What happened to Natalie Wood on the night of November 29, 1981?
The next morning, as we all know, she was discovered floating in the waters off Catalina Island. But what happened during the night before she died?
That night, Natalie was aboard the Splendour, the boat she and her husband, actor Robert Wagner, owned. Also on board was actor Christopher Walken and the ship’s captain, Dennis Davern. Wagner and Davern were drunk. None of the three men has talked in detail about the events of that evening.
Until now.
DENNIS DAVERN podcast excerpt: “As soon as we departed Marina Del Rey, Robert Wagner had jealousy written all over him. Tension was building and it was just terrible… All of a sudden Robert picks up a wine bottle and smashed it in the middle of a coffee table. Glass shattered all over everyone. Christopher Walken exited to his stateroom. Natalie went up to her stateroom. I went to the bridge. You could hear the arguing, the screaming. It was torture.”
It’s not Wagner or Walken that’s talking, however. The ship’s captain, Davern, has broken his silence in a new book written with his long time friend, Marti Rulli. Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour is his story, his recollection of that horrible night and the 28 years of silence and guilt that have engulfed his life ever since.
In the interest of full disclosure, before we start, I need to tell you that I first heard about this book through my sister, who lives in the same small South Jersey community as Marti Rulli and has done business with her. But that doesn’t mean every friend of Lori’s gets a shot on this show. You still have to accomplish something, okay?
Marti Rulli Blog • Twitter • Order Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour
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I’ve read a lot about Marti Rulli, Natalie Wood (my fave actress of all time), etc. I can safely say that Rulli has opened a beehive with this book and hopefully, new light will be shed on that tragic day way back when. Natalie must RIP after all these years.