Natasha
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GYPSY SAID SHE’D DROWN: Faye Nuell Mayo to SF, 2/24/99; Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99; Lana Wood to SF, 8/19/99; Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
GYPSY SAID 2ND CHILD A BEAUTY: Faye Nuell Mayo to SF, 2/24/99
TATULIAN, STRICT, GIRLFRIENDS DESIRED HIM: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
ELOPED, LED REGIMENT, LADIES’ MAN: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99; Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
HAD ABORTIONS: Randal Malone to SF
CHILDBIRTH EXPERIENCE: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99; Maria Gurdin to Sue Russell
OVSANNA BAPTISM: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99
MOVE TO AMERICA: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99; Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
ALEXEI’S VOYAGE: U.S. customs records/ship’s logs
UNDERWEIGHT: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99; Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
BEER AND MILK: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99
BOOKKEEPING, BREAST-FED: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
MARIA’S VOYAGE: U.S. customs records/ship’s logs
CHAPTER 2
MISTRESS: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn; Olga Viripaeff to SF; Shirley Mann to SF
ADDRESS, LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: OlgaViripaeff to SF; ship’s records; Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
HALLUCINOGENIC: Nina Arrabit to SF
MOVIE CRAZY: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99
DEALT IN ILLUSION; BELIEVE IN THE BEST: Randal Malone to SF
LEFT IN PARK, BALLET: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 6/12/99
SOCIAL CLIMBER, “TOOK” A DRESS, “NOT TWO PENNIES”: Nina Arrabit to SF
PAID DRESSMAKER, FELL ASLEEP: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 6/12/99
WANTED TO BE ACTRESS: Josephine Paulson via Lois Tenney to SF, 6/13/99
READ PALMS/TAROT: Lois Tenney & Olga Viripaeff to SF
ALWAYS INTO: Lois Tenney to SF, 6/13/99
NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE: Lois Tenney to SF, Olga Viripaeff to SF, Shirley Mann to SF, Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn, Josephine Paulson to Lois Penney to SF
CAPTAIN HER PASSION: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99; Shirley Mann to SF
NICK HANDSOME/WANTED HIM: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
MUSIA PET NAME: Natalie Wood’s eulogy for Nick Gurdin, 11/7/80, Westwood Village Chapel
WON PRIZES: Dmitri Zakharenko to SF, 6/27/99
NICK VIOLENT: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn; Olga Viripaeff to SF, 6/12/99, Shirley Mann to SF, Dmitri Zakharenko to SF
ZAKHARENKO HISTORY: Dmitri Zakharenko to SF
LIVED WITH NICK: San Francisco city directories, 1936–1937; Olga Viripaeff to SF
TATULOV DIVORCE: Marie/Maria Tatuloff v. Alexander Tatuloff, Case No. 264481, Superior Court of California, San Francisco County
INFATUATED WITH GEORGE: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99; Shirley Mann to SF
NICK BELIEVED STERILE: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn; Star Mothers
WHY MARIA CHOSE NICK: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99
GAVE HER NATALIE: Randal Malone to SF
CHAPTER 3
CHOSE LOYS FOR MONEY: Lana Wood to SF, 9/13/99
STAGE-MANAGED: Maryann Marinkovich Brooks to SF
CHINA DOLL: Nina Arrabit to SF
NAMED FOR NATALIA, LOPATINS: Natalia Shabalina Bazigin to SF, 1/27/00
NO MONEY, BROUGHT THEM LUCK: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
