Natalie Wood - What Really Happened That Night? - Midlife
I corresponded with Kathie LoMonaco, the author of this article, last year a few times. She had always admired Natalie Wood and had always wondered about the way she lost her life. After reading Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour, Kathie told me she intended to write an article about it. I deeply appreciate Kathie's article this 29th year after Natalie's tragic death.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
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Great article. I hope it's the beginning of many to come. I'm not sure why she thought Natalie told Dennis she was going to consult a lawyer. I'm pretty sure you have said that wasn't the case.
ReplyDeleteGood article. I like the picture she paints of the way Natalie was found floating dead in the cold ocean.
ReplyDeleteDid you check out the feature section next to this article? It's called psychopaths and sociopaths among us. I wonder if that was just a coincidence. Read the article and see if it describes anyone.
ReplyDeleteThere were a few things mentioned from GNGS in the article that were reaaranged, I suppose Kathie wrote from memory of reading GNGS, but in the hotel room, the Firday night before Natalie died, she had made several angry remarks that stunned Dennis. One of the remarks was that she was angry enough to talk to a lawyer if Wagner wouldn't learn to calm himself down and curtail his drinking. There's a good possibility the bottle smashing was also a breaking point for Natalie. She may have been angry enough to have said things she wouldn't be able to live to regret.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right, Marti.
ReplyDeleteNatalie was coming to a point where she had to make a decision. Wagner's drinking was really bothering her, and his jealousy--which may have been flattering earlier in their relationship--was forcing Natalie to draw a line in the sand. I feel it is the very reason why she was so determined to have that weekend with Walken (Wagner be damned). She may have felt she was being suffocated by his behavior.
Of all the people Natalie wanted support and unquestionable trust from was her husband. Having Walken on that cruise was nothing more than Natalie wanting to socialize with an actor (Walken) she had much regard for. Sure, they were "playful" together. They had just worked for months together on a film they both sensed was doomed. They had common laughs to share about it.
ReplyDeleteWalken realized whose company he was in...the legendary Natalie Wood's company! He LIKED her! Natalie realized what company she was in: an Oscar winning, rising star's company. They could both professionally learn and be inspired from one another, as well as be friends. If Walken's wife hadn't been on the East COast, she would've been invited on the cruise, too.
Wagner couldn't handle that Natalie was friends with Walken. He, too, realized what company HE was in: that of two really dedicated actors (Natalie and Walken). For all of Wagner's continuing work schedules, he had really never reached the level his wife and Walken had reached in the business. On top of that, Natalie was still one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood. He was jealous and he became raging mad for many deeper rooted reasons. Natalie didn't fall off a boat and drown.
A thought I had about Natalie & RJ's relationship: When they married the second time, Natalie had a daughter already and was enjoying being a mom. She'd slowed down on making movies, and maybe that appealed to RJ. At that point in his life he may have wanted a wife who wouldn't overshadow him in the limelight, especially once he became a hit on Hart to Hart.
ReplyDeleteOnce Natalie's daughters got a little older, it appeared she wanted to start making more movies again. It seems that RJ was threatened by that and preferred for Natalie to stay home and be a wife and mother. Their marriage may have been slowly deteriorating as Natalie entered a new stage of her life that RJ didn't like. Maybe he even suspected she might leave him for her career and that made him even more jealous than he normally would've been. Maybe the word "divorce" or "splitting up" had been discussed at home. Who knows?
This could have been a situation where RJ's anger was building literally over a few years.
from KB
He is a very self-centered man.
ReplyDeleteI had heard that Christopher Walken's wife had gone with him to the Wagner house for Thanksgiving dinner but ended up having to fly back to the east coast and couldn't go on the boat with them. Is that true?
ReplyDeleteNot true.
ReplyDeleteWalken's wife was not in LA the weekend of Natalie's death. In actually, GNGS completely clears her husband. You might think she'd encourage Walken to break his silence. He knows Dennis's account is true.
ReplyDeleteMarti,
ReplyDeleteI hope you will take a minute to see the thread at the Natalie Death Forum 'More Meaningless Crap...'
I bring this to your attention because I believe it would be in your best interests to contact the forum owner and report the disgusting things being said about you and the business of your book.
If you've already seen it, I hope you are addressing it.
I care about you as well as I do Natalie. Whoever is writing the insulting things about you clearly has a mental deficiency, far beyond the comfort zone. I might even contact the police if I were you. It's beyond an unhealthy obsession this person has with you.
