagner stayed in Raleigh, North Carolina, while Wood did location work for the science-fiction film Brainstorm. Wood then spent most of November in California shooting interior scenes with Christopher Walken and other cast members on the MGM lot in Culver City.
The day after Thanksgiving, Wood, Wagner and Walken went to Catalina Island for the weekend and on the night of November 28 their yacht (Splendour) was anchored in Isthmus Cove. Also on board was the boat's skipper, Dennis Davern, who had worked for the couple for many years. Wood apparently either tried to leave the yacht or secure a dinghy from banging against the hull when she accidentally slipped and fell overboard. A woman on a nearby yacht said she heard calls for help at around midnight. The cries lasted for about 15 minutes and were answered by someone else who said, "Take it easy. We'll be over to get you". "It was laid back," the witness recalled. "There was no urgency or immediacy in their shouts". An investigation by Los Angeles County coroner Thomas Noguchi resulted in an official verdict of accidental drowning. Noguchi concluded Wood had drunk "seven or eight" glasses of wine and was intoxicated when she died. There were marks and bruises on her body which Noguchi speculated could have been received as a result of her fall. Noguchi later wrote that had Wood not been intoxicated, she likely would have realized her heavy down-filled coat and wool sweater were pulling her underwater and would have removed them. Noguchi also wrote that he found Wood's fingernail scratches on the side of the rubber dinghy indicating she was trying to get in. Wood was 43 at the time of her death and is buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.
The only way to correct inaccuracies at Wikipedia is to keep trying, and sources must be cited for the new information you include. Anyone can try to update and correct info, and sometimes your corrections are maintained, and sometimes erased within a day. Many have tried to correct info at Natalie's Wiki page, only to see the info erased within 24 hours. Maybe we can all form a group and post the same facts at the same day. It's something to consider. In any case, maybe by Natalie's 75th birthday (hopefully sooner), the correct information about her death will be available at these Internet pages that should be accurate. Wouldn't it be nice to see a footnote stating that Noguchi had no idea it was the down jacket that kept Natalie afloat rather than the object he claims "dragged her under"? My down jacket test, indeed, is important!
We all wish Natalie had survived that fateful cruise. The world was robbed of one beautiful, decent woman that day in November 1981. She was robbed of the opportunity to have spent this day with her children, celebrating her legendary career and life.
Some people will never be forgotten. Natalie Wood is one of them.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Mel Gibson Tapes
Will Robyn (and Australia) Take Mel Gibson Back? | PopEater.com
What a mess Mel Gibson is experiencing at this time. I loved much of Mel Gibson's work and always admired him in the entertainment industry. Up until his wife filing for divorce, I also thought he was a rare exception in the business, too -- one who could maintain a normal family life while being a prominent figure in the industry, but then things started to happen: his DUIs, his prejudices surfacing, his drunken words.
It goes to show that we never know the true personalities behind the characters we see on the screen. In one of the Gibson tapes, he says he could put Oksana (his girlfriend who released the damaging tapes, and also mother of his daughter) "in the rose garden" and that he "knew how to do it." It reminds me of what Charlie Sheen had said to his wife in Aspen, about knowing cops who would help him to cover up killing her and making her disappear despite how much money her family had. Some celebrities become so incredibly arrogant it is disheartening.
Celebrities are not the characters they play. They are human and prone to all human tendencies. Sometimes their fans make excuses for them based on a "nice character" they once played. We never really know their true personalities because all we see is what they want to be seen, but sometimes they cross a line they can never retreat to. This has happened in Mel's case. TV still seems to think we want to see Charlie Sheen.
I don't.
It's really time to bring the Natalie Wood case to where it belongs. I assure you, it will be our priority in the coming months.
The media sure is giving the entire Gibson case a lot of attention. It's a shame that Natalie Wood never received the same, that there was no credible in-depth look into the man who was last with her when she mysteriously ended up in the Pacific.
No, it's not too late. Please bear with us.
What a mess Mel Gibson is experiencing at this time. I loved much of Mel Gibson's work and always admired him in the entertainment industry. Up until his wife filing for divorce, I also thought he was a rare exception in the business, too -- one who could maintain a normal family life while being a prominent figure in the industry, but then things started to happen: his DUIs, his prejudices surfacing, his drunken words.
It goes to show that we never know the true personalities behind the characters we see on the screen. In one of the Gibson tapes, he says he could put Oksana (his girlfriend who released the damaging tapes, and also mother of his daughter) "in the rose garden" and that he "knew how to do it." It reminds me of what Charlie Sheen had said to his wife in Aspen, about knowing cops who would help him to cover up killing her and making her disappear despite how much money her family had. Some celebrities become so incredibly arrogant it is disheartening.
Celebrities are not the characters they play. They are human and prone to all human tendencies. Sometimes their fans make excuses for them based on a "nice character" they once played. We never really know their true personalities because all we see is what they want to be seen, but sometimes they cross a line they can never retreat to. This has happened in Mel's case. TV still seems to think we want to see Charlie Sheen.
I don't.
It's really time to bring the Natalie Wood case to where it belongs. I assure you, it will be our priority in the coming months.
The media sure is giving the entire Gibson case a lot of attention. It's a shame that Natalie Wood never received the same, that there was no credible in-depth look into the man who was last with her when she mysteriously ended up in the Pacific.
No, it's not too late. Please bear with us.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
News about "Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour" availability.
I have been very busy preparing the new information for “Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour” which will be available to everyone much sooner than November as stated at book-selling sites. In fact, the new version of "Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour” will be available in a few weeks.
Here’s what happened and an explanation for why GNGS is out of stock: Our book was purchased for publication in 2008 by Michael Viner, the president of Phoenix Books and Audio. Michael passed away just a few weeks before GNGS was released. Michael had so much planned for GNGS that never transpired, but now that we have acquired all rights of the book, we plan to continue the mission to bring Natalie Wood justice.
