Customer Reviews

Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Natalie Wood was a beautiful, talented lady - and I stress the word LADY here. It is INCREDIBLE to me to believe that she would leave the Splendour in her nightgown and socks to go ashore for ANY reason. SHE WOULD HAVE PUT ON STREET CLOTHING!!! She was not drunk according to her autopsy and she had a strong sense of who she was. No one with her sense of star power would have been traveling about in her nightgown going ashore. Something never made any sense about the entire debacle and I believe that Davern is telling the truth about what HE knows regarding that night. Too many lies and too many half truths were told during the ineffectual investigation. I gather the men doing the interviews were totally awed by the celebrity of the victim and Robert John Wagner, Jr. There are possibly only TWO people who know what happened to Natalie that night. One is Robert John Wagner Jr. and the other, sadly, is Ms. Wood herself and she can not tell us.

The book is extremely well written. I did feel it dragged a bit in getting to the crux of the story, but it was riveting all the same. Many will judge Davern for not being forthcoming in the first place, but I suppose it is better late than never. He admits to having an alcoholic problem and a deep seated fear of "the powers that be" to explain why he never spoke up before now. Many will hurl insults at him by intimating that he is out to "make a fast buck." I do not believe that is the case here. I believe the ghost of this beautiful, vibrant woman haunts him and well it should.

We still do not know what happened to Natalie that night. We know that credible witnesses heard a woman crying out "Help me. I'm drowning." They were in the slot next to Splendour so they would have heard something in this case. The police never interviewed them or dismissed them completely. The silence that fell after those pitiful cries was ominous and the two people involved still recall with a chill that they truly heard what they heard.

Authorities need to reopen this case and do some REAL investigating this time. How did Natalie get into that water -- a woman so terrified of water that she had nightmares about drowning in it? It is not sensible to believe that she would have gone out on a jet black night with no lights to detach a dinghy from making noises. Something is truly amiss here and it needs to be put right.

I recommend reading the book with an open mind. My first impression when I picked it up was that perhaps this Davern just wanted to make some money off celebrity. However, after reading the book I am convinced that has little if anything to do with it. This high spirited, beautiful woman who was capable of such enormous love for her children and life will not allow him to rest until the truth is told. Natalie deserves the WHOLE truth to be exposed, but will it ever be done? A sad testament to our morals today that such a questionable death can go unsolved for so many years.

For some of us, the explanation of Natalie Wood's death raised more questions than it answered. Rumors of an argument circulated early on which cast doubt on the convenient "...don't know what happened" explanation that both Wagner and Walken provided authorities. Theories have been promulgated but nothing of substance has come to light until this book's release.

There were only four people on the ship the night of Natalie Wood's death - Wood, Robert Wagner, Christopher Walken and Dennis Davern the Captain. Now we have the painful account from Davern, the tortured soul whose life was almost ruined by the secrets he kept for his employer and friend, Robert Wagner. He sat for two lie detector tests and was hypnotized because he realized the skepticism that would face him when he finally revealed what he saw the night of Wood's death. He also realized that the only way to quell his conscience so he could live with himself was to tell the truth, all of it, and without embellishment. He contacted his old friend Marti Rulli and began to ever so slowly tell the story.

A profoundly disturbing book, Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour documents celebrity privilege with crystal clarity. The special treatment that Wagner and Walken received appears to have rolled right over the living and the dead. If nothing else comes from this perhaps it is time to examine this ridiculous habit the public has of placing people on pedestals because of the work they perform. The extreme deference afforded celebrities, here is taken to a truly frightening place. Evidence ignored, interrogations not given and clear discrepancies overlooked. Wagner didn't want the bad publicity and there were plenty of people around willing to accommodate him.

The story is now haunting me and I can't seem to shake it. I am struggling with the injustice and the lack of publicity regarding the new information. Will this compelling story which quietly slipped into view without much fanfare, soon slip away without any serious investigation? This book contains one of the most chilling examples in Hollywood history of apparent celebrity misconduct along with one of the clearest examples of what happens to us when we ignore our moral compass. I sincerely hope this isn't where the story ends.

