Dennis Davern Reveals His Side of the Natalie Wood Scandal in ‘Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour’
Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour
It was Thanksgiving weekend, November 29, 1981 and actress Natalie Wood and actor husband, Robert Wagner, had taken their beloved yacht, Splendour, out for the holiday weekend. At 1:30 am Wagner radioed that “someone is missing from our boat.”
The world had lost its leading lady, Natalie Wood, at age forty three.
It’s been 28 years since Wood’s death. Splendour’s captain, Dennis Davern, has been haunted by that night everyday since. Spurred by guilt over letting down his friend Natalie, Davern decided it was finally time to tell all about their last voyage together. The events following her death, the restrictions placed on him during those months, and his grief had prevented him from telling the whole story, until now. Unable to live with himself for not speaking up sooner, Davern leaned on his friend, writer Marti Rulli about the experience of that day for years.
Now, decades later, Davern has recapped the “real” story of that tragic night in history in the new book, “Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour” and has brought it to Newman Communications.
Wood and Wagner loved to entertain on their luxury yacht. When Wood invited co-star, actor Christopher Walken, on board it was to be a happy casual day for them to Catalina Island and Isthmus Cove. But was it a fun laid back trip? At the helm was Captain Dennis Davern, a man who had become not only a trusted employee but a friend to both Wood and Wagner.
What happened the night Natalie died?
Many unanswered questions still haunt the captain of Splendour as well as the many fans that have remained loyal to Natalie’s legacy. Continuously tormented, Davern feels it is his duty to his friend, Natalie, that the truth be told. Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour exposes truths, that until now have been shrouded in secrecy, and events that occurred that fateful night but were treated differently because of “celebrity” status:
- Why was Robert Wagner allowed to leave the scene without questioning?
- Why did it take four hours for Wagner to contact the authorities about Natalie missing from the boat?
- Why was Natalie still wearing her socks after a struggle in the water?
- What about the down coat she wore? Did it help keep her afloat or pull her down? There were no marks or scratches on the side of the rubber dinghy indicating Natalie was trying to get in as the coroner claimed. Why would he lie?
- How did Natalie get bruises on her face?
- Why did coroner Thomas Naguchi lose his job after Natalie’s death?
- Why weren’t any witnesses questioned? People on other nearby boats heard Natalie’s cry for help but yet no one was questioned, even after they voluntarily came forward to help.
- Are celebrity deaths treated differently than your average person?
- Investigations on celebrity deaths are treated very differently today than in years past. How would Natalie’s death be handled differently today?
Many questions have surrounded this night for years… Davern, with Rulli, has begged for the case to be re-opened with his facts and evidence; with the testimony of nearby boaters; with successfully taken lie detector tests to validate his story; with hypnosis to further confirm his facts; and more.
Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour details not only that night on the Splendour but how Natalie’s death has been treated since, the investigation, her family, the press, the questions, the many mysteries. Newman Communications is letting the country decide whether this is a Cold Case or a Closed Case.
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