Phoenix was basically a “Michael Viner operation” but the owners of the independent publishing company decided to keep the company going after Michael passed. From what I’ve learned, Phoenix had made a few bad choices in book acquisitions and, coupled with the down-economy, the owners decided to close up shop. I was told that GNGS was their best selling book of all its fall 2009 releases and it has completely sold out. Unfortunately, no more hardbacks will be available, at least not at this time. There are only a few hardbacks left, available only from a few outside sellers (listed at Amazon). Because it’s now considered an out-of-print book, some are selling for more expensive amounts.
Kindle is also unavailable until we transfer to our new distributor, E-reads. E-Reads will be taking over all electronic downloads, and as the paperback has been cancelled by Phoenix, a printed version will be available for print-on-demand orders until further notice, and GNGS will soon be available in every format but hardback with the new information included.
I will make the exact date announcement soon.
Phoenix left many authors in a quandary after their sudden decision to close their doors. Some of the authors had just been published, therefore facing a mess in transferring to other sources. It was also a troublesome position for GNGS as the company had already put the paperback up for sale. For any who ordered the paperback, an email from the selling site should soon be coming to inform you of GNGS’s availability in all the new formats.
I may have a limited supply of hardbacks I intend to offer for sale (new and author-signed) at regular rates from this blog, and I will announce that at a later time. It depends on if there is any left-over stock, but it appears there is not. I will also have the option of purchasing the audio versions left over (the only leftover format) and I will offer them for sale at this blog, too, for the same price we might acquire them. More info to come on that.
But, as for the hardback, you may now consider it an out-of-print book.
So, that’s what’s been going on with the availability of GNGS. It has nothing to do with us: a publisher decided to go out of business after its company president passed away.
GNGS will be available for purchase in several formats within a few weeks. Thank you to all who purchased the hardback version. Dennis and I truly appreciate that you were interested in the truth about the death of Natalie Wood.
I will post the minute the availability is up and running with the new information included as a forward. Thank you!
Here’s what happened and an explanation for why GNGS is out of stock: Our book was purchased for publication in 2008 by Michael Viner, the president of Phoenix Books and Audio. Michael passed away just a few weeks before GNGS was released. Michael had so much planned for GNGS that never transpired, but now that we have acquired all rights of the book, we plan to continue the mission to bring Natalie Wood justice.
Phoenix was basically a “Michael Viner operation” but the owners of the independent publishing company decided to keep the company going after Michael passed. From what I’ve learned, Phoenix had made a few bad choices in book acquisitions and, coupled with the down-economy, the owners decided to close up shop. I was told that GNGS was their best selling book of all its fall 2009 releases and it has completely sold out. Unfortunately, no more hardbacks will be available, at least not at this time. There are only a few hardbacks left, available only from a few outside sellers (listed at Amazon). Because it’s now considered an out-of-print book, some are selling for more expensive amounts.
Kindle is also unavailable until we transfer to our new distributor, E-reads. E-Reads will be taking over all electronic downloads, and as the paperback has been cancelled by Phoenix, a printed version will be available for print-on-demand orders until further notice, and GNGS will soon be available in every format but hardback with the new information included.
I will make the exact date announcement soon.
Phoenix left many authors in a quandary after their sudden decision to close their doors. Some of the authors had just been published, therefore facing a mess in transferring to other sources. It was also a troublesome position for GNGS as the company had already put the paperback up for sale. For any who ordered the paperback, an email from the selling site should soon be coming to inform you of GNGS’s availability in all the new formats.
I may have a limited supply of hardbacks I intend to offer for sale (new and author-signed) at regular rates from this blog, and I will announce that at a later time. It depends on if there is any left-over stock, but it appears there is not. I will also have the option of purchasing the audio versions left over (the only leftover format) and I will offer them for sale at this blog, too, for the same price we might acquire them. More info to come on that.
But, as for the hardback, you may now consider it an out-of-print book.
So, that’s what’s been going on with the availability of GNGS. It has nothing to do with us: a publisher decided to go out of business after its company president passed away.
GNGS will be available for purchase in several formats within a few weeks. Thank you to all who purchased the hardback version. Dennis and I truly appreciate that you were interested in the truth about the death of Natalie Wood.
I will post the minute the availability is up and running with the new information included as a forward. Thank you!
Three Wise Girls Interview Rebroadcast at Noon 7/8/10
Debbie Barth of Three Wise Girls Blog Talk Radio Show has just informed me that they will be rebroadcasting the interview with Dennis and me that took place in March 2010.
ThreeWiseGirls | Internet Radio | Blog Talk Radio
ThreeWiseGirls | Internet Radio | Blog Talk Radio
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Review of Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour
Channeling Ricky: Miss Landers' Book Club
Following is a review written at the above link. Channeling Ricky is an interesting blog, and I truly appreciate this perceptive, insightful review of GNGS posted there.
REVIEW:
I have been meaning to write a review of this book for awhile now and a few Channeling Ricky readers have asked me about it recently. I read Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour after (no, not before) I started writing The Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood blogs. I took time to read the book again recently and I will tell you why in a moment.
The book recounts the death of actress Natalie Wood, who drowned near Catalina island in November, 1981. Wood was married to actor Robert Wagner who many have speculated to have been responsible for her early demise. Wood and Wagner owned the yacht Splendour, of which co-author Dennis Davern was the captain. These three individuals, along with actor Christopher Walken, traveled on the Splendour to Catalina for a Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Until the publication of the book, details about the weekend spent by the foursome were pretty sketchy. None of the survivors of the weekend ever said much publicly about the drowning. Deemed an unfortunate accident by the Los Angeles Coroner and the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, the case was quickly closed.
