Natasha
Page 59
LETTER TO EDWIN: Letter and photo from Natasha Gurdin to Edwin Canevari received 5/22/45
I INVENTED HER: Maria Gurdin to Randal Malone
CHAPTER 6
FAN MAGAZINE: (circa July) 1945 Motion Picture
FRIGHTENED TO BE ALONE, MUD NEVER LET HER: “Natalie Wood’s Own Story,” Patricia Reynolds, Pageant, July 1971; Natalie: A Memoir by Her Sister
KIDNAPPED: 6/69 Screen Parade; 11/68 Cosmopolitan
DANGEROUS: 10/84 McCall’s
DREADED BEDTIME, STORYBOOK DOLLS, CALLED “FATHER,” LIVED IN IMAGINATION, BEST FRIEND PICHEL: 6/45 Motion Picture
DOLLS KEPT HER COMPANY: Maryann Marinkovich Brooks to SF
TALKED TO HER DOLLS: 11/68 Cosmopolitan
SOLE COMPANION: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 7/11/99; 6/45 Motion Picture
FANTASIZED RUSSIA: 7/80 Biarritz; “Natalie Wood’s Russian Roots,” Roderick Mann, Los Angeles Times, 2/15/79
BIRTHDAY PARTY: “Am I Too Young to Be a Good Mother?” Frank Collins, Motion Picture, July 1958
ENAMORED OF: Mrs. Gregory (Lily) Muradian to SF, 2/9/99
PERFUME: 7/7/56 Los Angeles Mirror-News
11/26/45 LIFE Maria Gurdin to Shirley Mann to SF; Maria Gurdin to Sue Russell, 11/85; Maria Gurdin to Randal Malone
STORY LANA WAS TOLD: Lana Wood to Dennis Bartok at the American Cinematheque Tribute to Natalie Wood, Hollywood, California, 9/2/99
GENIUS, FOOT IN THE DOOR: Randal Malone to SF
PUT A LOT INTO HER: Robert Wagner, “Intimate Portrait: Natalie Wood”
DECIDED TO WORK; NOT EXCITED ABOUT MOVIES: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99 47–48 NO MATTER WHAT: “Just for Variety,” Army Archerd, Daily Variety, 11/8/78
DEFINED ACTING, BULGING CALVES: 6/45 Motion Picture
MARIA’S STORY: Maria Gurdin to Sue Russell and Phyllis Quinn for Star Mothers, 11/85
GAIL REMEMBERED HER: Gail Lumet Buckley letter to SF
TREAT TO GO TO MOVIE, BIT HER CHEEK, WET HER PANTS: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
NATALIE SAW HER PARENTS AS GODS: 11/68 Cosmopolitan; 6/69 Screen Parade
94 STARS: 2/60 Coronet
PLAYED MAKING MOVIES: 11/57 Movie Show
NICK WAS PROUD: Dmitri Zakharenko to SF
GOSSIP IN SAN FRANCISCO: Nina Arrabit to SF
NICK WAS UNHAPPY: Lana Wood to SF, 8/19/99
RUBBED OIL, SAID NO: 8/67 Photoplay
TOLD HER SHE WAS FRAIL, SHE IMAGINED ILLNESSES: 3/62 Photoplay
WOULDN’T LET HER RUN: Robert Wagner, “Intimate Portrait: Natalie Wood”
SO OVERPROTECTED: “Natalie’s Happy To Be Back In Films,” Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times, 10/30/69
MISPLACED FEAR, CHILD ABUSE: Robert Blake outtakes
NICK HELD A KNIFE, MARIA IN CONTACT WITH CAPTAIN, MARIA WAS AFRAID: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
GOSSIP ABOUT HOLLYWOOD PRODUCER: Nina Arrabit to SF
MEAN DRUNK: Lana Wood to SF, 8/24/99
AIRPLANE FEAR: Robert B. Jiras to SF, 9/16/99; Faye Nuell Mayo to SF; various Natalie Wood published interviews