WAGNER SAID: Robert Wagner, Lifetime’s “Intimate Portrait of Natalie Wood”
RAISED HER TO BE STAR: “Their Mother Neglected Lana,” Harriman Jamis, Photoplay, 8/67
BREAST-FED HER AT MOVIES: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99
WORE MASKS: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn; Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99
GOOFY, BOUGHT CARRIAGE: Nina Arrabit to SF
SO BRAVE: Natalie Wood’s eulogy for Nick Gurdin
RUSSIAN EYES: George Segal in “The Last American Girl,” The Movies, 310 Madison Ave., NY, The Movies, 10/83, vol. 1, #4
PAPA, MEELAYA, LOVED TO READ: Natalie’s eulogy for Nick Gurdin
CHRISTENING GOWN: Natalia Shabalina Bazigin to SF
IGNORED NICK AND OLGA: Olga Viripaeff to SF, Nina Arrabit to SF, Liuzunies to SF, 8/67 Photoplay
COULD TAKE CARE OF SELF: 8/67 Photoplay
BABYSAT: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
READ FAIRY STORIES: “Natasha & Natalie,” Barbara Giasone, Biarritz, July 1980
SMART LITTLE THING: Josephine Paulson to Lois Tenney to SF
NATASHA WAS BRILLIANT: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
SPOKE “AMERICAN”: “6-Year-Old Siren,” Connee Curtis, Motion Picture, (circa July) 1945
NO BABY TALK, CHANGED NAME, CURTSY, FOUL LANGUAGE, UNAFFECTIONATE, MARIA SET HIM OFF: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99
STRICT EUROPEAN: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Dick Moore, Harper & Row, NY, 1984
CHILDREN IN CORNER: “Natalie Wood’s Secrets for Blending a Busy Career and a Bustling Family,” Marcia Borie, Motion Picture, 12/77
MARIA UNDEMONSTRATIVE: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 8/13/99
NICK LOVED LIFE, ADVENTURES, COMPLICATED: Natalie’s eulogy for Nick Gurdin
BROKE BALALAIKA: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
OLGA BELIEVED: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99 [Dmitri Zakharenko, Nick’s brother, recalls their grandfather dying of natural causes during the revolution]
HATED CONFRONTATION: Lana Wood to SF, 8/19/99
“PRETEND” HER FAVORITE WORD: 7/45 Motion Picture
PLAYLETS: Lois Penney to SF; Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99, Constantine Liuzunie to SF
PUT ON SKITS: Olga Viripaeff to SF, Lois Tenney to SF
SCRAPBOOK, TAUGHT HAND MOVEMENTS: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
WHEN WE WALKED: “What Ever Happened To Baby Natalie?” Joseph Lewis, Cosmopolitan, November 1968
BRAINWASHED NATASHA: Faye Nuell Mayo to SF, 2/24/99
POSED FOR CAMERA: “The Taming Of The Shrewd,” Aljean Meltsir, Coronet, February 1960; “Natalie Wood: Star Into Actress,” Richard Lemmons, Newsweek, 2/26/62
REMEMBERED FROM TWO: “Don’t Sell Natalie Short,” Richard Gehman, Photoplay, September 1957
EASY WITH HER, GOT PIANO: 8/67 Photoplay
SHE WAS DIFFERENT: Lana Wood to SF, 8/19/99
MARIA KEPT SECRET: Lana Wood to SF, Faye Nuell Mayo to SF
MOTHER THOUGHT SHE’D DROWN: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 8/13/99
MARIA SAID SHE WAS AFRAID OF DARK WATERS: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
NATASHA WAS AFRAID TO WASH HER HAIR: Maria Gurdin to Randal Malone
MOTHER CREATED AN IMPRESSION, CONTRIBUTED TO THE FEAR: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99
CREATED PARANOIA IN HER: Natasha Gregson Wagner on “Intimate Portrait: Natalie Wood,” Lifetime
NICK WOULD NOT LET HER IN CROWDS: Shirley Mann to SF
CHAPTER 4
THOUGHT JAPANESE WOULD BOMB S.F., MOVED TO SUNNYVALE: Nina Arrabit to SF
LIVED IN PROJECTS: Lois Tenney to SF
NICK WORKED AT SHIPYARD: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/9; Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