Marti Rulli, who is the author of the book and a long time friend of Davern, tells Dennis' story for him. Her story is woven with Davern's as she recounts her efforts over the decades to get Davern to share the details of the weekend at Catalina. Davern was not forthcoming with his story, as he vacillated between loyalty to, and fear of Wagner, and suffered from depression, probable post-traumatic stress and alcoholism. Eventually, he told Rulli the whole story. Rulli arranged for Davern to take a lie detector test and undergo hypnosis to demonstrate his truthfulness and to further recall the events on the yacht prior to Wood's death.
Rulli's story is the reason why I read the book a second time. On the first go-round, I wasn't too interested in her component, believing that perhaps she should have left herself out of the narrative. But she is the one that Davern eventually opened up to, and she went through a lot of personal transformation while awaiting for this event to occur. After reading her book and following her blog, I believe Ms. Rulli is probably the foremost authority on the death of Natalie Wood, except for Mr. Wagner, of course and he isn't exactly giving us the real story.
The book is suspenseful. It is difficult not to read ahead to find out what did happen in November 1981. I felt a little sympathy for Davern, whom I view as dysfunctional at the time but not necessarily culpable. He could have saved Natalie Wood, but he did not. He had had too much to drink, he was afraid of Robert Wagner, he didn't know Natalie was in the water, he was instructed not to turn on the yacht's emergency lighting, he could not hear her over the radio, etc. Is he also guilty, as he believes Wagner is, by association and collusion with Wagner, and because he failed to act to save Ms. Wood when moments were critical? I believe he is also responsible for his failure to act, but the degree of responsibility is difficult to determine.
Davern demonstrates bravery now that he did not demonstrate at the time of Wood's drowning. He has finally told his story, when he could have left it untold and Wood's death mostly forgotten. Instead he chooses to lay the facts on the table, indicting Mr. Wagner for Wood's death and himself for cowardly behavior. Throughout the book Davern expresses remorse for not saving the life of his friend and employer Natalie Wood. He reminisces about her and her family, reminding us of her humanity. A fascinating read, Davern's story, and that of Natalie's, will continue to haunt this reader for years to come.
Following is a review written at the above link. Channeling Ricky is an interesting blog, and I truly appreciate this perceptive, insightful review of GNGS posted there.
REVIEW:
I have been meaning to write a review of this book for awhile now and a few Channeling Ricky readers have asked me about it recently. I read Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour after (no, not before) I started writing The Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood blogs. I took time to read the book again recently and I will tell you why in a moment.
The book recounts the death of actress Natalie Wood, who drowned near Catalina island in November, 1981. Wood was married to actor Robert Wagner who many have speculated to have been responsible for her early demise. Wood and Wagner owned the yacht Splendour, of which co-author Dennis Davern was the captain. These three individuals, along with actor Christopher Walken, traveled on the Splendour to Catalina for a Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Until the publication of the book, details about the weekend spent by the foursome were pretty sketchy. None of the survivors of the weekend ever said much publicly about the drowning. Deemed an unfortunate accident by the Los Angeles Coroner and the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, the case was quickly closed.
Marti Rulli, who is the author of the book and a long time friend of Davern, tells Dennis' story for him. Her story is woven with Davern's as she recounts her efforts over the decades to get Davern to share the details of the weekend at Catalina. Davern was not forthcoming with his story, as he vacillated between loyalty to, and fear of Wagner, and suffered from depression, probable post-traumatic stress and alcoholism. Eventually, he told Rulli the whole story. Rulli arranged for Davern to take a lie detector test and undergo hypnosis to demonstrate his truthfulness and to further recall the events on the yacht prior to Wood's death.
Rulli's story is the reason why I read the book a second time. On the first go-round, I wasn't too interested in her component, believing that perhaps she should have left herself out of the narrative. But she is the one that Davern eventually opened up to, and she went through a lot of personal transformation while awaiting for this event to occur. After reading her book and following her blog, I believe Ms. Rulli is probably the foremost authority on the death of Natalie Wood, except for Mr. Wagner, of course and he isn't exactly giving us the real story.
The book is suspenseful. It is difficult not to read ahead to find out what did happen in November 1981. I felt a little sympathy for Davern, whom I view as dysfunctional at the time but not necessarily culpable. He could have saved Natalie Wood, but he did not. He had had too much to drink, he was afraid of Robert Wagner, he didn't know Natalie was in the water, he was instructed not to turn on the yacht's emergency lighting, he could not hear her over the radio, etc. Is he also guilty, as he believes Wagner is, by association and collusion with Wagner, and because he failed to act to save Ms. Wood when moments were critical? I believe he is also responsible for his failure to act, but the degree of responsibility is difficult to determine.
Davern demonstrates bravery now that he did not demonstrate at the time of Wood's drowning. He has finally told his story, when he could have left it untold and Wood's death mostly forgotten. Instead he chooses to lay the facts on the table, indicting Mr. Wagner for Wood's death and himself for cowardly behavior. Throughout the book Davern expresses remorse for not saving the life of his friend and employer Natalie Wood. He reminisces about her and her family, reminding us of her humanity. A fascinating read, Davern's story, and that of Natalie's, will continue to haunt this reader for years to come.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Happy 4th of July
Wishing everyone a wonderful July Fourth weekend. The weather is beautiful here in New Jersey this weekend and the beaches are full, and we'll be under an umbrella of fireworks -- I think there are fireworks displays planned within every 25 mile radius! Have a safe and fun weekend!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Quote
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.
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.
