Natalie Wood IM0 the screens greatest beauty

[stuart.uk]

i admit that if pushed that Marlene Dietrich was at face value the screens all-time beauty, but there were things in her character i found off putting. mixing beauty and personality combined my vote goes to Nataile Wood.
Laurence Olivier when making a tv version of A Hat On A Hot Tinned Roof with her and Robert Wagner was said to be in awe of here beauty.

like Liz Taylor and later on Hayley Mills, Nat managed to jump from child to adult star without a hitch. two child roles stand out The Miracle Of 34th Street and Margaret Sullavan's last film No Sad Songs For Me.

i'm not a great lover of the teen movie of which Natalie was Queen with the likes of Rebel Without A Cause and Splendour In The Grass. however, she played Debbie in The Searchers, a film regarded as one of the greatest westerns ever made and in what i consider her best role as Gypsy Rose Lee in Gypsy, the only musical she made singing with her own voice. she was dubbed both in West Side Story and the underrated Daisy Clover

however, i'm prepared to change my mind if i ever see Love With A Proper Stranger where according to Miss G she's terrific. she showed a gift for comedy in The Great Race and Sex And The Single Girl

i've heard a few say Natalie was finished by the mid 70s. that as far as i'm concerned is nonesense. she made a tv movie called The Cracker Factory, playing an alcholic housewife. her performance was so great i found myself comparing to other alcholic performances like Lee Remick in The Days Of Wine And Roses and believe it or not Ray Milland in The Lost Weekend.

i believe had she lived a normal lifespan Natalie, she may well have reached the same heights as Kate Hepburn and Bette Davis

[mrsl]

I tend to agree with you whole heartedly Stuart, about Natalie Wood. She was extremely beautiful and was definitely spreading her wings as an actress from drama to comedy. We all know how hard it is for an actor to dismiss being stuck in one role, ala George Reeves, so I imagine a former child actor is constantly proving they are grown up even into their 30's. I believe that any gaps in the 70's for her were when she reunited with RJ and she chose to stay home. I do know that at the time of her death she was preparing to appear on stage in a revival of Anastasia (I think it was). Since The Great Race is showing on either HBO or Encore this month, if you have a way to see it, please do. If nothing else, you will see, with all the trials and tribulations she encounters, Natalie has a new outfit in every single scene. The longest she wears one outfit, is the food fight in her corset. Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk are priceless in this one, you have to get a few chuckles out of them. But Natalie is luminous.

Anne

[MissGoddess]

She's one of my favorites.



If you want to see a ton of pictures of her, I did a thread on her at TCM:

http://tinyurl.com/2wqbrp

[charliechaplinfan]

My husband thinks she's gorgeous, I agree. I think I'm right in saying that she was descended from minor Russian royalty. She gave some good performances. The one that stands out to me is Maria in West Side Story she was spot on in her portrayal. It's a pity Tony wasn't as well cast. I'd love to see Love With A Proper Stranger too.

[stuart.uk]

Great pictures Miss. G. as i've said to you before Nat had the ability to look older when she was younger, but younger when in her 3Os depending on her hairstyle and clothes

Let me entertain you and we'll have a real good time yes sir, and we'll have a real good time! as from Gypsy

[MissGoddess]

LOVE WITH THE PROPER STRANGER is airing now on TCM!!!!

[stuart.uk]

darn it missed it again.

[MissGoddess]

darn it missed it again.

Stuey, if you only had a dvd player that played Region 1 dvd's I'd try to make you a copy once I dubb my vhs over to dvd-r.

[stuart.uk]

Miss G

the thought occurred to me thay you might want dvds of some British movies not readily available in the U.S. if they play of dvds on both sides of the pond maybe i could sent some over. something like a Tiger Bay, but i'm not sure if i could get one of that particular film

[MissGoddess]

That's sweet of you Stuart, but I'm able to get most commercially released Region 2 dvds from Amazon.uk or other sites. If you ever do come across Tiger Bay, though, let me know!

[stuart.uk]

i'm just marveling at Hayley Mills in Wild At Heart. you can't count Natalie, because she died young, but i think the 62-yr-old Mills is outlasting Liz taylor and the late Roddy Macdowell as far as having a long successful career is concerned.

she was brillaint last week. she went to an wild animal auction with her daughter's husband's partner, who asked her to marry him in the last series. she rejected his proposal, but is growing fonder of him by the minute. however, he got at date at the auction after looking at a computer dating service with the most tomboyish female you've ever seen, though admittedly she was still attractive. Hayley on seeing her cracks to her potential boyfriend 'What scent is she wearing, buffalo!'
The tomboy realises that her date is really in love with Hayley

Hayley looks in cracking form for the next show, punching a male neighbour right across the mouth

[Lauren]

Natalie is one of my all time favourite actresses. I think she acted so well in all her films, I particularly like Miracle on 34th street, rebel without a cause, love with the proper stranger and this property is condemned. Unfortunatly I haven't seen all her films. She was a natural beauty and an amazing woman.