First of all let me say I was Natalie Woods Hairstylist for seventeen years and knew her very well. I was not with her the last three years of her life and was utterly shocked at what happened. Or what was said to have happened to her. Because I was not there I had to believe what was written. I thought she was drinking too much and fell. I surmised that being drunk Wagner and Dennis just stayed in a fog and let her drown or drift away. It made it sound good for Wagner but leaving Natalie as a drunk.
It took me a long time to read Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour. I don't know why but it did. Once I opened the book I couldn't stop reading. Now remember I was there so much of the time, not on the boat but other places. I began to read and the truth rang out. Dennis's description of his lifeHairdresser to the Stars: A Hollywood Memoir around Natalie was so real and true. It brought back so many years of my life. (I am now 75)
The last conversation while working on Eva Ryker, was so intimate and truthful. Both Natalie and I were suffering our husband's drinking problems. She also was at a turning point in her life. It was time to go out in new directions. At that time people didn't take their children with them to work. Natalie loved her girls and had agreed to be there for them. We even stopped by school to see them in a play.
Three years later she was gone. Reading this book I could understand that the things I sensed in my last conversation had propelled her to a need for change.
I believe what Dennis has described about the weekend. I believe that working with C.W. she became inspired and probably had a buddy who was coaxing her toward her growth while RJ was wanting her under his thumb. How could she break the perfect couple again. I have a feeling that weekend she was tired of the accusations of infideliety. I never saw that in all the time I worked with her. Granted we all were close and intimate on a set. We spent more time together than with our families or mates. But that didn't mean sleeping with each other.
So that weekend it seemed she needed to make a break and meant to have it happen. She didn't care about really making peace. I believe the fight, but the fight should never have ended with bruises on her body and her going overboard. She was so tiny. It is so sad to think of that beautiful little body covered in bruises. I can never imagine her taking out the boat. I do believe what happened is that she went overboard not of her own accord and nobody went to rescue her, just let her float away and drown. I cannot forgive Wagner for that. I do feel sad that her daughters have to understand what happened to their mother, but they were robbed of their life with her. I do believe it is not fair to characterize her as a drunk who fell into the ocean.
It is time to give her back her dignity. I don't know what will come of the truth being told now. But I hope that every person who has asked me "what happened?" as so many do, all the time if they know I worked with her, will read this and perhaps the truth will come to the surface. Thanks Marti Rulli and Dennis for finally bringing the truth to us.

First off.... NO, I'm hardly Inspector Clouseau! :D There are already so many great reviews, I don't want to just repeat what's already been said at this point. I'm just really overwhelmed by some logical deductive reasoning I've just gone through in reference to RJ's lies & alibis (he made up for the coroner spread), as a logical conclusion that they are all evidently just that... lies.

This is not a book to take lightly or that you should ever read in a day or two or three or four or even five. Be prepared to allow bits and pieces to soak in. Even rereading it again won't hurt and can help you come to grips with the crux of RJ's implausible defense and the stories being physically impossible to validate. With this book, you get the sense and surreal view of these people's lives as a fantasy and the reality that some deep dark secrets have yet to be revealed or uncovered. This book will not answer all your questions and I'm not about to tell you what I think personally about Robert Wagner's guilt or innocence. More than anything this book begs for answers that have yet to be given by Robert Wagner himself. All I can say is I highly recommend everyone to read this book that is yet satisfied that they know what actually happened to Natalie aside from RJ's Stories being proved false! .....and then decide for yourself if you think that the investigation of Natalie Wood's death was as inept as it seems to have been after you're done.

Here's my questions for Robert J. Wagner:
But first, let me say I'm trying to gather the official reports generated from the weather that was at the Isthmus that night November 28th/29th. Weather for the mainland, both North and Southern end of Catalina can vary greatly. I suspect some of these bogus media reports come from different days or locations. The Coast Guard too has logs. The Coast Guard search craft has logs. Two Harbors Yacht Club has Logs as well (A Meteorological Reporting Station is at Two Harbors with it's logs). If you have all these logs supporting many witnesses on the scene, saying it was calm..... it was most certainly calm that night and I'll prove to you why!