PULLED PIGTAILS, AFRAID: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; 8/2/70 Los Angeles Times
GABRIELLA, THRILLED BY SNOW: 7/56 Movie Life; Hollywood Top 10 Scandals 1963
SELDOM NEGATIVE, WOULDN’T WANT HER OWN CHILD: “Natalie Wood: A Young Wife’s Tragic Story”, Modern Screen, December 1961; 4/64 Screen Stories
RELINQUISHED LANA TO OLGA: Lana Wood to SF; Olga Viripaeff to SF; Constantine Liuzunie to SF; Randal Malone to SF; 8/67 Photoplay
RUMORS SVETLANA WAS OLGA’S BABY: Olga Viripaeff to SF, Natalie: A Memoir by Her Sister
IT WAS THE LAW; “THEIR MOTHER NEGLECTED LANA…”: 8/67 Photoplay
NON-PERSON, THINKS SHE LIVED THERE, NO GODPARENT OR CURTSYING: Lana Wood to SF, 8/19/99
PRESENTED NATALIE WOOD: 3/22/46 San Francisco Chronicle
MAGAZINE PRAISED NATALIE: Tomorrow Is Forever, Look, 3/19/46
OLGA WORRIED ABOUT GRADES, FIRED NANNY: Olga Viripaeff to SF, Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn, Lana Wood to SF
DAYS CONSISTED OF DRINKING; MARIA WAS UNHAPPY, SHE’LL SING: Lana Wood to SF, 8/24/99, 8/19/99
NATASHA FELT GUILTY: 3/79 Saturday Evening Post; 10/79 Orange Coast
MARIA’S COMPANION POSITS: Randal Malone to SF
EATS YOUR HEART: Louella Parsons column, Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, 4/5/46
CHAPTER 7
BRENT TOOK HER TO FAMOUS ARTISTS: 9/57 Photoplay; 8/67 Photoplay
CONTRACT WITH FAMOUS ARTISTS: Case #503232, Los Angeles Superior Court
SHE’D STILL READ THE TRADES; OLGA STAYED BEHIND: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
MARIA NEGOTIATED: Robert Hyatt to SF, 5/10/99
MOTHER MANAGED MY CAREER: 6/67 Pageant
DIDN’T LIKE SCHOOL: 9/57 Photoplay
DIDN’T KNOW NEIGHBORS; BITTY HOUSE: Lana Wood to SF, 8/19/99
NATALIE FELT AWFUL: “Natalie Wood Gets Back In the Ring,” Patrick Pacheco, After Dark, 10/79
FILMED AS B MOVIE: Robert Hyatt to SF, 5/10/99
TITLES; SUGGESTED WHILE VACATIONING; NATALIE FLEW ON 11/17: “Vital Statistics on Miracle on 34th Street,” Harry Brand, Director of Publicity, Twentieth Century Fox, circa 1947 [from the Fox archives, Los Angeles]
ZANUCK SENT A NOTE, ASSIGNED O’HARA AND PAYNE: Fox Archives, Los Angeles
I WAS ONLY EIGHT: “Exclusive Interview: Natalie Wood,” Flanzy Lewis, Preview, 1978, USC Archives, Natalie Wood Collection
MARGARET WAS THE TOP: Randal Malone to SF
THERE WERE A MILLION; COACHED HER TO “BE MARGARET”; PEOPLE THINK IT’S ME: Margaret O’Brien to SF
ZANUCK’S NOTES ON GHOST; MOOD STORY: “Vital Statistics on ‘The Ghost & Mrs. Muir,’ ” Harry Brand, Director of Publicity, Twentieth Century Fox circa 1947 [Fox collection, Los Angeles]
TRACY DROPPED OUT: Amanda Duff Dunne to SF, 6/22/99
MANKIEWICZ’S COMMENTS: Mankiewicz Q&A at the Director’s Guild of America, Los Angeles, 1986, as quoted in Films In Review 1986
MAUREEN HADN’T READ IT; ORDERED BACK; NOT SO MAD: Maureen O’Hara to SF, 6/16/99