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.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Memorial Day
...Wishing everyone a wonderful Memorial Day....the "unofficial start of summer" with barbecues, gatherings, fireworks, parades, and swimming. Have a safe, fun day and take a moment to remember what it's all about.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
My comments on GMA Interview
You can watch the 09/23/08 GMA Interview with Wagner at YouTube and I posted it here at the blog last week:
In the 09/23/08 GMA Diane Sawyer interview with Wagner, what is most upsetting is that Diane Sawyer doesn't have her facts organized for proper questions so she puts her questions into inaccurate statements, and Wagner sure doesn't stop to correct her misinformation.
Example: Sawyer states that Natalie went missing while "you and Chris Walken argued on the deck"
Both avoid commenting on what the argument was about, Wagner doesn't deny arguing, but he also doesn't correct her that he and Walken's argument was not "on the deck" but that the argument occured in the main salon, and that Walken really wasn't arguing anything. Wagner makes no attempt in this interview to claim what they argued about. This is incompetence on an interviewer's part to not ask what the argument was about, but I'm fairly certain it was preestablished that those kind of questions are off limits.
Example, Sawyer STATES in reference to the arguing that Natalie "went downstairs" -- this conjures the image of Natalie distancing herself all the way down the stairs that do not exist on Splendour. The master stateroom is right next to the main salon, ONE DOWN STEP away toward the rear deck. Chris's guest room was a few steps away from the main salon toward the front of the boat.
In the interview, Wagner says the dinghy was banging into the hull (LOWER outside of boat) but that is impossible for many reasons, but Sawyer doesn't know enough to ask more detailed questions about this.
(I am not using nautical terms such as aft and starboard, port, etc do this is more comprehensible for non-boaters)
Wagner says a few times in interview "we never heard anything" then he clarifies who "we" means: he and Chris Walken. I suppose Dennis Davern is a non-person when Wagner tells the little he tells of the fateful Thanksgiving cruise.
Wagner mentions Natalie's bruises. On the head, hip and legs is what he mentions. Again, nothing is said about the 25 superficial black and blue marks, the 4-inch wrist bruise, the scratches at the neck and ankles, and the large facial abrasion's implications. But this interview is for his book tour, not an inquest into Natalie's death, so I wouldn't expect details about her bruises, but I don't even think Wagner realizes that it's what Sawyer wants to talk about most: and I give Sawyer credit for pushing the envelope in bringing up the Warren Beatty episode, where Wagner waited for Beatty with a gun. Wagner brushes it off but gets in the insult that three men in a relationship doesn't work. Anyone who knew Natalie, knows that three in a relationship was NEVER her style. Wagner had a tendency to consider the men Natalie co-starred with as men invading their relationship, as he also did with William Devane in later years. His own insecurities are what I see, even with THIS 2008 interview, to make it appear as if Natalie had a tendency to cheat on him with her co-stars.
I noticed at YouTube that one comment a viewer left of this video said the look on Wagner's face is priceless as he watches an old video of himself and Natalie that Sawyer shows. In my opinion, the expression on his face is sheer terror: he doesn't know what's coming and I do commend GMA on catching this, as they the camera flashes back to him watching and you only see his half-smile appear in relief that it's only an innocuous clip of something lighthearted between him and Natalie.
All of his obvious inflections and word-phrasing, image-enhancing propaganda is something experts one day will study I'm sure. I am only offering my opinions of this video, watching it from the viewpoint of my own amateur investigation, but certainly not amateur involvement. I say this with no implication other than its truth: no one has delved more into EVERY aspect of this tragic event than I have, and maybe that's because it all started for me with an eye and ear witness to all the circumstance revolving around Natalie's tragic death, but it certainly took me to areas of the case where no one has gone. THIS CASE NEEDS TO BE RE-OPENED!
And lastly, what bothers me more than anything, and Wagner uses it in virtually every interview: He always refers to Natalie's death as "when she left us." Maybe that's exactly what Natalie did that night. She "left HIM" -- maybe she said, "This is it, RJ, I'm DONE." But one thing for sure: she didn't intentionally leave that boat.
Input welcome.
In the 09/23/08 GMA Diane Sawyer interview with Wagner, what is most upsetting is that Diane Sawyer doesn't have her facts organized for proper questions so she puts her questions into inaccurate statements, and Wagner sure doesn't stop to correct her misinformation.
Example: Sawyer states that Natalie went missing while "you and Chris Walken argued on the deck"
Both avoid commenting on what the argument was about, Wagner doesn't deny arguing, but he also doesn't correct her that he and Walken's argument was not "on the deck" but that the argument occured in the main salon, and that Walken really wasn't arguing anything. Wagner makes no attempt in this interview to claim what they argued about. This is incompetence on an interviewer's part to not ask what the argument was about, but I'm fairly certain it was preestablished that those kind of questions are off limits.
Example, Sawyer STATES in reference to the arguing that Natalie "went downstairs" -- this conjures the image of Natalie distancing herself all the way down the stairs that do not exist on Splendour. The master stateroom is right next to the main salon, ONE DOWN STEP away toward the rear deck. Chris's guest room was a few steps away from the main salon toward the front of the boat.
In the interview, Wagner says the dinghy was banging into the hull (LOWER outside of boat) but that is impossible for many reasons, but Sawyer doesn't know enough to ask more detailed questions about this.
(I am not using nautical terms such as aft and starboard, port, etc do this is more comprehensible for non-boaters)
Wagner says a few times in interview "we never heard anything" then he clarifies who "we" means: he and Chris Walken. I suppose Dennis Davern is a non-person when Wagner tells the little he tells of the fateful Thanksgiving cruise.