Think about it.... the controversy isn't new. Some didn't believe RJ's stories or coroner's mis-information in the first place, concerning Natalie Wagner's death as reported. Since then Chris Walken convicts himself by his silence. When he never revealed the full details of the seriousness of his argument with RJ and the other two guys present have since admited a bottle of wine was smashed exploding glass everywhere around the table RJ broke it on. They have pictures of the stateroom! ...the dingy was double tied to stern off two cleats (port & starboard) on the fishing cockpit rail, not the swim step. So why would she even need to go on the swim step? You only tie a dingy to stern in calm water or the winds are coming from the bow end of the yacht and especially without any swells coming from stern to bow toward the shore. Otherwise the dingy is in danger of going under the swim step and getting caught and damaged (with pitch instead of waves and surf swell from behind). Any yachtsmen knows this!

The only time you would tie a dingy to port is when swells are coming from the starboard side of the boat. Then use the Yacht for protection in extreme seas cases and then the boat is going to be rolling while the dingy never ever bumps into the port side of the..... Yacht it's tied to. Moorings are laid out to keep boats from rolling in normal high swell conditions, naturally bow in to shore. Under certain conditions rolling in swell and waves can't be avoided though. That's what happened in Avalon. Swells were coming in from the south and you'll get roll rather than pitch on moorings, with swell coming in from the side or ricocheting and causing turbulent and confused seas in a harbor. This is why everyone left Avalon. To get up North and around Bird rock to moor in a protected area from Mexican storms. If seas were rough..... and since the storm was from the south (from Mexico, even up in two harbors), you would have tied the dingy to starboard...., if you were any kind of experienced seaman at all.... and starboard is the dominant side boats and ships of all sizes use to board on gangways, etc anyway. Primarily because of both Inland and Offshore waterway Rules declare starboard as "Right of way". You pass to the right of the center waterway buoys and dock to the right just as you park to the right, on streets.

Why did RJ allow himself to slip up and allow claims of calm seas make his two different scenarios impossible to validate. If Natalie left to go party on other boats (and he's such a jealous, macho male chauvinist, breaking bottles over Chris Walken flirting with his wife), why would she go or be allowed out in rough seas in her pajamas and socks to party? When she was deathly afraid of dark sea water as it was and a storm makes that worse. If the dingy was tied to port, the only way for it to be banging up against the side of Splendor, would be if the rough seas and swell were coming from port side of the yacht. Which would be right, sort of. Because they'd be coming from the south (Mexico) in a storm. So... but now here's the killer fact to at least prove that what he did by lying, was put himself in a pickle; If the same currents and swell that were supposedly causing the dingy to bang into the port side of Splendor, were indeed the same rough swells and currents carrying the dingy and her body away to port and into that cove......., THEN how is that even physically possible? It's NOT! .....his story defies the laws of physics in the natural world!

RJ can't have it both ways. Either there was a storm causing the dingy to bang into the port side of the boat or ??? (something's fishy, because then it somehow carried Natalie and the dingy floating up stream against the wind and swell and against the laws of physics) ....it's not even possible! Since we indeed know where her body and the dingy ended up going and that was south of where Splendor was moored. Then we indeed know for sure any heavy seas and current were coming from starboard side of Splendor. Therefore no heavy seas could have had the dingy banging into Splendor from port side... to have ever bothered anybody on Splendor or any other yacht in the harbor. Because we've proved that any current, seas or heavy swell was coming from the North (starboard side of Splendor) by the fact of where the body and dingy ended up in a cove to the south of the yacht. This condition would be proper then, but the dingy would be prevented from ever...... banging into the side of Splendor. As it would be held off the side without any fenders even needed. Now the clincher; If the dingy was being held off port, then she had no reason to even get up in an attempt to adjust it, when it couldn't have been bothering her in the first place.