MAGIC: Maureen O’Hara to SF, 6/16/99; “Charming Christmas Story Brings O’Hara Back,” Mark Dawidziak, Calgary Herald, 12/17/95
BELIEVED HE WAS SANTA: Maureen O’Hara to SF, 6/16/99; “Maureen O’Hara Hopes She Has Made Her Second Christmas Classic,” Walt Belcher, The Tampa Tribune, 12/17/95
FELL MADLY IN LOVE: “Tennessee Williams Took His Name Off It,” Rex Reed, New York Times, 1/16/66
ONE-TAKE NATALIE: Nina Arrabit to SF
SEATON WAS AMAZED; INSTINCTIVE SENSE OF TIMING: 2/60 Coronet
MARIE NEVER INTERFERED: Robert Hyatt to SF, 5/10/99
MOST VIVID MEMORY: 7/7/56 Los Angeles Mirror-News
NATALIE’S TECHNIQUE: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; 1/64 Seventeen
SPELLED MANKIEWICZ, KNEW SHE’D BE AN ACTRESS: Mankiewicz Q&A as quoted in Films in Review 1986
WHAT A WONDERFUL TIME: “Recalling the Happy Times with Natalie Wood,” Donfeld, Los Angeles Times, 9/30/83
HAD TO BE PAMPERED: Amanda Duff Dunne to SF, 6/22/99
LEE RECOLLECTIONS: Anna Lee Nathan to SF, 6/3/99
O’HARA RECOLLECTIONS: Maureen O’Hara to SF, 6/16/99
GOOD LITTLE GIRL: Natalie Wood interview, Peeper press release from Gordon Armstrong, Publicity Director, Twentieth Century Fox, 1975
MAYBE SHE WAS BEATEN: Scott Marlowe to SF, 6/8/99
THREATENED WITH PIANO: Twentieth Century Fox press release
BOBBY HYATT RECOLLECTIONS: Robert Hyatt to SF, 5/10/99, Robert Hyatt letter to SF, 5/99
JEANNE HYATT RECOLLECTIONS: Jeanne Hyatt to SF, 5/6/99
SCUDDA HOO BACKGROUND: “Vital Statistics on ‘Scudda Hoo Scudda Hay,’ ” Harry Brand, Director of Publicity, Twentieth Century Fox [Fox collection]
IN ONE I WAS: “Falling Stars,” David Castell, Sunday Telegraph, 12/6/81
I WAS PLAYING: 3/9/69 New York Times
I TOOK ON THE CHARACTERISTICS: 7/71 Pageant
DIFFICULT TO SEPARATE THE REALITY: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
STILL VAGUELY BELIEVED IN SANTA: Natalie Wood on AMC Hollywood Real to Reel
NATALIE WAS PARALYZED: 2/60 Coronet
ALWAYS BEEN FRAIL: 3/62 Photoplay
IT WAS TERRIBLE: Scott Marlowe to SF, 6/8/99
PLAYED CANASTA: Robert Hyatt to SF, 5/10/99
CHAPTER 8
LOUELLA GUSHED: Louella Parsons columns, Los Angeles Herald- Examiner, 5/3/47, 6/14/47
MARIA’S DIRTY TRICK: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn; Maria Gurdin to Sue Russell for Star Mothers, 1/10/87
NICK WAS TOO DRUNK: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
LANA’S STORMY RECOLLECTIONS: Lana Wood to SF, 8/19/99
SHOW BUSINESS HER SOLUTION: Robert Blake, “E True Hollywood Story: Natalie Wood”
BELIEVED SHE WAS SEXUALLY ABUSED: Robert Blake outtakes
THE SIGNS WERE THERE: Scott Marlowe to SF, 6/8/99
KEEP HANDS OUT OF BEDCOVERS: Lana Wood to SF, 8/19/99, Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
TOLD NATALIE SHE WOULD DIE: Robert Hyatt to SF, 5/10/99
FAHD WAS IN THE BACKGROUND: Margaret O’Brien to SF
