Natalie's behavior towards Chris Walken during that final evening has always struck me as odd. She was clearly seen flirting with him in front of her husband in a deliberate attempt to get a reaction. Why would she have done something that was guaranteed to cause trouble and create bad feeling? The obvious answer is that she was drunk (as were Walken and Wagner). However, that doesn't explain the root cause of Natalie's behaviour that night.

Perhaps she was trying to get back at her husband? There were certainly rumours at the time that he was having an affair (with his 'Hart to Hart' co-star, Stefanie Powers), so perhaps Natalie wanted to give him 'a taste of his own medicine'?

Was Natalie unhappy in her marriage at that time? Did she suspect that RJ was having an affair? She was certainly capable of devious and petty behavior (a trait inherited from her mentally unstable mother) so was she trying to get back at RJ that fateful night?

Joanne

I think you are correct in all your suppositions.

Alchohol most assuredly played a large part of it. Probably the largest of all. But jealosy was probably the second biggest aspect.

The two parts mixed together make a lethal concoction in any situation, let alone just Natalie's.

Wagner's affair is now widely known and very well could have played a big part of it.

I think you answered your own questions.

Hi

Thanks for your reply. In it, you state that "Wagner's affair was widely known." Is this true? I know there were rumours that Wagner was having an affair with Stefanie Powers in the weeks/months leading up to Natalie's death, but were the rumours true...and if so, was the affair widely known about in Hollywood?

I've always suspected that something went on between Wagner and Powers at some point, but I wasn't aware of anything beyond rumours and gossip.

Joanne

OK....I guess not widely known, but more like widely rumoured. Who knows how widespread the rumours were back then, but looking back on it now, there do seem to be some inklings that there were rumours and gossip passing around at the time.

I believe there is more to her death than we will ever know. How could 3 people aboard not hear her cries for help? However, a witness on shore did. Why was she all buised up? Are Robert and Chris friends today? Also, I read something about RJ and another man having an affair which resulted in their 1st divorce. I believe someone knows something and I hope it eats him alive when he looks in the mirror everyday. She was beautiful and awesome in all she did. She didn't deserve to pass so young. I believe her and Chris W. would have been perfect together.

OK - let's take the points in your message one at a time:-

1 "How could 3 people aboard not hear her cries for help?"

We don't know for certain that she did cry out for help. Even if she did, would the cries have been loud enough to be heard on the yacht? The truth is, we don't know, so it's dangerous to automatically assume that a) Natalie cried out and b) Her cries were deliberately ignored.

2 "However, a witness on shore did (hear Natalie's cries)."

No. The witnesses who heard what may have been Natalie's cries for help were on another yacht moored nearby. They couldn't be certain where the cries came from and didn't investigate because there was a party going on on another yacht and they assumed the cries were coming from there.

3 "Why was she all buised up?"

She had bruises on her arms and legs, which were consistant with her having tried to climb into the dinghy from the water. There were no bruises or abrasions on her body which were consistant with her having been beaten.

4 "Are Robert and Chris friends today?"

No, but they were never friends even back then. Chris Walken was Natalie's co-star in a movie, so that's about as far as any friendship went.

5 "Also, I read something about RJ and another man having an affair which resulted in their 1st divorce."

This was a claim which Suzanne Finstadt included in her Natalie bio 'Natasha'. There is no evidence to back up this claim - it's unsubstantiated gossip. It doesn't stand up to scrutiny, especially when you bare in mind that Natalie later remarried Robert, had a child by him and allowed him to legally adopt her child by a previous marriage. Would she really have done this if she knew he was gay? I don't think so!

6 "I believe someone knows something and I hope it eats him alive when he looks in the mirror everyday. She was beautiful and awesome in all she did. She didn't deserve to pass so young."

Natalie's death was a tragic accident - there is no evidence of foul play on the part of Robert Wagner or anyone else.

7 "I believe her and Chris W. would have been perfect together."

I couldn't imagine those two together, especially as Chris was (and still is) happily married.

Joanne

What really bummed me out as an addition to your #2, Joanne is that they also didn't search because they didn't want to turn on their lights and disturb other people that late if they were going on a wild goose chase. Can you imagine? Someone is screaming for help as urgently as she must have been, and they don't want to "disturb" anyone! I would say that if it was anyone, not just Natalie Wood.

You should more educated on this than myself. I have heard assumptions based around her death for years. And it always goes back to the husband. But that is also true in alot of deaths to married females. Hope you are right. But what difference does it make, we lost her.

true, what difference does it make....she has left us and such speculation is , in a sense, an insult to her memory...i know it is not meant to be. i think we all are here for the same reason...we love natalie....

Joann was seen flirting with RJ and Stefanie during the Love Letters run and we even have picture of that. Pretty Pretty!