I like the point of having a Grand Jury appointed to look over this case. According to our judicial system, a judge could bypass law enforcement and appoint an existing Grand Jury or form a new one. The Grand Jury can be presented the material in GNGS as well as from additional sources, and it would be in their hands to decide if enough is there to place someone on trial.
ReplyDeleteIt's one of the brighter aspects of our judicial system, that if law enforcement denies someone justice due to corruption or other self interests, that person denied service can still have his/her day in court through other channels.
Michael B
I went to the "More meaningless crap.." thread and saw the usual garbage. Some of the other threads truly cross the line but this particular thread looked like they were insulting each other mostly. Someone did compose a snarky ditty that I am sure they are proud of. If I was a suspicious person, I would think they want you to see it. Skip it, life is too short.
ReplyDeleteIt is embarrassing to read the Natalie Wood Death Forum. The people that comment seem like uneducated buffoons.
ReplyDeleteIt's gone beyond posting about Natalie's death or the book. The personal attacks on Marti are vile and should be dealt with. I would contact the owner of that forum for assistance in tracing the identity of the person or people who are stepping over the line. It's almost threatening? It's gone beyond "I don't like the book". We are entitled to voice our opinion of the book but the attacks on Marti's character are getting way out of line. The person making them seems demented. I would not take him lightly. You never know what this type is capable of. Remember the threat made here about the powerful group?
ReplyDeleteI knew what came with the territory when I signed my publishing contracts. To be honest though, I never expected this. There are sensible and rational ways to disagree and to discuss issues -- just takes some self-control and maturity and a willingness to want to keep peace.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a book. I did my best to be objective, to stay honest, and to stick to facts. Facts only bother people who don't want to hear them. (The truth hurts?)
To be honest, I'm not sure what to do about any of this, and right now I'm too busy to do anything. Guess I shouldn't have said that as before when I said I'm busy, that's when I was really moved in on.
I'll contact the forum owner and see if he can get the part erased about my publishing company and about my stubby fingers.
For the record, my fingers are not stubby. I play guitar better than I play piano, but I can reach ALL the keys for ANY chord on both. A keyboard is a breeze. :-)
Joke's on the insecure, inaccurate person who wrote that little ditty.
We all sometimes do and say things we regret. It's the person who owns up to it and apologizes who builds character.
While on the subject of fingers, let's not forget that Natalie Wood's fingers were pliable when found, meaning she struggled to survive for many terrifying hours in the ocean that night, waiting for help to arrive. That's what this is about: getting the person who knew she was struggling in the ocean to have to answer some hard questions, in a legal setting, as any one of us would be made to do. Really, if any one of us were on a boat and our spouse was found with dozens of bruises, abrasions, and scrathces, floating in their night clothes, and broken glass was scattered all over our boat in disarray, we would be INTERROGATED. No detective would show up at our house to hear our attorney's comments for our actions. Our body would be checked when we were MADE to visit the station. This is about nothing more. If we stick to basics, I think we all can survive this topic and mission.
Have a good weekend. Enjoy the season. Life is too short to begin with. Thank you all for caring. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
Marti, more than 10 years ago I worked in a business where I talked about things people didn't want to talk about - highly unethical and possible illegal behavior. I was personally criticized in the most ridiculous ways, and of course it hurt. But when people start getting personal like that, it's because they've run out of meaningful things to say.
ReplyDeleteI know it's very hard to turn off your feelings about that kind of stuff, but I bet there are far more people who appreciate your efforts and applaud GNGS.
On the subject of Chris Walken, I don't have much hope that he'll ever be publicly honest about that night. Even now, I think he has too much to lose. I think a lot of people would start asking questions that Walken doesn't want to answer - "How could you have slept through all that?" "How do you feel about waking up the next morning and learning your co-star was mysteriously dead?" "Do you think foul play was involved?" He probably doesn't want to be asked these questions over and over, especially for years to come.
...from KB
KB,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your encouraging words. It does get difficult, but I did expect that a few people would be bitter and never able to understand the importance of GNGS. I knew I would be accused of many things, but the slights can sting. I would look like a liar if I said they did not.
I didn't write GNGS to hurt Natalie's family members at any cost, or for any other reason than to tell the truth about Natalie's death. Given the real circumstances behind her death, I truly believe it is something she deserves. There's an important principle involved as well. I didn't write it to hurt Wagner, either, but I do not have sympathy for his "image." His image is the reason Natalie Wood died a horrid death that night. I did not and do not slander him. I told what I believe to be 100% accuracy about the details of Natalie's death, something every person deserves, especially someone who died so mysteriously. For the people who want to blame the messenger, fine, but to make it appear that I am involved in something underhanded for ulterior motives is spiteful. I know for a fact that the ratio is in Natalie's favor. Over 90% of any poll ever taken shows that people believe something sinister is involved with her death.