Wagner mentions Natalie's bruises. On the head, hip and legs is what he mentions. Again, nothing is said about the 25 superficial black and blue marks, the 4-inch wrist bruise, the scratches at the neck and ankles, and the large facial abrasion's implications. But this interview is for his book tour, not an inquest into Natalie's death, so I wouldn't expect details about her bruises, but I don't even think Wagner realizes that it's what Sawyer wants to talk about most: and I give Sawyer credit for pushing the envelope in bringing up the Warren Beatty episode, where Wagner waited for Beatty with a gun. Wagner brushes it off but gets in the insult that three men in a relationship doesn't work. Anyone who knew Natalie, knows that three in a relationship was NEVER her style. Wagner had a tendency to consider the men Natalie co-starred with as men invading their relationship, as he also did with William Devane in later years. His own insecurities are what I see, even with THIS 2008 interview, to make it appear as if Natalie had a tendency to cheat on him with her co-stars.
I noticed at YouTube that one comment a viewer left of this video said the look on Wagner's face is priceless as he watches an old video of himself and Natalie that Sawyer shows. In my opinion, the expression on his face is sheer terror: he doesn't know what's coming and I do commend GMA on catching this, as they the camera flashes back to him watching and you only see his half-smile appear in relief that it's only an innocuous clip of something lighthearted between him and Natalie.
All of his obvious inflections and word-phrasing, image-enhancing propaganda is something experts one day will study I'm sure. I am only offering my opinions of this video, watching it from the viewpoint of my own amateur investigation, but certainly not amateur involvement. I say this with no implication other than its truth: no one has delved more into EVERY aspect of this tragic event than I have, and maybe that's because it all started for me with an eye and ear witness to all the circumstance revolving around Natalie's tragic death, but it certainly took me to areas of the case where no one has gone. THIS CASE NEEDS TO BE RE-OPENED!
And lastly, what bothers me more than anything, and Wagner uses it in virtually every interview: He always refers to Natalie's death as "when she left us." Maybe that's exactly what Natalie did that night. She "left HIM" -- maybe she said, "This is it, RJ, I'm DONE." But one thing for sure: she didn't intentionally leave that boat.
Input welcome.
Friday, May 28, 2010
The very first report written of the Natalie Wood case ...
The following report by Investigator, Pamela Eaker, dated 11-29-81 was written at the scene of the body:
Descendent is actress Natalie Wood who along with her husband Robert Wagner, a friend, and the skipper of the Wagner boat, were spending the weekend at Catalina Island.
In the early morning hours of Sunday, November 29, 1981, sometimes after the group had returned to the boat, which was moored off the Isthmus, Mr. Wagner became aware that his wife and the boat’s dinghy were both missing. Mr. Wagner immediately radioed for help and a search was begun. Mrs. Wagner’s body was spotted from the air by a Sheriff’s Department helicopter that was enroute to the island to assist in the search. L.A. County Life Guards and the private searchers were the first ones to reach the body of Mrs. Wagner and pulled her from the water, where upon she was pronounced dead at 0744 hours.
Spoke with Don Whiting, night manager of Doug’s Harbor Reef, Catalina Isthmus, who related the following. Mr. Whiting arrived to work between 1600 and 1700 hours and the Wagner party was already in the bar and had been drinking. The party remained in the bar until approximately 1900 to 1930 hours at which time they were seated for dinner. Mr. Whiting estimates that the group consumed a couple bottles of champagne. Mr. Whiting says the group left the restaurant to return to their boat at approximately 2200 to 2230 hours and that the entire group appeared to him to be intoxicated. Mr. Whiting at this time called Kurt Craig of the Harbor Patrol and asked him to make sure that the group reached their boat safely, which Mr. Craig is reported to have done.
Spoke to Robert Wagner who related that the last time he remembers seeing his wife was at 2245 hours. Mr. Wagner, when he realized his wife was missing, placed a radio call for help.
Don Whiting heard Mr. Wagner’s radio call for help (Mr. Whiting lives on a boat and during his waking hours always monitors radio) at approximately 0130 hours and in turn called a friend on the Isthmus to go to the Wagner boat and advise him of the situation and if a search should be started.
When it was determined that indeed the dinghy and Natalie Wood were missing, a search was begun with Harbor Patrol, Bay Watch, private searchers, L.A. County Sherriff and U.S. Coast Guard all participating.
Mrs. Wagner’s body was found approximately 200 yards off the Blue Cavern Point, Isthmus area of Catalina Island, and north of where the dinghy was found, near the shoreline, a couple hours earlier.
Mr. Wagner was also questioned regarding the possibility of suicide, however he states that wife was not suicidal.
Don Whiting was one of the private searches (sic) who located the dinghy and says that the key was in the ignition, which was in the off position. The gear was in neutral and the oars tied down, and it appeared as if the boat had not been used.
Descendant’s body had been taken from the ocean and placed in the Hyperbaric Chamber building for safe keeping. Upon this investigation’s arrival at location, decedent observed lying in “stokes litter.” Decedent is wrapped in plastic sheet, she herself is dressed in flannel nightgown and socks. The jacket that she was wearing when found floating, is no longer on the body, having come off when she was pulled from the water. At time decedent was pulled from the water, sheriff’s personnel says that body was absent of any rigor and they noted foam coming from mouth. Decedent still has foam coming from mouth. Rigor is now present of a 3 to 4+ throughout her entire body. Decedent has numerous bruises to legs and arms. Decedent’s eyes are also a bit cloudy appearing. No other trauma noted and foul play is not suspected at this time. Skipper of the Wagner boat, Dennis Davern, identified body to sheriff’s deputies.
Please notify Detectives Rasher (sic) and Hamilton 1 HR. prior to post. (end report)
NO FOLLOW-UP investigation proceded to learn if the information in Eaker's report was accurate, meaning it was accepted that a call was placed immediately upon learning Natalie was missing. In actuality, that call hadn't been placed for over two hours after Natalie was no longer on the boat, and the Coast Guard not notified until after 3:30 AM. The official search did not immediately start with all the help Eaker noted in her report. She basically accepted anything she was told, and the detectives accepted this report, with no further investigation into establishing a legitimate, verified timeline.