MARIA’S HOUSE PURCHASE: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99 and 5/24/99; Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
MARIA FOLLOWED THE CREW, NATASHA WENT ALONG, GOT SOCIAL SECURITY CARD, MARIA WAS FUN: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99, 5/24/99
NATASHA ALWAYS ACTING: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
EDNA MAY DAY: “10-Year-Old S.R. Girl Gets Chance at Role in Movies!” Santa Rosa Press Democrat: 7/28/42; “City Plans Welcome to ‘Cinderella Girl’ ”10/18/42; “‘Edna May Day’ Will Be Observed Here,” 10/24/42; “City Welcomes Child Actress with Rally,” 10/25/42
“STANDING ON CORNER,” “TOUCH MY DAD”: Edna May Wonacott Green to SF, 2/4/00
STAGE MOTHER, PLAYED HUSBAND, WATCHED HER, WATER FEAR, CALLED BUTCH, PLOT TO POISON: Ed Canevari to SF, 5/28/99 and 11/24/99
NEVER PHYSICAL, TAUGHT HER EMBROIDERY: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
PICKED CHERRIES: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99 and 8/13/99
GOT DRUNK, BETTER HE BE SOMEPLACE ELSE: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY: Outtakes of Robert Blake interv
iew, “E True Hollywood Story: Natalie Wood”
KIDS LOVED HER: Ethel Polhemus to SF, 2/2/00
PITIED FISH: 2/26/62 Newsweek
PUPPY KILLED: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 6/12/99
GIRLS STOOD ON CORNERS: Edna May Wonacott Green to SF
POWDERED HER HAIR: “Natalie Wood: A Bride Again,” Mike Connolly, Screen Stories, April 1964
GOT INTO THE MOOD: “Hello, Natalie Wood!” Allen Rivkin and Laura Kerr, Vogue, June 1962
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE: “Movie Stars to Arrive in S.R. Today,” Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 6/13/43
PICHEL SAW “SHADOW”: Natalie Wood: A Biography in Pictures, Christopher Nickens, Dolphin, 1986
BASED ON NOVEL: “‘Happy Land,’ Second Movie Made Here,” Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 1/22/44
KNOWN FOR ANTI-NAZI: 10/54 Films in Review
DESTINED TO BE MAGICAL, DUTIFUL: “Natalie Wood: Rebel at 20,” Mark Alan, Screen Parade, June 1969; 11/68 Cosmopolitan
PICHEL NOTICED CHILD, TRAGIC EXAMPLE, ENCOUNTER WITH NATASHA: “Modern Pied Piper,” Faith Service, Silver Screen, February 1947
MAKE IMPRESSION, MARIA ASKED HOW IT WORKED, NATALIE DESCRIBED IT, GO SING: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
SANG “IN MY ARMS”: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
KNEW RUSSIAN, FELL IN LOVE, OLGA TAUGHT HAND MOVEMENT: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 1/6/99, 5/7/99, 7/11/99
THOSE EYES…: 2/60 Coronet
IF NICE TO MEN: June 1969 Screen Parade
PICHEL SPOTTED HER IN CROWD: Phyllis Quinn to SF
NATASHA JUMPED IN LAP: Shirley Mann to SF; 9/57 Photoplay; “Seventeen, Seventeen,” Jane Wilkie, Modern Screen, January 1956; “We Solved the Natalie Wood Mystery,” Claire Sills, Movie Show, November 1957
NICK DIDN’T OBJECT: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
MARIA MADE DECISIONS: 8/67 Photoplay
DIDN’T SEEM EXCITED: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99; Ed Canevari to SF, 5/28/99
SEE IT IN HER FACE: Ed Canevari to SF, 5/28/99
WASN’T SHY: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
EDWIN RAN OFF, LIKE A SHADOW: Ed Canevari to SF, 5/28/99
WITH TEARS: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
DRESSED IN TRAILER, PAIRED HER: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
ANN PICKED HER UP, MARIA KEPT HER UNDERFOOT: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
PICHEL FELL IN LOVE: 2/47 Silver Screen
“HE SAID TO MY MOTHER…”: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
OLGA’S MEMORY OF PICHEL: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99
