English 1301 Spring 2016

English 1301 Spring 2016
(Works Cited Posted with Conclusions of Essays)

Monday, May 9, 2016

Natalie Wood by Abigail Quintanilla




    The death of Natalie Wood, an American film and television actress was shocking to many. When found 60 feet away from the yacht that she and her husband owned, many questioned why would Natalie be alone in the middle of the night when she once made a statement that “I am afraid of water that is dark” (Kashner 1). Thirty five years later there are still various conspiracy theories on the truth about her death:
            1.         Did Natalie catch her former and current husband in bed together?
            2.         Was Natalie overly intoxicated and had an accident?

            3.         Did Natalie and her husband have an argument?

Let’s look at the various conspiracy theories that follow Natalie Woods’s death, and the feasibility that she walked in on her former and current husband in bed together.

Character Analysis

       Natalie Wood was a very typical woman, with magnificent brown eyes, youthful beauty and small petite form standing a whole 5’1 above ground (Natalie Wood Biography).  In 1956, Natalie was called the most beautiful teenager in the world by life magazine. Externally, it showed during many of the roles that Natalie played; were vulnerable characters put through emotional wringers which many make statements on saying that maybe she was almost playing her real life as one of her characters in her movies(ABC new). As Natalie got older, she had wanted to attend public school at age fourteen, and after getting a look at other teenagers she became very rebellious, smoking and challenging authority. Soon, her family and friends called her the “lovely, but troubled star” (Natalie Wood Biography).

     Growing up, Natalie was very successful as an actress, and it was all fun and games, but Natalie’s mother took it way more than just a game. Natalie was very busy and did indeed love what she did behind the scenes. Natalie’s mother pushed her to a whole other extent with the “love” she showed her daughter, and her desire for her child to be the top star(Seccaspina). She would rip butterflies apart if her daughter was expected to cry and could not; she would make sure she found a way for her to cry on spot (1). Her mother would do anything for her to be the star she always wanted to be (Collins). It once got so far to the point where Natalie was raped during an audition, and her mother did not care. Some say Natalie’s mom set up the encounter for the spot in the movie and following she even tried to commit suicide (1).

     Many people, one including Natalie’s sister, Lana Wood, repeatedly made the comment that it looked as Natalie loved the water and was always out on the boat that she and her husband owned; however, that was not the case. One of the conspiracies was that Natalie and her husband got in a fight and Natalie walked away for a while then hearing the dinghy bang against the boat she had went to fix it and had fallen off of the boat (Phobic). The background of it all was during a movie set she had fallen during a water scene and broke her wrist, and her mother was so strict and caught up in the star life that she had never taken her daughter to get it fixed. Natalie was so terrified of water after that they even omitted that scene from the movie. Although externally, people saw it as her love for the water, internally Natalie had a fear for dark (1).

Project 3

          In the missing person’s case of Natalie Wood, there were 3 main conspiracy theories listed as possible cause of death. One theory is questioned to what exactly Natalie walked into on the boat. Some say she saw her current husband Robert Wagner and ex-husband Christopher Walken in bed with each other. The second shows how intoxicated Mrs. Wood was, intoxicated to the point leading her to slip and drown (Crespo)? And, lastly, did her and her husband get into an argument following him to beat her to death and tossing her body into the water to seem as if it was all an accident to “retrieve the dinghy”(Phobic).

     The first conspiracy points to Natalie’s former lover, Christopher Walken, and her husband’s so called “sex secret” (ENQUIRER). The weekend started when Natalie invited Walken on the boat as a celebration for the finishing of their movie Brainstorm. However the way things ended was not so much a celebration when Ms. Wood caught the two men in a passionate clinch in bed together (dsiegel). Then, in shock, they both reacted to rough housing around on Natalie, which would explain the bruises the autopsy found on her body and after throwing her body over (Zennie). Neither of them had much to say on scene however, Robert Wagner came back sixteen years later with his guilty conscience and started to release information then walked away (KASHNER).

    The second conspiracy questions just how intoxicated Natalie Wood was. The waitress at the Harbor Reef restaurant on the island, where she and her husband and Walken had dinner at, made a statement that all three Hollywood actors drank very heavily (CBS News). Making their way back to the boat they continued to drink. Later noted by Robert, the story that he had told to what had happened that night was Natalie was trying to retrieve the dinghy, slipped and fell hitting her head on the side of the boat and was weighted down by the heavy, waterlogged coat she always insisted on wearing (Wilkins). Natalie’s autopsy showed she was 0.14 percent, almost .04 percent above the intoxication standard set by California vehicular code (1). With being that intoxicated there was no way she could have been thinking clearly (Crespo).

     The last conspiracy theory examines to relationship between the married couple, Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner. The couple had been married to each other twice and reportedly had a volatile relationship (Phobic). California resident, Marilyn Wayne, who was boating in the same area approximately 40 yards, away made a statement she heard a young woman crying out for help and only heard a speaking very aggressive then the noise stopped, just minutes after 11:00 PM (ABC news). That morning, waking up to police, Robert told one of his many stories that Natalie woke up to the sound of the dinghy hitting the boat causing her not to be able to sleep. To fix the problem, Natalie got out of bed to go fix it and slipped into the water wearing her heavy coat, and she drowned. Having said that, this goes back to why would Natalie go that close to water when her biggest fear was dark waters (Phobic).

Project 4

     After analyzing the missing person’s case of Natalie Wood, three conspiracies theories are still left to contemplate           

            1.         Did Natalie catch her former and current husband in bed together?

            2.         Was Natalie overly intoxicated and had an accident?

            3.         Did Natalie and her husband have an argument?

In 2016 the thirty fifth anniversary of the lovely but troubled star is still missing, and it is still questioned to what she walked into on the yacht.
                                                                         Work Cited
 "Natalie Wood." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 09 May 2016. <http://www.biography.com/people/natalie-wood-9536320>.
 
"Natalie Wood's Death: "48 Hours" Uncovers New Evidence." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 09 May 2016. <http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/natalie-woods-death-48-hours-uncovers-new-evidence/>.


"Natalie Wood Case Reopened: Will CBS and Vanity Fair Profit? [VIDEO]." International Business Times. N.p., 2011. Web. 09 May 2016. <http://www.ibtimes.com/natalie-wood-case-reopened-will-cbs-vanity-fair-profit-video-371964>.

 "What Really Happened the Night Natalie Wood Died." USA News Today. N.p., 2015. Web. 02 May 2016. <http://news.usanews.today/us-news/general-news/what-really-happened-the-night-natalie-wood-died/>.

 Ventura, Varla. "Natalie Wood's Dark Waters." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 02 May 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/varla-ventura/natalie-woods-dark-waters_b_3567946.html>.Ventura, Varla. "Natalie Wood's Dark Waters." The Huffington Post.


TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 09 May 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/varla-ventura/natalie-woods-dark-waters_b_3567946.html>.

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