BEST NATALIE WOOD MOVIES
“Miracle on 34th Street” (1947): A very young Wood is part of this holiday staple as a Macy’s executive’s (Maureen O’Hara) skeptical daughter, who doesn’t believe in Santa Claus ... until she meets the real deal (played by Oscar winner Edmund Gwenn).
“Rebel Without a Cause” (1955): Wood started to come of age as a friend of a deeply troubled town newcomer (James Dean) in this Nicholas Ray-directed drama classic.
“The Searchers” (1956): Regarded by many as the greatest Western ever made, John Ford’s saga features Wood as the Comanche-abducted niece of the Civil War veteran (John Wayne) who pursues her.
“Marjorie Morningstar” (1958): One of Wood’s more underrated movies foreshadowed the premises of some of her later ones, adapting Herman Wouk’s novel about a would-be actress whose love for an aspiring writer (Gene Kelly) is opposed by her parents.
“Splendor in the Grass” (1961): Speaking to a generation, which it still does today, Wood’s performance for director Elia Kazan as a 1920s Kansas teen facing social pressures — and not doing particularly well in handling that — remains a major entry on the resumes of both Wood and her leading man, Warren Beatty. Turner Classic Movies presents the film as part of a night of movies about young people that extends from Friday, Sept. 1, into early the morning of Saturday, Sept. 2.
“West Side Story” (1961): Director Robert Wise’s original, Oscar-winning screen version of the musical is destined to remain forever beloved for elements including Wood’s portrayal of lovestruck heroine Maria.
“Gypsy” (1962): Wood does dynamic work as a burlesque performer striving to live out the dreams of her pushy mom (Rosalind Russell), the ultimate “stage mother.”
“Love With the Proper Stranger” (1963): Forming a dynamic duo with Steve McQueen, Wood is affecting as a saleswoman dealing with an expected pregnancy and the musician who’s the father.
“Inside Daisy Clover” (1965): In her first teaming with Robert Redford — who credits her with having been a major proponent of his screen career — Wood plays an unlikely movie star who has a hard time dealing with the trappings of the Hollywood of the 1930s.
“Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice’ (1969): Nodding to social developments of the time, Wood rolled the dice with her image by playing part of a two-couple foursome experimenting with freedom in commitment and sexuality.
“Brainstorm” (1983): Completed after her death, Wood’s final film is an intriguing science-fiction tale casting her as one of several researchers involved in developing a device that can read people’s minds.