NICK PRETENDED, FLIPPED OUT, SENSITIVE TOPIC, NATALIE KNEW RUSSIAN, KIMONOS: Robert Hyatt to SF, 5/10/99
LANA HATES SHOUTING, NATALIE HATED CONFRONTATION: Lana Wood to SF, 8/19/99
OLGA AND LEXI, SHE WAS MORE RUSSIAN: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 8/13/99
RUSSIAN FOODS: “Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner,” Barbara Wilkins, Bon Appetit October 1977
DACHAS HIDDEN IN FORESTS: 2/15/79 Los Angeles Times
GOAL TO BE BEST BALLERINA: 9/57 Photoplay
WHAT INTRIGUED DWAN: Who the Devil Made It, Peter Bogdanovich, 1997, Knopf
IT WAS A SLEEPER: Robert Hyatt to SF, 5/10/99
THE NEW YORKER, 6/14/17, “Santa Out of Season” “‘Ghost and Mrs. Muir’ Scores as Novelty,” Edwin Schallert, Los Angeles Times 7/4/47
FOX CONTRACT: Los Angeles Superior Court Case #531936, In the Matter of the Contract Between Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and Natalie Gurdin, filed 7/10/47
NO CONCEPTION OF MONEY: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
HEDDA USED TO: “The Natalie Wood Story-Child Star To Glamor Girl,” Hedda Hopper, 6/26/55, Chicago Tribune Magazine
INFUHR MEMORIES: Dr. Ted Infuhr to SF, 6/2/99
NATALIE’S FAVORITE SCENE/GLAMOUR GIRL: 7/7/56 Los Angeles Mirror-News
NATALIE WAS DELIGHTFUL, ADORED LANA: Mrs. Frank Arrigo to SF, 6/26/99
CALLED HER LANA, LANA CRIED: Lana Wood to SF, 8/19/99
LANA A NERVOUS CHILD: 8/67 Photoplay
LANA WAS JEALOUS: Maria Gurdin to Sue Russell for Star Mothers, 11/85
MUSIA LIVED FOR NATALIE: Constantine Liuzunie to SF, 6/14/99
NICK’S LAST-GASP EFFORT: Nina Arrabit to SF
NICK’S DREAM: Lana Wood to SF, 8/19/99
FAME NEVER WENT TO HER HEAD, WOULDN’T GO IN RIVER, MARIA’S THIRD-DEGREE ON BOYS: Ed Canevari to SF, 5/28/99
NATALIE WOOD GREGSON TO C. S. LIUZUNIE, 7/23/70, COURTESY OF CONSTANTINE LIUZUNIE Robert Hyatt to SF, 5/10/99
MARIA SAID WOMEN WERE CATTY: Randal Malone to SF, 1/25/00
FOX SCHOOL WAS EMPTY: “Daisy and Madame X,” Harrison Carroll, Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, 4/25/65; 7/23/67 Examiner
DRIFTWOOD REVIEW: Film Daily, 11/6/47, “Driftwood”
FASCINATING DISCOURSE: Hollywood Reporter, 3/2/48, “Farm Film Loaded With Fresh Humor”
TIERNEY SUSPENDED, CRAIN REPLACED: Academy of Motion Pictures Library file, Chicken Every Sunday
SYDES’ MEMORIES: Ruth Sydes to SF, 5/4/99
MARIA’S GRANDIOSITY: Olga Viripaeff to SF; 9/57 Photoplay; 11/57 Movie Show
ACTRESS/DANCER: Randal Malone to SF
MARIA TOLD STORIES: Robert Hyatt to SF, 5/10/99
MCCARTHY WANTED TO MAKE: “Houston’s Term as City of Stars Draws to End,” Mildred Stockard, The Houston Chronicle, 3/19/49
CHAPMAN WAS DIFFICULT: Ted Donaldson to SF, 6/19/99
GREEN PROMISE INFO: Ted Donaldson to SF; Jeanne LaDuke to SF, 6/21/99; Marguerite Chapman to SF, 1/20/99
NATALIE RECALLED HUGE PROPELLERS; MOTHER CRIED “MY CHILD”: 1978 Preview
THEY WERE TELLING HER HURRY: Lana Wood to SF, 8/19/99