Also, a report by Deputy R.W. Knoll of the Avalon's Sheriff's Department written Sunday, Nov. 29, 1981 at 6:30 a.m. claims he observed the broken wine bottle in the main salon of Splendour, but also moted that the Wagner stateroom had clothing and things like empty wine bottles scattered about the room.
NOTE: (could the empty wine bottles scattered in the stateroom be what Davern heard hitting the walls as he overheard the argument that transpired in the stateroom?)
Descendent is actress Natalie Wood who along with her husband Robert Wagner, a friend, and the skipper of the Wagner boat, were spending the weekend at Catalina Island.
In the early morning hours of Sunday, November 29, 1981, sometimes after the group had returned to the boat, which was moored off the Isthmus, Mr. Wagner became aware that his wife and the boat’s dinghy were both missing. Mr. Wagner immediately radioed for help and a search was begun. Mrs. Wagner’s body was spotted from the air by a Sheriff’s Department helicopter that was enroute to the island to assist in the search. L.A. County Life Guards and the private searchers were the first ones to reach the body of Mrs. Wagner and pulled her from the water, where upon she was pronounced dead at 0744 hours.
Spoke with Don Whiting, night manager of Doug’s Harbor Reef, Catalina Isthmus, who related the following. Mr. Whiting arrived to work between 1600 and 1700 hours and the Wagner party was already in the bar and had been drinking. The party remained in the bar until approximately 1900 to 1930 hours at which time they were seated for dinner. Mr. Whiting estimates that the group consumed a couple bottles of champagne. Mr. Whiting says the group left the restaurant to return to their boat at approximately 2200 to 2230 hours and that the entire group appeared to him to be intoxicated. Mr. Whiting at this time called Kurt Craig of the Harbor Patrol and asked him to make sure that the group reached their boat safely, which Mr. Craig is reported to have done.
Spoke to Robert Wagner who related that the last time he remembers seeing his wife was at 2245 hours. Mr. Wagner, when he realized his wife was missing, placed a radio call for help.
Don Whiting heard Mr. Wagner’s radio call for help (Mr. Whiting lives on a boat and during his waking hours always monitors radio) at approximately 0130 hours and in turn called a friend on the Isthmus to go to the Wagner boat and advise him of the situation and if a search should be started.
When it was determined that indeed the dinghy and Natalie Wood were missing, a search was begun with Harbor Patrol, Bay Watch, private searchers, L.A. County Sherriff and U.S. Coast Guard all participating.
Mrs. Wagner’s body was found approximately 200 yards off the Blue Cavern Point, Isthmus area of Catalina Island, and north of where the dinghy was found, near the shoreline, a couple hours earlier.
Mr. Wagner was also questioned regarding the possibility of suicide, however he states that wife was not suicidal.
Don Whiting was one of the private searches (sic) who located the dinghy and says that the key was in the ignition, which was in the off position. The gear was in neutral and the oars tied down, and it appeared as if the boat had not been used.
Descendant’s body had been taken from the ocean and placed in the Hyperbaric Chamber building for safe keeping. Upon this investigation’s arrival at location, decedent observed lying in “stokes litter.” Decedent is wrapped in plastic sheet, she herself is dressed in flannel nightgown and socks. The jacket that she was wearing when found floating, is no longer on the body, having come off when she was pulled from the water. At time decedent was pulled from the water, sheriff’s personnel says that body was absent of any rigor and they noted foam coming from mouth. Decedent still has foam coming from mouth. Rigor is now present of a 3 to 4+ throughout her entire body. Decedent has numerous bruises to legs and arms. Decedent’s eyes are also a bit cloudy appearing. No other trauma noted and foul play is not suspected at this time. Skipper of the Wagner boat, Dennis Davern, identified body to sheriff’s deputies.
Please notify Detectives Rasher (sic) and Hamilton 1 HR. prior to post. (end report)
NO FOLLOW-UP investigation proceded to learn if the information in Eaker's report was accurate, meaning it was accepted that a call was placed immediately upon learning Natalie was missing. In actuality, that call hadn't been placed for over two hours after Natalie was no longer on the boat, and the Coast Guard not notified until after 3:30 AM. The official search did not immediately start with all the help Eaker noted in her report. She basically accepted anything she was told, and the detectives accepted this report, with no further investigation into establishing a legitimate, verified timeline.
Also, a report by Deputy R.W. Knoll of the Avalon's Sheriff's Department written Sunday, Nov. 29, 1981 at 6:30 a.m. claims he observed the broken wine bottle in the main salon of Splendour, but also moted that the Wagner stateroom had clothing and things like empty wine bottles scattered about the room.
NOTE: (could the empty wine bottles scattered in the stateroom be what Davern heard hitting the walls as he overheard the argument that transpired in the stateroom?)
Thursday, May 27, 2010
How much do you weigh wearing a down jacket in water? Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour cut copy.
Following is a calculation chart Dr. Lyndon Taylor estimated for me but it was edited from "Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour" although I thought it was helpful.
This is from manuscript:
Buoyancy (By Dr. Lyndon Taylor)
Assume a 200 pound person:
1. About 80 of the body weight is water 200 lbs X 80% = 160 pounds of water
The water in the body has no weight in water so a floatation device does not have to support 160 of the person’s 200 pounds
2. 200 pounds – 160 pounds = 40 pounds
3. On the average, most people’s bodies have about 15% fat and fat is lighter than water so the floatation device does not have to support that weight either.
4. 200 pounds X 15% = 30 pounds
5. 40 pounds (from #2 above) – 30 pounds (from # 4 above) = 10 pounds.