WANTED TO BUY NATASHA: Maria Gurdin to Sue Russell for Star Mothers, November 1985
PICHEL’S CHILDREN: Estate of Irving Pichel, Los Angeles County, 7/19/54
PICHEL’S SONS’ ACCOUNTS: SF interviews with Pichel W. Pichel 3/29/99, Dr. Julian Pichel 4/2/99, Marlowe Pichel 3/29/99
MRS. PICHEL RESENTED MOVIE INDUSTRY: Aaron Pichel to SF, 4/2/99 & 10/18/99, Dr. Julian Pichel to SF, 4/2/99
PICHEL IN MAGAZINE: 2/47 Silver Screen
FABRICATION: Lana Wood to SF, 8/19/99
PROMISED HER PART: September 1957 Photoplay
WARNED MARIA: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99; 2/47 Silver Screen
BIG DAY: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
NEVER MENTIONED MOVIES, PLAYED IN YARD: Ed Canevari to SF, 5/28/99
MOTHER EXCITED, OLGA CARED LESS: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99
VOLUMINOUS, GIFTS: 2/47 Silver Screen
TOLD NEIGHBORS, MARIE EMBARRASSED: Shirley Mann to SF
CUT SCENE: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
SHE WAS GOING TO OFFER: Lana Wood, “Intimate Portrait: Natalie Wood,” Lifetime
NO EVIDENCE: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99; Ed Canevari to SF, 5/28/99
WALKED TO JOB, TOOK GIRLS, WENT TO CHURCH: Olga Viripaeff to SF
STUDIOS WERE GOLD: “Natalie At Ease,” Roy Loynd, Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, 7/23/67; 2/26/62 Newsweek
IDENTIFIED STARS, INVENTED A GAME: September 1957 Photoplay; 1/56 Modern Screen
MAYBE KNEW PICHEL, GYPSY MAGIC, GOT HIM TO SELL: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
HOUSE GONNA SELL, GOT THREE TIMES: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
SOLD HOUSE LIKE WONACOTTS, ALL WENT TOGETHER: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99, 5/24/99, 7/11/99; (Gurdins moved year to LA year before Tomorrow Is Forever): 1/56 Modern Screen
DEED TO HUMBOLDT: Volume 611 of Official Records, Page 70, Sonoma County
ARTICLE: Santa Rosa newspaper clipping from scrapbook of the Canevari family
CHAPTER 5
FELT BURDEN: Lana Wood to SF; numerous published Natalie Wood interviews
KILLED ME: Ed Canevari to SF, 5/28/99
SORRY MOVED, HER DESTINY: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 8/13/99
DESTINED FOR THIS LIFE: Scott Marlowe to SF, 6/8/99
DROVE ALL NIGHT, HITCHHIKER: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 7/11/99
SOB ACT: Scott Marlowe to SF, 6/8/99
PICHEL DISMAYED: 2/47 Silver Screen
HARD MOVE: Lois Tenney to SF
EXPECTED VELVET: 7/23/67 Los Angeles Herald-Examiner
PHOTOS: Letter with photos from Natasha Gurdin to Edwin Canevari dated 9/30/44
READ TRADES, TRIED FOR DIFFERENT THINGS: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 8/13/99, 5/24/99
REJECTION: “I’m Going to Live My Life,” John Hallowell, New York Times, 3/9/69
PRAYED: “Bride-to-Be Natalie Wood Tells All,” Jon Lawton, Motion Picture, March 1964
CARPENTER THROUGH PICHEL, NICK MADE SWING: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
NICK GOT CONSTRUCTION JOB IN STUDIO: January 1956 Modern Screen
MOTHER GOT EXCITED: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/7/99
PICHEL WAS DEPRESSED: 2/47 Silver Screen
BE ACTRESS, WAITING FOR BREAK: “How Eight Famous Stars Got Their First Acting Job,” Movie Life, October 1970
TOLD LANA: Natalie: A Memoir by Her Sister
SCHEMED HOW TO STAND OUT: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
DRESSED THE WAY SHE PLAYS: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
PICHEL ADVISED HER: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn, Shirley Mann to SF
IMITATED O’BRIEN: Margaret O’Brien to SF, 1/26/00; Randal Malone to SF, 1/25/00
FLAWLESS: studio biographies of Natalie Wood, Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn et al.