SOMEBODY PULLED LEVER, DON’T REMEMBER THEM FISHING ME: “Late Actress Was Terrified of the Ocean,” Bob Lardine, New York Daily News, 12/2/81
IT WAS SO TRAUMATIC: Mart Crowley, “Intimate Portrait: Natalie Wood”
IT WAS HER SECRET: Jeanne Hyatt to SF
MARIA DIDN’T SUE; THOUGHT DOCTORS WOULD TALK: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99 & 5/24/99
DIDN’T LIKE DOCTORS: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn to SF
CHAPTER 9
NATALIE HAD NIGHTMARES: Leslie Bricusse to SF, 8/25/99
COMBINATION OF INJURY AND FEAR; MARIA READ PALMS: Robert Hyatt to SF, 5/10/99
DEDA WOULD TALK: Natalie’s eulogy for Nick Gurdin
NATALIE BLAMED MOM FOR WRIST: Lana Wood to SF, 8/19/99
MARIA’S SUPERSTITIONS: Lana Wood to SF, 8/24/99
NATALIE FOUND IT DIFFICULT: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
COULDN’T REMEMBER 10 TO 12: 10/84 McCall’s
MISSING OUT, LONELY: “The Natalie Wood Interview,” Alis Loewell, Los Angeles Free Press, 8/2/74
FELT MORE COMFORTABLE WITH GROWN-UPS: Natalie Wood on Tomorrow, 2/14/80
OLGA’S WEDDING, PICTURE FROM NATALIE: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 7/11/99
NATALIE’S NIGHTMARE OF NO IDENTITY: “Natalie Wood’s Kiss of Life,” Douglas Thompson, Daily Mail, 4/7/79
NO CLEAR PERCEPTION: Natalie Wood interview excerpt, “Intimate Portrait: Natalie Wood”
O’HARA’S FULLBACK MEMORIES: Maureen O’Hara to SF
MACMURRAY’S COMMENT: KCOP “Tribute to a Very Special Lady”
WEARING FALSE EYELASHES: 7/7/56 Los Angeles Mirror-News
HOUSTON HAD MORE NATIONAL FIGURES; HUGHES PERSUADED ZANUCK: “Torchlight Parade Will Precede ‘Green Promise’ Premiere,” Houston Chronicle, 3/18/49
BALLYHOO, SCHMALZ: 3/9/49 The Hollywood Reporter
PLAYS THE ROLE WITH SENSITIVENESS: “‘The Green Promise’ Tells American Story,” The Houston Chronicle, 3/19/49
OUR VERY OWN: Jane Wyatt to SF, 1/7/99; Ann Blyth to SF, 4/9/99; Joan Evans Weatherly to SF, 6/15/99
NOT A CHILD STAR: “The Youngest Veteran,” Alexander Walker, London Standard, circa 11/30/81; “Natalie Wood,” Earl Leaf, Teen, 12/61; “A New Year for Natalie Wood,” Mike Connolly, Screen Stories, February 1962
NO FILM STARS: “Time-Check on Natalie,” Pauline Peters, London Sunday Times, 4/27/80
CLIMBED OUT WINDOWS: Lana Wood to SF, 8/19/99
ANN DORAN: Ann Doran to SF, 5/26/99
MARIA’S PLANS TO LEAVE NICK: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
NATALIE SAID CALL THE DOCTOR: “Natalie Wood: Child of Change,” Gereon Zimmermann, Look, 8/13/63
FAMILY DEPENDED ON ME: 10/79 After Dark
DISCOVERED THE HEARTBREAK: 2/11/79 New York Daily News
DO ANYTHING FOR PART: Jeanne Hyatt to SF
NATALIE SAID SHE’D DO ANYTHING: Gigi Perreau to SF, 8/6/99
GIGI PERREAU’S RECOLLECTIONS: Gigi Perreau to SF, 8/6/99
DON ZOUTE’S RECOLLECTIONS: Don Zoute to SF, 8/17/99
ROBERT BANAS’ RECOLLECTIONS: Robert Banas to SF, 7/6/99