So let's just say she for some reason gets up to adjust the dingy, though. The only way to adjust it, would be from the fishing cockpit itself for the stern of dingy line and then either out the Bridge side window or from inside the salon window forward. Somebody on board is going to see her do this...... believe me. So with that excuse...., he has no defense. That's what he gets for rushing into committing himself to a lie that could be proven, that it was just that..... a lie.. A story to throw the cops and media off. That's why he waited to hatch his alibi before he decided to notify authorities. Nobody even questioned it or logically concluded from his stories, the absurd impossibility of them. Can you imagine he thought Natalie had gone partying on other boats..., that weren't having any parties that time of night and the only way RJ and Dennis would have allowed her to use the dingy, would have been in calm waters anyway. So what really happened Robert Wagner? Your scenario doesn't stand a chance of being remotely true! ....unless the storm was still going on, by the time Natalie or her body left the boat and then they would have ended up to the north of Splendor's mooring in a cove and on the rocks.

If the storm, that was still being felt to a degree early Saturday morning was still going on that night, Splendor would have indeed been set North of the Mooring's centerline. Then yes a boat tied to port would have been bouncing up against the port side of Splendor. Exactly where Natalie's head would have been (Master Stateroom Head Board is built in on port side of Splendor). But why would a good yachtsmen or old salty dog sailor Robert Wagner been foolish enough to tie the dingy up on that side in the first place?...... knowing it would be banging into Natalie's head board side of Splendor... it's absurd to believe this possible even by a drunk. But.... this is why he choice to erroneously pick this story and it's the only way he could validate it logically in his head, the stupid fool. A good sea going detective would have immediately suspected something was amiss and the investigation would have been begging for more and better answers and would more then likely been investigated as a homicide or at the very least negligent homicide.

Under prevailing (normal) weather conditions any breeze would either come from the west side of the island (through the natural funnel effect of the Isthmus) in a Westerly wind or more likely Northwest wind (which would be partially blocked by the mountains northwest). Which would still have Splendor set to the port side of their mooring's centerline (mooring centerline is when a yacht tied on both the shore-side mooring buoy to the bow and stern tied to offshore mooring buoy and is called your indicated line of set, either port or starboard). If winds are calm under prevailing Two Harbor's weather conditions, the Alaskan tidal currents would have had Splendor still set to port and is the only way her body and the dingy could have ever ended up in that same cove together. So the facts and RJ's alibi all these years, just don't jibe under final analysis. Not only that, but this can all be proved with diagrams very easily. Indicating currents and mooring set in relationship to where the body and dingy ended up. You don't need to prove the weather conditions. They prove themselves by where the body and dingy were eventually was found. Therefore the dingy could in no way, been banging into the port side of Splendor to bother Natalie...... So RJ? ...your story smells very very very..... 'Flying' Fishy Wishy!!!

Note: My advice to the Los Angeles County Prosecutor's Office is to verify what I just explained with experts on the weather conditions and the effects of mooring set, tidal currents on yachts in Two Harbors, on the evening of November 28, 1981. Since I can't draw out the scenarios here, experts could still completely disprove any possibility, that what RJ has led everyone to believe, is even possible. This case begs to be re-opened in Robert J. Wagner's lifetime, simply to have the TRUTH FINALLY REVEALED behind RJ's Lies!

I was blindsided with grief the morning the news broke that Natalie Wood was dead. Nothing really made sense to me on how someone so afraid of dark water would take a dinghy out by herself--and drown.

This book will answer any questions that anyone has about the night that Natalie Wood died. In fact, this book is so powerful that the investigation into Natalie's death has been reopened, no doubt because of the stunning revelations contained in this book.

If you are a fan of Natalie's, then do yourself a favor and read this book. All of your questions will be answered on what occurred that fateful night in the murky, dark waters off Catalina Island.

