At least he was referred to as a "Hollywood veteran" and a "TV star" (instead of a being called a legend) in the media releases about this side story. Wagner's response to the dissing of a restaurant that he likes is an example of him using his celebrity, however minor it is, to call attention to something....BUT he zips his lip when he does NOT want to call attention to something....where was his letter to Vanity Fair after Kashner's article ran in 2000? Where was his defense of his wife, the mother of his daughter? He allowed her to be called a "tail swisher" ...
And last but not least, where is his letter about "Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour"? It's NO WHERE, which strongly implies that he lied every which way he could about the details surrounding Natalie Wood's death.
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HA! So he does read Vanity Fair! I wonder when he started reading it... Signing the letter with an expletive was classy for a Hollywood veteran. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize he was in Towering Inferno -- isn't that the movie (script) Natalie called "insipid" or something like that? RJ must have less discriminating taste.
He had a supporting role in Inferno. And yes, RJ has much less discriminating taste than Natalie. Natalie was considered for the female lead in Inferno which must have taken a bite out of RJ's over-sized ego. There he is available for work in films and he is offered only supporting roles and there she is going through the period in her life in which took a break from films to tend to her family and she is offered lead roles while he is offered minor supporting roles.
ReplyDeleteThe media uses empty words like "legend" for people like Wagner. It's the way articles are written about older actors. What is it about him that is legendary? Certainly not his body of work. He is small potatoes, a TV actor who could not sustain a film career. The most legendary aspect of his life is and was Natalie.
One of my business customers read GNGS. He stopped in with his wife and he asked me a few questions, and his BIGGEST confusion was over how this "small potatoes guy" had such power to have gotten away with what he (my customer) considered foul play. I answered that RJ really didn't have power, but that it was a botched investigation and that I thought most of the stardust in everyone's eyes was because it was Natalie involved, not Wagner. We talked about Sinatra's involvement and how that factored into Noguchi coming under attack, but Noguchi also had a personal agenda....he wanted to be "the star" -- so, when everyone wanted to shut Noguchi down, justice for Natalie suffered on that end, too. SHe didn't have a proper police investigation OR a proper medical examination.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's all complicated, but what happened to Natalie is rather simple.
Also, at the time of Natalie's death, Wagner was in a popular tv show...the public tends to look the other way.
ReplyDeleteOf course Wagner would write to VF about the restaurant review because it makes him look like the good guy. Wagner is a mouse parading around in a man's body.
I firmly believe Dennis' account of the night Natalie died. When Dennis says that Wagner was more concerned about his image than Natalie's life, it fits in perfectly with what Wagner has told of himself. In his autobiography, he recounts how he would stare admiringly as he caught his own reflection in store windows--that is a very telling statement. He knew he would be in the movies because he said, "I had the look."
ReplyDeleteWagner had no interest (or talent) for acting. He was purely an image to be admired--I believe that is how he saw himself. He had no interest in exploring the art of acting. He was the male counterpoint to starlets like Ava Gardner and Lana Turner.
In Wagner's case, once the physical beauty was gone (it never lasts) there wasn't much left.
Nail on the head, again, Kevin!
ReplyDeleteI think Natalie may have been just a means to an end for Wagner. I'm sorry to say that because of her children, but, at the same time, this man needs to be brought to justice.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Natalie's children have figured these things out for themselves.
Kevin, I agree with what you said, except in comparing Wagner to Lana Turner and Ava Gardner. They may not have been interested in acting as an art form but that doesn't mean that they couldn't act. Both ladies had great screen presence which Wagner lacks. And both were Oscar-nominated, which says something. Wagner has never had that honor, because he can't really act. (I still say he was playing himself in "A Kiss Before Dying" the rest of the time he mimics other actors). Natalie's Oscar and other award nominations must really have annoyed Wagner because he's nowhere near the actor that she was. Like Natalie, Turner and Gardner also have very big fanbases and people are still reading about them and watching their films today, because they are classic actresses. Wagner may fancy himself a classic actor but he isn't. Only he will really sing his praises because most other people who like him don't have a whole lot to say. He's kept the dark side of himself hidden for the most part, and I think most are afraid to bring up Natalie - again, why are they walking on eggshells around him? He moved on pretty much without a backward glance and has probably never looked back. The tragic widower card is such a broken record. And phony. He'll defend a restaurant but not the memory of his deceased wife, or address the facts which bring his "innocence" into question. Again, speaks volumes. Natalie and her daughters deserve so much better.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree in Gardner's case that she became a good actress. But she said that she was hired because of her looks and not because she had a talent. I was referring to their "starlet" period; when they were young actresses starting out and hired specifically for their looks.