6. A 200 pound person weighs only about 10 pounds in water!
7. A floatation device that has 10 pounds of buoyancy will keep the person afloat.
Assume Natalie Wood weighed 125 pounds:
1. 125 pounds X 80% = 100 pounds
2. 125 pounds – 100 pounds = 25 pounds
3. Assume that Natalie had 15% body fat - 125 X 15%= 18.75 pounds
4. 25 pounds (from # 2 above) – 18.75 pounds = 6.25 pounds
5. Natalie would have weighed 6.25 pounds in the water!
6. If the red down jacket had provided 6.25 pounds of buoyancy,
Natalie could not have drowned immediately!!
Wet down does not add weight to a person in the water—it, in fact, makes them virtually weightless! Natalie Wood was not hindered by a heavy down jacket to save herself. The jacket helped her to weigh less than 10 pounds in water. Official reports claim the down jacket’s saturated weight strapped her strength, and pulled her under. It has been repeated numerous times in relation to Natalie Wood’s death that a wet down jacket weighs 30 to 40 pounds. In fact, those claims were no more than an assumption. Apparently, no one weighed a jacket to prove the claim. Out of water, a wet down jacket weighs only half of those non-tested claims.
I had often wondered why Natalie wouldn’t have removed her jacket but, if she had, that would’ve made a bad situation even worse, for it was the down jacket that kept her afloat. She wouldn’t have been able to sink herself even if she tried. The jacket, even out of water wouldn’t have hindered her in mounting a dinghy. The extra 15 pounds wouldn’t even have registered until completely out of water. Natalie’s buoyant jacket made her virtually weightless in the water—providing an easier lift to the dinghy, not a cumbersome one.
As reported, wine may have distorted Natalie’s obvious choices, yet it’s more likely that Natalie didn’t take off the jacket because she recognized it was her life preserver, thus she had no reason to remove it. It protected her and probably offered her hope.
A down jacket has no saturated weight in water. It is 100% buoyant. Natalie was as safe as a duck wearing her jacket in the water. There would have been ample time to save her, even before hypothermia danger. Natalie would have had ample time to swim back to Splendour.
There existed ample choices, too, but also, as a floating object, she was prone to the strong ocean currents that could have pulled her out to sea further….just as Lyn Taylor’s drift tests proved.
This is from manuscript:
Buoyancy (By Dr. Lyndon Taylor)
Assume a 200 pound person:
1. About 80 of the body weight is water 200 lbs X 80% = 160 pounds of water
The water in the body has no weight in water so a floatation device does not have to support 160 of the person’s 200 pounds
2. 200 pounds – 160 pounds = 40 pounds
3. On the average, most people’s bodies have about 15% fat and fat is lighter than water so the floatation device does not have to support that weight either.
4. 200 pounds X 15% = 30 pounds
5. 40 pounds (from #2 above) – 30 pounds (from # 4 above) = 10 pounds.
6. A 200 pound person weighs only about 10 pounds in water!
7. A floatation device that has 10 pounds of buoyancy will keep the person afloat.
Assume Natalie Wood weighed 125 pounds:
1. 125 pounds X 80% = 100 pounds
2. 125 pounds – 100 pounds = 25 pounds
3. Assume that Natalie had 15% body fat - 125 X 15%= 18.75 pounds
4. 25 pounds (from # 2 above) – 18.75 pounds = 6.25 pounds
5. Natalie would have weighed 6.25 pounds in the water!
6. If the red down jacket had provided 6.25 pounds of buoyancy,
Natalie could not have drowned immediately!!
Wet down does not add weight to a person in the water—it, in fact, makes them virtually weightless! Natalie Wood was not hindered by a heavy down jacket to save herself. The jacket helped her to weigh less than 10 pounds in water. Official reports claim the down jacket’s saturated weight strapped her strength, and pulled her under. It has been repeated numerous times in relation to Natalie Wood’s death that a wet down jacket weighs 30 to 40 pounds. In fact, those claims were no more than an assumption. Apparently, no one weighed a jacket to prove the claim. Out of water, a wet down jacket weighs only half of those non-tested claims.
I had often wondered why Natalie wouldn’t have removed her jacket but, if she had, that would’ve made a bad situation even worse, for it was the down jacket that kept her afloat. She wouldn’t have been able to sink herself even if she tried. The jacket, even out of water wouldn’t have hindered her in mounting a dinghy. The extra 15 pounds wouldn’t even have registered until completely out of water. Natalie’s buoyant jacket made her virtually weightless in the water—providing an easier lift to the dinghy, not a cumbersome one.
As reported, wine may have distorted Natalie’s obvious choices, yet it’s more likely that Natalie didn’t take off the jacket because she recognized it was her life preserver, thus she had no reason to remove it. It protected her and probably offered her hope.
A down jacket has no saturated weight in water. It is 100% buoyant. Natalie was as safe as a duck wearing her jacket in the water. There would have been ample time to save her, even before hypothermia danger. Natalie would have had ample time to swim back to Splendour.
There existed ample choices, too, but also, as a floating object, she was prone to the strong ocean currents that could have pulled her out to sea further….just as Lyn Taylor’s drift tests proved.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
A little plan for my vacation this year
Since 1992, almost every summer we vacation at the same place. Wildwood, NJ, or "The Wildwoods" as they are called because there is Wildwood Crest, Wildwood (itself), and North Wildwood. We've stayed in all three districts, as the boardwalk is accessible from any section, one that includes three piers, water parks, arcades, amusements, great restaurants and free ocean beach the entire length of a two-mile long boardwalk famous for "Watch the Tram-car, Please" -- the female recorded voice from the 50's that all the constantly running tramcars play so you'll get out of their way.
