Today Wagner turned 81. I thought a lot about it today. He has been able to live his full life, to watch his daughters grow into women. He has lived.
It's almost 30 years since Natalie Wood was robbed of her chance for a full life.
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and he robbed her of that.
ReplyDeleteI hope he's around for awhile. It would be his karma to be made to squirm if this case can be reopened.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it hasn't been all smooth sailing. I would like to think that every time someone writes a book or brings Natalie up on a show, it touches a chord of fear in him. That nagging feeling that he's probably safe but what if? Now it's a race to the finish line. What will come first? Natalie's justice or his passing? Sorry, let me put that into Wagnerese. "When he leaves us".
ReplyDeleteI can't say I'm sympathetic toward him, but I suspect RJ has suffered a lot of internal turmoil as a result of Natalie's death. Coincidentally I've been reading about depression, and specifically male depression, to help my husband. Gosh, there's a lot of stuff in this depression book that makes me think of RJ and his simmering rage.
ReplyDeletefrom KB
I hope so, KB. I hope he suffers a great deal. I know of several people who have seen him in unguarded moments. The term "tormented" was used when I asked about his demeanor in these unguarded moments.
ReplyDeleteKB,
ReplyDeleteWhat's the name of the book you are reading? I read a psychology book last year and all I could think about was Wagner's personailty because I read it right after GNGS. I believe he's a man with a problem. What he did the night Natalie died was not the answer to his rage and in the aftermath, I think he knew it, but there was still his image to protect. I sometimes like to thin he's evil, but I think he's more a guilty, selfish, egotistical, self-centered person to the point of sociopathic tendencies. (My little psychology study).
Hi Marti:
ReplyDeleteI thought a lot about it being his birthday, too. It stuns me that Wagner has had 30 years with St. John (or "Magic", as he likes to call her--YUCK). Of course, it might even be more than 30 years with St. John, if you tend to believe he was misbehaving before Natalie died. That is an even more sickening possiblity to me. He was so wildly jealous--a lot of times when people are jealous, it's because they're guilty of what they accuse the other person of doing. I think that just might fit him.
And to the poster above, yes, Wagner is a sociopath. He's a classic narcissist. He is all those things that you state. It makes me disgusted to think of him or, even worse, to hear and see him.
He had a lot to lose with Natalie. Especially social standing. With St. John, he is the star and center of attention, she merely orbits around him. In that household, he's now the big shot he always wanted to be.
ReplyDeleteHi Marianne,
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you. I have no clue if there was anything between Jill and Wagner before Natalie died, but what Dennis did witness was Jill constantly arriving at the Wagner front door with food and sympathy immediately after Natalie died. I guess Wagner liked the attention.
I watched CSI Los Angeles last night and it was a story loosely based on the John Edward's true story: a mistress having a baby while a politician's wife has cancer. This fiction account involved the wife trying to murder the mistress, and the unborn baby was lost in the process. The point stressed in the show, however, was the fact that some men are quick to line up another partner (I suppose women do it too) when they feel or know they are about to be alone.
None of us know EXACTLY when Wagner knew he was going to lose Natalie but we do know he did everything in his power to make sure it would happen while she was in the ocean. We also know that HE KNOWS she was in the ocean, NOT in the dinghy. It's highly unlikely it was anyone's voice but his that Marilyn Wayne heard.
KB, any insights you get from the book you are reading, I'd like to hear them. You could even email me if you'd like.
Anon 11:17, in my opinion, I think that's what he wanted: to be the star and center of his family. I think he always envied what Natalie had achieved.
Yes, I believe that Wagner was resentful and jealous of what Natalie had accomplished. The other day I was thinking again of how he referred to her career "demons." Again, what is wrong or bad about wanting to work, especially in a craft that she mastered? "Demons?" The only demons that existed were in Wagner's thick head. His use of the term just screams out his insecurities and jealousy.
ReplyDeleteI think Wagner was jealous of Natalie's talent, star power and presence - things he couldn't dream of having himself. That's why he didn't want her to costar in "Hart To Hart" and the fact that during their second marriage up until "Brainstorm" she was content to only act occasionally and be a stay-at-home mom for the most part. Let's face it, she was the star and the artist during their first marriage. He has nowhere near the charisma or talent she had. He was basically a pretty boy with a very limited range. While I do think she found him in bed with a guy, I do believe it was the fact that her career was more successful than his was a major part of the disintegration of their first marriage. When she wanted to start pursuing her career again once the girls were in school he became threatened. With only his mimicry and television to back him up, he would have been "Mr. Natalie Wood" again. He comes across as chauvanistic and controlling, the opposite of how he tries to present himself. How hard it must be to maintain such a facade and fear of being exposed as involved in Natalie's death . . . . but I have no pity for him.
ReplyDeleteColleen, I agree with what you say in the above post. And yes, Wagner does come across as chauvinistic and controlling. But I would say that he DIDN'T try hard to mask that in his book. There were so many examples of chauvinism, snobbery, crassness, and his overall insecurities that I was disgusted. Reading his book was the big tip-off for me--I never believed the official story of how Natalie died, but I didn't think that he had directly done something to her. I thought there was more but couldn't imagine that he put her in the water.
ReplyDeleteAfter Wagner started gallivanting with St. John and looking so happy a few months after Natalie died, I thought it was weird and troubling. In the years that followed, something bothered me, and I liked him less and less.
Finally, in reading his book, I became convinced that something had happened. His overall tone toward Natalie was bothersome. And his lack of a dedication or even acknowledgement was striking.
Then, with "GNGS," it all came together, and it was validated what I already felt but didn't have the details on. He DID know what happened to her, and he was a sham. What a deceitful life he has lived. It is disgusting and sickening to me.