ReplyDeleteNatalie was a very sensitive young girl and adult woman...I think that sensitivity is what made so many of her performances so poignant.
ReplyDeleteOh, okay. Thanks for the clarification. I hope you didn't feel that I was attacking you.
ReplyDeleteYep, Wagner lived off his looks and his "charm" more than anything else. Both have worn off and now he's just a has-been. But he likes to think of himself as a legend and it doesn't help matters that the press vacantly gives him that title when they refer to him. Where is his admiration and praise for Natalie, the supposed "great love of his life"? His main concern is maintaining what is left of his public image, and considering there wasn't much there to begin with, well.
Agreed. It was Natalie's sensitivity that really got me, and it's probably why I became a fan of her as soon as I saw her movies. Her vulnerability also drew me in, as I'm sure it did a lot of other people. She was just so genuine in everything she did.
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't think you were attacking me. I'd rather clarify something than have it misunderstood (which I think happens more than we realize.)
ReplyDeleteHow shallow and vain he is to look at his reflection in store windows! LOL. He thought a lot of himself.
ReplyDeleteIf he had anything beyond his looks he would have reached the heights of stardom as many of his peers did. He had no real talent beyond being charming, beyond being a poor imitation of Cary Grant.
As was said here, Natalie's trademark vulnerability is what drew the audience to her. Wagner had nothing to draw an audience beyond his looks and plastic charm. With that, his TV success was a compilation of fluff, never a acting challenge.
Hey Marti, I'd rather look at those motorcycles than Wagner and St. John. LOL
ReplyDeleteLOL, Roz, I understand, but sometimes ya gotta show the evidence, itself, for better or worse.
ReplyDeleteWhen you think about it, it makes sense that Wagner would talk about staring at his reflection with a sense of pride; his looks are what made him famous. Becoming famous was important to him.
ReplyDeleteThat is fine in and of itself. The problem I have (I think we all have)is that the preservation of Wagner's famous image seems to have played a pivotal role in the death of Natalie Wood.
That scene Wagner describes is right out of Greek mythology...Narcissus gazing at (and falling in love with) his reflection in the water.
Heaven help the critic who disgusts at Wagner's favorite plate of soggy Pâté or a musty wine cellar reeking like a urine troth in a public "toilettes" or service from a cranky old maître d’...but alas, what does one expect from someone who is so utterly crude that they would go on record with a comment such as “Ya know, guys, I suspect that kid’s banged each one of our daughters.”?
ReplyDeleteThis is typical fare for someone who was always on the underbelly of Hollywood Society.
Keepnfriends,
ReplyDeleteDennis always said Wagner's crude humor could sometimes make for an uncomfortable moment or two. It seemed ok during fishing trips with the guys or off to the side where no one could hear, but Wagner's sense of humor wasn't one Dennis was accustomed to. Dennis learned a lot about the celebrity world when he lived in L.A. for 10 years. He especially learned a lot about Wagner.
The talk Wagner fans like to hear about Dennis finally being "cut-off" by Wagner is interesting. What really happened was that Wagner definitely noticed how uneasy Dennis became as time moved further away from Natalie's death. As Natalie faded from Wagner's life (started within weeks of her death) Dennis also faded into guilt and remorse in a manner that eventually came close to taking his life, because his overwhelming desire to NOT remain silent ate away at him. Wagner definitely noticed. That's the only sense that Dennis was a burden to Wagner. Wagner couldn't have that around him. It wasn't that Wagner didn't want to offer Dennis support any longer (in any sense), it's more that Wagner didn't want "Dennis-the-reminder" around him any longer. Dennis couldn't let go of Natalie's death, and that's all that Wagner wanted: to let go.
Dennis never took one unearned cent from Wagner, and that's a fact no Wagner fan wants to hear, but it's the truth.
