Episode 628: The Death of Natalie Wood: Murder or Mishap?

Explicit content warning

01/04/22 • 93 min

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we cover long-time listener request. This is the death of Natalie Wood. Hers is a story of stardom, sexual scandal, a controlling mother, and quite possible murder. She was found drowned off Catalina Island, after a night of drinking and arguing with her husband Robert Wagner about her friend Christopher Walken. The case was ruled as accidental, but in 2011, it became active again. Natalie Wood was one of the biggest stars of her day, winning three academy awards before the age of 25. She was a childhood star in Miracle on 34th Street, and was in everything from Rebel Without A Cause to Westside Story. So what went down the night Natalie Wood died? What made the LAPD open this case after decades? What does Christopher Walken say happened? Why was Natalie Woods so afraid of the water? Why won’t her husband cooperate with the police in the current investigation? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/actor/natalie-wood https://allthatsinteresting.com/natalie-wood-death https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-11-30/40-years-later-the-mystery-over-natalie-woods-death-endures https://nypost.com/2021/11/04/natalie-woods-sister-says-robert-wagner-killed-the-actress/ http://sandhillsexpress.com/cbs_entertai/natalie-wood-death-investigator-calls-new-witnesses-very-credible-cbsidcd019ffa/ https://www.factinate.com/people/facts-natalie-wood/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0fm42MGMGc

Previous Episode

EPISODE 627: LUFTHANSA HEIST: REAL LIFE GOODFELLAS

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about one of the largest heists in US history and the inspiration for the movie Goodfellas. It was called the Lufthansa Heist, named after the airline they stole from. This story is a tale of vintage mobsters, theft, powergrabs, and murders. So many murders. Jimmy Burke, the leader of the crew, went a bit psychotic after the FBI started to investigate. He took care of loose ends as only the mob knows how. So, if you want to learn if Joe Pesci, Robert DeNiro, and Ray Liotta accurately portrayed these unhinged mobsters, then listen, laugh, and learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/news/real-goodfellas-lufthansa-heist-henry-hill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lufthansa_heist https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lufthansa-heist-jfk-airport-goodfellas-henry-hill https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/lufthansa-heist-murders-mafia-mobsters https://www.businessinsider.com/what-happened-during-the-lufthansa-heist-of-1978-2014-1 https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/goodfellas-did-the-real-henry-hill-make-any-money-from-the-movie.html/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Burke_(gangster)

Next Episode

Episode 629: Corn: Mayans, Monocrops, and Monopolies

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we drop some science and talk about one of the most important feats of agriculture in all of human history—Corn. You may be asking, why Corn? Many people argue that it is disastrous for the environment and for agriculture in the US. For another thing, it is one of the most subsidized crops by the US government; the government pays the biggest corn growers millions of dollars a year to grow (or not grow this crop). It has a crazy history and was domesticated some 9000 years ago by ancient peoples in Mexico. It was the descendent of a plant called teosinte. It was used by the Mayans and Native Americans, and now it is used to feed animals, make plastics, create fuel, sweeten your Mt. Dew and just about everything else you can think of. From threats of eco disaster to potentially corrupt government payoffs, Corn is more interesting than you might think. Visit Our Sources: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rethinking-corny-history-maize-180971038/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/time-to-rethink-corn/ https://farmtogether.com/learn/blog/a-brief-history-of-corn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maize https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBuYUb_mFXA https://www.thebalance.com/farm-subsidies-4173885 https://grist.org/food/our-crazy-farm-subsidies-explained/ https://www.farmprogress.com/vegetables/13-ways-corn-used-our-everyday-lives https://www.freshcityfarms.com/blogs/9-facts-you-might-not-know-about-corn https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC212689/ http://www.teachinghistory100.org/objects/about_the_object/maize_god