ClassicKol

Funny there's a new thread today for Natalie Wood- I became a member here yesterday to reply to the thread 'Damn Good Actress'- you know, that 'bumper' (part of a commercial) on TCM, where you hear this man's voice say 'damn good actress'- in the thread, people are supposing who it is. I am certain that it is the voice of Syndey Pollack, and it was from a documentary about Natalie Wood that I THINK I have on dvd, but I haven't been able to locate which dvd it's on yet. But I know that Pollack (who directed Natalie a few times) directly said 'she was a damn good actress' and that's where the TCM bumper comes from. Just prior to that quote, Pollack had noted that Miss Wood had taken her share of 'digs' about her acting ability and told some stories of filming a drunk scene in 'This Property Is Condemned' when Wood was slightly hurt that Pollack wanted for Natalie to actually be, for real, a bit drunk, when she filmed a scene when her character was supposed to be drunk, but she agreed to drink just a couple glasses of wine. He concluded by saying it got him what he wanted for the scene faster, but that she was a 'damn good actress'- Mr. Pollack was a gentleman (he just passed away, recently) and made many great films as a director, but he remained thankful and loyal to Natalie at a time when her work, sadly, was not being remembered for being as good as it was and he pointed out what a great talent she had. He went on to direct Streisand and Redford in 'The Way We Wuz'--oops, sorry- 'Were', and other big Redford films, and well, google him- but Pollack was a class act, all the way. He also dabbled in acting a bit, the last film work before his too-soon death was a very good supporting performance in the George Clooney film 'Michael Clayton'- Well, anyway, if any of Natalie's fans here know the Natalie documentary I'm speaking of and can verify it, please go to the the thread 'Damn Good Actress' and confirm that it's Pollack, speaking of Natalie, and now we hear that sound clip daily on TCM. I have hundreds of dvds I'm going to have to look through to find the one with the documentary, and then will need to watch it and give the time when the quote comes in during the docu, so people can compare the voice, but I'm sure it's Pollack. Maybe I can do it tomorrow, it's Father's Day and I have an hour drive to see to go see my (by the way) Russian dad. I've never heard 'Muds' used as Russian slang for Mother, as the thread starter stated, but it could be true. I remember the term 'Bah-bah" a lot, used towards my older aunts, when my cousin had to take a few of them out together- she'd say 'Today I have to drive the bah-bah mobile', it's a cute long-ago memory for me. Natalie's heritage is something I think got me liking her, I remember the older relatives of mine when I was very young talking her up, they liked her, and were proud she was so beautiful, successful and talented. 2 generations later, I started buying all of her films I could find, and also think she's wonderful. Well, dosjvanja- which is Ruskie for 'see ya later'-- though, likely, not spelled right! Enjoying the TCM Message Boards, thank you. It's fun to read and write, here. Edited by: ClassicKol on Jun 20, 2010 1:33 PM Edited by: ClassicKol on Jun 20, 2010 1:39 PM Edited by: ClassicKol on Jun 20, 2010 1:45 PM

It's a bit interesting that Doris Day did co-operate with doing an audio-commentary track for Season 5 of 'The Doris Day Show' just a few years ago. Jim Pierson, who conducted the interview and works on the release of many vintage dvds and cds, was/is a big Doris Day fan, and he traveled to Carmel to do the audio interviews- the only problem is that he talks 'over her' more than a few times, his knowledge is so vast that he was like an excited kid (of 50-something) who had to 'prove' how much he knew about her. One time, he caught himself and said 'excuse me' to Doris Day, who replied 'No, go on, I didn't know what you were just telling me!', paraphrasing. Doris sounded fine, but to suggest she sounds ageless isn't true-- she was a little foggy on a few points and definitely sounded like a senior, but, who cares? She took the most interest in the episode that was her annual 'fashion show' segment, she didn't do commentary on many episodes, just a few. Miss Day may have done commentary on another season of the tv show also, but the final year, Season 5, is the only 'Doris Day Show' I own, so it's all I can comment on. I think she was fantastic in films, and had a quality that made her tv show better than it was, she really was quite an actress, and I agree she deserves an honorary Academy Award. Perhaps, things were tougher on her than we already know and it all would bring back too difficult memories for her to revisit the wonderful film work she did, if it involves returning to L.A., even for a night or two. Yet, one has to respect her strong will- When she quit movies, she quit, babe. When she quit doing series television, she quit. It had been reported she'd turned down 'The Golden Girls', which of course, one can imagine how wonderful she could have been in and how her presence would have elevated the quality of the long-running sitcom. Better for her, though, that she found peace and a happy mindset in Carmel that healed some wounds that must have cut pretty deep, for her to have stayed out of the public eye for 36 years, except for the very brief animal series she did on cable. The widely-wired photo of Doris looking at such an ill Rock Hudson, to me, shows Doris just as someone who can't believe something so horrible had happened to Rock. I think Doris was an intelligent woman, certainly, but there is almost a heartbroken, kid-like naivete in her face in that final appearance Rock made with her. It turned into another sad memory for her, and she discontinued the series. Maybe there was a lot of other heartache during the movie years, beyond the Martin Melcher mismanagement of her finances, and his committing her to the CBS deal. She was a relatively young woman (in her late 40s, still) when the tv series ended, and could have worked decades longer, be it in Vegas, or Broadway, if she was through with tv and movies. She chose not to. One thing I don't think that's been considered is that perhaps 'fear' had something to do with Doris leaving the business, after she'd won the huge $20+ million settlement circa 1974. That was a huge amount of money, then. There had been other frightful issues she'd survived, involving her late son. Maybe she's the kind of person who just closes a chapter and leaves it closed, it sure seems that way. I'd bet, though, if Robert Osborne and TMC would be willing to travel to Carmel and have a sit-down with Day, completely under her terms, they'd get their interview. It worked for Jim Pierson, who is instrumental in getting many projects involving women of eras gone by re-released. But to expect Doris to return to LA, when she clearly has no desire to, be it by automobile or by glass bottom boat, simply won't work. Let TMC or Osborne make an unrefusable donation to an animal charity near and dear to the heart of Doris Day, travel to Carmel with a small and well-mannered film crew, and we all may just see Doris Day one final time, happy to rewatch some of her work, as she clearly sounded happy commenting about her tv show. It'd be nice, for sure, to have a fitting farwell to a long and wonderful motion picture career, with Doris involved. But, 'they' are gonna have to go to her. Edited by: ClassicKol on Jun 20, 2010 6:34 AM Edited by: ClassicKol on Jun 20, 2010 6:54 AM

I have the answer- and it only took me 25 minutes to become a 'member' to post a reply, I was so surprised no-one had it correct. The man speaking is the late, great director Sydney Pollack, and it was a direct quote from a documentary about Natalie Wood that he was a part of, and I need to check and see which DVD it is on, but I will re-post and then hopefully someone will verify. But I joined this forum just because I was so sure of the answer, had been lurking here for years trying to find out if we'd ever get 'Beyond The Forest' on DVD, but gave up! It's kewl here. I know the Pollack interview where he says 'she was a damn good actress' in reference to Wood is not on her boxed set, and I checked 'This Property Is Condemned' and it's not there either, so I'm narrowing down where it is 'not' from, but I'm sure that Pollack is the correct answer. If it turns out I'm wrong, I'll just have to disappear from here forever, but I have to say I'm sure that Pollack is not wrong.