EVERYTHING IS COPY: 2/15/97 Financial Times
NATALIE CRIED DURING JACKPOT: 7/7/56 Mirror-News
NATALIE TURNED AND STARED: “I Married Bob,” Natalie Wood, American Weekly, 5/18/58
WISHED SHE COULD MARRY HIM: Natalie Wood on Donahue, 12/76, Show #11156
JUST A STARING KID: “Nat and Bob-Together Again,” Joyce Haber, Los Angeles Times Calendar, 11/25/73
NATALIE WANTED TO GO TO SCHOOL: “Happy Birthday, Natalie,” Beverly Linet, Modern Screen 8/58; “I’m Not the Girl He Married,” Natalie Wood, Screen Stars, August 1959
WANTED TO BE LIKE OTHER KI
DS; BIGGEST SHOCK: 8/59 Screen Stars
FALSIES; COSTUME CHANGE; DIDN’T BELONG: “Natalie Wood,” Arthur Whitman, Pageant, June 1967
NOTICED HOW MUCH OLDER: “Natalie Wood: Still Shining Bright,” Philip Oakes, London Sunday Times, 12/28/69
LAUGHED AT HER: “Natalie Wood: Symbole 1962 de L’Amour,” J. V. Cottom, Ciné Tele-Révue, 4/12/62
POWDER THREW LANA: Dr. Ted Infuhr to SF; Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99; Natalie: A Memoir by Her Sister
CAN’T GET BILL HOLDEN: Devery Freeman to SF, 9/6/00
WORE HER OWN DRESS: Paramount production records, Dear Brat, Special Collections, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
WENT GAGA: Jim Williams to SF, 12/21/99
IN AWE; WARM AND SMILING: Leilani Greenwood Overstreet to SF, 9/15/99
ALREADY A STAR: Rochelle Donatoni Vukonich to SF, 10/6/99
DYING TO DO THEIR THINGS: 6/69 Screen Parade
THE WAY SHE LOOKED AT YOU: Helen MacNeil Moriarty to SF, 10/18/99
MARY ANN MARINKOVICH RECOLLECTIONS: Maryann Marinkovich Brooks to SF, 11/4/99
HAD TO ADVANCE HER CAREER: Robert Hyatt to SF, 5/19/99
NATALIE LOOKED YOUNGER: Leilani Overstreet to SF
NATALIE AT SOCK HOPS: Leilani Overstreet to SF; Helen MacNeil Moriarty to SF, 10/18/99; Rochelle Donatoni Vukonich to SF
COULDN’T GO TO BATHROOM: “Natalie Wood and Bob Wagner Get It Together Again,” Thomas Thompson, Cosmopolitan, August 1975
NATALIE WAS INTENSE, MARIA RUTHLESS; FELT SORRY FOR LANA: Gigi Perreau to SF, 8/6/99
DIDN’T LIKE IT: “The Recycling of Natalie Wood,” Carolyn See, McCall’s August 1979
ACTING WAS DIFFICULT, SELF-CONSCIOUS; LANA HAD A HARD TIME: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
STUDIO WANTED HER: 12/28/69 Sunday Times
LOOKED SAME IN JUNIOR HIGH: Jim Williams to SF, 12/21/99
TURN OUT HOMELY: “The Faces Of Love,” Seventeen, November 1957
SHE’D DROWN IT, HAD TO HAVE A SPECIAL CHILD; NATALIE WORRIED HOW PEOPLE PERCEIVED HER; LANA A MUD FENCE; LEFT TO HER OWN DEVICES: Lana Wood to SF, 8/19/99 99, 100 BAD BOY; NATALIE WANTED WHAT SHE COULDN’T HAVE; JIMMY WAS A ROGUE: Jacqueline Eastes Perry to SF, 12/11/99, 3/3/00
NATALIE COULDN’T DATE IN JUNIOR HIGH: Jim Williams to SF, 12/21/99
PREGNANT IN BOY’S LAP: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 6/12/99; Maryann Marinkovich Brooks to SF, 11/4/99