My Favourite Natalie Wood Movies

Natalie Wood would've been 82 this year if not for her tragic and untimely death on this day in 1981. 

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Something I've enjoyed over the past few years is expanding my classic movie watching and finding new actors and actresses to appreciate. One of my new favourite actresses is definitely Natalie Wood, who always manages to surprise me with every film I find. 

She got the 'star' treatment this past summer with a day devoted to her on TCM's Summer Under the Stars, and it was one of the only days that I parked myself on the couch all day to watch the films they chose. Combined with some of my favourites already, I had a fun summer adding to my Natalie Wood repertoire. 

To celebrate her life, today I wanted to share five of my favourite Natalie Wood movies. Let's dive in!

Penelope (1966)

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Kooky, zany plots like this are my favourite. The fact that Natalie Wood's Penelope just keeps getting herself into shenanigan after shenanigan but nobody believes her is hilarious to me, and I love that she goes out of her way to get caught robbing a bank in the middle of the day, then confesses all of her other kleptomaniac crimes to no avail! Bonus points for Peter Falk playing a version of Columbo before Columbo was a thing. 

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

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A classic! The idea that Santa is real and that it's up to Natalie Wood and Maureen O'Hara to prove otherwise is a fun one. I love that ole Kris Kringle just up and decides to get a job at Macy's starting on Thanksgiving Day, and that it turns into such a hullabaloo to prove his true identity. Natalie as a youngster was such a precocious actress; it's fun to watch her act twice her age but still secretly want to believe that Santa's real. 

Gypsy (1962)

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It's not easy to hold your own and hold the screen when you're in competition with Rosalind Russell and Karl Malden, but Natalie does it with aplomb. This musical may be a little too long but it's great fun. 

Sex and the Single Girl (1964)

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Natalie plays a version of Helen Gurley Brown (author of Sex and the Single Girl, editor of Cosmopolitan magazine) in this mid-'60s sex comedy. It's fun and frothy, and boasts Tony Curtis, Lauren Bacall and Mel Ferrer in supporting roles. While it's a tame adaption/inspiration of Helen's bestselling book, it's still fun to watch!

Love With the Proper Stranger (1963)

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If I could go back in time and change one thing (okay, maybe not one thing, but I digress...), I'd give Natalie Wood an Oscar for Love With the Proper Stranger. She's so natural, so dramatic and steals the movie. 

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What are your favourite Natalie Wood movies? Let me know in the comments!