Wildwood used to be called "Little Vegas" and it has maintained the charm of the 60's and 70's (famous area doo-wop era) but the Wildwood Convention Center features all kinds of great current bands, and there are beach concerts and night beach movies and fireworks every Friday Night. The night clubs are trendy and always packed. Every server carries a tray of appletinis in glass tubes around.
The Crest is the quietest, the middle (Wildwood) is more active, lots of young people, and North Wildwood is a mix. It's a great place for all ages and destined to be one of the vacation capitals of the world as every year there are vast improvements on an already fantastic place. Lot's of beautiful condos replaced old buildings, but historic blocks remain. And historic, charming Cape May is right next door.
I guess you could call us "regulars" -- although one year we went to Cancun and I remember saying I missed Wildwood. Another year we went to Myrtle Beach and I remember saying I missed Wildwood. The year we went to DisneyWorld, I admit that I did not miss Wildwood, but it was good to get back there the next year, and that's where we've gone since, usually renting a townhouse in North Wildwood or a house in the Crest, depending on the mood that year. This summer, I'm looking forward to the Crest. We usually have about 8 to 12 residents, and many people visit. Sometimes our friends rent the same week, and our cousin has a summer house there, so the socializing is constant, and you don't dare sneak off to Wildwood without telling everyone or your friends and family stay mad at you for months.
Why am I posting this at my Natalie Wood/book blog? Maybe just because I love the place so much I don't mind promoting it (I do highly recommend it), but maybe also because I've got vacation on the brain: I don't think I've ever been looking forward to one more.
Maybe I'm nostalgic tonight, too. I read my very first "beach book" on the Wildwood Crest beach when I was 14 while vacationing for two weeks as a couple's babysitter for three young kids. Those kids were great and I had a blast with them on the boardwalk, and I felt like I grew up and got wise to the world that summer with "Valley of the Dolls" on the beach and the movie "Sex and the Single Girl" starring Natalie Wood on the boardwalk, although it had been out for a while, I got to see it that year on one of my free nights. Bell bottoms were just becoming the rage that year, and who said they would never return? I also wore my first bikini ... and the freckles across my nose were considered "in."
Is there anything that compares to young, warm memories?
.
But, I'm also planning this summer to test a down coat in the ocean. I will film it and will post a YouTube video of the experience. It's not that I don't have confidence in my backyard test, it's just that I want a recording of the ocean experience, too. I know that down coats are the most buoyant thing you can depend on in water, but I want to see how ocean currents affect the ability to maneuver around.
In the meantime, if you are planning a vacation, The Wildwoods will surprise you!
New Jersey has some of the nicest beaches in the world. New Jersey is not the armpit of New York and those jokes fade fast the minute you visit the real New Jersey. Here's a link about The Wildwoods, and I bet you'll be singing the little tune about it, even if you never visit. (wait for the video)
Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, North Wildwood, The Wildwoods, NJ, New Jersey boardwalk, NJ Beach Vacation
Wildwood used to be called "Little Vegas" and it has maintained the charm of the 60's and 70's (famous area doo-wop era) but the Wildwood Convention Center features all kinds of great current bands, and there are beach concerts and night beach movies and fireworks every Friday Night. The night clubs are trendy and always packed. Every server carries a tray of appletinis in glass tubes around.
The Crest is the quietest, the middle (Wildwood) is more active, lots of young people, and North Wildwood is a mix. It's a great place for all ages and destined to be one of the vacation capitals of the world as every year there are vast improvements on an already fantastic place. Lot's of beautiful condos replaced old buildings, but historic blocks remain. And historic, charming Cape May is right next door.
I guess you could call us "regulars" -- although one year we went to Cancun and I remember saying I missed Wildwood. Another year we went to Myrtle Beach and I remember saying I missed Wildwood. The year we went to DisneyWorld, I admit that I did not miss Wildwood, but it was good to get back there the next year, and that's where we've gone since, usually renting a townhouse in North Wildwood or a house in the Crest, depending on the mood that year. This summer, I'm looking forward to the Crest. We usually have about 8 to 12 residents, and many people visit. Sometimes our friends rent the same week, and our cousin has a summer house there, so the socializing is constant, and you don't dare sneak off to Wildwood without telling everyone or your friends and family stay mad at you for months.
Why am I posting this at my Natalie Wood/book blog? Maybe just because I love the place so much I don't mind promoting it (I do highly recommend it), but maybe also because I've got vacation on the brain: I don't think I've ever been looking forward to one more.
Maybe I'm nostalgic tonight, too. I read my very first "beach book" on the Wildwood Crest beach when I was 14 while vacationing for two weeks as a couple's babysitter for three young kids. Those kids were great and I had a blast with them on the boardwalk, and I felt like I grew up and got wise to the world that summer with "Valley of the Dolls" on the beach and the movie "Sex and the Single Girl" starring Natalie Wood on the boardwalk, although it had been out for a while, I got to see it that year on one of my free nights. Bell bottoms were just becoming the rage that year, and who said they would never return? I also wore my first bikini ... and the freckles across my nose were considered "in."
Is there anything that compares to young, warm memories?
.
But, I'm also planning this summer to test a down coat in the ocean. I will film it and will post a YouTube video of the experience. It's not that I don't have confidence in my backyard test, it's just that I want a recording of the ocean experience, too. I know that down coats are the most buoyant thing you can depend on in water, but I want to see how ocean currents affect the ability to maneuver around.
In the meantime, if you are planning a vacation, The Wildwoods will surprise you!
New Jersey has some of the nicest beaches in the world. New Jersey is not the armpit of New York and those jokes fade fast the minute you visit the real New Jersey. Here's a link about The Wildwoods, and I bet you'll be singing the little tune about it, even if you never visit. (wait for the video)
Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, North Wildwood, The Wildwoods, NJ, New Jersey boardwalk, NJ Beach Vacation
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