It's Natalie's image I thought about, and it's her image that I care about. For those that blame her or believe she is responsible for her own death, they are wrong. Of all the things that could have happened that night, a horrible death didn't have to transpire, but it did, and one man knows exactly how it happened, and let it happen.
The going theme for her death for decades was "let it be." I have no clue why. Natalie's death was not properly investigated. Rasure can scream from the hilltops that it was, but he knows it was not. So does his retired boss, Salerno. My friend Dennis made terrible mistakes in the way he handled what he knew. I wish I had handled a few things differently, too, but it's all hindsight.
I am proud of GNGS. I'm proud of the effort I gave it, I'm proud of the things I uncovered that professionals left behind them to make their own lives easier. I hold my own, but no matter what anyone says about me, no matter how many insults, inaccuracies, and foolish things posted anywhere, GNGS comes the closest to solving "the mystery of Natalie Wood" than anything or anyone else ever has. There is no speculation and no "theory" involved. Sadly, it's what happened.
Someone once made a comment about me to the effect of "how could someone of HER stature accuse such a famous, revered man of such a thing?" Here's my answer: I'm not accusing him of anything. I'm reporting what he did the night his wife died. He's not calling me on it, because it's the truth. The minute he does call me on it, the truth gets recognized. So, he continues to hide the truth behind his empire of lies. I'd prefer "my stature" over HIS stature ANY DAY of my life. He wanted the laws changed so that people couldn't "talk about him ater he's gone." He's mentioned that a few times. Well, I talked about him while he is still here.
All the authorities need to do is pick up from the last page of GNGS and proceed to ask Walken and Wagner some serious questions. Dennis is willing to cooperate with them in full.
Hear, hear, Marti!
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Marti. You exposed the truth while he is still alive. Someone actually wrote "that book" about Natalie he swore would never happen in his lifetime. That takes pure guts. I think you've actually shellshocked the industry, the media and the authorities. Something has come their way they obviously don't know how to handle. Here you are, a first time author, and you gave them something that has floored them. When they get up, they'll figure out what to do and I have no doubt it will help your purpose. I wish you the best. CM
ReplyDeleteThe owner of the death forum needs to hear from people about the maniac there going too far about Dennis and Marti.
ReplyDeleteFrank's email is frank@franksreelreviews.com
I think Natalie was very serious about contacting a lawyer if Wagner did not get himself and his drinking under control. Let's not forget that Natalie grew up in a house were her father's drinking was an issue. I am sure she would never have let her children go through what she had regarding that. Wagner more than likely had heard Natalie speak of her experiences with that issue, as a child, over the years and knew she would never tolerate such behavior in her own home. I believe that knowledege also played a part in the decisions he made that night after Natalie was in the water. If she had been able to 'tell all' to the proper authorities about his actions that night toward her, Wagner the 'image' and quite possibly the man, would have been destroyed forever.
ReplyDeleteWhen Wagner had his first boat (he and Natalie honeymooned on it first time around) Natalie was younger and more involved on the boating end of things. They did not have a captain then and she helped on the boat, various light boat chores. She even painted the engine room pipes, very colorful, and Wagner said it looked like a rainbow. She was proud of herself that she wasn't prissy. When they purchased Splendour, and hired Dennis as captain and for boat maintenance, Natalie did little more than socialize aboard her yacht. She chose colors and decor but she did not do any of the manual labor or boat chores. A little investigating into the broken glass all over the main salon that morning would've helped lead detectives in the right direction. The master stateroom was in complete disarray, as if a physical argument had taken place there. I don't know how the detectives from two separate jurisdictions let it go. (Knoll from Avalon and Rasure for LA County). Her death was immediately accepted as an accident because celebrity was involved.
ReplyDeleteNatalie believed she had a wonderful marriage. She loved her husband but was not the type of woman who would tolerate possessiveness. She was an independent, strong woman and had she been rescued from the ocean I doubt she would have ever protected her husband again, something she had always done for him.
She was a good woman, a good wife. It's sad to think that Natalie, of all women in Hollywood history, never was in a relationahip with the type of man she deserved... a good one, through and through.
It's even more tragic to realize she had no clue RJ could go as far as he did.
ReplyDelete