I read this book in one sitting when I received it from Amazon. I was too young to appreciate Natalie's film work and have only recently seen two of her films but I find her absolutely fascinating. She was incredibly beautiful and by all accounts a very warm, charming and endearing person despite a difficult childhood. Since reading this book, I have felt sickened by this tragedy. I am still unclear as to how she ended up in the water (did RJ push her? throw her?) but regardless if it was intentional or an accident, nothing changes the very sad fact that she died horribly and unnecessarily. We know Wagner lied about events leading up to her disappearance--I think so little of him now. I used to feel sorry for him and almost admired him for his clean character and what a dedicated father he was. I no longer feel that way. It is too bad this wasn't investigated properly but I doubt he would have been charged with anything because of what we now know about LA police work and celebrities. I would normally seethe about justice not being served in this case but I think Wagner's guilt has to be devastating--how he has lived this long is really a surprise. His life sentence of living with his guilt and involvement while raising her motherless daughters has to be worse than jail--a sickening farce that you must face as a lie every day. I do believe he loved Natalie but his booze fueled jealousy and ego were the cause of this tragedy.

I was shocked to read accounts of the amount of alcohol consumed by everyone on the boat that weekend. I have been around heavy drinkers my entire life and have many times excused incidents not believing booze to be the cause. I have to say I believe that it was likely the cause or catalyst of this incident. That makes it so much more sad because it was so unnecessary.

I remember this happening when I was in high school but wasn't really dialed into the story. I am glad to see through interviews and this book that many others back then had suspicion of the official story as well.

I have had trouble sleeping since reading this book; I try to rationalize that Natalie is in a better place, at peace and forever young and beautiful in our hearts and minds. I am heartbroken for her daughters--losing your mother so young is a lifelong scar that you really never recover from. Wagner is responsible for that too.

Thank you Marti and especially Dennis for your courage to tell the whole story. I hope that even if the case isn't reopened, more people will at least learn the truth by reading this book.

There are several really good reviews here, so I don't want to repeat.
As far as I'm concerned all three of the men who were on that boat are guilty.

1.) We are supposed to believe that Walken slept through both the loud music and the loud violent fight between RJ and Natalie? Not buying that one.

2.) If Davern saw/heard the violent fight, how could he not come to Natalie's defense? He could have gotten Walken to help. You would think that would just be instinctive.

3.) In another biography, Davern stated that he saw/heard Natalie in the water, crying out for help. Now he says he never saw her in the water?

I think everyone involved is still lying. The very sad truth is, there were three men on that boat and not one of them did anything to save Natalie.

Cold Case Squad....where are you?

HOW WAGNER GOT AWAY WITH THIS IS UNREAL...HOW DOES HE PUT HIS HEAD DOWN AT NIGHT TO SLEEP!!!

OTHER PEOPLE ON BOATS DOCKED NEAR HIS BOAT HEAR HER SCREAMING FOR HELP...WAGNER TOOK HOURS TO CALL FOR HELP..AND THEN IS WHISKED AWAY FROM SCENE AFTER THEY FIND NATALIE.

VERY DISTURBING

BUT THEN AGAIN HE HAS JILL ST.JOHN AS A DISTRACTION.

HE LISTENED AND HEARD HER DROWNING....

TALK ABOUT GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have read every biography and a plethora of written work relating to Natalie Wood. Each offering its own defensive view of her character, her personal life behind-the-scenes, and above all the horrific conclusion to her life here on earth. The controversy surrounding this unending mystery finally seems to narrow in Marti Rulli's "Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour". Her collaborative effort with Dennis Davern, who serves as the principal source of information, has for the first time ever revealed the most logical scenario and circumstances outlining Natalie's death.

An addicting read from start to finish, I was sated with the long overdue truth and enraged with the injustice towards absolving her demise, which seems (as previously suspected) at loose ends protected by conspiratorial collaborations and power elites.

It is utterly sickening what certain individuals [e.g., Dennis Davern] have had to continually endure as a treacherous tragedy is obscured.

Of all the written and stated accounts of Ms. Wood's death, Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour leaves me with the most justified feeling of accuracy. At least as close as we've gotten so far.

Marti Rulli is an exceptional writer. Her sources and logic are portrayed as trustworthy and very insightful. She gets to the bottom line (and with tremendous appreciation to the courageous Davern)no holds barred. Being an avid reader and devoted enthusiast of actors' biographies I would not hesitate to delve into a work with her name attached.