It seems to me that Wagner's friends who DID NOT know the truth about Natalie's death, Wagner's friends who saw him as a grieving widower, may have felt that Dennis was taking advantage of poor RJ at a very vulnerable time in his life. Wagner was not about to tell them the REAL reason Dennis was sticking so close to him, so he played the victim. I think RJ would have kept Dennis around but how could he explain keeping him around without having his friends ask why? It does not take a scholar to reason that RJ wanted to keep Dennis as far from the press as possible. I wonder if Wagner's friends knew that he had his bullies drag Dennis back to Wagner's house when Dennis went to visit his girlfriend.
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ReplyDeleteInteresting, Marti, about Wagner's foul mouth.
ReplyDeleteI think I know how Cary Grant must have felt when Wagner made that offensive remark about their daughters.
Last week, I was in Barnes and Noble and came upon a book called "Good Stuff: A Reminisence of My Father, Cary Grant." It was written by Cary's daughter, Jennifer Grant--her mother is Dyan Canon. I skimmed through the book.
Ms Grant writes of wonderful memories recalling a very special father. Cray Grant was 62 y/o when his daughter was born, and he was 82 when he died. He didn't waste any of those 20 years...he truly appreciated every moment his daughter was in his life. She talks about the boxes and boxes of letters, notes, cards, movies and tape recordings to and of herself, that Mr Grant left behind (in a custom made safe that took up an entire room. She was a very lucky child to have had such a father and she knows it.
It dawned on me that Mr Grant, especially, would have been offended by Wagner's remark. You would understand if you saw some of the letters he wrote to his daughter, and the funny little drawings he would include on them. I don't think it would have ever occurred to Mr Grant to say such a thing about his child.
He taught his daughter a love of life--of nature and music and people. All of the things he called "Good Stuff."
Kevin, was there any mention of her mother?
ReplyDeleteYes, Roz, she does write about her mother. I only skimmed the book, and most of what I read was about Grant. The part I read, in reference to her mother, talked about Ms Cannon making a lot of movies in the early 70's, so she spent much more time with her father. She includes pictures of her mom, too.
ReplyDeleteMs Grant wrote that her dad asked her not to read things about him after he was gone. He asked her to remember what she knew of him and to know that that is the truth. He told her that he wouldn't be around to defend himself against things that he felt people were going to write about him. She said she has honored his wishes, but she realizes that she probably could get to know her father better if she was to read what's been written since he died.
Thanks, Kevin. I will check it out, sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteThere are people who don't understand why Natalie took a break from working when her kids were babies. When you read what other kids say about their Moms not being around due to their work, it is better understood why she made the choices she made. I would have loved it if she worked more but she chose to be with her kids when they were babies and toddlers, when they could not understand that when she left in the morning, she'd be home later in the day. Even when she returned to work she refused long location shoots. I respect her for her choices knowing what she knew about Hollywood.
From what I have been told, Natalie's kids read everything about her.
I imagine RJ will make the same request of his daughters but for entirely different reasons.
Since Wagner is alive and NOT defending himself, I take it as verification of GNGS.
ReplyDeleteI would have loved it if Natalie continued to make studio quality movies throughout the 70's, but I'm glad she had that time with her daughters. I'm sure that those years mean the world to them--especially the older one. I don't think more movies of Natalie could have replaced all of the memories they have of days spent with her.
I take it as a verification also. He speaks out about trivial things but he is quiet as a mouse about GNGS.
ReplyDeleteSo true, Kevin. Natalie's kids had the best of their mother in the short time they had her.
OK, so I sat down and watched Towering Inferno again. Obviously RJ's performance was forgettable because I didn't remember that was *him*! I'm sure I recognized him the last time I watched the movie (probably five or more years ago) but it didn't stick in my mind. He was pretty awful in his role and it's interesting how tragically they killed him off. There wasn't even a mention of his character later on (that I can recall -- it's a three-hour movie!). It's ironic that his character was forgotten after he died...
ReplyDeleteIs A Kiss Before Dying worth watching? RJ's character sounds like a really bad seed.
ReplyDeleteIt think it's a good movie. Very 50's, but nonetheless entertaining. They made a good choice in picking Wagner as the villain--it was a role he was born to play.
ReplyDelete