Natalie Wood's New Year's Eve Party Was One of Hollywood's Best
Despite her staggering success, the late actress Natalie Wood is often remembered more for her tragic death at the age of 43 than for the work she did while she was alive—an oeuvre that includes classics like West Side Story, Rebel Without a Cause, and Splendor in the Grass. When the documentary Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind premieres on May 5 on HBO, all that could change.
The documentary, directed by Laurent Bouzereau and produced by Wood's daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner, pays homage to the Oscar nominee’s life and work. In addition to rare interviews with Wood’s friends and colleagues—a who’s who of stars including Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, and Elliott Gould—it features rarely seen family photos, private letters, and ephemera from her life not only as a movie star but a wife, mother, and friend.
In this exclusive clip, Wood’s role as a Hollywood hostess is on full display. In particular, her annual New Year’s Eve party—which drew stars like Gregory Peck, Jimmy Stewart, and even Fred Astaire, who’d croon Cole Porter songs—is recalled as being a yearly reminder of her warmth and generosity.
“Those parties are etched in my memory,” Gregson Wagner tells T&C. “The smell of the Rigaud Cypres candles that my mom loved to burn mixed with her Jungle Gardenia perfume. The laughter from the guests downstairs all so happy to see each other. My mom putting the finishing touches on her makeup. There was always a current of excitement that ran through my body as we prepared for all the festivities at our house. Of course, [my sister] Courtney and I would have to go to bed at our bedtimes but we were always allowed to come downstairs and chat with the guests, tell a funny joke, or eat a handful of cashews.”
And New Year’s Eve wasn’t the only time Wood and her family got festive. “The Christmas Eve parties were legendary as Santa Claus always made a quick pit stop at our house, just in from the North Pole, on his way to deliver presents to all the children,” Gregson Wagner says. “I swear we heard the reindeer’s bells as they waited so patiently on our roof for Santa to join them.”
You Might Also Like