Natalie Wood was much more than a stunningly beautiful woman and a vastly talented actress. She was also an extraordinary human being with a glorious spirit. She was a loving and devoted wife and mother, as well as a loyal and generous friend to many people. Anyone who crossed her path in life surely must have felt like the luckiest person in the world to know her.

"Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour" is the poignant and evocative story of Natalie Wood and her final days. Author Marti Rulli, along with Splendour captain Dennis Davern, gives us a wonderfully intimate view into the life of Natalie, the real person behind the "star" image that was carefully portrayed to the public. We learn about the actual circumstances leading to Natalie's death over 28 years ago, which has always been shrouded in confusion and mystery. If not already a fan of Natalie, the reader comes to appreciate what a dear woman she was, making her loss all the more dreadful and depressing. "GNGS" is important not just for fans of Natalie Wood or people interested in celebrity. Anyone who cares about justice should read this book. It truly has struggled its way to us, with various barriers and roadblocks thrown in its way. But truth finds its way out.

As I read "GNGS," I experienced a tremendous range of emotions--deep admiration and caring, dread, despair, shock, and outrage. At times I laughed and smiled, but I often trembled and shed tears. I think of this story every day now. It has entered my head and my heart and my soul, and it will never leave. It impresses upon the reader just how avoidable Natalie's death was. There was a long, bizarre chain of circumstances that led to her drowning, and it's utterly heartbreaking to realize that if just ONE of those circumstances had been different, Natalie would not have died off the boat on which she spent some of her most treasured moments with family and friends. Since reading "GNGS," I have felt tormented in ruminating on these bizarre circumstances and realizing what a painful and terrifying death my favorite actress endured.

Simply stated, "GNGS" has affected me like no other book I've read. It took me less than two days to read it, and almost three months later, it has NOT left my mind for a single day. It has been profoundly painful and dreadful to comprehend what happened to Natalie. Moreover, it was shocking to realize that Natalie's loving, devoted husband has worked very diligently for 28 years to hide the truth surrounding her death. The handful of people who have tried to uncover the truth have been threatened many times. Wagner has shunned and publicly scorned Davern, Lana Wood, and Marilyn Wayne, a witness to Natalie's repeated cries for help that night. An innocent person simply does not lie to investigators, obfuscate the truth by repeatedly distorting and omitting things for 28 YEARS, or threaten others who merely seek answers to what happened to Natalie. An innocent person does not act or speak like Wagner has since his wife's death.

When Natalie died, I was a teenager, but even at that young age, I never thought the information about her death made any sense. There were too many gaps and inconsistencies. But I NEVER wanted to believe that Wagner had something to do with Natalie's death. They had seemed so loving and devoted to each other--after all, they were THE Hollywood couple. At the time, I had had a big crush on Wagner for several years. But as time passed, Wagner's behavior and words increasingly disturbed me. His autobiography was actually what made me much more suspicious and uncomfortable. I don't think that anyone who had lost the love of his life in such a horrible way would say that he had lived a "charmed life." There are far too many examples of Wagner's disturbing and puzzling behavior and words to list here--I can save them for a comment thread, since these reviews have a limit on words. This review is about "GNGS," anyway. And what a book "GNGS" is!

After having read Wagner's book in 2008, I found that reading "GNGS" made it all shockingly and sadly clear to me. "GNGS" is the ONLY explanation of Natalie's death that ever made sense. Ms. Rulli did not just take Davern's account of what he witnessed and knew. Ms. Rulli did thorough research and interviewed people to inform readers and let them draw their own conclusions. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's shoddy treatment of Natalie's case was mindblowing and highly disturbing.

With "GNGS," Ms. Rulli has demonstrated astounding integrity and dedication to bringing justice and dignity back to Natalie Wood. Ms. Rulli has persevered in a most remarkable and admirable way, determined to shine a light on the life and death of a glorious lady who did not deserve her fate. Ms. Rulli has my utmost respect and gratitude for what she has done for Natalie and for what she continues to do for her. Please read "GNGS" and consider signing the online petition to reopen this case. Please help Natalie have her voice. She deserved so much more.