NOT VERY GOOD, PICHEL RELIEVED: 2/47 Silver Screen
PROUD SHE HADN’T CRIED, A COMMOTION, COUNTED CRYING SCENES: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star 37–38 MARIA WAS UPSET, GOT NATASHA TO CRY, SEEMED TO GET THROUGH IT: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
MARIA HAD NATASHA CALL: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; 2/47 Silver Screen
TOOK OUT OF SCHOOL, TOLD HER ABOUT DOG: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
BUTTERFLY: Robert Redford to SF, 2/16/00
TEARS FROM DEPTH, BROKE HIS HEART, SHE WAS IN THE MOVIES: 2/47 Silver Screen
NEVER BE THE SAME/CRYING: Scott Marlowe to SF, 6/8/99; “Natalie Wood Hits Promo Trail,” Mary Blume, Los Angeles Times, 8/2/70; “Don’t Sell Natalie Short-Part II,” Richard Gehman, Photoplay, September 1957; Lana Wood to SF
MOTHER LIVED THROUGH HER: “Natalie, More Than the Hollywood Stereotype,” Anthony Korba, Orange Coast, October 1979; Natalie Wood interview excerpt on “Intimate Portrait: Natalie Wood”
MARIE’S DREAM: Randal Malone to SF
MOVIE CONTRACT/SCREEN NAME: Case #503232, In the Matter of the Contract between International Pictures Inc. and Natasha Gurdin, Superior Court, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, California, filed 6/22/45
READ SMALL PRINT: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
NAME CHANGE: Natalie Wood excerpt on “Intimate Portrait: Natalie Wood”; 10/79 Orange Coast; 7/80 Biarritz
WOOD WALKED BY: “Hollywood Throwback,” Bill Davidson, Saturday Evening Post, 4/7/62
HATED IT, “DON’T FRET”: “A Star Is Born Again,” Bob Lardine, New York Daily News Sunday News Magazine, 2/11/79
MUD ADMONISHED HER: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn; 6/69 Screen Parade
BE NICE TO DIRECTOR: 6/69 Screen Parade
WIND-UP DOLL: Pauline Kael, as
quoted in “Natalie Wood,” Kevin Lewis, Films in Review, 1986
I HAD TO DO IT: Natalie Wood as excerpted on AMC Hollywood Real to Reel, “Hollywood Legends: Starring Natalie Wood”
NO VOICE COACH: Olga Viripaeff to SF, 5/24/99
IQ 150: Robert Blake outtakes
MEMORIZED EVERYONE’S PARTS: Maria Gurdin to Phyllis Quinn
MEMORIZED QUICKLY, EXPLAINED IN LANGUAGE SHE UNDERSTOOD: “Boy Meets Girl,” Richard Baxter, Seventeen, January 1964
MOTHER DID SOMETHING: Scott Marlowe to SF, 6/8/99
PLAYING HOUSE: “A Last Visit with Natalie Wood,” Dick Moore, McCall’s, October 1984
FEELINGS SUBMERGED: “Natalie Wood & Robert Wagner,” Marshall Berges, Los Angeles Times Home Magazine, October 9, 1977
YOU CAN’T MAKE HIM: 2/47 Silver Screen
ACCOUNTS OF TOMORROW FILMING: USC Special Collections, Tomorrow Is Forever file, esp. Daily Production Report
EXPECTED TINSEL AND GLITTER: 2/26/62 Newsweek; “Care and Feeding of Child Stars,” Charles Champlin, Los Angeles Times, 5/26/65
FIRST LEADING MAN, IN LOVE, BLEW HIS TAKES, EYES REFLECTED TRAGEDY: Orson Welles, “Tribute to a Very Special Lady”
HELPFUL TO HER: Natalie Wood interview excerpt on AMC’s Hollywood Real to Reel
TERRIFYING: “New Movie Moppet,” Life, 11/26/45
WELLES HAD A LOT OF EXPERIENCE: 2/26/62 Newsweek
BOOMING VOICE, TAUGHT MAGIC: October 1984 McCall’s
KNOW LINES, TERRIFIED TO CRY, GOT HER WORKED UP, SHORTY, COLBERT, WELLES CHANGED LIGHTING, MUD GOT HER WORKED UP: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
PERFECTIONISM: Olga Viripaeff to SF
BEST AT SAD CHARACTERS: 6/69 Screen Parade
ACTS FROM HEART; COLBERT SAID SMART: “Natalie Wood: Teenager with a Past,” Movie Life, July 1956
THE WAY IT WORKS: Robert Hyatt to SF, 5/10/99
I HAD TO TAKE: Natalie Wood on Tomorrow with Tom Snyder, 2/14/80
HORRENDOUS STORIES: Mart Crowley, “Intimate Portrait: Natalie Wood”
TAUGHT MAGIC TRICKS: San Francisco Chronicle, 3/22/46; “Natalie Wood Makes It As Actress,” Bruce Bahrenburg, Newark Sunday News, 6/15/69; Erskine Johnson column, Los Angeles Mirror-News, 7/7/56
LOVED GROWN-UPS: 3/64 Motion Picture
WATCHING TO BE BETTER: November 1957 Movie Show
COLBERT KIND, MATERNAL: Claudette Colbert unsourced biography, Academy Colbert collection