Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour is the poignant story of a young, cavalier adventurer, Dennis Davern, who landed the position of Splendour Captain and how the Wagner family welcomed him into their hearts and home. Natalie’s death in 1981 sent shock waves throughout the world and remained an enduring mystery. Dennis reached out to me, his friend, and my mission to substantiate Dennis's account led me on a personal quest for truth that spanned decades. Many of the lingering questions are solved.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Tonight - West Side Story - Natalie Wood 's own voice
I always wondered how Natalie sounded in West Side Story that they
would dub her singing. Now I know. Can't believe I had never viewed
this before. Maybe I'm biased, but I think she sounds great. What a
precious woman she was. So talented, so beautiful, and so adored.
It's interesting because at first I thought it was Marni Nixon who I believe dubbed Natalie's voice. I never thought Marni's voice was right for Natalie and I don't really care for Natalie's operatic version either. I love her voice in Gypsy. It was very natural and it sounded just like her speaking voice.
ReplyDeleteI was never thrilled with the dubbed voice either because I didn't think she sounded like Natalie, and I'm glad West Side Story did not suffer for it. It became the classic it deserved to be. But I'm really amazed at how close both Marni's and Natalie's voices were.
ReplyDeleteI loved Natalie - but her voice is weak, not on pitch or sustaining notes at the professional level expected in a multi-million dollar film musical. West Side Story's score requires a trained voice for Maria's songs [Tonight; One Hand, One heart; I Feel Pretty; Somewhere;]. However, her voice worked serviceably in Gypsy as her songs are not demanding and are basically talk-sung.
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